Bound by Faith

Bound by Faith Mission: Share our love of God & His Word & lead people to an intimate relationship with Him!♥️🙏🏻

04/02/2024

God Is For Us
April 2, 2024

“What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” - Romans 8:31

Every human being on earth is a sinner who was born in sin, is in rebellion against God, and is under the wrath of God. But God, because of His great love for us, sent His Son Jesus to die for us. He brought Him back from the dead so He might bring us into a permanent relationship with Him even though we did not deserve it. This is all because of His grace. In Romans 8:31, the Apostle Paul asks, “What should we say about these things?” In other words, what do these truths of God’s grace in Christ tell us about God and about us as His children?

Paul answers that question with another question: “If God is for us, who can be against us?” In the Greek language the word “if” is better translated, “since,” or “because.” It is not a hypothesis or a “what if.” This is a fact – God is for us. Let that sink in. The word “for” literally means, “on our behalf.” In other words, God is working for us. In a real sense, God is on our side.

“If God is for us, who can be against us?” is a rhetorical question. No matter how the question is asked, you get the same answer. If God is for us who in reality can be against us? Nobody. If God is for us what can be against us? Nothing. If God is for us when can something be against us? Never. If God is for us where can something be against us? Nowhere.

You may be thinking, “I know a lot of things that are against me. The world is against me. Sin is against me. Temptation is against me. Satan is against me. Culture and society are against me.” What Paul is saying is when God is for you it doesn’t matter who is against you. If God has already met our greatest need of salvation, will He not meet every other need as well? He has already given us His Son, so will He not give us everything else we could need?

No matter what you are facing today, remember that God is for you.

Father, thank You for being for me in every way. In Jesus’ name, amen.

03/27/2024

Whose Are You?
March 27, 2024

“Now if we are children, then we are heirs – heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in His sufferings in order that we may also share in His glory.” - Romans 8:17

In the arithmetic of planet Earth, if multiple heirs receive an equal share of an inheritance, then each heir only gets a certain fraction of the whole amount. Heaven’s arithmetic is different. Every adopted child of God receives the full inheritance of the full estate. No one is left out and nothing is left out. Everything Jesus gets we get, and Jesus gets everything.

Jesus has always been the heir of all things. “In these last days God has spoken to us by His Son, Whom He appointed heir of all things” Hebrews 1:2. Because we have been adopted into God’s family, we are now co-heirs with Christ. This is the epitome of grace. Not only does God save us, He lavishes us with Christ’s inheritance.

Every person on the planet is in one of two places. You are either in Adam (the original sinner from whom we inherited our sinful nature) or you are in Jesus. You either live by the Spirit or you live by the flesh. You are either led by the Spirit or you are led by the flesh. Your mind is either governed by the Spirit or it is governed by the flesh.

Who are you? You are either a child of God or you aren’t. If you are not a believer, God is ready to sign your adoption papers. God is ready to free you from your sin and take you as His own child. If you are a believer, you are not your own - you belong to God. You are not on your own – the Spirit leads you.

Grace means that the Christian life is not you trying to live for God by your own willpower; it is letting God live His life through you by His Spirit. In every decision ask yourself this question: “Who is leading me to make this decision and where will this decision take me?”

Father, thank You for making me a co-heir with Christ. I do not deserve Your grace. Please help me to grow in my love for You. In Jesus’ name, amen.

03/26/2024

Chosen Children
March 26, 2024

“The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by Him we cry, ‘Abba Father.’” - Romans 8:15

One of the marks of being a child of God is that you are led by the Spirit of God (Romans 8:14). There is a popular belief that everyone is a child of God because everyone was created by God. This is not true. There is a difference between being God’s creature and God’s child. So how do you become God’s child? Through adoption.

When we come to Jesus, we come as sinners in slavery to sin. Jesus died on the cross to free us from sin, but He doesn’t just free us and forgive us – He adopts us. Adoption is a legal act where one person takes the child of another person and makes that child his own. The adopted child is given the same legal position and privilege as if he were a natural child by birth.

The Greek word for adoption in Romans 8:15 is a combination of the words, “son” and “to place.” It literally means, “to place into a family as a son.” When we are born into the family of God it is through adoption. The moment we accept Christ we are given the Spirit of adoption. He did not free us to become slaves, but sons and daughters. Slaves obey their masters out of fear. Sons obey out of love. Slaves obey because they have to, but sons obey because they want to. Slaves are burdened by obedience; sons are blessed by obedience. Do you see the difference?

