The Cure

There is a virus that lurks yet remains undetected by high-powered microscopes. It does not create the same symptoms as other diseases might. It prowls on a different playing field and creates long lasting and devastating effects. Most of the world is unaware of its profound and negative impact.

All of us test positive for it, and there is only one cure. The most lethal virus in all the universe is our sin.  The sole antidote is Jesus’ death and resurrection. His forgiveness is our only cure.

But you might say, “I live a pretty moral life. I am relatively good.” Or, “I go to church. I am religious.” These are all good things, but they don’t address the issue. God’s word says that all of us have sinned. The Bible says that we all fall short of God’s glory and the wages or payment of our sin is death (Romans 6:23). Many of us understand that sins like adultery and murder are grievous to the Lord, but did you know that all sin shouts in the face of God. Galatians 5:19-21 says, "The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God."  All sin separates us from our Maker.

As mentioned before, there is only one cure for the prevalence and power of our sin. That cure is Jesus and what He did for us by hanging on the cross and resurrecting to new life. He did this because of His great love for us.

If we will confess our sin and declare Christ’s Lordship over our lives, we will be forgiven and saved from hell’s torment. We will be given access to a wonderful relationship with God, and we will one day meet Him in heaven.  Romans 10:9 says, “If you declare with your mouth, ’Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."

Before all mankind lies a chasm between ourselves and God. We are separated from a relationship with God because of our sin. But Jesus bridged the gap so we can walk to safety. Jesus Himself became our bridge. There is no other way to cross to the other side. The following cannot provide us a relationship with our Creator: good works (Ephesians 2:8-9), attending church, Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam and other spiritual practices and world religions that are not supported by the Bible.

It may seem narrow-minded to say that Jesus is the only way (See John 14:6), but if there was only one cure or vaccine for a pandemic that really worked, would you say that those who offer that cure were narrow-minded. No, I believe you would gladly accept the cure.

During these trying times with COVID-19 on the rise, our society has been greatly challenged.  I understand that the virus we face is real and that it is deadly. My prayers go out to those who have lost loved ones or who are facing a positive diagnoses of the virus. This blog entry is to serve as a reminder that our sin is even more deadly than COVID-19. Sin has eternal consequences, but Jesus has given us the cure. Won’t you embrace a relationship with God through the power of Christ’s sacrifice? Your relationship with Him is only a prayer away….

Dear Heavenly Father,

I can see that my efforts to please You are not sufficient. I understand that my sin has separated me from You. I turn to You and I ask for Your forgiveness for you are the only cure for my sin problem. I declare that Jesus is my Lord and Savior. I believe He died and rose from the dead for my sake and for the sake of all mankind. I thank You, Lord, that I am saved. I thank you that I can now begin a wonderful relationship with You, and that one day I will dwell with you in heaven. In Jesus name I pray, amen.

Congratulations! The stain of sin has been removed from your life. This does not mean you will walk completely free from its grip from now on, but it does mean you know the cure for those times that you fall. 1 John 1:9 says that if we confess our sins to the Lord, He is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Living for the Lord is a process. As you draw near to Him, He will draw near to you. He will help you grow in Him. Make prayer and Bible study a part of your daily walk with Him. Find a Bible-believing church and attend it faithfully. Thank you for taking the time to read this post and to pray the prayer included above. I believe you will never be the same.

© Copyright 2020 by Tom Toya

 

Dan the Dinosaur

Here are the lyrics to a children's song I wrote many years ago. It's a fun one...

There once was a dinosaur whose name was Dan

He ate green grass and blueberry jam

He climbed up trees when he had to sneeze

And he stole sweet honey from the bumble bees

 

Now Dan had a friend whose name was Stan

Stan was a snake whose suit was tan

He had dark green scales all over his skin

And when Stan raced Dan he’d always win

 

Together Stan and Dan would play

When the sun came up and in the middle of the day

They rolled around in the mulberry leaves

Till they both grew tired and fell asleep

Dan and Stan dreamed all night long

And that’s the end of this silly song

Victory Over Fear

Here is a past devotion that encourages us not to be afraid...

