The Present Truth Magazine (Email)
June 2007

FROM THE EDITOR’S HEART

I know I’m always talking about my kids, but that’s my world. Their ministry activities, sports practices, jobs, and social events fill much of my summer days. It’s essential that I let the Lord manage our time. If I don’t depend on God’s Word and Spirit to be my guiding light, I run around like a headless chicken. 

Apostle Paul’s words to the Ephesians have become real to me: 

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them (Eph. 2:10).  

As our family submits to Holy Spirit, He can show us the works that God prepared beforehand for us to accomplish in our day.  

Recently I quoted this verse to my kids: “…Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh” (Gal. 5:16). I told them that if we are busy doing the right thing, we won’t be doing the wrong thing. 

Our family really enjoys sports, but we have to keep them in their proper place. As we put the Lord’s ministry first, my kids are learning God’s values and priorities. On more than one occasion, we have explained to coaches our priorities. So far, they have been supportive of our values. I believe that if we have the courage to do the right thing, it will encourage others to do the right thing. 

Going to church is like going to a sports practice—I am being equipped to win “the big game.” The equipment I receive—truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation, the Word of God (Eph. 6:14-17), etc.—helps me live victoriously.

Sincerely in Christ,
Christa Clark
Editor

THE LAST DISCIPLE is a well-written novel that is a good alternative to the left-behind series.  It is written from what we consider a partial-preterist viewpoint; i.e. that the great-tribulation and most of the book of revelation was written about and fulfilled in the first century.  Reading it is an excellent way to both enjoy a novel and gain a scriptural understanding of how Jesus' and His apostles prophecies were fulfilled in the first century.
Read More

5 Powerful Booklets

Click Here To

$10.00

or view them individually:

Spiritual Israel: Then and Now

Armageddon

Holy Spirit and Humanity

Divorce, Remarriage, and Apostolic Doctrine

The Perpetual Lie About Lucifer

Announcements:

You can now listen to our Sunday Sermons online!  Click on our Sermons page.

We are also making some of our sermon series available for purchase on the web.  These are messages that have been brought by the pastors of our church that we believe would be beneficial to the body of Christ at large.  Subjects include:

*Who is This Babylon: Teaching through the book of Revelation from a past-fulfillment covenantal perspective.

*The Power of Positive Thinking: How to be Holy Spirit led, Bible inspired, positive thinkers in Christ.

*Wealth, Riches & Money: Teachings on finances & stewardship.

*God, Man, & Miracles: How miracles can be experienced today with many practical examples.

*Hebrews: Covenants in Contrast: An in-depth study of the book of Hebrews from the past-fulfillment covenantal perspective.

By way of encouragement, we continue to receive regular additions to our magazine, as well as e-mail newsletter, Present Truth Newsletter.  We have also been receiving e-mails from all over our nation and the world from people whom God has in the process of reform.  God is continuing to reform His church and He is faithful to remind us through the testimonies of His people!

For Further Study

SPIRITUAL ISRAEL: THEN & NOW
There exists a great debate today as to who the true Israel of God is.  Is it a small nation of people in the middle east, or is it a spiritual people? Spiritual Israel: Then & Now is a reader friendly, yet thorough, study of Israel from the covenantal perspective.  Today, all who are in Christ make up the Israel of God....
Read More

If you would like to add someone to our Present Truth Magazine mailing list, visit our Present Truth Magazine Page

Dear Present Truth Magazine Subscriber:

We are glad to have you as a subscriber to our Present Truth Magazine.  Below you will find articles from individual authors who have written for our magazine.   Our prayer for all who receive read these articles is that the Lord "...may give to you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, and what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints” (Ephesians 1:17-18).

Servant Leaders in Our Postmodern World
By A. Wilson Phillips 

By faith, those who put their trust in Jesus Christ can enter into a life of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit (Rom. 14:17). This is called “kingdom living.” Concerning this kingdom, our Lord Jesus Christ said, “My kingdom is not of this world” (John 18:36). God chose to teach many of His kingdom truths through the apostle Paul. 

By His sovereign mercy and grace, God released Paul—a respected, influential spiritual leader in Judaism—from the bondage of spiritual death and made him a follower of Jesus Christ (Acts 22:6-15). Before his new birth experience, Paul had religion but lacked a personal, spiritual relationship with the God that he served. His kingdom experience grew as he zealously followed the exalted, enthroned living Christ, who was ruling in His messianic reign. Paul’s message was a gospel of grace—not law—and the spiritual kingdom of God (Acts 28:23-31). 

