“If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear (Psalm 66:18.)” What is the cause of ineffective prayer? Sin in the life: Unconfessed, uncorrected, rebellious sin in the life. “When you spread out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you. Even though you make many prayers, I will not hear. Wash yourselves. Make yourselves clean. Put away the evil of your doings from before my eyes (Isaiah 1:15-16.)” So God is saying, “Your prayers are worthless.” But there's a solution. When God talks about “washing,” there are three washings in the Bible; the first is salvation. “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy, He saved us through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5.)” He saved us by the “washing of regeneration,” a one time, once for all, cleansing all sin forgiven, all penalty removed, and the righteousness of Christ imputed to the person who believes.

For those who have believed, they already have eternal life. But as we go along through life, we think, say, or do various sins. We realize the need to take those things to God on a moment by moment, day by day basis. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1Jo 1:9.)” And so we have the cleansing of confession. You know, I've had people tell me, “I haven't had to confess anything in months,” and I just think you're brain dead.

You know, so many times it's moment by moment. I don't know why it is, but one of the toughest areas for me to stay in fellowship is when I'm driving. I'm not as bad as I used to be. I'd be on the horn. And right then you've got to say, “Lord, I know that was out of line.” Because if we don't catch ourselves, we get sloppy. How easy it is to say, “Well, this is just the way I am.” No, God didn't make you into the knot-head that you are. First of all, you were affected by the fall of Adam. Secondly, you were born with inherent sin from your parents.

And third, you choose wrong decisions all the time. The third washing is what we call “sanctification.” In simple terms, spiritual growth. It's growing into the likeness and the conformity of Christ. It's growing into spiritual maturity. “... Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word (Ephesians 5:25-26.)”

The constant effect of the word as it's received, in faith as we allow it to go to work in our life, and as we allow the Spirit of God to make it real and meaningful in our life, is going to have a life changing effect, which is really a marvelous thing when you think about it. It's not after the fact. It's not after you fell in the mud hole. It's seeing the mud hole and avoiding it. And that's the best kind of cleansing. It's the cleansing that keeps you from it.

Check out the complete Isaiah series here:
https://basictraining.org/all-audio-messages/

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God loves us as we are. Aren't you glad? But he loves us too much to leave us as we are. And Luke 18: 10, “Two men went up to the temple to pray...” [Actually, one went up to bray] “... One was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector.” Now you know that tax collectors were so hated and so considered to be sinful by the Pharisees. They were not allowed in good company, and their only friends would be among those classed as “sinners” — the dregs of society.

So here we have the Pharisee, and verse 11 “... stood and prayed thus with himself. ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men extortioners or unjust, adulterers or even this tax collector.’” I'm sure he said it with a bit of scorn and contempt. “I fast twice a week, he says. I give tithes of all that I possess.” His opinion of himself (self image, if you will) was based on comparison with other people, not the glory of God. As long as we compare ourselves with an imperfect image, we're always going to come out pretty good. So easy to do. So the Pharisee has no clue about the glory of God. He has no clue about the standard that God's requiring.

Verse 13, “the tax collector standing afar off ...” He's standing afar off. That's important because he knows better than to get close to his Pharisee. “The tax collector stood afar off and would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but he beat his breast.” This is a sign of intense grief! “... saying, God, be merciful to me ...” He doesn't say “a sinner” in the Greek, it's “the sinner” as a definite article. What he's saying, as far as I'm concerned, I'm the only one. And as far as I'm concerned, I'm the worst one. “He would not so much notice as even lift his eyes to heaven. God be merciful to me, a sinner.”

And what does Jesus say? Verse 14, “I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” And when we humble ourselves before God, what is the exaltation? It's the gift of forgiveness and eternal life. This man went down to his house justified. He didn't try to work for his salvation.

He didn't try to earn his salvation. He didn't assume that there was any good thing that he could bring. That would be enough to gain him eternal life. All he could do is cry out as a helpless sinner for a Savior to have mercy on him. Do you know that the cry of the sinner is the only thing that reaches the heart of God at the beginning of our relationship to him? It's not a boast. It's not a recital of how much we've done. It's the realization that we're helpless, that we're hopeless, that we're useless and on our way to an eternity without Christ. That's what grabs the heart of our Lord.

