Are insecurities preventing you from sharing the Good News with others?

Proverbs 29:25

The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is safe.

Fear of Failure

Paul had less of a fear of men because he feared God so much, but even when he came to the Corinthians, he said he came to them in weakness, fear, and trembling (1 Cor. 2:3). In looking at the context of this chapter, it wasn’t the fear of his preaching the Gospel and it being rejected or that he’d face persecution. Rather, he had a deep, holy, reverential fear of preaching the Word of God accurately. Since Paul feared in this way, we too should make sure to handle the Scriptures accurately in sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ with the lost. Paul never feared whether his message would be received well or not because he knew that God was the one who added to the church and not him (Acts 2:47; 5:14; 9:31). So, if you remember that they are not rejecting you but the message, that should take the responsibility off your shoulders as to whether someone is saved or not. It is not your responsibility to save anyone; it is their response to His ability, even though it is our responsibility to tell them. Don’t fear their not receiving it because God is the One Who actually saves them, not us (John 6:44).

Our Own Weaknesses

Paul admitted his own weaknesses, and you can see how he battled the flesh in Romans 7, but this weakness of Paul’s never inhibited him from sharing the Gospel. I think there is actually strength in admitting our own weaknesses before the lost because it gives them hope that they, too, can be saved. Transparency before the lost can be used as a way for the lost to see how they also can be saved and that it’s not going to be a matter of human effort (Eph. 2:8-9). That might be the reason why so many won’t repent and trust in Christ, because they think that they’re not strong enough to overcome their sins, but the good news of the Gospel is that there is no sin that the blood of the Lamb cannot cover except that of rejecting Him as Savior (John 3:18; 3:36b).

Lack of Ability

I hear many people who think they’re not gifted enough to share the Gospel. They feel inadequate in speech or intelligence to try and tell others about Christ, but we are missing something very important about the Gospel. The Gospel has its own power, and that power is the Gospel itself, for the Gospel is actually the very power of God (Rom. 1:16). All we have to do it unleash the Gospel, and God promises that His Word will do what He sends it out to do and will accomplish exactly what He intends (Isaiah 55:11), so it doesn’t depend on us, our speech, persuasion, or eloquent delivery of the Gospel, for the power is in the message and not in the messenger. So, why not release this God-power through your mouth and then leave the results up to God.

A Closing Prayer

Righteous Father, I know it’s Your desire that no one should perish (2 Pet. 3:9), so please use me, as weak as I am, in personal evangelizing, and help me to remember to trust You with the results and that the real power is in Your Word and not in me. Help me to remember that the power is in the Gospel itself, and in Jesus’ precious name I pray.

Amen

How will carrying the sword of the Spirit daily change your life?

Ephesians 6:17

And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

The Sword of the Word

The Word of God is often spoken of as a sword, and the Greek word used for the sword in Ephesians 6:17 is “machaira,” which is really not the long sword we typically think of but literally a very small sword or large knife that was used for close, hand-to-hand combat where a large, cumbersome sword would be nearly useless. It has a small curve in it for ease of use and a large cutting surface, but that’s what the author of Hebrews calls the Word of God: a two-edged sword (same Greek word, “machaira”) that is active, alive or living; cuts both ways; cuts down to the bone and marrow; and can even discern our thoughts and intents (Heb. 4:12). Doesn’t that perfectly describe what the Word of God is like? It cuts us to the quick, it convicts us, it is sharp and cuts in order to heal. But Paul has another idea in mind when he tells the church at Ephesus to take up the sword of the Spirit.

The Sword of the Spirit

God the Holy Spirit moved men to write the Word of God (2 Pet. 1:21), so perhaps Paul calls the Word of God the sword of the Spirit because God the Holy Spirit is the Originator of the Word. Notice that the word “Spirit” is capitalized, which means it’s a proper noun or person, and that person is God the Holy Spirit, Who is the real Author of all Scripture (2 Tim. 3:16-17). Just like the keyboard on my computer is inputting the words into this devotional but is not the author–I am. In a similar manner, God’s Spirit moved men to write the Word, so the sword of the Spirit is the sword from the Spirit, and we’ll need it every single day to help us change our lives for the better.

