Wrongly Believing in the Resurrection

The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is the most significant event in human history. You might think that His birth was the most important thing to have ever happened, or maybe it was His death. But if Jesus hadn’t risen from the dead, it would have cancelled out His birth and His crucifixion. The apostle Paul said, “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless. You are still in your sins.” (1 Cor. 15:17). Paul had seen Jesus in His resurrected body, and was pointing out the importance of believing that He arose (1 Cor. 15:8).

What do you really believe about the resurrection of Jesus? The Scriptures make it clear that you must “believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead” for you to be saved (Romans 10:9). However, there are two ways to wrongly believe in the resurrection.

1. Wrongly believing Jesus was raised spiritually, but not physically.  This belief actually denies the resurrection. The Jehovah’s Witnesses wrongly believe Jesus became a spirit and not in a physical body. However, Jesus confirmed that it was His physical body, “See My hands and My feet…for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have” (Luke 24:39). He had His same body, but it had undergone a miraculous change.

2. Wrongly believing in His resurrection with your head, but not your heart. Roman 10:9 says you must “believe in your heart.” Some people will mentally acknowledge the fact of His resurrection, but this isn’t real faith. When you truly believe in your heart, it will radically change your life. You realize that His resurrection validates everything that Jesus taught about Himself, the afterlife, and the importance of following Him as your Lord.

So then, do you believe in your heart that Jesus was raised in His body? If so, it’s extremely important for you to tell others about the most important event in history. www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com

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Making Life Count Ministries

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How Does Jesus' Blood Cleanse Us?

The Bible tells us that only the blood of Jesus can cleanse us from sin, but how does this happen? Two realms exist—the natural (physical) realm and the spiritual realm. Jesus shed His blood on the cross in the natural realm, but His blood also has a tangible element in the spiritual realm that exists for all eternity.

JESUS TOOK HIS BLOOD INTO HEAVEN AFTER HE DIED. In the Old Testament, the high priest sprinkled the blood of a goat on the mercy seat in the temple to cover for the sins of Israel for one year. They followed this ritual for centuries, which taught the people what Jesus would do with His blood after He died.

On the cross, “Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit, and behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from the top to the bottom (Matt. 27:50-51). Hebrews 9:11-12 tells us Jesus entered into heaven with His own blood to obtain eternal redemption. I believe that in His Spirit Jesus took His blood to heaven and sprinkled it on the Mercy Seat in Holy Place in heaven.

This explains why the veil in the earthly temple was torn in two from top to bottom (heaven to earth). At the moment Jesus made atonement in heaven, God split the veil apart to show that He had opened the way to heaven for us. This happened immediately after He died, not when He later ascended into heaven in His resurrected body.

HOW HIS BLOOD CLEANSES US. Although Jesus made it possible for all to be saved, it is up to each person to receive salvation. Jesus came to “save His people from their sins” (Matt. 1:21). A sin is any unholy thought, word or deed. No one has ever seen a sin because it exists in the spiritual realm. In the natural realm, we understand sins only as actions, but apparently each sin also has a tangible element in the spiritual realm. You must be cleansed from all sins on your soul before you can enter into heaven after you die.

When you call out to Jesus to be saved, His blood is applied to your sins (even the worst sin imaginable), which completely cleanses your soul. Just as soap is more powerful than dirt, His blood is more powerful than your sins. He has “released us from our sins by His blood” (Rev. 1:5). 1 John 1:7 says that the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin. Therefore, “What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy” (Acts 10:15). And this is why Jesus came to earth—so you can spend eternity with Him in heaven. www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com

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Making Life Count Ministries

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Asking God for a Sign

Have you ever asked for “a sign” from God? A sign means to ask the Lord to do something in an unusual way to confirm His will. Moses, Hezekiah, Gideon, and others received miraculous signs from God. A sign can be as simple as a door of opportunity opening or closing, or as complex as a set of circumstances miraculously coming together. No sign by itself should be taken as proof of His confirmation, but should always be affirmed through God’s Word.

