Confession, The Lesson

We live with the by-products of the things we say. In the same way that God spoke the universe into existence everyone speaks things into existence everyday. Words are a creative force of nature and they can produce good and evil. There is mighty power in your words because whatever you believe with your heart and say with your mouth will come to pass.

Romans 10:
8.	But what does it say? The Word is near you, on your lips and in your heart; that is, the Word – the message- of faith, which we preach.
9.	Because if you acknowledge and confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and in your heart believe (adhere to, trust in and rely on the truth) that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
10.	For with the heart a person believes (adheres to, trusts in and relies on Christ) and so is justified (declared righteous, acceptable to God), and with the mouth he confesses – declares openly and speaks out freely his faith – and confirms (his) salvation.(With your mouth you confess and openly speak out your faith!)
11.	The Scripture says, No man who believes in Him – who adheres to, relies on and trusts in Him (Jesus) – will [ever] be put to shame or be disappointed. [Isa.28:16; 49:23; Jer. 17:7-8; Ps. 34: 17-22]

Acts 16: 31,
31.	And they answered, Believe in and on the Lord Jesus Christ-that is, give yourself up to Him, take yourself out of your own keeping and entrust yourself into His keeping, and you will be saved; (and this applies both to) you and your household as well.

1 Peter 2: 21 (Who should we use as our example?)
21.	For ever hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:(What did Jesus leave us? His life and His Words. He lived what He said.)

Romans 8:
31.	What then shall we say to (all) this? (These things that have come against us) If God be for us, who (can be) against us? – Who can be our foe, if God is on our side?(Can God make it any clearer? “What should we SAY? If God is for us who can be against us?)

Romans 8: 32,
32.	He who did not withhold or spare (even) His own Son but gave Him up for us all, will He not also with Him freely and graciously give us all (other) things? (including our loved ones)

Proverbs 18:
21.	Death and Life are in the power of the tongue, and they who indulge it shall eat the fruit of it. ( Learn to control your tongue, let only good positive words come out of your mouth)

Proverbs 4:
20.	My son, attend to my (God’s) words; consent and submit to my sayings.
21.	Let them not depart from your sight; keep them in the center of your heart. (So that your heart only speaks Words of life)
22.	For they are life to those who find them, healing and health to all their flesh.
23.	Keep your heart with all vigilance and above all that you guard, for out of it flow the springs of life.

Isaiah 53:
5.	But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

1 Peter 2:
24.	Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose strips ye were healed.

Isaiah 54: (He is our Protection)

17.

But no weapon that is formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue that shall rise against you in judgement you shall show to be in the wrong. This [peace, righteousness, security, triumph over opposition] is the heritage of the servant of the Lord [those in whom the ideal Servant of the Lord is reproduced]. This is the righteousness or the vindication which they obtain from me – this is that which I impart to them as their justification – says the Lord. also Isaiah 55:11-13, Psalm 23, 34, 91

Psalm 1:
1.	Blessed is the man who walks and lives not in the counsel of the ungodly [following their advice, their plans and purposes], nor stands in the path where sinners walk, nor sits down [to relax and rest] where the scornful [and the mockers] gather.
2.	But his delight and desire are in the law of the Lord, and on His law – the precepts, instructions, the teachings of God – he habitually meditates (ponders and studies) by day and by night. [2 Tim. 3: 16; Gal. 3: 1 – 29; Rom. 13: 8 – 10.]
3.	And he shall be like a tree firmly planted [and tended] by the streams of water, ready to bring forth his fruit in its season; his leaf also shall not fade or wither, and everything he does shall prosper [and come to maturity. [Jer. 17: 7, 8.]
4.	Not so the wicked [those disobedient and living without God are not so]. But they are like the chaff [worthless, dead, without substance] which the wind drives away.
5.	Therefore the wicked, those disobedient [and living without God], shall not stand [justified] in the judgment; nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous [those who are upright and in right standing with God].
6.	For the Lord knows and is fully acquainted with the way of the righteous; but the way of the ungodly [those living outside God’s will] shall perish.

