The Witness of Fellowship

Christian fellowship is about community, togetherness in love, doing some Christian life together. We see this beautifully illustrated among the earliest Christ-followers (i.e. Acts 2:42-47). Any group of people can socialize but Christ-followers are to fellowship with one another and such fellowship is not just for the believers’ benefit; it can be a life-impacting witness of the love of Christ.  

It was “Christian fellowship” that brought the local man, John Bunyan, the future writer of Pilgrim’s Progress, to Christ. In his book Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners, he wrote about being a worldly and lost young man who was first spiritually drawn to Christ by overhearing the God-centered conversation of a group of local women enjoying sweet Christian fellowship.

..their talk and discourse went with me; for I was greatly affected with their words..

Therefore I should often make it my business to be going again and again into the company of these poor people, for I could not stay away..

(John Bunyan, Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners; Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1986; p29-30.)

Christians, let’s pursue opportunities to deepen our fellowship with one another in Christ and also, may we recognize opportunities to be the salt and light in Christ witness in this world Christ says we are (Mt. 5:13-16). For example, we can invite nonbelievers to certain fellowship gatherings and/or we can gather in public places near where strangers and nonbelievers gather. As we are living life with fellow believers, may we often have conversations about the things of God, testimonies of transformed lives in Christ, use our Bibles openly, pray aloud and minister to one another and may such activities be a powerful witness to the world that Christ is alive, working in and through His people.

By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.

John 13:35 ESV

What do you think about the witness of fellowship? 

Mike 

Overcoming Temptation

All people experience temptation, but I’m not writing about being tempted to eat a donut occasionally or being tempted to get out of your comfort zone to speak to someone you find attractive or being tempted by a friend to engage in a potentially dangerous recreation activity. I am writing about our very own thoughts and desires that can lead to sin, engaging in something that is morally wrong, whether it’s committing wrong or omitting right in the eyes of God. I am writing also about influences that can lure us into sinning with our thoughts, desires, attitudes, and behavior.

James 1:13-15 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. ¹⁵ Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.

Temptation to sin is not sin but such a temptation can lead to sin when we give into the wrongful desire and thought. Example; I forgot to attend a meeting and I’m asked why I did not attend and I’m tempted to lie about my reason but instead of choosing to lie I choose to tell the truth. Just because I had a fleeting thought about possibly lying is not sin. That was a temptation to sin. Another example; I’m sun-bathing at the beach and notice some slender young female in a bikini walk by and I look and then I have the tempting thought to lust after her body but instead I just acknowledge mentally that she is attractive and move on to other thoughts. This is an example of temptation without sinning. Now, if I had lied or fantasized about having sexual activity with the beach girl then I would have sinned according to God’s Word (i.e. Mt. 19:18, 5:28).

All people have experience with temptation and with sinning (Rom. 3:23, 1 John 1:8). When you do sin, God has given His people a proper process to go through to get right with Him and move forward in His grace. Check out my blog entries about this at

http://mikesmorals.blogspot.com/2013/11/the-best-forgiveness-of-all.html

http://mikesmorals.blogspot.com/2013/09/living-in-grace-not-guilt.html

Praise God that He is forgiving but let’s not presume upon His grace and mercy by thinking we have some sort of license to sin and everything will be okay in the end. No, instead, let’s be holy as God has called us to be holy.

What I’m really focused on for this blog entry is consistently overcoming the temptation to sin and this is possible in Christ when we trust Him and apply relevant biblical principles to overcoming temptation. This is the short version and if you want to read all the extra Bible verses you can read the longer version at http://mikesmorals.blogspot.com/2014/10/overcoming-temptation-longer-version.html

Check out this early occurrence of the word ‘sin’ in God’s Word.

Genesis 4:7 NLT You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master.”

Here are three principles to heed from this verse:

A. Acknowledge and learn more about the temptation to sin conflict

Watch out! There is a real spiritual conflict related to sin in this world and in our lives! God’s Word proclaims that we exist in a spiritual war. There are real spiritual enemies of God including the devil, demons, sinful ways of the world, and our own sinful flesh/nature.

- Eph. 6:12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

Cain did not realize just how vulnerable to sin he was. Let’s ask God to help us have a greater awareness and understanding of God’s will and of temptation and sin and the schemes of the spiritual enemies of God and just how weak and vulnerable to sin we really are. See also Mark 14:38, 2 Cor. 10:3-5.

B. Discern between right and wrong

Hebrews 5:14 But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.

Our greatest resource and standard for such discernment is God’s Word. For example, from God’s Word we learn about holiness and righteousness and unholiness and unrighteousness. We learn that selfishness is wrong but humbly serving others is good and that lying is wrong but telling the truth is good and that sexual relations outside of marriage is wrong but sexual relations inside a marriage between one man and one woman is good.