We, the children of God, are led by the Spirit of God because we have been adopted into the family of God. Now, we have the great privilege of calling God, “Father.” Up until the time of Christ, the only Jew in history to call God, “Abba” was Jesus. It literally means, “Daddy.” No Jew would have dared to address God in this casual manner. As Christians, we have an intimate relationship with God just like a child to a father. We are no longer slaves but chosen children.

Father, thank You for giving me the Spirit of adoption so that I can call You, “Abba Father.” Help me to fully understand this privilege. In Jesus’ name, Amen!

03/18/2024

Be A Star
March 18, 2024

“Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars.” - Philippians 2:14-15

This passage of Scripture contrasts two different types of people. The first type is described as blameless, pure children of God. The second type is crooked and depraved. It is interesting that the generation of people is depraved. Therefore, the pure and blameless are not the majority. Christ followers are the exception, not the rule. Yet notice the influence we can have. Paul says that we will “shine like stars” if indeed we “do everything without complaining or arguing.”

Do you think God really means “everything?” That is a tall order. Can you imagine how different your life would be if you never complained or argued…if the believers closest to you never complained or argued? What does not complaining have to do with shining like stars for Christ? More than you may think.

An attitude is like a barometer for the heart. Complaining is the evidence of an ungrateful heart. Arguing is evidence of a prideful heart. It is impossible to be pure and without fault if your heart is prideful and ungrateful. There is a cause-and-effect relationship between the two.

Pride, indignation, arrogance, entitlement, ungratefulness, greed…these are so common in the world today. There is no shock or outrage over such attributes. We have become so used to them that our sensitivities are numbed. But gratitude, humility, selflessness, kindness…these will indeed shine like stars in the darkness.

Father, You are so good. If I have You, I truly have nothing to complain about. Please help me to choose daily to be grateful, kind, and loving. I want others to see Your light shining through me. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

~Touching Lives Devotional

03/18/2024

¡¡¡Quiero escuchar de ti!!! En UNA (1) sola palabra, dime:
¿Qué crees que necesita el mundo en este momento? ¡Vamos!

03/18/2024

Come on, I want to hear from you!!! In ONE (1) single word, tell me:
What do you think the world needs right now? Go!

03/15/2024

Carpe Diem (Seize the Day) Prayers
March 15, 2024

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” – John 15:5

Yesterday, we began talking about how to pray like Paul, specifically, praying Carpe Diem prayers. We talked about how we should be praying that we would be guided by the will of God, guarded by the wisdom of God, and gratified in our walk with God. But that’s not all we should be praying for. In fact, there are three more things we should be praying for on a consistent basis. Let’s dive into those prayer components now.

First, we should pray to be growing in our work for God. If we know the will of God, through the wisdom of God, as we walk with God, that should lead to our growing in our work for God. Paul refers to this as “bearing fruit.” That tells us something that he alluded to before. You don’t manufacture fruit; you bear fruit.

Jesus said in John 15:5, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” We are not the tree. We are the branch. Our job is to let Jesus bear His fruit through us. The way we do that is by growing in the knowledge of God.

But what does knowing God have to do with being fruitful? Well, you can’t love God until you know God. You can’t love God more until you love God better. The better you know God, the more you love God, and the more you love God, the better you will serve God. As you serve God, you are bearing fruit.

Second, we should pray to be grounded in our witness for God. You cannot come within a mile of living the Christian life in your own strength and your own power. The good news is what God enlists us to do, He empowers us to do. God will give us all the power we need to do whatever He wants us to do, as long as He wants us to do it.

God’s power never gets overloaded. It never shuts down. It is an inexhaustible supply. When we acknowledge this truth, we can be grounded in our witness for God.

Finally, we should pray to be grateful in our worship of God. The problems and difficult people we deal with should never have an effect on two things: our joyfulness and our gratefulness. You should always be joyful because of who Jesus is in you, and you should always be thankful for what Jesus has done for you.

Whether we are being persecuted for what we believe, insulted for standing up for what we believe in, or rejected because of the one we believe in, we should pray that we will never react with bitterness. We should respond with joyfulness that we have been counted worthy to suffer for Christ and thankfulness that the one that we stand for stands with us.

Lord, thank you for Paul’s example that he set for us on how to pray. Remind me each time I sit down to pray and talk to you to incorporate all six of the components we’ve discussed the last two days. In Jesus’ name, amen.