Psalm 23:
1.	The Lord is my (our) shepherd; I (we) shall not lack.(Jesus is the one that watches over us. He is our protector and care giver)
2	He makes me (us) lie down in green pastures; He leads me (us) beside the still and restful waters.
3.	He refreshes and restores my (our) life; He leads me (us) in the paths of righteousness for His names sake.(He gives us life when the devil doesn’t want us to have a life.)
4.	Yes, though I (we) walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I (we) will fear or dread no evil; for (we believe and say) You are with me (us); Your rod (to protect) and Your staff (to guide), they comfort me (us).
5.	You prepare a table before me (us) in the presence of my (our) enemies; You anoint my (our) head with oil; my (our) cup runs over.
6.	Surely or only goodness, mercy and unfailing love shall follow me (us) all the days of my (our) life; and through the length of days the house of the Lord shall be my (our) dwelling place.

Psalms 119:
35.	Make me to go in the path of Your commandments, for in them do I delight.
36.	Incline my heart to Your testimonies, and not to covetousness, [robbery, sensuality, unworthy riches]. [Ezek. 33:31; Mark 7:21, 22; 1 Tim. 6: 10; Heb. 13:5]
105.	Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. [Prov. 6: 23]
130.	The entrance and unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding – discernment and comprehension – to the simple.
131.	I open my mouth and panted (with eager desire), for I longed for Your commandments.
132.	Look upon me, be merciful unto me and show me favor, as is Your way to those who love Your name.
133.	Establish my steps and direct them by (means of) Your word; let not any iniquity have dominion over me.
134.	Deliver me from the oppression of man; so will I keep Your precepts [hearing, receiving, loving and obeying them]

Mark 11:
22.	And Jesus replying said to them, Have faith in God (constantly).
23.	Truly, I tell you, whoever says to this mountain (a real mountain or a mountain of a problem), Be lifted up and thrown into the sea! And does not doubt at all in his heart, but believes that what he says will take place, it will be done for him.
24.	For this reason I am telling you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe – trust and be confident – that it is granted to you, and you will (get it).
25.	And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have aught against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.
26.	But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.

John 15: 7
7.	If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, you shall ask what you will, and it shall be done unto you. (“if” indicates uncertainty, do you live in Christ? Are His Words living in your mouth ready at every moments to be used?)

Romans 8:
37.	Yet amid all these things we are more than conquerors and gain a surpassing victory through him who loved us.

Philippians 4: 13,
13.	I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me – I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me. (Now you’re talking!)

Romans 8: (Nothing can separate a believer from God)
38.	For I am persuaded beyond doubt – am sure – that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things impending and threatening, nor things to come, nor powers,
39.	Nor heights, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

1 Corinthians 2:(Amplified Bible)
12.	Now we have not received the spirit (that belongs to the world), but the (Holy) Spirit Who is from God, (given to us) that we might realize and comprehend and appreciate the gifts (of divine favor and blessing so freely and lavishly) bestowed on us by God.
13.	And we are setting these truths forth in >>>words<<<< not taught by human wisdom but taught by the (Holy) Spirit, combining and interpreting spiritual truths with spiritual language (to those who possess the (Holy) Spirit. (talking about speaking in tongues)

2 Corinthians 12: (Jesus is our Strength)

9.

But He said to me, My grace – My favor and loving-kindness and mercy – are enough for you, [that is, sufficient against danger and to enable you to bear the trouble manfully]; for My strength and power are made perfect – fulfilled and completed and show themselves most effective – in [your] weakness. Therefore, I will all the more gladly glory in my weaknesses and infirmities, that the strength and power of Christ, the Messiah, may rest – yes, may pitch a tent [over] and swell – upon me!

James 4: (Ampl.)
7.	So be subject to God. – Stand firm against the devil; resist him and he will flee from you.

1 Peter 1:16: (Ampl.)
16.	For it is written, You shall be holy, for I am holy.

Psalms 16:
11.	You (God) will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy, at Your right hand there are pleasures for evermore. [Acts 2:25-28, 31]

Thank you Father for your Words and your son!

Source: http://applesaucekids.com.