As Paul continued to follow wholeheartedly his Master, Jesus Christ, he was being transformed and conformed into the very image of Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 3:18). He was becoming like the pattern Son, who appeared on this earth for 33 ½ years in human form. 

Paul’s apostolic writings are his legacy that we have today. They are the gospel that he received by his revealed knowledge of Father God and the Lord Jesus Christ (Gal. 1:11-16). Of this revelation, he said,  

For I will not dare to speak of any of those things which Christ has not accomplished through me, in word and in deed… (Rom. 15:18). 

As a follower and servant leader of Jesus Christ, Paul went through the process of spiritually dying to the “self-sins” of self-righteousness, self-pity, self-confidence, self-sufficiency, self-admiration, self-love, and a host of others like them. The grosser manifestations of these sins—egotism, exhibitionism, and self-promotion—are strangely tolerated in Christian circles today. Paul experienced the ongoing work of the cross of Christ in a state of humiliation.  

In church groups today, the majority of Bible scholars, teachers, and pastors who preach Paul’s messages claim his teachings are “positional” doctrinal truths rather than “experiential.” In other words, they are saying Paul’s gospel describes the position we should strive for, but we will fall short. These lack-of-faith statements deny that we can live the normal Christian life that Jesus and Paul came to live, and they contradict the Scripture. 

…as He is, so are we in this world (1 John 4:17).

He who says he abides in Him (Christ) ought himself also to walk just as He walked (1 John 2:6). 

The message of the cross brings deliverance from the bondage of all self-sins when we humble ourselves and ask God to transform and conform us into the very image of Christ. Death to self is never fun. It is painful, as it was with our Lord on His cross. We must confess, forsake, and repudiate the self-life and reckon it crucified. We must insist that the work of the cross be completed in our lives. 

There comes a time when the work of our death to self is finished and the suffering victim dies. After that, there is resurrection life, power, and glory. The pain is forgotten. Righteousness reigns in our daily living. Peace is present in every circumstance of life. The joy of the Lord becomes our strength to do the assignments that Father God gives to us in His kingdom. There is no burnout, which many leaders complain of today.  

…our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day (2 Cor. 4:16). 

The state of humiliation that our Savior experienced preceded His exaltation by our Father God (Phil. 2:5-11). This was also true of Paul in his experiences, of which he wrote in his divinely inspired letters.  

Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus… be transformed by the renewing of your mind… we have the mind of Christ (Phil. 2:5; Rom. 12:2; 1 Cor. 2:16). 

As they die to themselves and are alive to God, the transformed servant leaders of Father’s kingdom today have the manifested fruit of the Spirit in their lives. As our Lord said, 

…unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain (fruit) (John 12:24). 

Our Lord said, “You will know them by their fruit.” Servant leaders’ lives should be measured by the fruit that is produced in their daily lives. Words of spirit and life should flow freely from their lips. Dear reader, ask God to show you where the servant leaders are in our postmodern world and hook up with them. Father God will not disappoint you.

A. Wilson Phillips is the co-founding and senior pastor of Abundant Life Covenant Church.

FEW WORDS
By Richard K. Clark 

My radio alarm goes off in the morning with words; televisions, computers, MP3’s, blackberries, and the like are everywhere speaking words. My car talks to me, and its diction is much better than mine. Three out of four motorists that I see are holding cell phones to their ears; my assumption is that they are speaking words. With our communicative technologies growing by the second, we could rightly call it a word explosion. 

We live in a world filled with words, some originating from God and most that do not. The origins of words in our world came from God as He spoke and the worlds were framed. He continues to uphold all things by the word of His power. He is the great communicator, and He created mankind in His image and likeness, therefore we are communicators as well. When Adam sinned against the Lord, he broke the spiritual communion that is necessary for humanity’s success. God continued to talk to man, but man wasn’t very good at hearing. 

The specific sin that Adam committed (eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil) fostered in us the self-righteous pride that we, apart from God, can know the difference between good and evil. The result is a flood of words much greater than Noah’s flood and, oftentimes, far more damaging.   

The solution—the Word of God became a man, Jesus Christ. This man spoke only the words from His Father because He was the Word of His Father. One of the benefits we derive from Jesus’ perfect salvation is that we also can become “the Word of God in the flesh.” As we feed on His living Word and allow His Spirit to transform us from glory to glory into His image and likeness, the words we speak will be spirit and life. 

