Christianity Oasis Forum

[saint701]

Hello Christianity Oasis, All...

Blessings!
,
THE BENEFITS of Fighting the Good Fight of Faith

Driving home from a medical appointment last Friday afternoon, I was surprised by the Spirit of the Lord with a snapshot of John chapter 17 and the topic of this article, "The Benefits of Fighting the Good Fight of Faith." That made me happy in the Lord because only a day earlier I had asked Him to open my eyes to see new things in His Word I could share with the readers of my forum. So...in the case of this article, we will examine the Gospel of John, chapter 17, from the benefits our Lord Jesus prayed into it on our behalf.

John.17
[1] These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee:
[2] As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.
[3] And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

In the passage of scripture above it is important for us to see what the purpose of our salvation is. It is TO KNOW THE ONLY TRUE GOD and Jesus Christ who THE ONLY TRUE GOD sent to us. In another passage of scripture out of the Apostle John's ministry, we read, 1John.1
[3] That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. Thus, the greatest benefit of our salvation is to know God the Father, and His Son Jesus Christ.

All that being said it begs this question. "How do we enter into this vital relationship with God the Father and His Son Jesus Chrst? I'll begin with scripture that exploded before my eyes years and years ago. John.6.[29] Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom He hath sent. That, my brothers and sisters in the Lord, is the foundation of the Gospel. It isn't complex as some would have you think. It is straight forward and direct into the heart of the matter. We must believe on him who God has sent.

The Apostle Paul said it this way. Rom.10 [9] That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. So what does it mean to believe in our heart, that blood pumping machine in the middle of our chest? It means exactly what is said there. Our faith in God must be established in our heart, for out of it are the issues of life. Prov.4 [23] Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.

The heart must always be the center of our spiritual activity. It is extremely important that we believe in God out of it and even more important it is to love God out of it and also one another. Such is what I find missing in the heart of many believers, a deep heart love for God the Father, Son, the Holy Spirit, and one another. And because of that a deep heart belief and love does not easily spread among us. The Apostle Peter had this to say about the matter. 1Pet.1 [22] Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently

Fervently can mean with great intensity of spirit and feeling, or enthusiastically and passionately. That kind of love for God and one another sets the stage for us to grow into the state of being made perfect in love. It empowers us to cast out all fear and not be afraid to witness the love of God to others. And also, of course, that deeply fervent love we have sets the stage for us to keep the commandments of our Lord, which are these, that we love the Lord our God with all of our HEART, soul, mind, and strength, and that we believe in the Lord Jesus and love one another. 1John 4 If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us. Having the love of God in our heart of hearts is the greatest benefit of our faith in Him.

But you might be mindful to ask, "What is the love of God like, and how can we know for sure that it is His love that is in us? For this I have a concrete answer. Fifteen and one half years ago during the Spring of 2009, I received a gift of inheritance from my Aunt Imo. I decided to use the money to rent a motel room for a month in which to fast and pray in. And that I did. I wrote out a series of prayers and prayed them diligently on my face before the Lord. Then, late one night while sitting outside enjoying the spring air I suddenly detected the presence of the Lord. I immediately asked Him, "Lord, what is your will?" He answered one word. "Love."

Now one might think that was the end of the matter. But it wasn't. When I woke up the next morning my heart was full of the Love of God and I knew Him. Here is what scripture has to say about the matter. Rom.5 [5] And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. So...what is that love like you might ask? It is the pure and perfect essence of all that is or ever will be love. God is love. That is how we come to know the Father of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who He has sent to us, through the love of God.

Just make a note of this you all. You don't have to spend a month in a motel room to have the love of God shed abroad in your heart by the Holy Ghost. You need only to ask the Father in Jesus name to shed His love abroad in your heart by the Holy Ghost, but be diligent in your seeking of Him on the matter, knowing that our Lord Jesus has said to us: Luke.11 [9] And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
[10] For everyone that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. Therefore my brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus, keep on asking, keep on seeking, and keep on knocking with all of your heart, mind, soul, and strength.

John.17 [26] And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them. It is the will of God that His love be in us and the Lord Jesus be in us. Such is the greatest benefit of our fighting the Good Fight of Faith. God is love.


Blessings!
Love, in Christ Jesus, Saint701.

[saint701]

Hey dad, I read your article. It was a beautiful tail of Gods love and really made me joyous in his love and I could feel the love in your writing. I will carry this message with me as the week goes on!