Repentance

Welcome to another topic that is pivotal in the Christian’s life- Repentance. Repentance means a complete turn from sin and whole submission to God. It means abandoning the sinful works we have been engaged with in our life and submission of total self unto God. The Bible says: ‘Repent! Change your heart and turn to God. He will wash your sins away and refresh you in the Spirit of the Lord’. (Acts 3:18 smf). It is our action to turn away from sin and seeking the face of the Lord that will help in connecting us with God. Sin is a  stumbling block in between us and God. The author of sin is satan hinself. Satan always wants us disconnected from God so that we no longer enjoy God’s favour and grace. The kingdom satan has set himself for is in great contrast with the kingdom of righteousness God has created for His children. True repentance of sin brings us to a new level in life- Communion with Christ! (Acts 16:31). Once we accept Christ as our Lord and Saviour, the Spirit of life will indwell us (Romans 8:16, 1 John 4:13). Just like we celebrate the birth of a child in our homes, so too when we are reborn in God’s family and we are called God’s children! (John 1:12, Romans 8:15, Galatians 3:26-27, 1 Corinthians 12:13). Our rebirth through total submission unto God brings about total dependance on God for fruitfulness (John 15:5, Galatians 5:22-23).

For us to commune with God we need to take that bold decision: LEAVE SIN! We should be the first to make a step forward towards changing our behaviour. What is your action towards repentance? It is all about your decision to follow Christ (Romans 6:4-5).

Sin is something that we should not be associated with. It causes us to rebel against God, separated from His love. Here is a list of some of the consequences of sin in our lives:
1. Separation from God (Genesis 3:23, Isaiah 58:1-2)
2. Curse (Genesis 3:16-19, Job 14:1)
3. Bondage (Romans 8:21-22)
4. Punishment (Isaiah 13:11, Romans 2:8-9, Jeremiah 5:25)
5. God’s anger (Proverbs 6:16-19)
6. Death (Romans 3:23) etc.

The good news is that God sent Christ to die for us on the Cross to bear our punishment. His death qualified us into God’s Kingdom as His children set apart by the blood of His Son (John 3:16). He made sin powerless through Christ’s sacrifice so that we should no longer be slaves to sin. It’s about time we got back on our knees before God and ask for forgiveness.

THE SLAVE IN ME: YOU CAN STILL PROCLAIM GOD’S POWER

Now Naaman, the commander of the king of Syria’s army, was esteemed and respected by his master, for through him the LORD had given Syria military victories. But this great warrior had a skin disease.  Raiding parties went out from Syria and took captive from the land of Israel a young girl, who became a servant to Naaman’s wife. She told her mistress, “If only my master were in the presence of the prophet who is in Samaria! Then he would cure him of his skin disease.”  2 Kings 5:1-3 (The verses are adapted from http://www.theword.net PC Bible Software).

Naaman as the Bible puts it, was a great man in battle. He had won so many battles and he deserved respect from his King. He was well respected figure in Syria. The only problem the Commander of Syrian Army had was skin disease. The Bible further puts it that during one of his battles, he took captive of a young girl from the land of Israel who became a servant of his wife. The slave girl worked faithfully in her master’s house and served the mistress diligently. As time passes, the slave girl kept watching her master battle with the skin disease of which he had no cure. I hope he had tried many ways to get cured but he failed.

I find it encouraging for a young slave girl living in a foreign land to have so much courage as to talk about her master’s health. Her duties revolved around household chores but she diverted a little to save life. I can only imagine how tough it was for the young slave girl to come forward to talk to the officials in the Commander’s house. She must have made several attempts which failed within herself. Time came when she finally gathered the courage (2 Kings 5:3) and told the mistress about Man of God in her land. She must have truly known the God her parents worshiped in Israel was a Living God. She must have known that the God in Israel was able to heal the Syrian Commander. She was faithful enough as to bear the consequences in case the healing in Israel failed. Do you imagine what would have been her fate? DEATH! Despite all this, she still believed in the God of Israel, the one that heals, feeds, blesses- the God of righteousness.

Have you in your life looked down upon yourself because you are in a situation where you are surrounded by people of fame? Do you feel that no one will listen to you when you talk to them about the Almighty God? God can still use you to bring blessing to other people regardless of how much pain they have inflicted on you. Can you imagine this young girl who was brought out from Israel, away from her parents still had love for her enemies? God uses us sometimes to bring our enemies down to their knees. Our actions sometimes will make our enemies wonder about the love we have for them despite how much they feel about us. As Christians, the persecuted church, enemies are all over the land seeking to devour. In the midst of all this, God still commissions us to reach out or extend our hand of love to them. It is through love that God saved us. It is through love that God made a sacrifice through His son Jesus Christ. It is through the same love that we will win souls to God. Regardless of your status, God wants you to serve Him. Are you a slave in the midst of the rich and mighty? You can still proclaim God’s power!