Blog In Audio:
Greetings,
Today I am in Redding, California with my son Aaron and his family. Bonnie and I are enjoying the blessing of Kaden and Zaria around us with lots of love and life. There is plenty of sunshine here and the swimming pool may be a necessity this week. I hope you had a great weekend and that your week is blessed as well in this season of summer sun.
We are not merely people in this word. We are not people of the world. We are in this world, but we are sons of daughters of God empowered by God’s heavenly grace. We are new creations in Christ, and we are meant to shine as lights to the darkness of this world and invite all to come and know the life of being new creations in Christ. It is a supernatural experience, and it includes supernatural testimonies. It is also a change in our way of living. We must stand on God’s words to our hearts, and we must heed the instructions of the Spirit of God to be able to walk a path of true life in this world. There are many words and there are many voices of instruction, but only Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. Our connection to Jesus by the Holy Spirit who has come in His name is the true voice of His words and instruction to our hearts. Other voices often disguise themselves as voices of life and deception can be so cunningly misleading. How do we know that the words we are hearing are God’s words? The written word of God is the true shadow to the personal voice of God to our hearts. The principles, patterns, and values found within its text is true to the principles, patterns, and values found in the voice of the Holy Spirit to our hearts. The written word is not meant to be our teacher, but the written word is essential to recognizing the voice of the true teacher.
Romans 15:4 For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.
Romans 4:23 Now it was not written for his sake alone (Abraham) that it (righteousness) was imputed to him, 24 but also for us. It shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, 25 who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification.
1 Corinthians 10:7 And do not become idolaters as were some of them. As it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.” 8 Nor let us commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, and in one day twenty-three thousand fell; 9 nor let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed by serpents; 10 nor complain, as some of them also complained, and were destroyed by the destroyer. 11 Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.
We must hold the written word of God as the one true witness to the voice of God in our lives. It is unchangeable in its testimony but is only understood by the voice of Holy Spirit to our hearts. The present generations in the earth have been distracted by many words of many writers, but we must lay hold of the value of God’s truth and seek to understand God’s words and instructions to our lives through the witness of His written word. To have little, or no use, for the written Scriptures is to have little, or no, guidance to understanding God’s words to our hearts.
2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.
Unless we value the written Scriptures and give diligent time to studying it, we will not be complete as men and women of God. We will not be thoroughly equipped for the good works that God has called us to walk in as sons and daughters of God. If we don’t study God’s written word, we will find ourselves in a condition of being ashamed at times in our lives. It is essential to our personal testimonies in Christ.
2 Timothy 2:15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
If you have ever assembled a piece of Ikea furniture, you know that the instruction manual is essential to putting the parts together in proper order. Without the instruction manual you will end up with parts in wrong places and a piece of furniture that makes you ashamed of not taking the time to read the instructions. This is especially true when assembling something with lots of parts. There are lots of parts to being a son or daughter of God. The Scriptures are key to getting things right in putting things together in understanding God.
Blessings,
Ted J. Hanson
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