“In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace” (Ephesians 1:7).
To redeem is to regain
possession of something in exchange for payment. Jesus paid the price to
redeem us back from the spiritual death that resulted when Adam sinned
in the garden of Eden.
God’s grace has made
available to us all the blessings we need for successful lives; we
receive those good things by faith. However, we have a spiritual enemy,
and his purpose is to amplify things going on in our lives to the point
where we begin worrying about them. Worry blocks God’s blessings so that
we do not receive what He promised. It is not God’s will for us to live
in worry or stress. As free moral agents, we have the choice of whether
or not to allow worry to enter in; this negative emotion cannot assert
itself if we believe God instead of the circumstances. We live in a
stressful world; however, we are more effective when we can rest in what
Jesus has done instead of stressing out over what others are doing.
Staying at rest empowers us to move out of worry and find grace.
Worry does not achieve anything useful. We can have faith that God will take care of us.
Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for
your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your
body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body
than raiment? (Matthew 6:25).
God does not want us to be worried or stressed.
Underneath worry is fear; underneath fear is condemnation. However, the Gospel of Grace moves us out of condemnation.
That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday
life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear.
Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the
birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your
heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than
they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? And
why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how
they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all
his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares
so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the
fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little
faith? So don’t worry about these things, saying, “What will we eat?
What will we drink? What will we wear?” These things dominate the
thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your
needs (Matthew 6:25-32, NLT).
We all have the potential to worry about everyday life.
We must reach the point where when worry knocks on the door, we will not
answer.
We all know intellectually that we do not need to worry,
but when we lack the basic necessities, the temptation to worry is
real. However, God has our backs; He is watching over us.
God is well able to take care of His creation.
“Little faith” refers to spotty, inconsistent faith.
Fully believing in the finished works of Jesus Christ gives us rest and peace of mind.
For we which have believed do enter into rest,
as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my
rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the
world…Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall
after the same example of unbelief (Hebrews 4:3, 11).
The key to avoiding a worry-filled life is learning the importance of entering into rest.
Rest is not inactivity or resting from work; it
is resting in work, while we do what we need to do. We become more
productive this way, because while we are resting in our work, God is
working on our behalf.
When we truly believe what Jesus has done, we can enter into a confident, peaceful rest.
There are plenty of opportunities to worry and
stress out. Sometimes entering into rest is, itself, labor. We work to
maintain our belief in what Jesus did.
Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you (1 Peter 5:7).
A person who lines themselves up with what God says shows true humility; a proud person refuses to do so.
But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble (James 4:6).
To cast our care is to trust and believe God, and rely confidently on Him.
Under the old covenant, the order of things was to work
first, then rest. Under the new covenant, it now starts with God’s rest
first, so that our work can be empowered by our rest.
Whatever we worry about is fleeting and momentary. We find rest from worry in Jesus.
Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about
everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done
(Philippians 4:6, NLT).
By doing this, we ride a wave of peace and rest all the way into manifestation of what we need.
So we’re not giving up. How could we! Even though
on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on
the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his
unfolding grace. These hard times are small potatoes compared to the
coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us. There’s far
more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone
tomorrow. But the things we can’t see now will last forever (2
Corinthians 4:16-18, MSG).
Some people worry so much that they simply give up.
Others panic; panic is a groundless fear of something that has not
happened yet. Instead of panicking about something that has not
happened, we should believe in God and what has happened.
If we go through tough times and rejection, and it seems
like we will never be good enough to be accepted, we must persevere;
things can change.
…Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning (Psalm 30:5).
Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or
in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:
Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ
(Colossians 2:16, 17).
In the Old Testament, the Sabbath was a particular day;
however, the Old Testament was a shadow of things to come. Now, Jesus is
our Sabbath.
There was a reason Jesus did so many miracles on the Sabbath; Christ is the reality of the Sabbath.
And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and
not man for the sabbath: Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the
Sabbath (Mark 2:27, 28).
Our self-efforts can stress us out and make us anxious. Accepting grace is the answer.
Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am
meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my
yoke is easy, and my burden is light (Matthew 11:29, 30).
We do not find rest in Buddha, Mohammed, or in any other religious figure—only in Jesus.
Our souls are where our minds, wills, and emotions reside.
Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion?
Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you
how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do
it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or
ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely
and lightly (Matthew 11:28-30, MSG).
We can get burned out trying to be good through our self-efforts. Religion always has a long to-do list for us.
God gives to us when we are at rest. We see miracles only when we are resting.
Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain
that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in
vain (Psalm 127:1).
Unless the LORD builds a house, the work of the builders
is wasted. Unless the LORD protects a city, guarding it with sentries
will do no good. It is useless for you to work so hard from early
morning until late at night, anxiously working for food to eat, for God
gives rest to his loved ones (Psalm 127:1, 2, NLT).