Learn about "The Simplicity of Salvation" here:
https://basictraining.org/simplicity-of-salvation/

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#wordofgod #Jesus
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Mark 1:35 says, “Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, he went out and departed to a solitary place. And there he prayed.” Have you ever thought that every single thing Jesus did in his earthly life was what he had already been doing? His entire existence? He did not come here to do something He hadn't been doing. He came here to do something. He was always doing so that you and I could see.

I read in chapter one of Mark that very early in the morning, and this was after a long day of dealing with people. And trust me, nothing substance drinking your soul like dealing with the burdens of people late into the night. So much so that they didn't even have time to eat. Very early the next morning, Jesus got up and went out to a solitary place, and he prayed. When our Lord came into this world, He didn't change.

What does the scripture tell us? Jesus Christ one way yesterday; some way today; who knows what tomorrow? No. “Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today and forever (Heb 13:8.)” And my friends, He still is walking and working among us. And He's doing it through people who feel the burden that God lays on their soul. Not every burden can be yours. You have to pray for God to give you the burden that He has for you — to say to Him, “What would you have me to do?” And then to feel the weight of that burden.

If you're not involved as a believer, you need to get on your knees and pray that God will get your soul into a right condition for Him to lay on you the burden that He has just for you. And then you take the burden back to him and you say, it's too heavy for me. And He says, “My grace is sufficient for you.” And He begins to show you how, as you evaluate the work and enlist other workers, amazingly, the work gets done. By the way, the greater people are the ones not seen.

At the end of Romans 16, all Paul does is thank unknown and unnamed people, without whom he wouldn't be where he was. I say, he gets a lot of recognition; they’re unknown. Who do you think God is going to reward the most? God has something for you to do no one else could do. Seek and follow His will. He'll reveal His plan and then you will find the purpose of your life. And may I say, in closing? If you haven’t found the purpose of your life, you've missed your destiny. I pray God challenge all of us.

Jesus was the Ultimate Gift. Learn about "The Gift" here:
https://youtu.be/Jgkse3saH1U

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#Bible #prayer
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#spiritualgrowth
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#rewards #purpose

“And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God, and books were opened and another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged according to their works by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up, the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up. The dead were in them, and they were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death, and anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the Lake of Fire.”

I'm looking at ultimate issues here. Two major judgments for sin: the cross and the Great White Throne; and the two resurrections: the resurrection of the just and the resurrection of the unjust.

Get this. The cross pays for all sins of all men through all human history. Pretty awesome. You know what that means. Every member of the human race is potentially redeemable. It is possible for them to be saved. There is no one for whom it is impossible to enter eternal life. Christ paid the debt. That's the first judgment for sin.

You say, well, then what's the point of the Great White Throne? Well, the Great White Throne deals with the only unforgivable sin. What sin is that? The unpardonable sin is one sin and one sin only, and that is the sin of unbelief. “God so loved the world that he gave His only begotten son, so that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” That is the promise. He goes on to say, “he who believes is not condemned. He who believes not is condemned already...” Why? “... because he has not believed.” You know what that tells you? That tells you he could have. You can't have accountability without ability. You can't hold people accountable for what they are not able to do. It's unjust.

Disregard the people who say God is God, and God can do whatever he wants. No he can't. The Bible tells us that God cannot lie. The Bible says that he cannot be tempted with evil. And one thing God cannot do. He cannot deny himself. So we have two judgments. The cross, the great White Throne John 3:16-19.

Revelation 20:11-15. There are two major resurrection, as mentioned by the Lord Jesus Christ in John 5:24-29 is the resurrection of the just and the resurrection of the unjust. Did you know that unbelievers are going to be resurrected? Did you know that they will have a resurrection body? They will. Why is that? Because they have to have a special resurrection body that can endure the flames of the lake of fire forever and ever.

All members of the human race fall into one of two categories. Those who are “in Christ ”and those who are “in Adam.” “In Adam all die; in Christ all are made alive (1Co. 15:22)” Fortunately for all who have believed, your position before God is that of being absolutely righteous, totally blameless, imputed with the righteousness of Jesus Christ.