The Holy Bible gives us a moral compass to live by. There are commandments and principles of morality for God’s people today. Our road to more consistent victory over temptation must include our growing discernment between right and wrong in the eyes of God. This requires regular quality Bible learning/application, prayer, and discipleship learning from mature Christ-followers. Ask God to show you from Scripture what is right and what is wrong. Ask Him to give you discernment to help with decision making, thoughts, desires, attitudes, and actions. See also 1 John 4:1.

C. Master your temptations to sin

The master of all masters, the master over all, is Jesus Christ (Mt. 28:18, 1 Tim. 6:15). The key to our mastering temptation is based on the person and work of Jesus Christ, trusting Him as Savior and Lord, and living for the glory of God based on God’s Holy Word.

Here are ten biblical principles (and several verses) to help you become a master over temptation to sin:

1) Trust God; He’s Powerful and He’s faithful to His people.

a. Jesus, the God-man, was tempted but did not sin (Heb. 4:15).

b. John 16:33b.. take heart! I (Jesus) have overcome the world.

c. 1 Cor. 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

- God will not allow His people to be tempted to sin beyond their ability to resist. We aren’t tempted to sin in ways that no one else has ever been tempted with and God is faithful (to His redeemed) in that He won’t let His people be tempted beyond their ability to resist. God provides His people a way of enduring and escaping the temptation to the point of not sinning. Praise God! Expect this. Believe this. Ask God to help you live this.

- Jesus, as well as the Holy Spirit, is greater than he (the devil or any enemies of God) that is in the world (1 John 4:4).

- God is all-powerful (Rev. 19:6); God has given Christ-followers the Holy Spirit to help us. Also Eph. 3:20-21

- Victory comes through Christ (1 Cor. 15:57)! Over what? temptation, sin, and death

- Jesus is our great Deliverer from the bondage of sin (Gal. 1:3-5).

- See also 2 Thes. 3:3, Col. 2:13-15, Heb. 2:14, 18

- Christ’s atoning work on the cross for our sins struck a death blow to the devil and demons. Jesus is greater than them and we have victory over them in Christ and it’s just a matter of time before they are all imprisoned in the eternal Lake of Fire (Rev. 19-20). God has all the power we need to overcome this temptation to sin issue.

2) Pray for victory over your temptation.

God teaches us through His Word of the importance of praying to Him, that we need the Holy Spirit’s help in praying, that we are to ask in the name of Christ, that we are to pray with genuine faith and according to God’s  will, that such prayer makes a difference. Our real victory is in Christ, so pray for victory and thank Him for it.

James 5:16b NLT The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.

See also Eph. 6:18, Rom. 8:26, John 14:13-14, James 1:6, 5:15; 1 John 5:14, Matt. 6:13, 1 Cor. 15:57.

Here is an example relevant prayer to starting the day out (i.e. The Holy Foundation Stage): Holy Father God in the name of Jesus Christ by way of the Holy Spirit, I pray that You protect me spiritually and practically from the enemies of God and the weakness of my flesh. May I be dead to worldly influences and fleshly passions that are wrong in Your eyes. When I am tempted to sin help me find a way out of it, acknowledging that You, Jesus, have overcome the world and that the Spirit of God within me is greater than he who is in the world. Help me not give the devil or anyone else a sinful foothold in my life. Help me learn from past experiences and consequences of sinning. Help me experience consistent victory in Christ over temptation. Thank You, Jesus.

Here is an example prayer when you are being tempted to sin (i.e. The Holy Fighting Stage): Holy Father God in the name of Jesus Christ by way of the Holy Spirit, I rebuke the enemies of God and the weakness of my flesh right now. Frustrate their plans. Jesus, reign in my life right now, in my thoughts, my emotions, and my body and spiritual life. I want You to be on the throne of my life right now. Help me identify any unconfessed sin right now. I confess those.  Help me repent of my sin. Fill me with the Holy Spirit. Help me find a way out from this temptation to sin. Help me submit to You and resist the devil and he will flee from me. Deliver me from any footholds of sin and any bondage to sin in my life. Help me experience victory over these temptations and the enemies of God; a victory that comes by my belief, faith, and trust in You Jesus, Your name, Your blood that was spilt on the cross to atone for my sins, and Your resurrection. Thank You, Jesus.

And you can include other various relevant Bible verses (like those found in this blog) in such prayers.

3) Keep God's Word close to your heart. 

Ps. 119:9-11 How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word. ¹⁰ With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments! 11 I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you

Jesus used Scripture when tempted by the Devil (See Mt. 4). The Word of God is foundational to our life of holiness and foundational in experiencing victory over temptation and sin.