There are more toxins around us than at any other time in history. Most
of them we're probably not even aware of or think about. So what can
we do to limit or reduce our exposure? Dr. Ann Shippy offers some
simple steps to start with that can help you live a cleaner and
healthier life! Make the process less overwhelming and start with these
simple toxin removing steps!
Are Vitamin Supplements Necessary?
By: Jack Feka You may wonder if vitamin
supplements are really necessary. Some healthy individuals who adopt a
wholesome diet and stick to healthful eating habits have no need for
vitamin supplements. However, these days that is exceedingly rare and
there are so many instances in our lives when vitamin supplements are
essential to good health.
Conditions Warranting Use Here
are just a few of the more important conditions that warrant the use of
vitamin supplements. Take note that you should ask your doctor for
specific vitamins and the dosages that best fit your circumstances.
After all, there are such things as overdoses, misuses and abuses of
even the most beneficial of vitamin supplements! First, children
need vitamin supplements especially if they are picky eaters. They tend
to miss out on the important nutrients necessary for proper growth such
as calcium, fluoride and iron. Even when you present foods in
imaginative ways, they may still favor less healthy foods. There are
also children who are on special diets such as vegetarian and
hypoallergenic foods. They also need to bridge the gap between what
foods are allowed for them and what their growing bodies need, and
vitamin supplements are what will do the job.
Second, pregnant
women require vitamin supplements both for themselves and for their
unborn babies. When you’re expecting, your diet may not be sufficient
for your increased needs, not to mention that there are certain vitamins
necessary to ensure that your baby does not develop congenital defects. For
example, folic acid is necessary to lower the risks of congenital
defects while vitamin C is good for increased resistance especially
against colds and flu. Third, there are diseases and genetic disorders
that adversely affect the body's ability to absorb nutrients from food
sources. Thus, vitamin supplements are necessary to fill in the
resulting nutrient deficiency. For example, all types of cancer,
stomach problems like Chron's diseases and even liver diseases require
some form of supplementation to replace the vitamins and minerals lost
due to the weakened immune system. Also, after-surgery care requires the
consumption of vitamins, like ascorbic acid, proven to speed up the
healing of wounds. Things to Remember No matter your reason for taking vitamin supplements, certain guidelines must be adhered to, namely:
Always consult your doctor before taking any vitamin supplements.
Follow prescriptions to avoid overdosing. Keep in mind that toxicity is always hazardous to your health.
Vitamin supplements are not substitutes for a healthful diet and
wholesome eating habits. You must still adopt a salubrious lifestyle so
as to secure maximum benefits out of supplementation.
Always
check the labels to make sure that you are not allergic to any of the
ingredients, that you are not just taking fillers and binders and that
you are getting the right amounts of the desired nutrients.
Jack Feka is a cancer survivor who has used vitamins in his conquest
“And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:2).
Jesus Christ has already
paid the price for our sins. People don’t go to hell because of their
sinful actions, but because they don’t believe He permanently took care
of their sins on the cross.
We understand “do good, get good, do bad, get bad” but how is it that
God would give us His blessings like forgiveness and healing even when
we don’t deserve them? Because of grace! Because of His love for us, God sent His only Son to
earth to save, redeem and heal us through His death, even though we had
nothing to offer Him in return! Today, we have eternal life, and can
enjoy all of God’s blessings (see Rom. 5:7–8 MSG, Rom. 8:32). Watch the rest of the series here! Ep 2: https://youtu.be/J8W_y6CGK4k Ep 3: https://youtu.be/0KUbomjFk-0 Ep 4: https://youtu.be/W0j8slS-MkE Ep 5: https://youtu.be/J8W_y6CGK4k Ep 6: https://youtu.be/eN0UnaFaz4g ---
Decibel.one: A digital magazine and online channel by Joseph Prince Ministries. Check out at https://decibel.one/ for more grace-centered content.
Constantly keep in mind Jesus Christ (the Messiah) [as] risen from the dead…
2 Timothy 2:8, The Amplified Bible
This
is the key to holding on to the blessings of God. When pressure comes,
when troubles and trials are bearing down on you, remember Jesus Christ,
risen from the dead! Remember that when Jesus arose, you arose.
When He came out of hell and defeated the enemy, you came out of hell
and defeated the enemy. His victory is your victory because you’re in
Him. In the hard places, remember that. When the devil tells you
you’re not going to get your answer this time, remember that. When he
tells you there’s no way out, you remember Christ, the Anointed One, the
Victorious Conqueror, risen from the dead and seated at the right hand
of the Father! If there’s an image Satan hates more than any
other, it must be that image of Jesus, rising from the dead, stripping
him forever of his authority, and openly displaying his defeat to all of
heaven and hell. That’s the picture you need to keep in the forefront
of your mind. Think about it until it’s etched into your heart so deeply
that nothing Satan says or does can get it out of you. That’s
when the gifts of God will be established in your life. That’s when the
devil won’t be able to talk you out of your inheritance with trials and
tribulations. Keep in mind Jesus Christ, risen from the dead!
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