Scripture indicates that God does not intend His people to be wasteful with their words. He prefers that we speak fewer words and make them count. 

Do not be rash with your mouth,

And let not your heart utter anything hastily before God.

For God is in heaven, and you on earth;

Therefore let your words be few.

For a dream comes through much activity,

And a fool’s voice is known by his many words (Eccl. 5:2-3).  

In the multitude of words sin is not lacking,

But he who restrains his lips is wise (Prov. 10:19).

He who has knowledge spares his words,

And a man of understanding is of a calm spirit.

Even a fool is counted wise when he holds his peace;

When he shuts his lips, he is considered perceptive (Prov. 17:27-28).

So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath (James 1:19). 

God is transforming our world by words, and His church is the primary agency through which His Spirit speaks. Only God can tame man’s tongue and channel it for His purposes. More than ever before, it is essential that we speak the words of God! 

For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God does not give the Spirit by measure (John 3:34).
 

Richard K. Clark is an associate pastor of Abundant Life Covenant Church.

The Tested Faith of Abraham
“Father of Us All”
By Benjamin Davis 

As I was meditating and asking the Lord for a theme for our youth camp this year, these words came into my spirit and mind: genuine tested faith. 

The apostle Peter wrote of genuine tested faith when he said:  

…you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ (1 Pet. 1:6-7). 

Peter is using a bit of a word play when he compares genuine faith to gold. A quick word study of the word genuine shows that it simply means tested and proved to be genuine. Just as gold is tested, refined, and proved by fire, so our faith is tested, refined, and proved to be genuine by the fiery trials we experience. 

Scripture is full of stories of men and women of God whose faith was tested and proved genuine by their trials. These stories were written for our benefit. Abraham, whom the Scripture calls “the father of us all,” had a faith that had been severely tested before he earned that title. 

To fully understand Abraham’s genuine faith, we have to go back to the events and prophecies made before he was born. 

After God confronted Adam and Eve with their sin, He prophesied a Deliverer who became known throughout the ancient world as the Seed. 

And I will put enmity,

Between you and the woman,

And between your seed and her Seed;

He shall bruise your head,

And you shall bruise His heel (Gen. 3:15). 

Archeology reveals that throughout the ancient world there was a debate as to who that Seed was. Scripture picks up the story in Noah. After Noah and his family survived the flood, Noah became a farmer, grew a vineyard, made wine, and apparently got so drunk that he passed out naked. His son Ham found him, but instead of coming to his aid, he became disrespectful, spreading the news to his brothers. Shem and Japheth, the other two sons, took a blanket and covered Noah until he could recover, taking caution to cover his nakedness without looking on. In this way, they maintained their respect for their father, even in his weakness. 

When Noah awoke, he began to prophesy. He cursed Ham and his son Canaan, and blessed Shem especially, saying that the house of Shem would rule over the house of Ham and Canaan. All this takes place in Genesis 9. The irony in this story is that Genesis 10 goes on to tell of the great exploits of Ham and Canaan’s descendants! One descendant was named Nimrod who became great and established Babel (the tower of Babel was being built by Ham’s descendants) along with the other great cities of the area. Canaan’s descendants went on to establish the land of Canaan, which later became the promised land that God would give Israel. 

In the midst of all this, God speaks to Abraham, a descendant of Shem, and tells him that the line of the promised Seed is through him. 

Now the Lord had said to Abram:

“Get out of your country,

From your family

And from your father’s house,

To a land that I will show you.

I will make you a great nation;

I will bless you and make your name great;

And you shall be a blessing.

I will bless those who bless you,

And I will curse him who curses you;

And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Gen. 12:1-3). 

With all the great exploits of Ham’s family, Abraham most likely felt a little inferior. His family had not prospered and established great cities like Ham’s family did. Further, Abraham had no children of his own, which was considered the greatest hindrance of all to building a successful legacy.   

Nevertheless, as Abraham obeyed God’s voice and applied His promises to his life, he began his journey of faith. The story of Abraham is the story of one severe test after another, from famine to drought to war to family strife, and most of all a 25-year delay in having the promised child. His faith was tested like gold is tested by fire, and it was proved genuine. God followed through with His promise, and the Seed (Jesus) came through Abraham’s lineage. Further, the apostle Paul named Abraham the father of all who come to faith in Christ Jesus, even to this day (Rom. 4:16-17). 

God is still building fathers today by testing their faith through the fires of testing. Spiritual fathers in the church whose faith has been tested and proved genuine can say with conviction, “Follow me as I follow Christ (1 Cor. 11:1), and you will overcome as a disciple of Jesus Christ in the earth today.”

