Joy and Peace in the Holy Ghost

Today's Devotion Wednesday, June 5, 2019

Joy and Peace in the Holy Ghost

Today's Text For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. Romans 14:17

The promises are, “A new heart will I give you”; “I will put my Spirit within you.” This provision is made for us through the merit of Christ's righteousness: “And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever.” Isaiah 32:17. Those who experience the change spoken of in these words will find that their restlessness and disquietude are all taken away, and they will find rest unto their souls in Christ. His merit, His righteousness, are imputed to the believing soul, and the believer has inward peace and joy in the Holy Ghost. The Youth's Instructor, May 18, 1893. The Lord would have all His sons and daughters happy, peaceful, and obedient. Jesus says, “My peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” “These things have I spoken unto you, that My joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.” John 14:27; 15:11. Happiness that is sought from selfish motives, outside of the path of duty, is ill-balanced, fitful, and transitory; it passes away, and the soul is filled with loneliness and sorrow; but there is joy and satisfaction in the service of God; the Christian is not left to walk in uncertain paths; he is not left to vain regrets and disappointments. If we do not have the pleasures of this life, we may still be joyful in looking to the life beyond. But even here Christians may have the joy of communion with Christ; they may have the light of His love, the perpetual comfort of His presence. Every step in life may bring us closer to Jesus, may give us a deeper experience of His love, and may bring us one step nearer to the blessed home of peace. Steps to Christ, 124, 125. There is peace in believing, and joy in the Holy Ghost. Believing brings peace, and trusting in God brings joy. Believe, believe! my soul says, believe. Rest in God. He is able to keep that which you have committed to His trust. He will bring you off more than conqueror through Him who hath loved you. Testimonies for the Church 2:319, 320. Note: In some areas phrases have been omitted by the compilers for whatever reason. I have restored them as underlined text, that the full intent of the author may be given.

My Thoughts: My friend, Joy and peace come by the indwelling of the Spirit of Christ. Yet there are so many in the church today that do not have true joy and peace spoken of by God. They have an outward show of righteousness, but their hearts are not changed. By partaking of God as a trinity, they are left without the joy and peace that is spoken of by the Bible. To fill this void, they look to the only source of righteousness that is available. They look unto the righteousness of the law. By doing this they have a form of righteousness, meaning that by keeping the law of God they have an outward show of righteousness, while their hearts are unchanged. "Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight:" (Romans 3:20). it is only by the indwelling of the Spirit of Christ that we are transformed into the image of God. Thus is fulfilled in the promise of God "A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them." (Ezekiel 36:26, 27). My friend, we only receive the Spirit of God through His Son. "And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent." (John 17:3). "To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:" (Colossians 1:27). "And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son." (1 John 5:11). By teaching that the Holy Spirit is a separate being from the Father and the Son, we are accepting a counterfeit in place of the Son of God. This is the great deception spoken of by the Scriptures. "For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ." (Jude 4). May your eyes be opened by the deception that has been played upon the church, that you may receive the Spirit of God through Jesus Christ today. God bless,

I encourage your comments: wtaitague@gmail.com or directly in the blog (Click Here)

The Wedding Garment - Imad Awde During one of His discussions with the Jews, Jesus gave three parables as a warning and an appeal to them and those who were to come after them. Join Imad as he examines Jesus's discourse to better understand the message He was relating to us today.  RESOURCES: Archive of Daily Devotions Melodies of Prayer Free Bible & Commentary Bible Study Resources The Truth About God The Final Protest Revelation1412.org

Thursday: What is Faith?