Think of this spiritual war in terms of your offense and defense. The offense includes preparing for battle, preparing for the attacks of the enemies of God, building on the foundation of Christ day to day with increased faith in Him, learning and living out biblical principles individually and in Christian community, and honoring the Lord. I call this The Holy Foundation Stage. This is how we are to live daily according to God’s Word. Then there is the defense that includes responding to specific temptations by crying out to Christ and praying some ‘go to’ prayers and Bible verses, and reaching out to mature Christ followers for help. I call this The Holy Fighting Stage. Consistently overcoming temptation must include both of these stages.

To illustrate, imagine that Saturday night is usually when you are most tempted to lust and give into sinful pleasures of the flesh. Your holy living throughout the week matters in this moment. It’s foundational in your spiritual maturing sanctification. The more you invest in this stage the more you will be prepared and discerning about the temptation and how to avoid sinning. Then comes Saturday night when you experience the furnace of temptation moment but, remember, you have been laying a holy foundation daily and now you know that you must cry out to Jesus in faith, and pray some key Bible passages, reach out to an accountability partner and flee the situation. You have been training and preparing for this moment and now you trust God to help you through the temptation and avoid sinning. Don’t try to experience victory over temptation by doing only one of these stages or neither.

Of the two example prayers above, #2, the prayer to start the day is part of The Holy Foundation Stage and the prayer for when you are being tempted to sin is part of The Holy Fighting Stage.

4) Christ followers are to stand strong in the Lord and put on the full armor of God.

Eph. 6:10-18 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. ¹¹ Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. ¹² For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. ¹³ Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. ¹⁴ Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, ¹⁵ and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. ¹⁶ In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; ¹⁷ and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, ¹⁸ praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,

- God’s Word teaches that strength comes from the Lord and we are also exhorted by God to be strong. We partner with God in this process. We know that He is the true source of our strength and yet we have a responsibility to be and do what He calls us to be and do. Let’s be courageous and strong, standing firm in Christ as we consistently use the full armor of God. I recommend you study and unpack the meaning of the pieces of armor and the principles in this passage.

5) Holistically submit yourself to godliness.

We are holistic beings. We have a mind (thoughts). We have emotions and feelings and attitudes. We have a physical body. And we have a spirit.

a. Rom. 12:1-2 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. ²Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

- We are to present our bodies daily to the glory and honor of God.

- Our mind is a battle ground, a mission field because our mind and our thoughts are tempted to think and act in sinful ways. What we see, read, hear, and think about matters. We need God-honoring influences and God-honoring thinking to take place.

b. Eph. 4:19-24 They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. ²⁰But that is not the way you learned Christ!—²¹assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, ²²to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, ²³and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, ²⁴and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

- See also Rom. 8:6, 1 Pet. 1:14-15, 1 Pet. 4:2, Gal. 5:24, 2 Cor. 10:5, Gal. 5:16-17

- Don’t give in to the weakness of the flesh, sin nature. View your body as dead to the sin nature and live to righteousness in Christ. Our attitudes and desires are to honor God. Also, we must be careful not to be feelings and emotions driven. We need to believe God and believe His Word for His people today. Our feelings can deceive us. We need to trust God and His revelation to us.

6) Abstain, resist, and flee.

a. Eph. 4:27 and give no opportunity (NIV foothold; leverage against yourself) to the devil

b. James 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

c. 1 Peter 5:8-9 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. ⁹ Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.

d. 1 Cor. 6:18 Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body.

- Joseph is a good example of fleeing from sexual immorality. He ran away from Potipher’s wife after her sexual advances.

e. 1 Thes. 4:3-5 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; ⁴ that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor,⁵ not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God;

- See also 2 Tim. 2:22, Col. 3:5, Rom. 13:14, 1 Pet. 2:11, Tit. 2:12

- Abstain from things that might lead to compromising situations, to sinning. Don’t just say “no” to temptation to sin, say “yes” to holiness and godliness in Christ.

7) Be an overcomer by faith in Christ.

1 John 5:4 For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.

- Christ-followers are ultimately overcomers by the fact of their salvation in Christ. But there is also a need to emphasize and mature in our daily living faith in Christ. Ask Christ for increased faith (Luke 17:5). Pray that your faith will not fail when tempted (like Jesus did for His disciples; Luke 22:32). Saving and Living faith upon Christ as your Savior and the Lord of your life is essential in having victory over temptation (i.e. 1 Pet. 5:9, Eph. 6:16).

8) Be an overcomer with good.