Benjamin Davis is an associate pastor of Abundant Life Covenant Church

CONNECTIONS
By Jonathan Clark 

Connections. It seems that “being connected” has become a buzz-phrase for our society.  

I came across the concept of connections by reading an autobiographical story of one of our current political leaders. In the account of her life, she repeatedly mentioned the interconnections of the various groups and communities that shaped her life. Over and over again, she explained how these connections (and her faith) helped her overcome serious obstacles in her life.

I ran across this topic again while reading a medical publication. The physician writer made the statement, “Life is connectedness.” 

And, of course, I see connectedness being lived out before me daily in the younger generation—the generation X’ers—the children of the baby boomers  with their cell phones, emails, text messaging, Bluetooths, instant messaging. Instant communication… constant communication. The youth of today are more “plugged-in” than any generation before. 

Personally, I am all for being connected. The more that I thought about connections, it became clear to me that what is important is to whom one is connected. Relationships—being connected with others—are most beneficial and rewarding when shared with the right people. Jesus said,  

I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us… (John 17:20-21). 

Jesus is explaining that when a person is in Christ, he/she is divinely connected to the Supreme Power of the universe! A person who is in Christ is in union with Jesus, as well as in union with Father God. It is Jesus’ desire in His prayer that all of these in union with deity also come into unity with one another… the power and ability to do so is resident within them. 

Being connected is what life is all about—being connected to Father God, His Son, and His people. Being perfectly joined with God and His family will reap great benefits both now and in the future. The future is bright for those who have the right connections!

Jonathan Clark is an elder of Abundant Life Covenant Church and a physician in Springfield, Missouri.

FAITH-FILLED WORDS
By Lisa Krueger     

I have become accustomed when I arrive at our church services to receiving an outline that contains important points and Scripture references from the current teaching to take home, study, and meditate on. One particular Sunday morning, I received a blank sheet of paper. Our pastor was going to teach on the importance of words and challenged us to write down words from the service on our own. He suggested that we begin to keep a journal and write down the Scripture verses and points in order to remember them better.  

I went home and began to study the words from my once-blank sheet of paper and then felt I needed to enter these words into a journal and not wait until the following Wednesday night to begin this new assignment. As I was transferring my notes into my new journal, I came across a rather lengthy Scripture reference, Genesis 11:1-9. I wasn’t sure I wanted to pen this entire account of the “Tower of Babel,” so I merely entered “Story of Babel” into my journal. I did though take the time to reread the account from Genesis. As I did, the Lord revealed something new to me.  

I have heard teachings about this story since I was in Vacation Bible School, but now—during a time that I am being tested by the Lord—He was using these words to give me understanding about my circumstances. I read in verse 4, “…let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the earth.” The Spirit spoke to me, “For by your words you are justified, by your words you are condemned.” (Matt. 12:37). These descendants of Noah were speaking contrary to God’s will, yet apart from God’s intervention, their words of agreement would make it happen.  

I continued to read the Genesis passage. 

And the Lord said, “Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing will be withheld from them.”  

The Spirit spoke again to my spirit saying,  

…if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask it will be done for them by My Father in heaven (Matt. 18:19).  

Genesis 11:9 describes how sovereign God determined their future. 

Therefore its name is called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth; and from there the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth.  

I began to remember other places in the Bible where people spoke either God’s positive, faith-filled words or negative words, and they received that which they spoke concerning their circumstances. For example, Abraham and Sarah talked it over and agreed together that they should not wait on God and go ahead and create a child in the flesh. They got Ishmael; this led to many problems.  

As I studied the biblical accounts of positive and negative agreements and confessions, I began to write these things in my journal and apply them to my current test. My husband and I can either believe the best and overcome our current financial test and do well or disagree and not do well. Together, we must operate in faith and in obedience to the Father’s will, believing that His words about us are true and that the best is yet to come.   

Lisa Krueger is a homemaker in Springfield, Missouri.

LIVING FREE
By Holly Davis 

As a teenager, I developed a very destructive behavior pattern. The medical and psychological experts called it an eating disorder. I latched on to their diagnosis and sought psychological help. They explored my childhood and teenage years and came to the conclusion that I was very lonely and distraught. They were right; however, it wasn’t due to the eating disorder. I was empty inside, and only God could fill the void. 