In Judges 6, an angel told Gideon that the Lord had chosen him to lead Israel to defeat the Midianites. Gideon asked for a sign to prove he would be victorious. He placed a fleece of wool on the ground and asked the Lord to send dew on the fleece, but let the ground around it remain dry. The next morning, the fleece was wet and the ground dry. Then Gideon asked for another sign—to make the fleece dry and the ground wet. The Lord fulfilled both signs.

Although it's reassuring to have confirmations, signs are often followed by a severe testing of faith. Gideon had to fight the Midianites with his army reduced to 300 men. If you ask God for a sign, be prepared to have your faith tested. Beware of 3 dangers.   

1. The danger of becoming sign-dependent. Some people think they should ask God for a sign about every decision they need to make. This is dangerous because they’ll always need to see proof before they will trust God. Some religious leaders told Jesus, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You” (Matt. 12:38-39). He had already performed miracles before their own eyes, which they had refused to believe. If they wouldn’t repent after seeing indisputable proof that He was the Messiah, why should Jesus give them another sign?

2. The danger of seeing a sign that is not a sign. Some people interpret everything as a sign from God. While watching a movie, they will hear an actor quote a line and believe that it is a message to them from the Lord. Although God can speak to you in any way He desires, don’t assume that everything you see or hear is a sign.

3. The danger of misinterpreting a sign. A farmer saw “G P” written in the clouds, which he interpreted to leave the farm and “Go preach.” After he preached his first sermon, the congregation told him the sign was actually telling him to “Go plow.” When God gives a sign, the message will be clear.  ...to read more click “Asking God for a Sign”

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When Something Smells Fishy

A television news report explained how fish are inspected. The most precise way to inspect fish is with a trained human nose. The fish inspector smells each part of the fish, trying to detect unusual odors. When something smells fishy, it indicates one part of the fish may be bad.

Discernment tells you when something smells fishy. It enables you to distinguish right from wrong, or when someone has hidden motives to entrap you. It keeps you out of trouble. Many people would not be in the mess they’re in right now if they had just used some discernment!

THREE KINDS OF PEOPLE: A critical person only looks for what’s wrong—and cannot see the blessings of what’s good in a situation. A naïve person cannot see the warning flag if something is harmful—and is easy prey to be deceived. But a discerning person has learned how to sort out the bad from the good, and error from truth—and won’t be fooled.

RECEIVING DISCERNMENT: First, study the Bible because it will reveal truth (John 17:17). Second, ask for the Holy Spirit to guide you in all truth (John 16:13). God’s Spirit will usually upset the peace inside you when something is wrong.

USING DISCERNMENT: Have an open mind to receive truth, but keep your spiritual antenna up to reject error. An open mind is like an open window. It needs a screen on it to keep the bugs out. 1 Thess. 5:21 says, "Examine everything carefully. Hold fast to that which is good." Just because you don’t agree with every little thing your pastor teaches does it mean you should quit the church. Eat the meat and spit out the bones. But it you’re spitting out more bones than receiving meat, it’s time to change restaurants.

Don’t tell your secrets to an untrustworthy person. David made this mistake. He said, “I knew on that day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul,” which resulted in the priests being put to death (1 Samuel 22:22, 1 Sam. 21:7, 22:9,18).

Don't be so quick to believe gossip about others because exaggerations and lies are usually mixed into the message. Don't believe every thought that pops into your mind because the evil one can plant thoughts too. You’ll stay out of trouble and enjoy your life by using discernment. www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com

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Making Life Count Ministries

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Prattville, Alabama 36068-0174

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Human Guinea Pigs

Scientists conduct experiments on guinea pigs to find out if a certain treatment works and if it will have any adverse side effects. Some guinea pigs grow tumors, get sick, or even die from the experiment. If the test harms the guinea pigs, it will probably harm humans in a similar way.

The world is filled with human guinea pigs. We can avoid a lot of heartache by learning from others’ mistakes. Humans have experimented with risky behaviors thousands of times, so there’s no need for you to experiment with them too. Don’t say, “It happened to them, but it won’t happen to me.” Just open your eyes and carefully observe everything that happened to them. The side effects won’t be obvious at first, but given time the results are guaranteed to show up.

Human guinea pigs have experimented with drugs and alcohol to get a brief thrill, but the side effects will show up later—addictions, ruined families, poverty, and sometimes death. Humans have caught incurable diseases by experimenting with immoral lifestyles. You don’t need to perform the experiment yourself because the consequences will happen to you too. Don’t kid yourself into thinking you’re the lone exception in the entire world.