~Touching Lives Devotional

03/14/2024

Praying Like Paul
March 14, 2024

For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives. – Colossians 1:9

Over the next couple of days, we are going to study a prayer that is found in a book called Colossians. This prayer is particularly unique because Paul is writing to a church he has never visited. He has never met one Christian in this city. Yet, without knowing a single name or a single need he prayed a perfect prayer for not just this church and not just these people, but for any church and any people. I call it a “Carpe Diem” prayer.

If you are familiar with that phrase, you know it means “seize the day.” I don’t know of any prayer that we could pray daily that could do more in us, for us, with us, and through us than this prayer. We all want to pray the types of prayer that we are one hundred percent convinced that God not only hears, but God would agree with and God would answer. This type of prayer has six different components. We’ll cover three of these components today and then we’ll discuss the other three tomorrow.

First, we should pray to be guided by the will of God. We are to begin every day by asking God to fill us with the knowledge of his will. Because, if you are living in the will of God, every other part of your Christian life will fall into place. Unfortunately, that seems to be a pretty difficult thing for us to be diligent in living out. Our biggest problem is not in finding the will of God; it is doing it. The purpose of prayer is not to get your will done in heaven; it is to get his will done on earth. The purpose of prayer is not to tell God what you want Him to do. It is to ask God what He wants you to do. Therefore, the very first thing we ought to pray is to be guided by the will of God.

Second, we should pray to be guarded by the wisdom of God. Paul doesn’t just ask that we would be filled with knowledge but filled with the knowledge that comes through wisdom and understanding. Knowledge without wisdom is deficient. It can be dangerous. It is one thing to understand the world around you. It is another thing to understand the world above you. We are living in a world today that is floating in an ocean of knowledge and dying in a desert of wisdom. We are learning firsthand if you have the knowledge to detonate a nuclear bomb but don’t have the wisdom not to use it, you can destroy the world.

When you pray, you should pray not only to be guided by the will of God but guarded by the wisdom of God to have the wisdom in any situation to know you must do whatever God would have you to do.

Third, we should pray to be gratifying in our walk with God. In the New Testament, the Christian life is constantly described as a walk. The Christian life is always a manner of next steps. You never stand still in the Christian life. You are always progressing, always moving, always going, taking one step after another.

There is only one place you should ever put your foot. There is only one step you should ever take and that is so it will take you wherever you are pleasing God in every way. Every step you take in your life, every place that you go, everything that you watch, everything that you hear, and every word that you say, when you know it should all be pleasing to the Lord, it makes every step doubly important and should give us even more concern and care about every step we take.

Dear Lord, help me to pray like Paul. Guide me by your will. Guard me with your wisdom. And gratify me in my walk with you. In Jesus’ name, amen.

~Touching Lives Devotional

03/13/2024

Worth It
March 13, 2024

“You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers, relatives, and friends, and they will put some of you to death. All men will hate you because of Me.” - Luke 21:16-17

It is human nature to want to be liked by other people. No matter the stage of life, all of us, to some degree, care what others think. While this tends to be at its peak during the teenage years, even as adults we compare ourselves to and try to impress our peers. And if we aren’t careful, we can begin to live our lives to please people rather than to please God.

In Luke 21, Jesus is warning His disciples of what is to come. If they choose to live the life of Christ, they are forfeiting an easy, comfortable life. They will give up the approval of man. In fact, they will ensure the betrayal, persecution, and hatred of man. Perhaps the most shocking news to them was that this betrayal would not only come from Christian-haters but from those closest to them.

Parents, brothers, relatives, and friends would not only betray them…but would kill some of them because of Christ. That is indeed what happened. Most people believe that all of the 12 disciples, with the exception of Judas (who killed himself) and John (who died of natural causes), were martyred for their faith in Christ. And yet, Jesus promises them in Luke 21:18-19 that, “Not a hair on your head will perish,” because, “by standing firm, you will gain life.” How is that possible? Christ’s promise wasn’t that a hair on their heads wouldn’t be harmed, but that it wouldn’t perish. By standing firm in the faith, even at the risk of death, Christ’s disciples gained what men can never take away – eternal life. That is why the Apostle Paul said, “To live is Christ and to die is gain.”

Are you willing to give up relationships for the sake of Christ? Is His approval the most important to you, or are you living to please other people? Following Jesus has a cost. This cost is different for every person. What have you given up to follow Christ?

Dear Father, You are worth whatever I may lose on this earth for Your sake. Thank You that what I gain is eternal. Please help me to be faithful to You, even when it is hard. Make me willing to follow You even when doing so brings mockery or hatred from people in my life. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

~Touching Lives Devotional

03/05/2024

My Offering
March 5, 2024

“Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to Him as an instrument of righteousness.” - Romans 6:13

It is a fact that when you know something is true and believe something is true, you will act like it is true. When your mind is right and your heart is right you will do what is right. Romans 6:13 tells us how to live in a way that aligns with what is true about us as children of God.