Eating disorders, alcohol abuse, gambling problems, or any addictions will not go away until the root is dealt with. I came to an all-time low in my life and contemplated ending it when God presented the solution. It was Him. I surrendered to His calling after several years of searching for the answers. At the age of 21, I allowed Him to be Lord of my life, and He filled the void. 

My father attended Abundant Life Covenant Church, where he along with many other people in the body began to lead me to discover who God was and who I was in Him. My problem was a heart issue, so God transformed my heart. For years, my heart had been given over to food instead of Him.  

Over a process of time, I began to learn that when I overindulged in food, I was sinning because I was giving my heart to the food rather than to God; it was an idol in my life. The Scripture says, 

You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself an idol…you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God… (Ex. 20:3-5). 

An idol is what one gives his/her heart to. If the heart is misplaced toward a person, thing, or behavior, the individual has to let go of the stronghold and give God his/her whole heart. Mark 12:30 states, 

And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength… 

Even though God has delivered me from the stronghold of food, I must renew my mind daily to His truths in order to walk in the benefits of His covenant. It is a relationship with Him, not a rule sheet, that keeps me free from any bondages of my past. I have learned that: “My food is to do the will of Him who sent me and to finish His work” (John 4:34). With His Spirit, the Word, and the people of God, I can walk free from all sin. Jesus said, “…if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed” (John 8:36). He became sin for me so that I could walk in His righteousness, peace, and joy and be free from sin, self, and Satan every day of my life. 

Holly Davis and her husband Benjamin serve as pastors at Abundant Life Covenant Church.

My Father
By Chris Wood 

At the tender age of five, I was told something that changed my life forever, “Chris, I won’t be coming back.” My dad spoke this six-word phrase—my parents were divorcing. As soon as my dad left our home, I was devastated and lay on the couch “sick” for a week. 

My perception of the world changed from that point in time. I went from being a generally happy child to always walking around in life with a sense of loss. I was deemed “shy” and retreated inwardly for security. 

My mom and older siblings tried to fill the gap that was left in my life but couldn’t. They were also struggling with their own conflicts, all based on this singular circumstance. 

Through my childhood, I had limited contact with my dad. However, I was fortunate to be able to spend a few summers with him and my step mom, which gave me the chance to know my dear younger brother and sister.  

There was still a void in my life, and when troubles occurred, I would often lie on my bed in self-pity crying for my dad. (Little did I know that Someone was there listening all along.) 

Through my senior year of high school and freshman year of college, I began to recognize that Someone besides me was controlling my every step. 

I began to attend Abundant Life Covenant Church with my future wife Becky and began to learn Who it was that had been steering my course. Father God had allowed me to go through these circumstances to form my life. I realized that my heavenly Father had heard the deepest needs of my heart and was healing all the hurts. He told me “I will not leave you nor forsake you” (Josh. 1:5).  

In February 2005, my dad passed away after a short battle with colon cancer. In the years before he passed, Father God used the circumstances in our lives to completely heal our relationship. Through a business relationship together, old hurts resurfaced, and new hurts began to occur. My need to be accepted by my dad led me to commit more and more time to serving his business. It had a deep affect on the time I spent with my own children, and an old habit came back—emotional eating, which ultimately caused me to gain 150 pounds. The added weight began to cause additional stress, and my health, as well as my relationships, began to suffer. Through all this, the Lord showed His mercy to me and revealed to me that I was worshipping Dad by trying to please him above all others. When Father God showed me that I could not please Dad in that way, a new chapter of my life opened up. In November 2004, Father God led me to propose a new way of doing business with Dad; and although it was not well received, I was able to stand-up for myself and believe it gave Dad a new respect for me.  

In the last days of Dad’s life, even though I felt I was the one who had been hurt the most in this relationship, Father God led me to go ask Dad to forgive me. As I humbled myself and asked, I felt Holy Spirit fill the room with His presence. Dad responded with “Well, we can’t cry about it.” Dad and I sat in silence, and I realized that Father God had done what He told me He would do years before: 

And he will turn

The hearts of the fathers to the children,

And the hearts of the children to their fathers (Mal. 4:6.)  

I talked to Dad a few more times before he passed. Father God used me to give him words of encouragement concerning his transition and by affirming to him that he was truly a new creation in Christ. The last time I talked to Dad was a few minutes before he passed, when he called to tell me he loved me one last time and to hear me say that he was going to be okay.  