Carrying the Sword

We probably cannot take our Bible with us everywhere we go, so we should memorize Scripture in order that wherever we go, we’ll have the sword of the Spirit with us. The psalmist hid or memorized God’s Word in his heart so that he would not sin (Psalm 119:11); at least, he wouldn’t sin as easily as if he didn’t have it with him. If we read, memorize, and even meditate on God’s Word before we leave our home for the day, then we’ll have that sword with us everywhere we go, and we can be ready to resist temptation in order to avoid sin.

A Closing Prayer

God, once again, I thank You for equipping me with all that I need to change my life every day. Nothing changes my life or the lives of others more than Your Word and, of course, Your Spirit, so I thank You, God, for giving me the help I so desperately need. In Jesus’ precious name I pray.

Amen

How will wearing the helmet of salvation daily change your life?

Ephesians 6:17

And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Protecting Our Heads

I had a cousin die many years ago from a motorcycle accident, and the police said that if he had been wearing a helmet, he would likely not have died. Even though that’s a poor analogy, I think the idea is still important: We must protect our heads. But here in this verse specifically, it is meant to protect our thinking. The helmet of salvation goes around and is placed over our heads, but I think it more specifically means it protects our brains or our thinking–our seat of intellect. It doesn’t make much sense to take up all the armor and put it on but then leave off the helmet, which can help direct us in how to use the armor.

Head Knowledge

Did you know that the armor of God isn’t likely original with Paul’s writing? Paul seems to have taken the idea of the helmet of salvation from Isaiah 59:17 where the breastplate of righteousness is also mentioned. Paul, like Isaiah, typically puts pieces of the armor equipment together because they are all necessary, but in the case of the helmet of salvation, it seems to indicate the seat of intellect where the knowledge of our salvation resides. For example, we know that we can’t be saved by works (Eph. 2:8-9), that believing or trusting in Christ brings eternal life (John 3:16), that Jesus promises to turn away no one who comes to Him (John 6:37), that He is the One and only way to be saved (Acts 4:12), and that not one whom He has saved will be lost (John 6:39; 10:28-29). If you have that knowledge in your head, you already have on the helmet of salvation, so be sure to be in the Bible daily so you can be sure to take that helmet with you to change your life today and every day.

A Thicker Helmet

If you are into the Word of God, the Word of God will get into you and stay in you. This is how our minds are renewed (Rom. 12:2). The more Word of God you read, the stronger your knowledge of salvation will be, and this knowledge should make you ready to go out into the world with a head protected by this knowledge, which is the helmet of salvation. The enemy would love you to take off your helmet and set it down because he’s roaming about seeking the weakest foes to devour (1 Pet. 5:8). The helmet of salvation will also protect against the mighty blows the enemy will seek to inflict upon you and me. No wonder that Paul calls this helmet elsewhere in Scripture “the hope of salvation” (1 Thes. 5:8), because that hope is as firm as God’s promises, which are unbreakable. God’s promise is a know-so knowledge, not a hope-so thinking.

A Closing Prayer

God my Father, You know my weaknesses, and sometimes the enemy will try to get me to doubt Your promises in Your Word, so help me to be secure in my salvation by my daily putting on the helmet of salvation that You forged from Your Word by staying in Your Word. It’s just what I need today and every day to change my life, and in Jesus’ name I pray.

Amen

How will wearing the sandals of peace daily change your life?

Ephesians 6:15

And, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.

Standing Firm

Part of standing firm in our faith comes just before Paul mentions putting on the shoes of the gospel of peace where he says that we must stand firm with the belt of truth and the breastplate of righteousness (Eph. 6:14). So, the shoes will do us no good if we don’t first put on the breastplate and belt because these will help us stand firm. Take away one part of the full armor of God (Eph. 6:10-17) and we’re not fully dressed for combat against an overwhelming, invisible enemy. If you have the shoes of the gospel of peace on your feet, you’re better able to stand firm. But what are the sandals or shoes of the gospel of peace?