Rom. 12:21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

See also 1 Pet. 2:8-11

- You won’t overcome evil by wallowing in sin. The good in these verses is the kind of good that pleases God not some form of selfish good or ulterior motive good or fleshly good. God is truly good and true goodness is part of the Fruit of the Spirit in the life of Christ-followers who are also created in Christ to do good works for God’s glory. Seek to be good in Christ and to do good in the name of Christ.

9) Walk the way of the wise and understand the Lord’s will.

Eph. 5:15-17 Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, ¹⁶making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. ¹⁷Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

- Don’t be foolish or lazy. Redeem your time and ask God for wisdom for living. Prioritize your time around God’s will for your life (James 1:5-6, 4:13-15).

- There is much about God’s will that is understandable (with God’s gracious help) or this Bible statement by Paul would not be true. Much of God’s will for us is already revealed through Scripture; sometimes in specifics and at other times with principles to live by.

10) Do all to the glory of God.

1 Cor. 10:31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 

This is an over-arching purpose verse for us. Whatever the thought, desire, or decision to make, ask yourself, ‘If I move forward with this, will I be glorifying and pleasing the Lord according to His Word and character and will?’ We have a choice to please God or not with our thoughts, desires, attitudes, actions, and spiritual lives. Let’s choose holiness according to God’s standard. Let’s choose to honor God and glorify God with our lives. Let’s trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and live for Him.

As you can see, God provides and promises His people all kinds of help in the battle with temptation and sin.  

His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. 2 Pet. 1:3-4

In Christ, we can consistently overcome temptation to sin by trusting Jesus as Savior and Lord and living for the glory of God based on God’s Holy Word.

What are your thoughts about what I’ve posted here regarding overcoming temptation?

Mike

Note: All Bible verses are ESV unless otherwise noted. 

Overcoming Temptation (longer version)

All people experience temptation, but I’m not writing about being tempted to eat a donut occasionally or being tempted to get out of your comfort zone to speak to someone you find attractive or being tempted by a friend to engage in a potentially dangerous recreation activity. I am writing about our very own thoughts and desires that can lead to sin, engaging in something that is morally wrong, whether it’s committing wrong or omitting right in the eyes of God. I am writing also about influences that can lure us into sinning with our thoughts, desires, attitudes, and behavior.

James 1:13-15 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. ¹⁵ Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.

Temptation to sin is not sin but such a temptation can lead to sin when we give into the wrongful desire and thought. Example; I forgot to attend a meeting and I’m asked why I did not attend and I’m tempted to lie about my reason but instead of choosing to lie I choose to tell the truth. Just because I had a fleeting thought about possibly lying is not sin. That was a temptation to sin. Another example; I’m sun-bathing at the beach and notice some slender young female in a bikini walk by and I look and then I have the tempting thought to lust after her body but instead I just acknowledge mentally that she is attractive and move on to other thoughts. This is an example of temptation without sinning. Now, if I had lied or fantasized about having sexual activity with the beach girl then I would have sinned according to God’s Word (i.e. Mt. 19:18, 5:28).

All people have experience with temptation and with sinning (Rom. 3:23, 1 John 1:8). When you do sin, God has given His people a proper process to go through to get right with Him and move forward in His grace. Check out my blog entries about this at

http://mikesmorals.blogspot.com/2013/11/the-best-forgiveness-of-all.html

http://mikesmorals.blogspot.com/2013/09/living-in-grace-not-guilt.html

Praise God that He is forgiving but let’s not presume upon His grace and mercy by thinking we have some sort of license to sin and everything will be okay in the end. No, instead, let’s be holy as God has called us to be holy.

What I’m really focused on for this blog entry is consistently overcoming the temptation to sin and this is possible in Christ when we trust Him and apply relevant biblical principles to overcoming temptation. This is the short version and if you want to read all the extra Bible verses you can read the longer version at LINK????.  

Check out this early occurrence of the word ‘sin’ in God’s Word.

Genesis 4:7 NLT You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master.”

Here are three principles to heed from this verse:

A. Acknowledge and learn more about the temptation to sin conflict

Watch out! There is a real spiritual conflict related to sin in this world and in our lives! God’s Word proclaims that we exist in a spiritual war. There are real spiritual enemies of God including the devil, demons, sinful ways of the world, and our own sinful flesh/nature.

- Eph. 6:12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

Cain did not realize just how vulnerable to sin he was. Let’s ask God to help us have a greater awareness and understanding of God’s will and of temptation and sin and the schemes of the spiritual enemies of God and just how weak and vulnerable to sin we really are. See also Mark 14:38, 2 Cor. 10:3-5.

B. Discern between right and wrong

Hebrews 5:14 But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.