Learn about "The Simplicity of Salvation" here:
https://basictraining.org/simplicity-of-salvation/

Download or order the free booklet “The Gift” here: https://basictraining.org/the-gift/

#shorts #jesus #salvation #jesuschrist #christianity #bible #christ
#biblestudy
#life #death

In John chapter six, Jesus had just fed the multitudes with the bread and the fishes, and they were so grateful to have their bellies full by this miraculous provision out of nowhere. Baskets and baskets of fish and bread. But as the chapter continues, Jesus has a lengthy conversation with these Jewish disciples, urging them not to seek after the bread that perishes, but after the bread that leads to eternal life.

He said to them, I am the bread of life.” And at this point they began to argue amongst themselves. They found His statements rough, difficult, and hard to accept. Their minds were so settled on the physical things of the world that they couldn't appreciate the spiritual riches that He was freely offering to them. They just wanted more miracles, more fish and more bread, more physical deliverance.

So finally, in John 6:66, it says, as a result of this, “many of His disciples withdrew and were not following Him anymore.” They made a deliberate decision to turn back from following Jesus and turn to the world because it was difficult, rough and hard to accept. The 12 were with Him. And Jesus said to them, “you do not want to go away also, do you?” He's saying to them, take a stand or go one or the other, and we are all tested this way in our Christian life.

Sometimes it's a very nice path with the scent of roses all around us, and we're singing praises and raising our hands because he's just blessed us in our life and everything's good. But is our life always like that? No. We encounter tests. We encounter discouragement. Sometimes it's hard. Sometimes it hurts. And sometimes we do want to quit. Sometimes we think it might be easier just to go back to the world. Am I the only one that ever thinks that? I don't think so. But we can't give up, can we?

We can't leave the Lover of our soul. He would never give up on us. Never. We can't give up on him. Whatever discouragement or heartaches or troubles you're facing, he's there to walk through them with you. And He will never give up on you. He “... will never leave you and never forsake you.” So as we are tempted by all the riches, the comforts and luxuries of life in America, as the demands of a busy life press in on us, we cannot turn back.

God is asking us every day, “will we withdraw from spiritual priorities, in order to seek the physical pleasures and treasures of this world?” Or will we use our time, our treasures and our talents for His glory and His glory alone? So Jesus asked the 12, “you do not want to go away also, do you? And Peter spoke up, and I love his answer. “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed and have come to know that you are the Holy One of God.” Isn't that a great answer? Peter, the one who is always sticking his foot in his mouth. He got it right that time.

No turning back.

Living Truth Prescott Women's studies are here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmymgkwtDZA&list=PLJyR-9W_9_RO7j8av_R925GtLzD4fskSV

Jesus was the Ultimate Gift. Learn about "The Gift" here:
https://youtu.be/Jgkse3saH1U

#BibleStudy #transformation #devotional
#Bible #Jesus
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#spiritualgrowth
#bibleverses #christianity
#rewards #eternity #good

This is lesson number six in our eight week study. And after looking into this chapter, I concluded that if James was alive today, he would feel right at home in Prescott, Arizona, because he's got spurs on his boots and six shooters on his belt, and then just comes out blaze, and he's not afraid to use them, but he does it in a good way.

It's tough love. James Chapetr 4 brings a strong message of correction to these Christians as he becomes even more serious about delivering his readers from a duplicitous faith. And today, his readers, are you and I? So let's just go to prayer once again in order to prepare our hearts for the message that the Spirit of God has for us today in James chapter four.

Living Truth Prescott Women's studies are here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmymgkwtDZA&list=PLJyR-9W_9_RO7j8av_R925GtLzD4fskSV

Jesus was the Ultimate Gift. Learn about "The Gift" here:
https://youtu.be/Jgkse3saH1U

#BibleStudy #transformation #devotional
#Bible #Jesus
#christ #JesusChrist #bibleteaching
#spiritualgrowth
#bibleverses #christianity
#rewards #eternity #good

God is at least 10 things:
The nature of God comes through in His Word. How many of you remember the ten areas of Divine Essence? It is easy to remember these areas.
Stop and
Remember
Jesus'
Love, so that
Every
Obstacle becomes an
Opportunity for you to press
On
In
Victory.
You remember that. You've got it.