The word “offer” is used five times in this verse. It means, “to yield, surrender, or present as a sacrifice.” Every part of your body is to be presented to God as “instruments of righteousness.” The word “instruments” can either mean “tools” or “weapons.” This is absolutely key to having victory over sin in your life. Your body is both a tool and a weapon. It can be used as a tool to either build God’s kingdom or to tear down your life. Your body is a weapon that can either be used to fight against sin or to fight against righteousness.

Once again in these verses, believers are urged to call sin’s bluff. We are not to let sin use us or abuse us. Think about it, the only thing sin can use against a believer is his body. Our souls have already been saved. We belong to God and no one can sn**ch us from His hand (Romans 8:1). But while we wait for Christ’s return when we will be given a new body, we still lug around these bodies of death. Here, we are called to offer every part of our body for God’s glory and honor. We may have to carry our flesh around, but we do not have to be carried around by our flesh. We can choose what we offer ourselves up to.

Grace not only frees you to do what you should do, but it also gives you the ability to do it. With God’s grace, you can rise up against sin. You cannot look at po*******hy and offer your eyes up as a sacrifice to God. You cannot speak profanity or gossip and offer your mouth up as a sacrifice to God. You cannot listen to false, malicious truths about other people and offer your ears up as a sacrifice to God.

When Jesus died on the cross He dealt with both sin and the sinner. He did more than just forgive you – He made you new. He did more than just pardon you and let you out of sin’s jail cell; He gave you the ability to stay out of that jail cell forever. You can rise up against sin. In your mind, remember who you are. In your heart, believe what your mind knows is true. Then with your body and your will, act like who, and Whose, you are.

Father, thank You for making me new. Today I offer up my body to You as a tool and a weapon for Your kingdom. In Jesus’ name, amen.

~Touching Lives Devotional

03/05/2024

Sunday Sermon Notes
Crushing Sin PT: 1
March 2, 2024

Breaking The Sin Cycle/A Study In Romans
Sin is disobedience to God’s way, Word, and nature .

Matthew 1:21
And he will save them from their sins

Romans 5:1-2
Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

1.WE HAVE A STANDING IN GRACE

Grace = undeserved favor
Sin = anything that disobeys what the word of God says and his nature.

Religion says: I messed up, my dad’s going to kill me.
Gospel says: I messed up, I need to call my dad.

I don’t have to prove that I’m worthy of God’s love.

I am free from the score sheet.

Ephesians 2:14
14 For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility,

Charles Spurgeon
“I am delighted to find that sin stings you, and that you hate it. The more hatred of sin the better. A sin-hating soul is a God-loving soul. If sin never distresses you, then God has never favored you.”

Standing in grace means that:
· I don’t have to prove I am worthy of God’s love.
· God is my friend.
· The door of access is permanently open
· I am free from the “score sheet” – the account is settled in Jesus.
· I spend more time praising God and less time hating myself.

Newell
“Alas, how few believers have the courage of faith! When some saint here or there does begin to believe the facts and walk in shouting liberty, we say (perhaps secretly), ‘He must be an especially holy, consecrated man.’ No, he is just a poor sinner like you, who is believing in the abundance of grace!”

2.GOD PROVES HIS LOVE

Martin Luther
“Whatever virtues tribulation finds us in, it develops more fully. If anyone is carnal, weak, blind, wicked, irascible, haughty, and so forth, tribulation will make him more carnal, weak, blind, wicked and irritable. On the other hand, if one is spiritual, strong, wise, pious, gentle and humble, he will become more spiritual, powerful, wise, pious, gentle and humble.”

Romans 5:5-8
5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.
7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die.
8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

3.HIS GRACE IS GREATER THAN SIN
Romans 5:12-14
12 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned—
13 To be sure, sin was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not charged against anyone’s account where there is no law.
14 Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who is a pattern of the one to come.

Psalms 51:5
Sin doesn’t come back to you, you go back to it!
Sin will grab you and not let you go!

But God’s grace is bigger than your sin!

Romans 5:15-17
15 But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man’s offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many.
16 And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned. For the judgment which came from one offense resulted in condemnation, but the free gift which came from many offenses resulted in justification.
17 For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.)

Romans 5:18
18 Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life.

Romans 5:19
19 For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.

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