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Stand Firm, It’s an Attitude

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Freedom in Christ with tags death, flesh, Galatians 5, God the Spirit, Human nature, Jesus Christ, life, satan, stand firm, world on January 23, 2022 by paulthepoke

Galatians 5:1 For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. ESV

stand firm… In the Greek, this is the word στήκω/stékó. The word is defined as to stand firm and fast, persevere.

Satan is observed to “stand firm” in Revelation. He is locked in with resolution and purpose. He wants to kill Jesus Christ.

Revelation 12:4b And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she bore her child he might devour it.

As people, we are conflicted with our human nature. There is a battle raging. There is what the flesh wants. And there is what the Spirit of God calls on us to do. Who are we going to serve?

Romans 8:5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.

This is a matter of life and death. This choice has spiritual and eternal consequences.

Romans 8:6 For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.

As believers, we are called to “stand firm” in many things. We are to stand firm in prayer. The result should be forgiveness.

Mark 11:25 And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.

There are consequences for not “standing firm” in the truth. Satan does not stand firm or persevere in truth.

John 8:44 You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

Believers are called to stand firm in the faith.

1 Corinthians 16:13 Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.

Many times, those who believe in Jesus Christ are called to stand firm in Him.

Philippians 4:1 Therefore, my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved.

We are called to stand firm in the teaching of the Word of God.

2 Thessalonians 2:15 So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter.

And in the case of Galatians 5:1 and our freedom in Christ, we are called to have this attitude of “standing firm” against sin.

Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. NKJV

Accept God’s Grace… Rodna Epley

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Gospel, Rodna Epley with tags cross, death, glory, God the Father, God the Spirit, Heaven, Jesus Christ, love, prayer, Resurrection, Right Hand of Father, sin on December 14, 2021 by paulthepoke

There is someone out there today whom God, our Father in heaven, wants to know that He can forgive you and He wants to more than anything. He already sees and knows every detail about your life all the way back to when He created you until now, even to the end of your life if you have an end.

He still loves you, immensely, intensely, more than you may ever realize in this life. Please do not give up. He can fix anything literally, no matter how bad, no matter how hurtful, no matter how impossible it seems. What seems unbearable and unforgiveable in this moment can change in an instant. No matter how many sins you have committed, especially the ones you think passed the threshold of God being able to forgive. All can be forgiven. Nothing is too hard for Him.

If you have written yourself off, God has written you back in. He is a good Father who will do anything to bring His son or daughter back home. Your sins which are many and too hurtful to even think about. Or perhaps you have lost feeling over them and that worries you, can be forgiven, all of them instantly. The entire weight of it all, no matter how heavy or ugly, is lifted off you. You will feel it go too. The weight of it gone, just like that.

Your Father loves you more than you can imagine. He is not condemning you. He wants to heal you completely, and He is the Healer. That is why He sent Jesus. That is why the Father walked this earth through His Son Jesus and took man to his worst end so that he can bring man to his best end, forever reconciled to Him.

Though it is a mystery, Jesus gave up His life so that the old nature of sin and the propensity toward sin can be put to death in you. He rose from the dead by the glory of the Father so that His life. The new nature of His own glory can be imparted to you. This is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

But He does not leave you in a state of only hope that can be disappointed. His glory wakes up within you as He fills you with His Spirit and the new nature of His own glory begins to operate in you.

Jesus went to be with the Father, and He showed you the way to the Father, and He sat down at the Father’s right hand on the very throne of glory, so that you can be seated there with Him right now and forever.

Allow yourself to be forgiven. Dare to see just how far God’s grace and glory can reach and transform. What have you got to lose? The very moment I decided to give God a 100% chance show me who He is, is the very moment He showed up. He was always there, but He showed me that He was there. He did not wait to interact with me. He only briefly waited for me to show a genuine attempt to know Him.

If this is for you, know that you are not alone, and that I am praying for you. Your Father in heaven does love you and can fix literally anything. All suffering is meant for His glory. The greater the suffering the more His glory is about to be released. It is at the point of being released. Please give Him that chance. In fact, the more you have sinned, the more you will be able to love God, because the depth of our ability to love corresponds to the depth of His forgiveness toward us.

Luke 7:45-47 Jesus said, “You gave Me no kiss, but this woman has not ceased to kiss My feet since the time I came in. You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with fragrant oil. Therefore, I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.”