Our greatest resource and standard for such discernment is God’s Word. For example, from God’s Word we learn about holiness and righteousness and unholiness and unrighteousness. We learn that selfishness is wrong but humbly serving others is good and that lying is wrong but telling the truth is good and that sexual relations outside of marriage is wrong but sexual relations inside a marriage between one man and one woman is good.

The Holy Bible gives us a moral compass to live by. There are commandments and principles of morality for God’s people today. Our road to more consistent victory over temptation must include our growing discernment between right and wrong in the eyes of God. This requires regular quality Bible learning/application, prayer, and discipleship learning from mature Christ-followers. Ask God to show you from Scripture what is right and what is wrong. Ask Him to give you discernment to help with decision making, thoughts, desires, attitudes, and actions. See also 1 John 4:1.

C. Master your temptations to sin

The master of all masters, the master over all, is Jesus Christ (Mt. 28:18, 1 Tim. 6:15). The key to our mastering temptation is based on the person and work of Jesus Christ, trusting Him as Savior and Lord, and living for the glory of God based on God’s Holy Word.

Here are ten biblical principles (and several verses) to help you become a master over temptation to sin:

1) Trust God; He’s Powerful and He’s faithful to His people.

a. Jesus, the God-man, was tempted but did not sin (Heb. 4:15).

b. John 16:33b.. take heart! I (Jesus) have overcome the world.

c. 1 Cor. 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

- God will not allow His people to be tempted to sin beyond their ability to resist. We aren’t tempted to sin in ways that no one else has ever been tempted with and God is faithful (to His redeemed) in that He won’t let His people be tempted beyond their ability to resist. God provides His people a way of enduring and escaping the temptation to the point of not sinning. Praise God! Expect this. Believe this. Ask God to help you live this.

- Jesus, as well as the Holy Spirit, is greater than he (the devil or any enemies of God) that is in the world (1 John 4:4).

- God is all-powerful (Rev. 19:6); God has given Christ-followers the Holy Spirit to help us. Also Eph. 3:20-21

- Victory comes through Christ (1 Cor. 15:57)! Over what? temptation, sin, and death

- Jesus is our great Deliverer from the bondage of sin (Gal. 1:3-5).

- See also 2 Thes. 3:3, Col. 2:13-15, Heb. 2:14, 18

- Christ’s atoning work on the cross for our sins struck a death blow to the devil and demons. Jesus is greater than them and we have victory over them in Christ and it’s just a matter of time before they are all imprisoned in the eternal Lake of Fire (Rev. 19-20). God has all the power we need to overcome this temptation to sin issue.

2) Pray for victory over your temptation.

God teaches us through His Word of the importance of praying to Him, that we need the Holy Spirit’s help in praying, that we are to ask in the name of Christ, that we are to pray with genuine faith and according to God’s  will, that such prayer makes a difference. Our real victory is in Christ, so pray for victory and thank Him for it.

James 5:16b NLT The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.

See also Eph. 6:18, Rom. 8:26, John 14:13-14, James 1:6, 5:15; 1 John 5:14, Matt. 6:13, 1 Cor. 15:57.

Here is an example relevant prayer to starting the day out (i.e. The Holy Foundation Stage): Holy Father God in the name of Jesus Christ by way of the Holy Spirit, I pray that You protect me spiritually and practically from the enemies of God and the weakness of my flesh. May I be dead to worldly influences and fleshly passions that are wrong in Your eyes. When I am tempted to sin help me find a way out of it, acknowledging that You, Jesus, have overcome the world and that the Spirit of God within me is greater than he who is in the world. Help me not give the devil or anyone else a sinful foothold in my life. Help me learn from past experiences and consequences of sinning. Help me experience consistent victory in Christ over temptation. Thank You, Jesus.

Here is an example prayer when you are being tempted to sin (i.e. The Holy Fighting Stage): Holy Father God in the name of Jesus Christ by way of the Holy Spirit, I rebuke the enemies of God and the weakness of my flesh right now. Frustrate their plans. Jesus, reign in my life right now, in my thoughts, my emotions, and my body and spiritual life. I want You to be on the throne of my life right now. Help me identify any unconfessed sin right now. I confess those.  Help me repent of my sin. Fill me with the Holy Spirit. Help me find a way out from this temptation to sin. Help me submit to You and resist the devil and he will flee from me. Deliver me from any footholds of sin and any bondage to sin in my life. Help me experience victory over these temptations and the enemies of God; a victory that comes by my belief, faith, and trust in You Jesus, Your name, Your blood that was spilt on the cross to atone for my sins, and Your resurrection. Thank You, Jesus.

And you can include other various relevant Bible verses (like those found in this blog) in such prayers.

3) Keep God's Word close to your heart. 