King Solomon, who was the wisest man on earth, learned lessons from human guinea pigs. He observed a naïve young man who visited a harlot, which ended in a tragic result (Prov. 7:6-27). He observed a lazy man who didn’t take care of his property, which led to financial ruin (Prov. 24:30-34). He also observed how wise people lived, which resulted in a life of peace and happiness (Prov. 3:13-18).

Everyone gets to choose how they will spend their life on earth. In making your decision, you would be wise to closely examine the human guinea pigs. They will show you exactly what will happen to you if you choose to follow their path. www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com 

Making Life Count Ministries

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Prattville, Alabama 36068-0174

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Life is a Jigsaw Puzzle

If you are going to be a God-follower, you must learn to see the big picture of what He wants to accomplish in your life and not get upset by what you’re going through right now. Life can be compared to a jigsaw puzzle. 

The puzzle has a picture on the box of what it will look like after all the pieces are in place. But when you open the box, all you can see is a bunch of funny-shaped pieces that seem impossible to connect. As you get started, some pieces will make you puzzled. They look unnecessary, but they are all essential to form the final picture. It takes patience to trust God to make the pieces fit correctly, but once they are all in place, you will understand why they were necessary. It’s not obvious when you’re going through difficult situations, but later you’ll see how God used them as a part of His plan. 

God gave Joseph in the Old Testament a couple of dreams of the future to show him what the final jigsaw picture would look like (Gen. 37:5-11). He would one day be a world ruler and save Israel during a severe famine. Joseph had to keep the completed picture in mind as he experienced some terrible trials. One piece of the puzzle was being thrown into a pit in the wilderness. Another piece was being sold into slavery. Another piece was being falsely accused and thrown into prison. But if you left out any of those pieces of the puzzle, the final good outcome would not have occurred.

When someone throws you in a pit, sells you into slavery, or falsely accuses you, remember that God didn’t cause those things, but He will overrule them and use them for His purposes (read about the Chess Game in my February 1 Devotional). This is why you must not become bitter at the people who mistreat you, but by faith keep a good attitude, knowing that God has the final say on everything. He will make the final picture of your life look amazing, just like He did with Joseph. www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com 

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God & Satan's Chess Game

The sovereignty of God over the events here on earth can be compared to a chess game between the Lord and the devil. People are the pawns. A clear example of this chess game between good and evil is demonstrated by what happened to Joseph (Gen. 37-41).

Satan made the first move. Joseph’s brothers hated him, so they threw him into a pit in the wilderness (37:18-24).

Then God moved His chess piece. Although Joseph didn’t know it at the time, God wanted him in Egypt, so He sent a taxi to pick him up. Midianite traders passed by on their way to Egypt and his brothers sold him to them. God directed their steps on the right path at the right time (37:28). 

The devil made another move. After arriving in Egypt, the Midianites and sold him as a slave to Potiphar, who was Pharaoh’s officer (37:36).

God moved again. The Lord caused all that Joseph did to prosper (39:2-3).

Satan made a temptation move. Potiphar’s wife tried to seduce Joseph (39:7). 

God moved on Joseph’s heart. Joseph ran away from the temptation (39:12).

The devil made a false accusation move. Potiphar’s wife twisted the facts and lied about Joseph, which landed him in prison (39:14-20).

God moved again. The Lord again caused him to prosper (Gen. 39:21-23). He interpreted the dream of Pharaoh’s cupbearer, who was also in prison, that he would be restored to his office in three days. Joseph asked that he mention him to Pharaoh and get him out of prison (40:9-14).

Satan made his move. The cupbearer forgot about Joseph for two more years (40:23).

God moved again by crowning him. The Pharaoh has a couple of dreams that couldn’t be interpreted. The cupbearer finally mentions Joseph to him, who interprets the dreams. As a reward, Pharaoh promoted him to ruler over Egypt (41:1-43). God wins!

You see, if you live to please God, it doesn’t really matter what others do to you. They are just pawns in His hand, and He will make sure you win. www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com  www.makinglifecount.net Twitter:  @Kent Crockett

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