“Our Daily Bread”  http://odb.org

The Daily Devotions of Greg Laurie  http://www.harvest.org/devotional

Written by bruce r. mills for “God’s group”  @ www.Godsmanforever.com

“The importance of 1 John 1:9 for the ‘born again’ Christian”  (Part 2)

1 John 1:9 …  If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  (NKJV)

On my first days writing about the importance of invoking 1 John 1:9 before engaging in godly activities…I listed 5 things we should be in right standing before God, before we start…  Here they are again:  1 John 1:9 should be invoked…A) before we pray…B) before we read scripture…C) before we open our hearts and minds to hearing a sermon in church on Sunday… D) before we share our faith with someone who has not yet been saved by God’s grace alone…and E) before we take part in Communion at church…  I am sure there are many more opportune times besides these 5, to seek God’s forgiveness…   You can read part 1 in reference 1. Below…

Today, I am going to give you reasons for being right with the Lord by invoking 1 John 1:9, B) before you read scripture…and we will see how many more of C) through E) I will get to…

The Bible gives us several reasons unbelievers have spiritual blindness to understand scripture, and the things of God…   To be able to understand the Bible, and other things God wants us to know about His will for our lives, we need the Holy Spirit to illuminate God’s Word for us to be able to understand it… [See reference 2. Below for a good description of what biblical illumination means]

So before we spend time opening the Bible to be spiritually fed by God’s Word (hopefully every day)…we should cleanse our hearts and minds from unrighteousness (1 John 1:9), to be attuned to the Holy Spirit’s help in illuminating the scripture for us to understand…  Jesus told us twice, how important it was for us to be spiritually fed by God’s Word, in…Matthew 4:4, and in…Luke 4:4…  Our heart, mind, and soul need to be spiritually fed in order to grow and mature in our walk with the Lord, just like our bodies need food and water to survive…

Matthew 4:4…    But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ ”  (NKJV)

Jesus told His Disciples (and us) that His Father was going to send the Holy Spirit down to help them after He was gone, in…

John 14:26…  But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.  (NKJV)

Yes it is the Holy Spirit that lives within the “born again” believer that God has given to each and every one of His redeemed children, who can guide us in every facet of our lives…if we get out of our own way, and be obedient to His leading !!

So the next time you are going to open and read God’s inerrant Word, the Bible…ask God to show you any hidden sins…and after being filled with the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 5:18-20), ask God to illuminate the scripture through the help of the Holy Spirit…  You will be amazed at how clear the scriptures can become when the Holy Spirit illuminates God’s Word for you !!

Let’s now look at C) How to prepare our hearts and minds when we are at church, and are getting ready for Bible study in the Sunday School hour…or to hear the sermon our Pastor has prepared…  Again, just like preparing to read our Bible…it is important to invoke 1 John 1:9 to cleanse our hearts of any sins that will hinder our hearing what God has laid on the heart of our Pastor to preach…

There are several scripture verses in the Bible about God giving us ears to hear…  Jesus often uses the phrase… “He who has ears to hear, let him hear”     I found that www.Gotquestions.org has a very interesting link quoting several verses on ears to hear, that you will find in reference number 3. Below…  One piece of scripture I thought I would post here, penned by the wise Solomon, is…

Proverbs 22:17-19…  Incline your ear and hear the words of the wise, And apply your heart to my knowledge; ¹⁸ For it is a pleasant thing if you keep them within you; Let them all be fixed upon your lips, ¹⁹ So that your trust may be in the Lord; I have instructed you today, even you.  (NKJV)

When all distraction from the outside world is put aside…and the Holy Spirit has control of your heart and mind…you will be amazed at how your Pastor’s sermon will come alive with God’s living and powerful Word being spoken…  We see scripture penned about this, in…

Hebrews 4:12…  For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.  (NKJV)

I hope you can see from my first 2 days of writing, how important memorizing and invoking  1 John 1:9 should be, in order to be right with the Lord…   The Holy Spirit will empower you to help you in prayer…and to open your eyes to see and your ears to hear God’s Word, as it is read by you and preached at Church on Sundays…

Let’s stop here for now…and finish up D) & E) in my next writing…

Gracious God and heavenly Father…I thank You and praise You for who You are…  I am ever so thankful for Your Word…for Your saving grace in my life…and for our life long, live-in Helper, the Holy Spirit that You have given all Your “born again” children, to guide and direct our lives in a way that will bring praise and glory to Your name…  I pray Father, that You would open up the hearts and minds of Your redeemed children…to understand that living a Spirit filled life is so much better than living a life without Your richest blessings…  I pray for each of us to be set “ON FIRE” by You, so that those around us would ask us what makes us different than them…  Bless each and every one who has read to this point with Your richest blessings !!  I pray for lives to be changed by You in the blink of an eye…in Jesus’ most precious name, and for His sake…Amen…

Blessings in Christ,  bruce

References:

1. Part 1-  https://godsmanforever.com/2020/09/24/the-importance-of-1-john-19-for-the-born-again-christian-9-24-2020-written-by-bruce-r-mills-for-gods-group/

2. Illumination by the Holy Spirit-   https://www.gotquestions.org/biblical-illumination.html

3. Ears to hear-  https://www.gotquestions.org/he-who-has-ears-to-hear.html

P.S.  When there is no other place to turn…turn to God !!  If you’re not a “born again” Christian, is the Holy Spirit urging you to open this link ??  Here is the truth for this most important days writing, about how God’s grace is received to become a Christian in God’s eyes; through understanding and obeying the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ…   https://godsmanforever.com

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