God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and of a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:7

We all struggle with it to varying degrees. It can immobilize us and quench our witness for the Lord. It can derail us on our quest for God's best for our lives. It can cause us to lose sleep, run from intimidating circumstances, and avoid certain people. I'm referring to unhealthy fear.

Healthy fear keeps us from walking in front of oncoming traffic. It protects us from exposing ourselves to harmful situations. But unhealthy fear saps us of our spiritual strength. Paul said that fear was a spirit, therefore, we must deal with this type of fear in a spiritual way. David said in Psalm 27 that he wasn't afraid of anyone because he understood that the Lord was his stronghold. He could stand before enemy armies with great boldness. David had an intimate relationship with God. In the same psalm he said, “One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek Him in His temple.” David's fervent relationship with God gave him courage.

In 1 John 4:18 it says, “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment.” And prior to this, in verse 16, it says that God is love. As we get to know the God of love, our fears melt away like ice on a hot summer day. His love causes us to rest.

There are times when we need to use our God-given authority to command a spirit of fear to leave us. We can address Satan and his cohorts and command them to flee from us. We can bind them and demand them to leave us in the name of Jesus. If we are submitted to God, the enemy will run in terror from us, when we do this. In Luke 10:19, Jesus declares, “I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.” The Greater One lives within us, and he is more powerful than any demonic force.

God wants us to be free from fear so that we can enjoy our relationship with “Him and so we can serve Him without hindrance. Let's rejoice in the love the Father has for us and allow our fear to melt away in His kindness. He wants us to come to the place where fear no longer has a grip on us. He wants to give us victory over all our fears.

Dear Lord,

I thank you for Your great love for me. I give all of my fears to you. I surrender my life to You afresh, and in the name of Jesus I bind the evil one, who would try to make me fearful. In the name of Jesus I command you to leave me alone. Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for setting me free. In Your name I pray, Amen.

Undeserved Grace

 

When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the "sinners" and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: Why does he eat with tax collectors and 'sinners'? On hearing this, Jesus said to them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners." Mark 3:16-17

The Pharisees scrutinized and dissected the law. They were Hebrew scholars who prided themselves in their religious knowledge and who believed they were above reproach. The Bible tells us not to be wise in our own eyes. The fact that they called the people Jesus ate with "sinners" (believing they were not), reveals a holier-than-thou attitude. Their hearts also quickly judged Jesus for dining with them.

Christ said He came not to call the righteous but sinners. The word righteous here refers to those who believe they are faultless through their own merit. The Pharisees did not see their need for a Savior. They saw themselves as blameless before God because of their role as spiritual leaders and because they outwardly obeyed God. They knew how to look and act right but their hearts were far from God (Matthew 15:8).

Did you know that it is impossible to attain to a righteous life through the practice of good deeds?  None of us can earn our way to heaven. Instead, we need something outside ourselves to make us right before God. That Something is the Savior. Jesus was the only One who lived a sinless life. His life in exchange for mankind on the cross, brought those who believe, new life.

When we seek Him for the complete forgiveness of our sins, we are made in right standing with God our Father. If we will cease placing our trust in our own good works, and place our confidence in the One who saves to the uttermost, we will experience peace with God, and one day we will abide with Jesus in heaven forever.

If you have already received Christ's forgiveness and been born anew, you can spread the beautiful message of our Lord's redemption to others. We have been given a mission to tell everyone the good news, and it is important they realize it is by grace we are saved through faith not by works (From Ephesians 2:8-9).

Lastly, for those of us who have walked with Christ for a while, let's be careful not to become inflated in the estimation of ourselves. God gives grace to the humble but He opposes the proud. Jesus was profoundly merciful and kind but when it came to the self-inflated religious leaders of his day, He was curt and often angry. Instead of behaving with a big head, let's act like children before our Father God thanking Him daily for his undeserved grace.

A Prayer for Those who Desire to Live for Jesus,

Dear Father God,

I understand that I can never be good enough to earn your acceptance or to find myself in heaven one day. I realize that my good works are filthy in your sight. I ask you to forgive me for I truly am a sinner. I place my trust in the work you did at the cross, and I declare you, Jesus, are my Lord and Savior. Because of your blood, I have received the gift of righteousness. In your name I pray, amen.

