“Our Daily Bread” http://odb.or
The Daily Devotions of Greg Laurie http://www.harvest.org/devotional
Written by bruce r. mills for “God’s group” @ www.Godsmanforever.com[revised from 9/01/2021]
“The 3 most important pieces of scripture for the ‘born again’ Christian”
As “born again” Christians, God has given us a roadmap that will guide us down the right path in life…Proverbs 3:5-6… [If you are not yet a “born again” believer, open the P.S. below]
I am sure you have all heard it said, that the word BIBLE is an acronym for “Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth”… There is so much truth in this statement because God’s Word is filled with scripture that tells us how important it is to spend time (hopefully every day) reading, meditating, digesting, and applying God’s inerrant Word, the Bible, to our lives… [See 1. Below for an app for an audible Bible in one year- No more excuses for not finding the time to be in the Word EVERY DAY !! ]
We should all aspire to become disciples of Christ… This is what Jesus tells us about being His disciple, in…
John 8:31-32… So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (ESV)
Abiding in God’s Word, from my John McArthur, notes in my study Bible, tells us abiding in God’s Word means we are to persevere in obedience to scripture… “A genuine believer holds fast, obeys, and practices Jesus’ teachings”… How are you going to learn what Jesus is teaching us in His Word unless you open, read, digest, and apply what Jesus teaches us, on how we are to live our lives ??
Jesus tells us this in…Matthew 4:4 ( and again in Luke 4:4)… But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” (ESV) This Word from God is found in the Bible…
Just as we need physical food and water to survive…we need spiritual food (from the Word) to nurture and mature us in our walk with the Lord… As “born again” Christians we are called to place the Lord first and foremost in our lives… And when Christ is first, with all of our sins confessed, repented of, and turned from…at that moment in time we are filled with the Holy Spirit… Here is the second of the 3 most important scripture verses for the “born again” Christian… [The 1st most important of 3 scripture verses is to follow]
Ephesians 5:18-20… And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, 20 giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, (NKJV)
I wrote two days about the difference between the filling of the Holy Spirit the moment we are saved by God through saving faith alone in the Lord Jesus Christ…and the second filling of the Holy Spirit which produces a moment-by-moment walk with the Lord, once the believer is “born again”… You can read about this first filling of the Holy Spirit when we are first saved by God’s grace in Reference 2. below…
But after we become redeemed, “born again” children of God, what happens when we sin ?? God’s inerrant and infallible Word tells us we must confess our sins to God with godly sorrow, repenting and turning from them…
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)
This is the first and most important scripture verse we must follow, if we want to remain walking with the Lord as a “Christ-centered”, “Spirit-filled” Christian… Every believer should know this scripture verse by heart because it will probably be used several times a day, depending on how many times we are convicted by the Holy Spirit that we have sinned… This continuous and ongoing confession of any sins is the focal point for the Christian who wants to live a life that will be pleasing to God…
But what will happen if we decide that we like our sins more than living in obedience to the will of God for our lives ?? Friends I’m afraid God will not bless us like He wants to… We see this very plainly in the following scripture penned by Solomon, the wisest man there ever was… (1 Kings 4:30)
Proverbs 28:13… He who covers his sins will not prosper, But whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy. (NKJV)
Any unconfessed sins lurking in the heart of the believer will hinder (if not break) their fellowship with the Lord… God hates sin, and He sees the sin/sins residing in our hearts… And if we are attuned to what the Holy Spirit is urging us to do, and we want God’s blessings… we will be convicted by the Holy Spirit to get right again with the Lord, after confessing, repenting, and turning from any and all sins…
Once the “born again” Christian is cleansed “from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9), and they are “filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18-20), they are then able to Walk in and by the full power of the Holy Spirit…
Galatians 5:16… I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. (NKJV)
This, the 3rd of the 3 most important scripture verses for the believer, is where we want to do our best to remain in, so as to walk as perfectly as humanly possible… I spent a day writing about this 2nd filling of the Holy Spirit, which you can read in Reference 3. below…
There you have it my friends !! The 3 most important pieces of scripture for the “born again” Christian who is doing their best to be perfect as the Lord is perfect…
Matthew 5:48… Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect. (NKJV)
We can never achieve perfection as these words spoken by Jesus tells us in the Book of Matthew… But this perfection should be what we strive for day in and day out…if we understand and put to use these 3 most important pieces of scripture…
Every believer will mature in their walk with the Lord at a different pace… One thing is for sure, we will all be conformed to the image of Christ by the time we draw our last breath here on earth… The apostle Paul pens this…
Romans 8:28-30… And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. 29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. 30 Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. (NKJV)
But if every believer could experience the benefit of the blessings God wants to shower upon His obedient children, at an earlier age…they would find out that they will make fewer mistakes in life if they do their best to walk in and by the full power of the Holy Spirit sooner, rather than later… The apostle Paul pens this…
Ephesians 3:20… Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, (NKJV)
This “power that works in us” is God through the indwelling Holy Spirit He has given to every believer…
Since God is Sovereign, and He never makes any mistakes…doesn’t it make sense to seek the Lord’s will before you decide upon an occupation…the school God wants you to attend…or the right partner you should marry for a lifelong relationship made in heaven ?? I rest my case for applying these 3 scripture verses to your life !!
Gracious God and heavenly Father… I am sooo thankful for Your Word that You gave us to guide and direct our lives… I pray Father that every reader, no matter where they stand in Your eyes, will find something in Your living and powerful Word (the Bible), (Hebrews 4:12) they can use to draw them closer to You… I pray Father that hearts and lives would be changed by You this day, in Jesus’ most precious name, and for His sake…Amen…
Blessings in Christ, bruce
References:
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Read or listen to the Bible in a year app found @ www.Bibleinoneyear.org
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First filling of the Holy Spirit – https://godsmanforever.com/2021/08/05/how-do-i-know-if-the-holy-spirit-is-in-me-8-05-2021-posted-by-bruce-r-mills-for-gods-group/
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2nd filling of the Holy Spirit – https://godsmanforever.com/2021/08/10/walk-by-the-power-of-the-holy-spirit-8-10-2021-written-by-bruce-r-mills-for-gods-group/
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 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
To my brothers and sisters in Christ, please feel free to share this message of the cross with those in need…
You say you are a “born again” believer… BUTis your soul “ON FIRE” for the Lord ?? If not, open this link – https://godsmanforever.com/2020/08/01/are-you-a-christian-in-gods-eyes-and-on-fire-for-the-lord-or-not/
God's group 
The original word used for ABIDE means “to be set, as in stone; immovable; anchored securely.” Interesting fact I learned long ago. I love that word ABIDE and ABIDING.
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