Are you a child of God?

This is the way God's children are distinguished from the devil's children. Everyone who doesn't do what is right or love other believers isn't God's child. 1 John 3:10

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I was talking to someone the other day I cannot recall who it was and how that came about but I mentioned that as children of God, Christians have privileges and that person replied that we are all children of God. Imagine my surprise. My assumption was that the person in question understood the word of God. I have been think about it ever since and i want to discuss it with you today in order to clear all misunderstanding you may have. I will be more careful with my assumptions in the future.

Are we all God’s children? It is true that God loves us all and the fact that He created us all does not imply that we are His children according to God’s Word. Let’s take a look at a few passages: Ephesians 2:3 tells us that before we were saved we were “by nature objects of wrath.” Romans 9:8 says that “it is not the natural children who are God's children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham's offspring.” Instead of being born as God’s children, we are born in sin, which separates us from God and aligns us with Satan as God’s enemy (James 4:4; 1 John 3:8). Jesus said, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and now am here. I have not come on my own; but he sent me” (John 8:42). In John 8:44, Jesus told the Pharisees that they “belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire.”

How can you become a child of God? “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12). First, you must recognize that Jesus is the eternal Son of God who became man. Jesus was born through the power of the Holy Spirit. He did not inherit Adam’s sin nature). He died for us and resurrected on the third day and ascended to heaven where He is preparing a place for us. While Adam’s one disobedience brought the curse of sin and death to the world, Christ’s perfect life gives life. Our response must be to turn away from sin and we must trust that His blood will purify us. Second, we must have faith in Jesus as Savior. God’s plan was to sacrifice His perfect Son on the cross to pay the punishment we deserve for our sin: death. Christ’s death frees those who receive Him from the penalty and power of sin. Clearly, in Scripture, the lost are never referred to as children of God.
Obviously a child of God is not going to be rejected by sinning, but someone who “dwells” in sin (repeated offender without remorse/ consistently enjoys sin without heed for following Christ and His Word) reveals that he was never born again. Jesus said, “You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desire” (John 8:44). God’s children, on the other hand, no longer crave the gratification of sin but desire to know, love, and glorify their Father.

There are numerous rewards attached to being God’s child, but we obey Him because we love Him. The Bible says that we are a part of God’s family (the church), we are promised a home in heaven, and given the right to approach God in prayer as Father through Christ (Ephesians 2:19; 1 Peter 1:3-6; Romans 8:15). Being a part of the family of God is the greatest blessing bestowed upon believers and one that should drive us to our knees in humble adoration. We can never do anything to deserve it for it is His gift of love, mercy and grace to us, and yet, we are called to become sons and daughters of the Living God (Romans 9:25-26).You can also be a child of God right now if you would accept Christ into your heart and pray:

"Father God, I recognize now that I have not lived my life for You up until now. I have been selfish and I want You in my life. I acknowledge the completed work of Your Son Jesus Christ in giving His life for me on the cross, please forgive me. Come into my life now, Lord. Take up residence in my heart and be my king, my Lord, and my Savior. From today on, I will no longer be controlled by sin. I will follow You all the days of my life. I ask this in Jesus' holy name. Amen."

Praise the Lord!

God’s Plan

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11

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If you are anything like me, then every so often you take inventory of your life. You look at where you are, where you intended to be at certain point and time. For me things never go as planned. I am always ahead in some areas, and missed in others. When I was a baby Christian, I would be disappointed and fall into a short period of depression in the days following my inventory and I would spend the next few months working hard to make my dreams a reality. The more I failed, the more desperate I would get and the more depressed I would become. I did not realize at the time that my life belongs to God and it is His will that must take precedence over my life. God had opened up my heart and helped me realized that all of my unrealized dreams were not failure at all. God was with me the entire time and He guided me into path that aligned with His sovereign purpose for my life. My dear friend, if you have turned your life over to God, trusts Him to lead you as He sees fit.

There cannot be two drivers in a car. Most husbands will tell you that there is nothing more aggravating then a wife trying to lead while occupying the passenger seat. In our adversities, we often try to take the lead. In our trials and tribulations, we tend to forget that we belong to God and that he wants what best for us. He knows what is best for us. Job understood that, and he totally trusted God and at the end, he was rewarded awesomely. He experienced the Glory of God. Friend, like Job, you must know that your redeemer lives. He will never forsake you. You will never lose favor with God. While it is good to have a plan for the future, the believers must understand that it is God’s plan that must be done in his/her life. Friend, you cannot get depressed when things don’t work out according to your plan. Don’t let the devil trick you into thinking that God does not care about you. I do realize that depression is real. I know that despair is real, but I also know that my redeemer lives. I know that my heavenly Father will never let me down. Even before the trial was over Job took control of his depression. “He knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold.” Job 23:10

If you feel that you fell out of favor with God, find someone who will pray with you and encourage you. In the midst of those deep moments of despair, God will never turn his back on you and don’t you turn your back on him. When you approach God by faith through his son Jesus Christ, he will turn your life around and like job you will experience His glory. Friend, emotionally, financial and physically ruin are not bigger than God. Listen, you are serving the Almighty, the Omniscient, and the Omnipotent God. There is nothing impossible to Him. He has the power to bring life into the dead circumstances. He has the power to change your failures into triumph. Seek God for His will and direction. Rely on him completely and He will direct your path. His plan for your life includes emotional, financial and physical healing, but more importantly His plan is to live in you. His plan is for you to know Him and to let Him dwell in you.

God wants you to place your trust in Him. You must fight any thoughts that don’t align with the word of God. Train your thoughts to align with God’s word. You were design for victory. You were design for greatness and you must know that no weapons formed against you shall prosper. You are a victor not a victim and that you are above the limitations of this world. Diabetes, Heart Diseases, High Blood Pressure, AIDS, Cancer and Depression cannot win. There are not above God. You don’t even have to go after the victory. It was already given to you over 2000 years ago on the cross. Jesus already won. You have the victory in Him. God plan is for you to be well mind, body and soul and He is greater than your circumstances. Regardless of what you are going through today remain confident that God will deliver you. He most certainly has the power to do so. He has done it for many others. Remember my friend that God is bigger than the giants you are facing.

Praise the Lord