Yielding to God through the Word

Sharing my understanding (Part I)

God does things supernaturally

13 “The days are coming,” declares the Lord,
“when the reaper will be overtaken by the plowman
and the planter by the one treading grapes.
New wine will drip from the mountains
and flow from all the hills,
Amos 9:13

Things should happen in a natural way all the time, but not for God. He can make things happen in a supernatural way.
Do you believe God can do things supernaturally?

God knows you by name

43 But now, this is what the Lord says—
he who created you, Jacob,
he who formed you, Israel:
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
2 When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze.
Isaiah 43:1-2

He will protect us from everything because He loves us.
Although we can’t see things changing as quickly as we want, God is with us protecting and taking care of us.

Keep moving forward

6 Go to the ant, you sluggard;
consider its ways and be wise!
7 It has no commander,
no overseer or ruler,
Proverbs 6:6-7

Isaiah 43:1-2 mentions that there are going to be times when we experience difficulties. We can't control those bad times. However, we need to strengthen ourselves and continue moving forward. Because God tells us that we should, we need to learn how to react when we are in a difficult season in our lives. "Reaction is stronger than pro-action"

God is in control

God will always give you more than you expect the way and in time He wants. Not hurry, things are about to come. The water, fire, storm or what you go through may not stop from coming, but God will always deliver what you need and fulfill this promise.

13 while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ,
Titus 2:13

Part 1
What is the worldly view on perseverance?

Perseverance is defined as “the quality of continuing with something even though it is difficult”.
Modern psychology, self-empowerment and “spiritual” practices state several ideas regarding perseverance:
• Reliance on self, social networks and past experiences for knowing how to get through difficult times.
• The choice of actions lies totally on the individual and there is no one else who is responsible for you.
• Emphasis is achieving mainly worldly goals and tasks through self-made strategies.
• Find strength and endurance within oneself alone, mimicking features in nature (God created them too!)
• Using positive affirmations that do not focus on Biblical truths as the basis for developing perseverance such as “my motivation and enthusiasm increase as I do what is mine to do” or “each day I give myself credit for the progress I have made”.

What is the Christian view on perseverance?
Scottish Evangelist Oswald Chambers said that “perseverance is more than endurance. It is endurance combined with absolute assurance and certainty that what we are looking for is going to happen. A call not to hang on and do nothing, but to work deliberately, knowing with certainty that God will never be defeated”.
In the Bible this word is used to describe how people should be or act:
• The original Greek word translates to the English words, perseverance, endurance, steadfastness.
• In Romans 13:6 Paul speaks of rulers who need to persevere in the task of governing the people.
• In Ephesians 6:18 he exhorts Christians to persevere in prayer and watchfulness on behalf of the church.
This is accurate because man is weak and must focus on continually making efforts to reach goals whether they be material or spiritual. People get easily distracted, fall victim to sin, often quit because of obstacles or tests. Perseverance is a virtue to be cultivated and practiced if we want to achieve our goals.

Topic Number 2: What makes life worth living?
Part 2

What Christianity says

Psalms 139
The existence of a transcendent being gives us a far more solid ground than atheism. As it is portrayed in Psalms 139, God is fully aware of the importance of knowing our purpose in life to achieve success. The only thing we have to do is to realize that God has always been there with us waiting for us.
• Humans were created in God’s image (Genesis 1:26-27), people cannot fulfil their true purpose apart from Him. The ultimate purpose of man is to glorify God (Isaiah 43:7; Proverbs 3:6; Erickson 2013, ps. 733, 735, 739)
• The purpose of life on Earth is to fear God and keep His commandments. (Ecclesiastes 12:13)
• God revealed two of His purposes for mankind at creation: procreation and the governance of the earth (Genesis 1:28). This did not happen because of the fall.
• Christ-followers can live more satisfying, God-honouring lives as they define purpose biblically, and as they discover God’s plans for their lives.

• God knows all about you and I
Psalms 139:1
O Lord, you have searched me and known me!
Psalms 139: 2-3
You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways.
• God is always with you and I
Psalms 139:4
Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.
Psalms 139:5-6
Psalms 139:7-8 (Heaven or hell)
Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
Psalms 139: 9 – 10 (No matter where in the world)
If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me.
Psalms 139: 11-12 (Day or night)
If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,” even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you.

• God has a wonderful plan for you
Psalms 139:13-16
You were no accident. You were made by God.
• God has me constantly in his heart
Psalms 139:17-18
How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them!
God loves us each, not all one by one.
All of this begins with Jesus because Jesus is the only way in which one can get to the Father, John 14:6.
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me
• The Bible teaches there are both general purposes and individual purposes for believers
General purposes:
• believer is to be made alive in Christ
• be transformed and conformed to the image of Christ by God’s grace through faith
• do the good works God prepared in advance for them to do (Ephesians 2:1-10; Romans 8:29; 12:1-2; Titus 2:14; 3:8).
• seeking to know God and fellowship with Him (Psalms 63:1; Proverbs 8:17)
• learning to obey and serve Him
• being good stewards of His creation (Genesis 2:15)
• bearing spiritual fruit (John 15:5-8; Galatians 5:22-24)
• loving others (John 15:16-17; Matthew 22:37-38)
• sharing the gospel (Matthew 5:13-16; Matthew 28:16-20; Romans 10:15)
• making disciples (Matthew 28:19-20)
Individual purposes (Ephesians 2:10; 1 Corinthians 12:22-24)
• Each person was created for a specific purpose (Psalms 139:13-16).
• Purposes may be given for a specific time, certain abilities, giftings, or callings for particular events, special callings.
• Examples of specific callings: Joseph, Esther, David, Noah, Mary, Paul