If this is for you, pray this with me,

“Father in heaven, thank you for giving me this chance to be forgiven. My sins, which are many, I give to you. Thank you for giving your Son Jesus to die for me on the cross and take my place. Thank you for raising Him from the dead by your own glory and raising me from the dead with Him. Thank you for seating Jesus at your right hand on the throne of glory and seating me there with Him. I know I do not deserve that and there is no way I can earn that position in Christ, but I receive it by faith. Your word says that I have access into your presence through the door of Christ and through your promises to me. Thank you that you loved me so much that you died for me even while I was still a sinner. You believed this day would happen when I would come to you and finally surrender my life to you. Without Christ I know that I can do nothing, but with Christ nothing is impossible, and all things are possible. I am trusting that your word is true and that you can make something wonderful of my life. I promise that if you give me all of you then I will give you all of me to the best that I know how. Baptize me in your Spirit and fill me with your glory Father. I believe that Jesus died for my sins and that Christ in me put to death the old nature in me. I believe that Jesus rose from the dead by the glory of the Father and raised me up with Him. I believe that Jesus went to be with the Father and brought me there with Him. I choose You Papa because You first chose me. I love You Father because You first loved me. Thank you for your wisdom. Thank you for your favor. Thank you for giving me your Spirit and making me perfect on the inside in the inner man. Thank you for the daily transformation of my mind that is to come as I make your word my home and you teach me how to be your child and to operate in your glory, which is Christ in me that I am learning to wear on me on the outside. Thank you for eternal life and for all that you will do in me from here on out. Thank you that you are strength in my weakness, that you are filling me with joy and taking away my sorrow, that you are imparting to me your vision for me so that I can know my life has meaning. I give you all of me because you gave me all of you. In Jesus’ mighty name I pray, Amen.”

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Celebrating Ten Years!!! BE A Berean

Posted in #PaulthePoke with tags Acts 17, apologetics, Berea, Berean, God the Father, God the Son, God the Spirit, Jesus Christ, Sons of issachar on August 18, 2020 by paulthepoke

August 2020 marks the 10th year of the website and related social media outlets. The results are clearly the work of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit.

First of all, thank you to all who read, comment and share with others. The website started with an email list of about 60 friends and family.

The idea of a website was hatched by a young man attending church with me. His name is Chris Frost. He encouraged me to write. Chris is now a Pastor in Tehachapi, California at Mountain Bible Church. https://www.mountainbiblechurch.org/

A shout out goes to Matt Weinreich. Back in the day (March 2016), Matt was a limo driver. The concept of the social media platforms was Matt’s idea. He developed the plan in a party bus over a Dr. Pepper while on a break during a job. The links below are the rest of the story.

https://www.facebook.com/PaulLLehr

https://www.facebook.com/Paulthepoke-1671336659778515

Tweets by PaulthePoke

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-NrXlCSttXZtZ6QYICUkFA/

I would like to thank Trey Smith at the God in a Nutshell project for taking a chance on me as a writer and editor of his website. The exposure provided by his social media outlets for 4 years is tremendously appreciated.

Thanks to Greg Lewis and Jonathan Rovetto for their support, insights and marketing analysis.

Lastly, a massive thank you to all the contributing authors. These folks come from a diverse background and provide quality, thoughtful content. Thanks to Christine McDonald, Joshua of Ghana, Matt Weinreich, Michael Douville, Michael Stone, Mickey Sutliff (responsible for logo design), Paul Beverly, Phil Kulis, and Rodna Epley.

Along the way, three books have been published. See the links at the bottom of the post.

If someone would have told me 10 years ago the materials and content provided would have reached tens of millions in over 190 countries I would have laughed. RIGHT!!!

This is the first post. This is how it all began…

BE a Berean!!!

Acts 17:10-11 But the brothers at once sent both Paul and Silas to Berea during the night; who having arrived went into the synagogue of the Jews. And these were more noble than those in Thessalonica, for they received the Word with all readiness, daily examining the Scriptures if these things are so.

This is the point of the blog. Don’t take my word for it, look it up, and verify. The culture loves to say, “Well that is just your interpretation.” Personally, that is code for “I really don’t know what it says.” This is a cop-out. The culture loves to say, “My God would or would not do…”

Is that the God of your mind or is that the God of the Bible? If one’s ethics and morals are not consistent with Scripture, then that mindset becomes idolatry and it is not the God of the Bible. What do you think about Scripture? Make a decision based out of knowledge and not somebody’s opinion or personal ignorance.

1 Chronicles 12:32a And of the sons of Issachar, having understanding of the times, to know what Israel should do.

The sons of Issachar are one the twelve tribes of the nation of Israel. Issachar is a son of Jacob (Genesis 30:18). His name in Hebrew means “he will bring a reward.” The sons of Issachar are the descendants. These sons read the Word. They knew what the times had to offer because they read and believed in God’s promises through His Word.

Matthew 16:1-3 And having come the Pharisees and Sadducees tempting, asked Him to show them a sign out of the heaven. But answering, He said to them, Evening coming on, you say, Clear sky, for the sky is red. And at morning, today a storm, for the sky is red, being overcast. Hypocrites! You indeed know how to discern the face of the heaven, but you cannot the signs of the times.

Jesus held the religious leaders of His day accountable to know His arrival was here. The Bible foretold in prophecy the arrival of the Messiah and His character and deeds. One prophetic example is…

Isaiah 7:14 So, The Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold! The virgin will conceive and will bring forth a son; and she shall call His name Immanuel (meaning “with us is God”).

Yes, Jesus is God.

The same is true for us today. God has not changed. Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ, the same yesterday and today and forever.

We are accountable to what is stated in the Bible. What does the Bible say about the times we are living? Does it have anything to say?

Welcome and please feel free to comment and share with others. God praises those who verify His Word. Look it up, does the Bible really say… ???

2 Timothy 3:16-17 All Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, so that the man of God may be perfected, being fully furnished for every good work.