Don't Tell Them Jesus Loves Them - Steve Camp

Letter To A Friend

Dear friend. Your letter has encouraged me greatly. Thank you for these beautiful, heartfelt words. In some ways our lives are two steps forward...one step back. Stumble, stumble. In His eyes we are perfect and holy. But in our daily lives, we still struggle with the spiritual battle, forgetting that we cannot, of ourselves, deter the enemy. Only our faith in Christ, as we apply the armor of God, wins each battle. Wounds are to be expected in a battle, Arlene so we shouldn't be surprised when we drop our shield a bit and one of Satan's fiery darts hits its mark. Not to worry, they are not fatal!

Your friend always,

David

STILLED THE STORM!

Self-portraits

Statement of Faith

I believe in One God, the Creator of all things, visible I believe that within the nature of the One True God, there are three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, who are coequal in power, nature and eternity.

I believe that Jesus Christ is not only the Son of God, but the Son of Man, who was born into this world of a virgin, lived as a man among men, suffered and died for our sins and was physically and literally resurrected from the dead, that He ascended back to Heaven and is alive today, seated at the right hand of the Father. He Himself is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, the one to whom every knee shall one day bow.

I believe that all mankind is helplessly lost, separated from God, and that the only path to reconciliation with God is personal faith in Jesus Christ as Savior. Salvation is therefore the free gift of eternal life, bought and paid for by the death of Christ on the cross.

I believe that Jesus Christ will one day return physically and literally to this world at the climax of the age, at which time the dead of all time will be raised and judged according to God’s mercy and righteousness.

I believe that the Holy Spirit is at work in the world today revealing Jesus Christ, convicting of sin, and empowering the Church. I believe in the miraculous work of the Holy Spirit in the life of the Christian as proclaimed in the scripture and lived out down through the ages. What the Holy Spirit did in the time of the Apostles, He desires to do today!

I believe that the Bible is a gift from God, written by men who were moved by the Holy Spirit. I can think of no better proclamation that what the scripture itself gives us in regard to our faith concerning the Bible:

“All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.”

-II Timothy 3:16-17

I believe in One Church, comprised of all true believers in Jesus Christ, regardless of race, or denominational creed, and that Jesus Christ Himself is the Head and Lord of this Church.

Top of Form

Bottom of Form

MERRY CHRISTMAS

IMG_9409.2-Hallelujah-reduced size, a photo by justifd4evr on Flickr.

Taken from our balcony in Sandy, Oregon.

Faith Not Feelings

We live by faith and not by sight!  2 Cor. 5:7

Unlike any other book, the Bible is God's living, eternal Word, filled with absolute promises that enable us to live an extraordinary life with no fear. However, because we do have weak moments when we do feel afraid, we have only to call upon the Lord, to read His words and see His promises to bask in the peace and security He freely gives.

Regardless of our circumstances, He will never leave or forsake us. Not only that, He awaits for us at the door of our mansion in Heaven with a perfectly fitted robe of righteousness, washed in the Blood of the Lamb. Hallelujah!

At a meeting, the leader, when talking about our feelings said, “Feelings are neither right or wrong, they just are!” At first some of those present stood against his description but after considering what he said, they all agreed it was true. Feelings are part of who we are but when they cause misdirection, confusion, fear, or more negative responses, we know they are to be controlled. And only God can come to the rescue. He can replace negative feelings with His promises of care and eternal salvation.

            John 11:25-26  ²⁵Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; ²⁶and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"

            John 10:10-11  I came that [you] may have life, and have it abundantly. ¹¹"I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.

            1 Peter 1:3-5   ³ All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, ⁴ and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. ⁵ And through your faith, God is protecting you by His power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see.

            John 10:27-30  ²⁷ My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. ²⁸ I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me, ²⁹ for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else. No one can snatch them from the Father’s hand. ³⁰ The Father and I are one.”

            John 6:35-40  ³⁵ Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. ³⁶ But you haven’t believed in me even though you have seen me. ³⁷ However, those the Father has given me will come to me, and I will never reject them. ³⁸ For I have come down from heaven to do the will of God who sent me, not to do my own will. ³⁹ And this is the will of God, that I should not lose even one of all those he has given me, but that I should raise them up at the last day. ⁴⁰ For it is my Father’s will that all who see his Son and believe in him should have eternal life. I will raise them up at the last day.”

            1 John 4:4   ⁴ But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people (false teachers, spirit of the anti-christ), because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world.

            Romans 8:38  ³⁸ And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.

            2 Corinthians 5:17  ¹⁷ This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

            Matthew 11:28-30  ²⁸ Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”

            The teenage boy told his father, “Dad, I don’t feel like mowing the lawn today.” To which his father replied, “Then I guess I don’t feel like feeding you dinner.”

CONDEMNATION OR FORGIVENESS?

At first, Allen held his shield of faith high, deflecting those fiery satanic darts, extinguishing them quickly. But as time wore on, his shield seemed heavier and his focus scattered so it wasn’t held as high. A little space is all Satan needs for those darts. He is an excellent marksman.

            Time passed, Allen’s attention shifted, his shield dropped lower. More darts hit their mark. Allen seemed less positive about his faith and standing in Christ. He found doubt to be a normal part of his life, slowly replacing faith, slowly dropping his shield.

            Until finally, Allen didn’t bother to put on his armor at all. His shield of faith was somewhere in the closet, under a pile of doubt and insecurity.