 

If this is the first time you have prayed a prayer like this or if you are renewing your commitment to the Lord, please let me know. I would love to help you in your walk with the Savior.

Blessings and Congratulations,

Tom

Living Water Flow

Living water flow through me

To reach a generation

Living water flow through me

To touch a hurting nation

 

Help us pray oh Holy Spirit

You who are without limit

Help us pray oh Father God

The battle we will win it

 

Pray, pray, pray for a nation sinking down

Pray, pray, pray for the people of every town

The gospel is the answer to all we seek to find

The gospel is the answer with Jesus’ light to shine

 

Go and scatter the seed

So the blind will see

Healing for the heart and for the body

Power to set the captive free

 

We will not be ashamed

This is not a game

Jesus is the only way

 

The Importance of Gentleness

“He will not quarrel or cry aloud, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets; a bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not quench, until he brings justice to victory; and in his name the Gentiles will hope.” Matthew 12:19-21

 There is a gentleness about Jesus that can be overlooked. Although He is mighty and fully God, Jesus is also fully human, and He has a kind and meek heart. He will not brake a bruised reed, and a smoldering wick He will not quench.  He forgave the woman who committed adultery and saved her from being stoned. He also blessed the little children and pronounced judgment towards those who would harm them.

There are people we meet in our lives that crave God’s kindness. If we are not sensitive to the Holy Spirit, we will miss the importance of treating these individuals with gentleness.  There are people around us who are worn, dejected and emotionally bruised. They need us not only to bring them God’s word they also need us to be the hands and feet of Jesus by offering them mercy and love.

Gentleness is a fruit of the Spirit. It is the antithesis of anger, rage, strife and division. There is a humility in this Spirit fruit that draws people in. Let’s lay down our pride, take up our cross and choose to love others with Jesus’ love. If we do, we can make a stronger impact for God’s kingdom.

Dear Father God,

Give me a heart that embraces the hurting and those who have lost hope. Help me to show them your gentleness and your kindness. Help me to sow your word into their lives with Your love as my motivation. In Jesus name I pray, amen.                      

Qualifications for God's Promotion

Humble yourself before the Lord, and he will lift you up. James 4:10

There are three important steps towards receiving your next promotion from the Lord. 

First, you must have a humble heart for God to promote you. In Isaiah 66:2 God says, “This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word.” The only way to go up in God is to go down. We must learn to humble ourselves before the Lord and others. Without this posture, we will not find promotion from God our Father.  

Second, promotion from God only comes to us when we have been faithful where we are. We must attend to all that is under our present responsibility before the Lord trusts us with more. Jesus said, “He who is faithful with little will be faithful with much.” In Christ’s parable of the talents, the manager told his investors who were faithful that he was giving them more money to steward since they had invested wisely with smaller amounts.  

Third, God promotes us in His perfect time. Do you remember the story of Joseph? God gave him dreams that his family would one day bow down to him, but his jealous brothers sold him into slavery and was taken to Egypt. He suffered greatly and was falsely accused. He ended up in prison where he interpreted the dreams of two of the Pharaoh’s officers who were also incarcerated. Joseph predicted that they would both return to Pharaoh where one would be reinstated to his royal position and the other would be executed.

Joseph asked the man whose dream had a favorable interpretation to remember him when he reported to Pharaoh. But two years passed. At this time, Pharaoh had two dreams and the officer finally told him about Joseph and his ability to interpret dreams. As a result, Joseph interpreted Pharaoh’s dreams and was promoted to second in command of the nation of Egypt.  Later his family did bow before him and he was able to help the nation of Egypt during a great famine.  

But this all happened in God’s perfect timing. It actually took 13 years from the time he was sold into slavery till his promotion in Egypt. It took time, but God was faithful. We too may need to wait for God’s promotion but if we are humble and faithful and wait on the Lord’s timing, we will experience promotion from the hand of Jesus.     

Let’s humble ourselves before God and others, let’s be faithful with all that we are responsible for and let’s surrender to the Lord and his timing. If we do these things, God will promote us and enable us to be a greater blessing to others.