In conclusion for Christianity what makes life worth living is fulfilling our purpose according to God’s purpose for us. Each one of us has a purpose because God has made us for such. The only way in which we can accomplish it is with the guidance of God Himself. God only guides his children. Therefore, in order to become God’s children, we need to accept Jesus in our hearts, John 1:12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God

Topic Number 2: What makes life worth living?
Part 1

What atheism says
Atheists’ response to this question varies from their background knowledge. I’d like you to read each one of the answers presented and the way in which they see their lives.
• Nothing
Friedrich Nietzche, Arthur Schopenhauer and David Benatar sustain that life has no meaning. Some people might disagree with this answer, but as Dostoevsky puts it why one should care what happens with one’s life if everyone is going to die eventually. Professor Millard Erickson stated that some persons believe that humans are at the mercy of blind forces of chance in the world that control their destiny but have no real concern for them. Individuals think they are being crushed by a world that hostile or indifferent to their welfare and needs, which results is a sense of helplessness and futility.

• Religion
Dr. Paul Thagard’s blog states that neitherreligion nor spirituality are valid to provide meaning to our lives because there is no evidence to support their claims for particular beliefs.

• Happiness
Dr. Paul Thagard’s blog explains that this is usually the result of having a meaningful life, not what makes life worth living in itself. As a free being, Professor Millard Erickson points out that from one perspective, people value freedom from restraint as the most important thing as it allows them to realize their essential nature. Individuals believe they are responsible for determining the direction their life goes.

• Love, Work and Play
This has been the most voted answer among Atheists because of three main reasons.

a. Love has to do with the interaction you have with friends, relatives as well as romantic ones. One view of the human is as a social being. A person is the set of relationships in which he or she is involved and fostering these is what makes an individual who they are.
b. Work means to have autonomy and be able to do a productive activity. Millard Erickson also found that people can be viewed as “machines” in terms of what they are able to do or as an economic being where the focus is on the material aspects of life and its needs, such as food, clothing and shelter.
c. Play deals with all activities that entertain anyone.

In conclusion for atheists, this is the only life we have and as there is no evidence that there is a transcendent being, we just need to live our lives as we please.
Christopher Hitchens states that the purpose of human existence differs from individual to individual as each one of us has their own subjective perception of life.

Temptation

What is temptation?
Hebrew massah = test; This word comes from the root nasah, test or provoke.
Greek peiramós = test, provoke; also means be tested, be examined, be proven.

1. Temptation as a test:
Abraham offered Isaac in Genesis 22:1. His faith was put to the test, Hebrews 11:17. These kinds of tests are meant to purify the believers’ lives.

Gen 22:1 And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am.

Heb 11:17 By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son,

Psalms 66:10; Isaiah 48:10; 1Peter 1:7.

Psa 66:10 For thou, O God, hast proved us: thou hast tried us, as silver is tried.

Isa 48:10 Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.

1Pe 1:7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:

2. Temptation as a provocation:
The Israelites demanded God the food they wanted, Psalms 78:18. The Israelites tried to provoke God, but they were the ones who were tested by Him, Psalms 95:9, Deuteronomy 8:2 and 33:8.

Psa 78:18 And they tempted God in their heart by asking meat for their lust.

Psa 95:9 When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my work.

Deu 33:8 And of Levi he said, Let thy Thummim and thy Urim be with thy holy one, whom thou didst prove at Massah, and with whom thou didst strive at the waters of Meribah;

Jesus refused to provoke God when he was tempted by Satan to jump himself off so that His angels will catch. Him. Matthew 4:5-7.

Mat 4:5-7 Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple,
And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.

Ananias and Saphira’s sin were to tempt the Spirit of the Lord. Acts 5:9.

Act 5:9 Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? behold, the feet of them which have buried thy husband are at the door, and shall carry thee out.

3. Temptation to incite evil:
This type of temptation comes from within a man according to James 1:14. God never tempts people to sin, James 1:13, but Satan tries to push the man constantly to do evil, Matthew 4:3, 1 Corinthians 7:5, 2 Corinthians 11:3, 1 Thessalonians 3:5.
The world also spreads its attractions in order to move the believer away from God, 1John 2:15-17.

Jesus was tempted in everything as any other human being, but without sin. Hebrews 4.15.

Reference:

- Editores Alfonso Ropero, Alfonso Triviño, Silvia Martínez.
Diccionario Enciclopédico Bíblico Ilustrado 2016

When are we tempted? -Anytime

Where are we tempted? - As long as we are in this world, we are going to be tempted.

How are we tempted?
As you can see, there is no escape from temptation. We are going to be tested or provoked, and therefore, we are going to fall sooner or later because we are sinners. However, the bible states that Jesus’s paid for all our sins in the cross.

Col 2:13-14 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;
Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross.

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"Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up."

Pablo Picasso

"The rhythm of my heart is the birth
and death of all that are alive."

Thich Nhat Hanh

"The real voyage of discovery consists
not in seeking new landscapes,
but in having new eyes."

Marcel Proust

"Trust in yourself. Your perceptions
are often far more accurate than
you are willing to believe."

Claudia Black