The Ladder to Perfection

Today's Devotion Tuesday, June 4, 2019

The Ladder to Perfection

Today's Text According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue. 2 Peter 1:3

Jesus is the ladder to heaven. Angels ascend and descend this ladder of shining brightness;and God calls upon us to mount this ladder. But we cannot do this while we load ourselves down with earthly treasures. We wrong ourselves when we place our convenience and personal advantages before the things of God. There is no salvation in earthly possessions or surroundings. A man is not exalted in God's sight, or accredited by Him as possessing goodness, because he has earthly riches. If we gain a genuine experience in climbing, we shall learn that as we ascend we must leave every hindrance behind. Those who mount must place their feet firmly on every round of the ladder. SDA Bible Commentary 1:1095. We are saved by climbing round after round of the ladder, looking to Christ, clinging to Christ, mounting step by step to the height of Christ, so that He is made unto us wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and redemption. Faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, and charity are the rounds of this ladder. Testimonies for the Church 6:147. Courage, fortitude, faith, and implicit trust in God's power to save are needed. These heavenly graces do not come in a moment; they are acquired by the experience of years. But every sincere and earnest seeker will become a partaker of the divine nature. His soul will be filled with intense longing to know the fullness of that love which passes knowledge. As he advances in the divine life, he will be better able to grasp the elevated, ennobling truths of the Word of God, until, by beholding, he becomes changed, and is enabled to reflect the likeness of his Redeemer. The Watchman, September 25, 1906. Child of God, angels are watching the character you develop, they are weighing your words and actions; therefore take heed to your ways, examine closely your own heart, prove whether you are in the love of God. The Watchman, September 25, 1906. To love God supremely and our neighbor as ourselves is genuine sanctification. The Signs of the Times, February 24, 1890. Note: In some areas phrases have been omitted by the compilers for whatever reason. I have restored them as underlined text, that the full intent of the author may be given.

My Thoughts: My friend, the ladder to perfection is Jesus Christ. As we daily learn of Him through the word; commune with God through Him, and daily partake of His divine nature; a transformation will occur within our hearts. Our characters will be changed as we submit ourselves unto God, resist temptation in Christ, and act upon the heavenly desires that are implanted within us. The Son of God is the ladder that reaches unto heaven, "For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;" (1 Timothy 2:5). Yet so many today are not ascending upon Jesus the Son of God, but are climbing a counterfeit that the enemy of souls has laid before them. By the acceptance of the trinity, the church has changed the ladder by which we are connected with heaven. The trinity teaches that it is by the Holy Spirit that we are connected to Christ, and thus to God. It teaches that the Holy Spirit is a separate being from the Father and the Son, and as such it is by this third being that we are connected with heaven. As such the experience gained by this ladder is a false righteousness. Thus the church is "... wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked;" (Revelation 3:17). They are in this condition because they have accepted the trinity as God. My friend, Christ himself is the ladder by which we are to ascend unto heaven. We partake of the divine nature of the Son of God that we may be transformed into His lovely image. This work is the work of our whole lives, for by it our characters are changed. If we are ascending upon the false ladder of the trinity, we will gain a false experience of righteousness by faith, and when the testing time comes, we will be weighted in the balances and found wanting. May you look away from the false god of the trinity unto the One true God through His Son Jesus Christ today. God bless,

I encourage your comments: wtaitague@gmail.com or directly in the blog (Click Here)

The Wedding Garment - Imad Awde During one of His discussions with the Jews, Jesus gave three parables as a warning and an appeal to them and those who were to come after them. Join Imad as he examines Jesus's discourse to better understand the message He was relating to us today.  RESOURCES: Archive of Daily Devotions Melodies of Prayer Free Bible & Commentary Bible Study Resources The Truth About God The Final Protest Revelation1412.org

Wednesday: Joy and Peace in the Holy Ghost

The Test of Character

Today's Devotion Monday, June 3, 2019

The Test of Character

Today's Text And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness. Malachi 3:3