Ps. 119:9-11 How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word. ¹⁰ With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments! 11 I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you

Jesus used Scripture when tempted by the Devil (See Mt. 4). The Word of God is foundational to our life of holiness and foundational in experiencing victory over temptation and sin.

Think of this spiritual war in terms of your offense and defense. The offense includes preparing for battle, preparing for the attacks of the enemies of God, building on the foundation of Christ day to day with increased faith in Him, learning and living out biblical principles individually and in Christian community, and honoring the Lord. I call this The Holy Foundation Stage. This is how we are to live daily according to God’s Word. Then there is the defense that includes responding to specific temptations by crying out to Christ and praying some ‘go to’ prayers and Bible verses, and reaching out to mature Christ followers for help. I call this The Holy Fighting Stage. Consistently overcoming temptation must include both of these stages.

To illustrate, imagine that Saturday night is usually when you are most tempted to lust and give into sinful pleasures of the flesh. Your holy living throughout the week matters in this moment. It’s foundational in your spiritual maturing sanctification. The more you invest in this stage the more you will be prepared and discerning about the temptation and how to avoid sinning. Then comes Saturday night when you experience the furnace of temptation moment but, remember, you have been laying a holy foundation daily and now you know that you must cry out to Jesus in faith, and pray some key Bible passages, reach out to an accountability partner and flee the situation. You have been training and preparing for this moment and now you trust God to help you through the temptation and avoid sinning. Don’t try to experience victory over temptation by doing only one of these stages or neither.

Of the two example prayers above, #2, the prayer to start the day is part of The Holy Foundation Stage and the prayer for when you are being tempted to sin is part of The Holy Fighting Stage.

4) Christ followers are to stand strong in the Lord and put on the full armor of God.

Eph. 6:10-18 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. ¹¹ Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. ¹² For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. ¹³ Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. ¹⁴ Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, ¹⁵ and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. ¹⁶ In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; ¹⁷ and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, ¹⁸ praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,

- God’s Word teaches that strength comes from the Lord and we are also exhorted by God to be strong. We partner with God in this process. We know that He is the true source of our strength and yet we have a responsibility to be and do what He calls us to be and do. Let’s be courageous and strong, standing firm in Christ as we consistently use the full armor of God. I recommend you study and unpack the meaning of the pieces of armor and the principles in this passage.

5) Holistically submit yourself to godliness.

We are holistic beings. We have a mind (thoughts). We have emotions and feelings and attitudes. We have a physical body. And we have a spirit.

a. Rom. 12:1-2 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. ²Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

- We are to present our bodies daily to the glory and honor of God.

- Our mind is a battle ground, a mission field because our mind and our thoughts are tempted to think and act in sinful ways. What we see, read, hear, and think about matters. We need God-honoring influences and God-honoring thinking to take place.

b. Eph. 4:19-24 They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. ²⁰But that is not the way you learned Christ!—²¹assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, ²²to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, ²³and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, ²⁴and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

- See also Rom. 8:6, 1 Pet. 1:14-15, 1 Pet. 4:2, Gal. 5:24, 2 Cor. 10:5, Gal. 5:16-17

- Don’t give in to the weakness of the flesh, sin nature. View your body as dead to the sin nature and live to righteousness in Christ. Our attitudes and desires are to honor God. Also, we must be careful not to be feelings and emotions driven. We need to believe God and believe His Word for His people today. Our feelings can deceive us. We need to trust God and His revelation to us.

6) Abstain, resist, and flee.

a. Eph. 4:27 and give no opportunity (NIV foothold; leverage against yourself) to the devil

b. James 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

c. 1 Peter 5:8-9 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. ⁹ Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.

d. 1 Cor. 6:18 Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body.

- Joseph is a good example of fleeing from sexual immorality. He ran away from Potipher’s wife after her sexual advances.

e. 1 Thes. 4:3-5 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; ⁴ that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor,⁵ not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God;

- See also 2 Tim. 2:22, Col. 3:5, Rom. 13:14, 1 Pet. 2:11, Tit. 2:12

- Abstain from things that might lead to compromising situations, to sinning. Don’t just say “no” to temptation to sin, say “yes” to holiness and godliness in Christ.

7) Be an overcomer by faith in Christ.

1 John 5:4 For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.

- Christ-followers are ultimately overcomers by the fact of their salvation in Christ. But there is also a need to emphasize and mature in our daily living faith in Christ. Ask Christ for increased faith (Luke 17:5). Pray that your faith will not fail when tempted (like Jesus did for His disciples; Luke 22:32). Saving and Living faith upon Christ as your Savior and the Lord of your life is essential in having victory over temptation (i.e. 1 Pet. 5:9, Eph. 6:16).

8) Be an overcomer with good.

