Undisputed Champion

Happy Sunday!

Dr. Bill Winston continued the series,  "Receiving Your Inheritance" with the subtitle, "Commanding the Blessing".   John 8:32 says, "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."(KJV).  Did you get that?  The truth you know will MAKE you free.  Many people quote this scripture incorrectly.  They say the truth will set you free.  But if the truth can set you free it gives the impression that you could go back into captivity at some point.  Think about it this way.  If I were a slave in the early days of the United States, a radical abolitionist could set me free.  He could help me escape or take me to another state where slavery was illegal.  But if my master gave me my freedom or made me free with the necessary documents, I would be free indeed!  The Word of God is Truth.  Jesus even prayed that his followers would be changed by the truth.  John 17:17 says, "Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth."(KJV).

Joshua 5:6 says, "For the children of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness, till all the people that were men of war, which came out of Egypt, were consumed, because they obeyed not the voice of the Lord: unto whom the Lord sware that he would not shew them the land, which the Lord sware unto their fathers that he would give us, a land that floweth with milk and honey."(KJV).  God swore two things in this scripture.  He swore that the unbelievers would not see the promised land, and he swore that  the next generation would possess the land,  Psalm 90:9-10 speaks about the group that would not go in to the Promised Land. It says, "For all our days are passed away in thy wrath: we spend our years as a tale that is told. The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away."(KJV).  The lifespan of the unbelievers was 80 years.  It's simple math.  They were in the wilderness 40 years, they refused to go in and take the land.  Ten of the spies preached an "evil report" about taking the land.  All the people were doomed to wander 40 more years until the people that believed the evil report all died off!  Numbers 14:36-38 says it this way, "Then the ten spies who had incited the rebellion against Jehovah by striking fear into the hearts of the people were struck dead before the Lord. Of all the spies, only Joshua and Caleb remained alive."(Living Bible).  It is a matter of life and death who you listen to!  Romans 10:17 says, "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."(KJV).  Jesus warned, "Think carefully about what you are hearing. God will know how much to give you by how much you understand now. But he will give you more than you deserve."(Easy-to-Read Version).

Thank God we are not unbelievers!  We believe the Word of Truth!  The Word we know is making us more and more free everyday!  We are learning, we are growing, we are changing with every scripture lesson.  God has Blessed us!  We are Champions!  Dr. Winston used the example of a boxer fighting several rounds.  At the end, if there is no knock out the judges have to decide the winner.  This is not God's way.  He wants you to be the "Undisputed Champion".  He wants you to dominate in your area of expertise!  He doesn't want anyone to wonder if you won fair and square.  He wants the world to know you won because God blessed you, not because you knew someone at City Hall.

Hebrews 12:1-2 says, "Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we’d better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. KEEP your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. STUDY how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!"(Message).

Love and prayers, Cynthia