The Gospel of Peace

The shoes represent taking the gospel into the whole world (Matt. 28:18-20; Acts 1:8), but it also represents what we stand for because if we don’t stand for something, we’ll fall for anything. Part of the meaning of the gospel of peace that we put on our feet is that we have peace now with God through Jesus’ death (Rom. 5:1), and this gospel is uncompromising: by Christ alone can we be saved (Acts 4:12). With that peace, we have passed from judgment or condemnation (Rom. 8:1) to eternal life, and we won’t have to stand before Christ as our Judge at the Great White Throne Judgment (Rev. 20:12-15) but will stand before Him to receive the rewards from our service for Him while on Earth. The gospel is a message of God making peace with sinners who previously had the wrath of God on them by their disbelief (John 3:36b). God placed His wrath on Jesus so we could have His peace, and the peace that Jesus gives remains with us permanently and isn’t anything like what the world calls peace, which can be fleeting and temporary (John 14:27).

Beautiful Feet

If we have the gospel of peace on our feet, then we are walking into the lost world to bring the good news of this peace to others. No wonder Isaiah wrote about how blessed those are whose feet bring good news to those who need it (Isaiah 52:7). Paul tied in preaching the gospel to the lost with this very same verse in Romans 10:15 where he quoted Isaiah, so we have support elsewhere in Scripture that the shoes or sandals of peace of the gospel of Christ means that it’s to be taken into all the world. If we had a cure for cancer, wouldn’t we feel compelled to share it? Yet we have something far better than a temporary cure because someone who’s cured of something will surely die again, but those who believe in Christ have eternal life (John 3:16). It would be criminal negligence not to share such a cure.  We have knowledge of the cure for eternal death with us, and that is the gospel of peace. So, put on the sandals or shoes of the gospel of peace every day to seek the lost. Your feet will be happy feet, or blessed feet, because sharing the gospel, or soul-winning in particular, is one of the greatest joys there is.

A Closing Prayer

Great God in heaven, please set divine appointments for me today and every day where I’ll have a chance to point people to Christ and take the gospel with me wherever my feet will carry me today, and I pray for this in the mighty name of Jesus Christ.

Amen

God's Plan for Saving Man

1. Divine Love: John 3:16
    
2. God’s Grace: Ephesians 2:8
    
3. Christ’s Blood: Romans 5:9
    
4. Holy Spirit’s Word: Romans 1:16
    
5. Sinner’s Faith: Acts 16:31
    
6. Sinner’s Repentance: Luke 13:3
    
7. Sinner’s Confession: Romans 10:10
    
8. Sinner’s Baptism: Acts 22:16
    
9. Christian’s Love: Matthew 22:37
    
10. Christian’s Work: James 2:24
     
11. Christian’s Hope: Romans 8:24
     
12. Christian’s Endurance: Revelation 2:10

HELPFUL HINTS FOR PARENTS

1. Make your home the brightest and most attractive place on earth.
2. Let your child invite friends to your home and table so that he/she had rather be there than any other place.
3. Make your child responsible for the performance of daily duties. Never do for your child what they are capable of doing.
4. Never punish your child in anger.
5. Talk about God and the Bible. Let the Lord be a natural part of who you are.
6. Do not criticize your child as a person, but rather encourage his/her abilities and help his/her weaknesses.
7. Live uprightly before your child at all times. Do not hesitate to confess weaknesses and ask forgiveness when you fail.
8. Let your child hear you say, “I love you.” Say it to your spouse and your child.
9. Impress on your child that making character is more important than making money.
10. Be much in prayer that the Lord will help you. A contrite and humble heart before God accomplishes much.

THE DIMENSIONS OF GOD'S AMAZING LOVE

Paul spoke of the width, length, depth, and height of God’s love (Ephesians 3:18). Jesus spoke of the same dimensions, in the same order, in the most famous verse of the Bible: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

 

For God so loved the world --- Width of God’s Love.

 

That He gave His only begotten Son --- Length of God’s Love.

 

Whoever believes in Him should not perish --- Depth of God’s Love.

 

But have everlasting life --- Height of God’s Love

 

God’s love is comprehensive and overwhelming! --Mark Posey, Decatur, Alabama