Many who profess sanctification are entirely ignorant of the work of grace upon the heart. When proved and tested, they are found to be like the self-righteous Pharisee. They will bear no contradiction. They lay aside reason and judgment, and depend wholly upon their feelings, basing their claims to sanctification upon emotions which they have at some time experienced. They are stubborn and perverse in urging their tenacious claims of holiness, giving many words, but bearing no precious fruit as proof. These professedly sanctified persons are not only deluding their own souls by their pretensions, but are exerting an influence to lead astray many who earnestly desire to conform to the will of God. They may be heard to reiterate again and again, “God leads me! God teaches me! I am living without sin!” Many who come in contact with this spirit encounter a dark, mysterious something which they cannot comprehend. But it is that which is altogether unlike Christ, the only true pattern. Bible sanctification does not consist in strong emotion. Here is where many are led into error. They make feelings their criterion. When they feel elated or happy, they claim that they are sanctified. Happy feelings or the absence of joy is no evidence that a person is or is not sanctified. There is no such thing as instantaneous sanctification. True sanctification is a daily work, continuing as long as life shall last. Those who are battling with daily temptations, overcoming their own sinful tendencies, and seeking for holiness of heart and life, make no boastful claims of holiness. They are hungering and thirsting for righteousness. Sin appears to them exceedingly sinful. The Sanctified Life, 9, 10. In summer, as we look upon the trees of the distant forest, all clothed with a beautiful mantle of green, we may not be able to distinguish between the evergreens and the other trees. But as winter approaches, and the frost king encloses them in his icy embrace, stripping the other trees of their beautiful foliage, the evergreens are readily discerned. Thus it will be with all who are walking in humility, distrustful of self, but clinging tremblingly to the hand of Christ. While those who are self-confident, and trust in their own perfection of character, lose their false robe of righteousness when subjected to the storms of trial, the truly righteous, who sincerely love and fear God, wear the robe of Christ's righteousness in prosperity and adversity alike. The Sanctified Life, 11. It requires the testing time to reveal the pure gold of love and faith in the character. When trials and perplexities come upon the church, then the steadfast zeal and warm affections of Christ's true followers are developed. The Sanctified Life, 12. Note: In some areas phrases have been omitted by the compilers for whatever reason. I have restored them as underlined text, that the full intent of the author may be given.

My Thoughts: My friend, when we accept Christ as our Savior, we are at that moment justified. The Spirit of Christ is born within and we are a new creature. "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life." (John 5:24). The Spirit that now lives within us is holy, for it is the Spirit of God that now lives within us. But while this is true, the sinful tendencies of our life needs to be crucified. This battle is a most difficult one, but we have the promise that He that has begun a good work in you, will be faithful to complete it in us, for He is the author and finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2). The new birth that we have received is the starting point of our journey towards true holiness of character. The sinful characters that we have developed has shaped our minds toward evil. These defects must be cleansed from us. Therefore, as we daily surrender our lives to Jesus, He will daily perform the work of cleansing us from all unrighteousness. To change the character that has been defiled by sin throughout our whole lives is not something that we can do in and of ourselves. It is only by the indwelling of the Spirit of Christ within us that we may be purified and made white. This requires a most decided effort of the will to submit ourselves unto the Lord. But we have this promise that if we surrender our wills to His and resist in the power of the Lord, He who was victorious in the wilderness, will also be victorious in us. "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." (James 4:7). Those who are truly sanctified will not feel as though they are free from sin. They will ever feel their unlikeness to Christ, but their lives will testify that they have been with Him. While we are on this earth, we will ever feel the power of sin drawing upon our hearts, but as long as we cling to Jesus, we will not be overcome by it. "And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent." (John 17:3). God bless,

I encourage your comments: wtaitague@gmail.com or directly in the blog (Click Here)

The Wedding Garment - Imad Awde During one of His discussions with the Jews, Jesus gave three parables as a warning and an appeal to them and those who were to come after them. Join Imad as he examines Jesus's discourse to better understand the message He was relating to us today.  RESOURCES: Archive of Daily Devotions Melodies of Prayer Free Bible & Commentary Bible Study Resources The Truth About God The Final Protest Revelation1412.org

Tuesday: The Ladder to Perfection