Staying connected to the Vine
In part one of our study, we started taking a deeper look at our relationship with God, and we saw how this divine relationship goes farther than simply religious activity.
Now in part 2 today we’ll continue exploring our relationship with God, through the lens of Jesus Christ, empowered by His Spirit.
When you consider the phrase “relationship with God” what comes to your mind? For the majority of Christians I’ve spoken with, they think of things such as, going to church, reading their bible, or other religious activities. All of these things are good, but can a relationship with Jesus be reduced to a list of tasks?
The scriptures speak in detail about our relationship with Jesus, the Father, and the Holy Spirit, and where exactly we fit in this spiritual dynamic. The scriptures also show us what this relationship looks like in practical application. And spoiler alert— it goes far deeper than a list of things to do.
So join me today as we explore the finer points of our relationship with God through the finished work and atonement of Jesus Christ.
One of the most famous biblical stories is the account of Jesus traveling across the water in the boat. This story has been shared across countless sermons and bible studies all across the globe and throughout time. But often when I’ve heard the story of Jesus crossing the water being mentioned, particular details are usually missed, ignored, or skipped-over.
These details are important, because they show us things about Jesus, and His character, and how He deals with us also.
Most people I’ve spoken with struggle to receive the promises of God, not because they don’t believe the promises are real or true, but because they don’t think they deserve them; and much of this doubt can be traced back to an erroneous estimation of God’s character in how He treats us.
So, today I’d like to share with you some of the things that God has revealed to me in the story of Jesus crossing the water.
In the previous two parts of our series, we saw how not everything that uses Christian language is the true gospel (good news) of Christ. We also saw what it means to remain in Christ and trust Him, even when everything around us says otherwise.
Today, we will combine what we’ve learned with more truths of Jesus, to see how hearing the proper message, in the correct way, leads to miracles.
Let’s get started.
Welcome to the second part of ur series on hearing and specifically how to hear your way to miracles.
If you wonder where I’ve been the last two weeks, and why this part was delayed— I was in the hospital. Now you might be thinking that if I was in the hospital, what qualifies me to say anything about miracles— That’s an honest question.
My answer to that is, when you are in a hospital, that’s precisely when you need a miracle! You see, people whose lives are in perfect order, don’t need miracles. It’s when things start going sideways, that a miracle is sought. And those of you who’ve read my book, know that I was very sickly over the years; and that those same experiences afforded me the opportunity to see and experience many miracles, which I wrote about in great detail.
And make no mistake, a miracle was seen this time as well, as the doctors couldn’t provide a diagnosis of why I was having very visible symptoms, and all my tests came back clean.
So in this session, I want to share with you another real-life practical example of how what we hear from a spiritual perspective is crucial to success.
Over the last few studies, we’ve examined the power of our words, and speech.
Today, we’re looking at the other side of the coin, which is hearing what’s being said, whether that’s in spoken words or written, words.
The scripture gives equal important to hearing, as well as speaking, and just as with our words, you might be surprised how powerful hearing is.
Let’s get started.
In our last study, we saw the importance of words, and “taming our tongue” in Christ and by the power of His Spirit in us.
Today, we’ll continue looking at the power of our words, and how the enemy uses our ignorance of this power to cause us to sabotage ourselves.
Generally, when Christians discuss “taming your tongue” two verses of scripture always come up… Exodus 20 (the Ten Commandments) and James 3 (where most English translations actually place the heading “Taming the Tongue”)
When most people hear the phrase Taming your tongue, or the phrase “don’t take name of the Lord in vain” from Exodus 20:7, they immediately think of swearing or using vulgarities.
Now, I get it; no Christian wants to use a bunch of profanity. And many times we wake up in the morning and decide before getting out of bed, that we definitely will not use any vulgarities today… then, we stub our toe getting out of bed, and we’ve already failed!
While it can be somewhat disheartening when we experience a perceived failure, I believe that we are also missing a crucial point in these mentioned scriptures.
Now, I am not dismissing the desire to speak well without vulgarities— not at all. However what I am saying as that these scriptures are referring to something more, something deeper, and something much more potent, than merely coarse words; and this truth is what I want to share with you today. And as a special bonus, I believe that as we meditate on this truth together, it will have an effect on every area of your life— including your speech, but don’t focus on your speech, focus on the truth of Jesus.
The word conviction comes up often in Christianity. If you were raised with a legalistic mindset, as I was, then the word conviction can carry a negative connotation. Works-centered religious preachers often promote the need for a greater conviction of sins even for those who have been cleansed by the sacrifice of Christ, and reborn into His righteousness.
It seems that for many, there is a confusion between pre-Christ conviction, and post-Christ conviction, which causes a spiritual and mental tension which isn’t healthy (or scriptural!).
So, today, we are going to explore the meaning of conviction in the scriptures, and specifically, what new covenant conviction is, in the light of Jesus Christ.
Welcome again to the sixth and likely final part of our series on How To Not Be Taken Captive. This is now our longest running series on the channel! But I believe that it’s also one of the most important, because I know it has broken a lot of long-lasting religious chains some of us have had. And praise God that He is using these studies to set people free.
Today we will tackle two more common religious ideas that serve to breed fear and keep people in bondage, as we conclude How To Not Be Taken captive, and allow the truth of Jesus to set us free.