Rom. 12:21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

See also 1 Pet. 2:8-11

- You won’t overcome evil by wallowing in sin. The good in these verses is the kind of good that pleases God not some form of selfish good or ulterior motive good or fleshly good. God is truly good and true goodness is part of the Fruit of the Spirit in the life of Christ-followers who are also created in Christ to do good works for God’s glory. Seek to be good in Christ and to do good in the name of Christ.

9) Walk the way of the wise and understand the Lord’s will.

Eph. 5:15-17 Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, ¹⁶making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. ¹⁷Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

- Don’t be foolish or lazy. Redeem your time and ask God for wisdom for living. Prioritize your time around God’s will for your life (James 1:5-6, 4:13-15).

- There is much about God’s will that is understandable (with God’s gracious help) or this Bible statement by Paul would not be true. Much of God’s will for us is already revealed through Scripture; sometimes in specifics and at others times with principles to live by.

10) Do all to the glory of God.

1 Cor. 10:31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 

This is an over-arching purpose verse for us. Whatever the thought, desire, or decision to make, ask yourself, ‘If I move forward with this, will I be glorifying and pleasing the Lord according to His Word and character and will?’ We have a choice to please God or not with our thoughts, desires, attitudes, actions, and spiritual lives. Let’s choose holiness according to God’s standard. Let’s choose to honor God and glorify God with our lives. Let’s trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and live for Him.

As you can see, God provides and promises His people all kinds of help in the battle with temptation and sin.  

His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. 2 Pet. 1:3-4

In Christ, we can consistently overcome temptation to sin by trusting Jesus as Savior and Lord and living for the glory of God based on God’s Holy Word.

What are your thoughts about what I’ve posted here regarding overcoming temptation?

Mike

Note: All Bible verses are ESV unless otherwise noted. 

God is the Owner, We are the Stewards.

When I think of the many things the Mullins family possesses it’s easy to think we are owners of it all; stuff like our minivan, clothing, furniture, food, appliances, and money. These things have been paid for by us, given to us to keep, earned by our work, or are in our possession free and clear of anyone else. My wife and I own these things, right? We say, ‘that’s mine’ or ‘that’s our stuff.’ Well, according to the law of the land, yes, but what about God’s Word?

Consider these Bible verses:

1 Chron. 29:11-18 ESV Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, and you are exalted as head above all. ¹² Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all. ¹³ And now we thank you, our God, and praise your glorious name. ¹⁴ “But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able thus to offer willingly? For all things come from you, and of your own have we given you. ¹⁶ O LORD our God, all this abundance that we have provided for building you a house for your holy name comes from your hand and is all your own. ¹⁷ I know, my God, that you test the heart and have pleasure in uprightness. In the uprightness of my heart I have freely offered all these things, and now I have seen your people, who are present here, offering freely and joyously to you. ¹⁸ O LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, our fathers, keep forever such purposes and thoughts in the hearts of your people, and direct their hearts toward you.

David wrote this; Ps. 24:1 ESV The earth is the LORD’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein,

All that is in the heavens and the earth is the Lord’s. He rules over all. And He is an amazing provider (see also Mt. 6:33) to us. Even the ability to earn and receive wealth is from God (see also Deut. 8:18).

Here is what God said about His ownership of everything; Job 41:11b ESV Whatever is under the whole heaven is mine.

         

The Bible also points out some specific examples of things that God owns:

Lev. 25:23 ESV The land shall not be sold in perpetuity, for the land is mine. For you are strangers and sojourners with me.

Ps. 50:10-12 ESV  For every beast of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills. ¹¹ I know all the birds of the hills, and all that moves in the field is mine. ¹² “If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world and its fullness are mine.

Hag. 2:8 ESV The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, declares the LORD of hosts.

All people belong to the Lord also, in the sense that we are all created by Him and in His image and He is sovereign over us. Note however, that those who are redeemed by God for salvation, from sin and God’s eternal wrath, belong to God in a special way, in relationship with Him now and for eternity.

Rom. 8:9b ESV ..Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.

1 Cor. 6:19-20 ESV Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, ²⁰ for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

Even though God has given human beings some dominion over the earth (i.e. Ps. 8:6) He has not given up His ownership of all things.

“God has never revoked His ownership of everything, nor has He ever surrendered His claim to all treasures. He didn’t die and leave the earth to me or anyone else.” (Randy Alcorn, The Treasure Principle, Pg 24).

God has not given us ownership of His stuff nor has God left us alone and abandoned us with all His stuff.

We exist because of Christ and for Christ.

Col. 1:16-17 ESV ¹⁶ For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. ¹⁷ And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

This “for Christ” part is about knowing, loving, serving, and worshiping the Lord God Almighty, glorifying Him. We are to glorify God with our lives and the stuff He has provided. This is where stewardship comes in.