If only I'd (done or not done) that. I should’ve seen that coming; saved more money; got rid of that credit card; been more honest with them; studied harder; finished the project on time. . . and so the little accusing voice (fiery darts) within our minds goes, piling on guilt and condemnation. The Bible clearly says, however, that there is no condemnation for believers. Will I listen to the condemning voice (not God) or the uplifting, encouraging one (God)?

            Romans 8:1-2  So there is now no condemnation awaiting those who belong to Christ Jesus. ² For the power of the life-giving Spirit—and this power is mine through Christ Jesus—has freed me from the vicious circle of sin and death.

            Romans 8:9-11  But you are not carnal but spiritual if the Spirit of God finds a home within you. You cannot, indeed, be a Christian at all unless you have something of his Spirit in you. Now if Christ does live within you his presence means that your sinful nature is dead, but your spirit becomes alive because of the righteousness he brings with him. I said that our nature is “dead” in the presence of Christ, and so it is, because of its sin. Nevertheless once the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead lives within you he will, by that same Spirit, bring to your whole being new strength and vitality.

            Romans 8:14-15  For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, Abba! Father!

            Galatians 4:6  And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, Abba! Father!

            Romans 8:28, 31  Moreover we know that to those who love God, who are called according to his plan, everything that happens fits into a pattern for good. What can we ever say to such wonderful things as these? If God is on our side, who can ever be against us?

 John 1:12  But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

            God's rescue is eternal and very personal. He prepared the way by allowing Jesus, the innocent Lamb of God,  to be crucified so we may experience not only joy for the moment, but a joy everlasting. Well aware of our weaknesses, He implanted His Holy Spirit in our hearts, our souls—preparing  an immediate, incorruptible two-way communication system between us and Himself.

            And what of your shield of faith? Is it shiny and dent-free, hanging on the wall or hidden in the closet? Or is it covered with dings, dents, scrapes and black spots where those fiery darts were extinguished?

Do not fear anything except the LORD Almighty. He alone is the Holy One. Isaiah 8:12

Teddy spent his life debating issues with friends and fellow workers. He always had the latest information and had uncovered the deepest government secrets. He loved stunning and shocking everyone with his disturbing revelations.

            And then one day he realized his so-called “pursuit of truth” was eating away at his own peace. His verve for life was losing its lustre. His valiant efforts of tearing down the walls of deception had become self-destruction, like slowly drinking drams of poison.

            Teddy’s faith in God was taking a back seat to the latest developments of his quest for truth. The horrible accounts of governmental lies and deceptions were eating away at his joy and peace that Christ offers all believers. His focus had shifted from delight in God’s promises to delight in uncovering the latest business scam or pack of lies from Washington D.C.

            As He always does, the Holy Spirit brought Teddy back to his First Love to bathe again in God’s precious truths and eternal promises of redemption. Nowadays, when he does begin overturning those rocks to peer at the ugliness beneath, Teddy is quick to let them lie, reminding himself of God’s magnificent love found in His Living Word, the Bible.

·         Isaiah 8:11-14  The LORD has said to me in the strongest terms: “Do not be afraid that some plan conceived behind closed doors will be the end of you. Do not fear anything except the LORD Almighty. He alone is the Holy One. If you fear him, you need fear nothing else. He will keep you safe.”

·         Isaiah 41:10   Fear not, for I am with you. Do not be dismayed. I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will uphold you with my victorious right hand.

·         Prov. 3:5-6  Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; ⁶ think about Him in all your ways,and He will guide you on the right paths.

·         Psalm 9:10  All those who know your mercy, Lord, will count on you for help. For you have never yet forsaken those who trust in you.

·         Psalm 20:7 Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.

·         John 14:1-3  Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. ² There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? ³ When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am.

·         Romans 9:33   God warned them of this in the Scriptures when he said, “I have put a Rock in the path of the Jews, and many will stumble over him (Jesus). Those who believe in him will never be disappointed.

·         Romans 15:13  I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.

·         Rev. 21:5   And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!” And then he said to me, “Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true.”

After a great magic trick people usually say, “How did he do that?” Even more so, by placing our faith in Jesus Christ we can say: “How did He give me such peace?” “How did He change my thinking like that?” And “How did He cleanse me from ALL my sins?”

He did all these things and more because we have trusted in Him.

Floundering or Flourishing?

“But the word of God continued to spread and flourish.” Romans 12:24

            My friend had been a Christian for 15 years, having the same combination of joys and struggles most of us have, when he began listening to a pastor who proclaimed that God wanted all believers to enjoy prosperity, better jobs, health, happiness and that elusive promotion.

            “God loves you so much,” the man said, “that he wants you to enjoy your piece of heaven right now while you're here on earth. Don't believe the talk about a recession or bad economic times,” he continued, “it is during these times that God moves all obstacles in our way so we can prosper and be an example to the world!”

            After listening for several months and sending his tithe and offerings, suggested by the pastor (as you give so shall you reap), his overall fortunes took a dive. My friend was floundering. He was discouraged and disappointed with God. Instead of realizing that the pastor was in error, he looked higher and fixed the blame on God. His heavenly dispensing machine had failed to produce according to his wishes.

            My friend had been lured away by the promises of a worldly pastor, using materialistic bounty to distort and confuse the truth of the Gospel.