Through it all, my heavenly Father has never left me. He has never failed me. He filled the emptiness that was left in my heart all those years ago. My love for Him has grown and continues to grow; I love Him because He first loved me (1 John 4:19). He has shown me that I am His beloved son in whom He is well pleased (Matt. 3:17), and that I am accepted in the Beloved (Eph. 1:6).  

Father God healed me and led Dad and I to forgive each other for any hurt that we caused each other. As a result of my obedience by giving my heavenly Father my whole heart, I have dropped 100 of the 150 pounds I gained by turning to food instead of Him as my comfort. Because of my covenant with my Father, He is bringing healing to my whole family. 

Chris Wood owns and operates Chris Wood Design, a graphic design and photography business.

Beware of Present Emphasis on Meditation
By A. Wilson Phillips     

Sharon Begley, science columnist for The Wall Street Journal, is getting unprecedented reviews for her latest book Train Your Mind, Change Your Brain (Ballantine Books, New York, 2007). The book is a groundbreaking collaboration between neuroscience and Buddhism. It claims to show “how a new science reveals our extraordinary potential to transform ourselves.” God’s Word opposes this self-transformation philosophy when it states: 

…do not be conformed to this world (human philosophies), but be transformed (metamorphosed) by the renewing of your mind (Rom. 12:2).  

The renewing of the mind of which Apostle Paul wrote takes place as God’s covenant people submit to and follow His Word and Spirit. As we fully cooperate with God, He transforms us into the image of Christ, our elder brother (Gal. 4:19). 

Buddhism, a human philosophy, is totally different from God’s Word, which speaks of a relationship between His blood covenant people (both Abrahamic and new covenant people in Christ) and Himself.  

To help His covenant people, God added the law of the covenant through His literary prophet Moses some 400 years after He had made the blood covenant with Abraham (Ex. 2:24). God told Moses’ successor Joshua:  

This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success (Josh. 1:8).

editating in the moral law of God and mediating on the principles of Buddha are total opposites as they relate to God’s Word, which is His revealed truth (John 17:17). 

The inward spiritual transformation of which God speaks is only possible through the regeneration and renewing of His Holy Spirit (Titus 3:4-7). God’s Word, God’s Spirit, and God’s blood are the elements that can change us into the image of the Creator. He warns against the deceptive practice of Buddhist meditation and its marriage to neuroscience. 

Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy (modern Buddhism) and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ… In Him you (believers) were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ (Col. 2:8, 11).  

Like Paul of old, today we who are in Christ must battle “oriental mysticism” and “legalism” in Christianity. Truly, it is a war of words in the battle for the mind. 

The good news is God’s Word is settled in heaven forever. “…His word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Ps. 119:89, 105). As God’s covenant people, we must let the authority of God’s Word be our guiding light as we navigate our way through the maze of deceitful words in our postmodern world. 

God’s all-encompassing, unchangeable Word is secured in heaven for all generations. There is a timelessness to God’s rule through His Word. His Word and Holy Spirit, who authored His Word to His covenant people, blend harmoniously and work together as the authority to apply the power, promises, and blessings of His Word in our daily lives. 

Times and seasons change; social customs change; human opinions and worldviews change; but God’s Word will never change. 

Therefore, as believers in Christ who are in a spiritual union with our heavenly Father, we must meditate in God’s Word day and night and observe to do all that is written in it. Then we will have a successful, prosperous kingdom lifestyle. The Word and Spirit proclaim, “The best is yet to come.”

WHO GOD IS 

In the Old Testament, the Hebrew people called Father God by different names to describe His eternal attributes. The apostles of the New Testament wrote how Jesus is the manifestation of these names and fulfills our every need. By worshiping and praising the names of God, we rehearse who He is in our lives. 

Jehovah-Tsidkenu—Our righteousness(Jer. 23:6; 2 Cor. 5:21) 

Jehovah-M’Kaddesh—Our sanctifier(Ex. 31:13; 1 Thes. 5:23; 1 Cor. 1:30) 

Jehovah-Shalom—Our peace(Jud. 6:24; Eph. 2:14) 

Jehovah Shammah—Our ever-present help(Ezek. 48:35; Heb. 13:5) 

Jehovah-Rophe—Our healer(Ex. 15:26; Matt. 8:17) 

Jehovah-Jireh—Our provider(Gen. 22:14; Phil. 4:19) 

Jehovah-Nissi—Our banner of victory(Ex. 17:15; Rev. 12:11) 

Jehovah-Rohi—Our shepherd(Ps. 23:1; John 10:11) 

WHO I AM
As we come to understand who our God is, the Holy Spirit confirms to us who we are in Christ.