He doesn't just have these things. He is these things:

He is Sovereign. His will is above every will. Psalms 103:19, “The Lord has established His throne in heaven, and His kingdom rules over all.”

He is absolute righteous. Romans 1:17, “For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from face to face, as it is written, ‘the just shall live by faith.’”

God is Justice; He is perfectly Just. Isaiah 30:18, “Therefore the Lord will wait that he may be gracious to you. And therefore He will be exalted that He may have mercy on you. For the Lord is a God of Justice. Blessed are all those who wait for Him.”

He is Love. 1st John 4:8, “He who does not love does not know God. For God is Love.”

And He is Eternal Life. John 11:25, "Jesus said to her, I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me, though he may die, he shall live.”

He is Omniscient. He knows all things. “Omni” means all. Psalms 139:1-4, “O Lord, you have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up. You understand my thoughts afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down and acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word on my tongue. But behold, O Lord, you know it all together.”

He is Omnipresent. He is all places. Psalms 139:7-10, “Where can I go from Your spirit? O where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there. If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even though Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me.”

He is Omnipotent — all powerful. Luke 1:37, “For with God nothing will be impossible.”

He is Immutable, which means He never changes. Hebrews 13:8, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.”

And He is Veracity, which means the very essence of truth. John 14:6, “Jesus said to him, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the father except through Me.”

"Stop and Remember Jesus Love so that Every Obstacle becomes an Opportunity to press On In Victory." You remember that? You've got it.

Learn about "The Simplicity of Salvation" here:
https://basictraining.org/simplicity-of-salvation/

Download or order the free booklet “The Gift” here: https://basictraining.org/the-gift/

#shorts #lord #bible #jesus #forever #godisgood #christ #love #christianity #life
#truth
#jesuschrist #devotional #christian

James Chapter two is a little bit of a controversial passage, but it has so many practical principle for us. But I just want to start with a principle from the Book of Titus. Here Paul writes to this young pastor, instructing him in how to put the church into order. And when he gives instructions, he speaks to the bond slaves in the church.

Paul says they should, be subject to their masters, to be well pleasing, to show good faith in order to adorn the doctrines of God our Savior. And I love that word adorn to beautify, to make it attractive. We are using our lives, our good works, to invite our brothers and sisters into a closer relationship with Christ, and also to be a testimony to the unbelieving world.

Now we aren't living in slavery, are we? Were living in a very free time and a very free country. But still we are slaves to the household of God. Jesus Christ is our master and we are willing slaves, and as willing servants are slaves. We are encouraged to endure in dawn. The doctrines are the teaching of God by our good works we are to have a living and vital faith, a faith that is consistent with who we are in Christ.

So as we move today into the last half of James chapter two, James is going to focus on good works and how our faith should be reflected by the things that we do, how people see us on the outside should be a reflection of who we are on the inside. A soul that is saved, sanctified and prepared for good works.

As we look back in verse chapter one and the first part of chapter two, we have seen that James has many warnings for us. He's very forthcoming. He's very bold. He's already warned us multiple times of the danger of living a duplicitous life, a life that claims faith in the one, true and living God of the Bible, yet fails to adorn the doctrines of God through obedience and good works.

He's warned us about being double minded. He's warned us about being quick to speak or quick to anger and slow to hear. He's warned us about being hears of the word and not doers of the word. And then last week we were warned about living a life of, favoritism, personal favoritism, judging people based on their social, economic or racial status.

So as we enter into the passage today, we're going to be warned of the danger of living a life of faith that shows no evidence of faith. Without good works, we're going to be exhorted to give evidence of our faith by what we do, and to adorn the doctrines of God.

Living Truth Prescott Women's studies are here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmymgkwtDZA&list=PLJyR-9W_9_RO7j8av_R925GtLzD4fskSV

Jesus was the Ultimate Gift. Learn about "The Gift" here:
https://youtu.be/Jgkse3saH1U

#BibleStudy #transformation #devotional
#Bible #Jesus
#christ #JesusChrist #bibleteaching
#spiritualgrowth
#bibleverses #christianity
#rewards #eternity #good