What does it mean to be a steward? This is a person who is entrusted to care for a superior’s goods, someone else’s stuff, to be a blessing to the owner. The steward has no sense of entitlement that such stuff actually fully belongs to the steward. The steward is to figure out what the owner wants and then seek to please the owner according to the owner’s will.

Early in our marriage, Kym and I made plans to stay at a bed-in-breakfast near the Poconos. We had a couple young children at that time and wanted someone else to take care of our kids for two days. We asked a young adult female friend (thanks Natalie!) from our church to stay in our home and care for our children while we were away. She was totally responsible for our kids as if she was their own mother watching over them; however, the Mullins kids did not belong to her. This woman was a steward of our children for our benefit, our children’s benefit, and we compensated her for this stewardship role. She honored us by taking good care of our children for two days. During that period, they may have seemed to her to be her kids. She had possession of them and was caring for their needs, but she was only a steward of the kids. The children belong to Kym and me (and ultimately to God). This is a picture of stewardship and this woman was found faithful to us by being a good steward of our precious Mullins children.

Here are some Bible verses about stewardship:

Luke 12:42-44 (NKJV) And the Lord said, "Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his master will make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of food in due season? ⁴³ Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. ⁴⁴ Truly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all that he has.

1 Cor. 4:1 ESV This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.

1 Thessalonians 2:4 ESV but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts.

In 1 Cor. 9:17, Paul calls being ‘entrusted with the preaching of the Gospel’ a stewardship.

1 Pet. 4:10 ESV As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace:

Years ago, I heard and read about Christians being stewards of our three T’s; treasure, talents, and time. I can think of a couple more as well.

Your Treasure: This refers to the material blessings and money you have in your temporary possession. Be sure to be rich toward God, invest in godliness. Luke 12:16-21; Mt. 6:24b ESV you cannot serve both God and money; Hebrews 13:5 ESV Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Your Talent: This refers to your God-given spiritual gifts and capabilities. An example of talent would be having a natural ability to hear and write music and to sing well. An example of a spiritual gift is to effectively teach the Word of God to a mixed group of people. You could also add your developed skills to this talent category of personal stewardship. Gods wants to bless you and others through how He has wired you. See 1 Pet. 4:10, Mt. 25:14-21.

Your Time: This refers to your effective use of the 24/7 time that God has given you; regarding your prioritization and decision making. Time is fleeting. You can’t get past time back. Make your use of time count and matter for what’s God-honoring. See Eph. 5:15-17 (..making the best use of the time).

Your Testimony: This refers to your Christ-following/Gospel witness and influence upon the lives of others, especially nonbelievers, to the ends of the earth. Christ-followers are salt and light in Christ in this world. Our personal walk and talk in and for Christ matters and makes a difference in this world. See 1 Cor. 4:1, Acts 1:8.

Your Temple: This refers to your body, your life. What goes in and what comes out and how you use your body matters in the eyes of God. A Christ-follower’s body is the temple of the Holy Spirit and he or she is called to present their body as a living sacrifice, as holy unto the Lord. See 1 Cor. 6:19, Rom. 12:1-2.

Any treasure, talents, time, testimony, and temple we have is from God’s gracious blessing in the first place and we are to honor God with these things, all to His glory.

Prov. 3:9-10 NKJV Honor the LORD with your possessions, And with the firstfruits of all your increase; So your barns will be filled with plenty, And your vats will overflow with new wine.

1 Cor. 10:31b ESV whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

This is a key principle for us to live by: God is the Owner, We are the  Stewards. Even more so, for the redeemed, God is the Faithful Owner, We are to be the Faithful Stewards.

So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple. Luke 14:33 ESV

Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful. 

1 Corinthians 4:2 ESV

His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ Matt. 25:21 ESV

First, acknowledge God’s ownership. Recognizing God’s ownership of all things will help you on the road to peace, joy, and contentment regarding what you temporarily have. It will line you up better with God’s order of things.

Secondly, we are to be God-honoring faithful stewards of God’s stuff. Our faithfulness is required regardless of how much stuff we temporarily have. Faithfulness to God, even with the little things, matters.

Are you stressed related to personal finances, material possessions, debts, lack of contentment, etc..? If we are to get our financial, material, and spiritual lives in order with God, we must acknowledge and live out this key principle; God is the Faithful Owner, We are to be the Faithful Stewards.

Getting this right will help us make good financial related and life related decisions, be more content with the basics of ‘our’ material goods, be more generous, serve the Lord more fruitfully, and give praise to whom it is due (to God).

What do you think about God’s ownership of everything and our responsibility to be faithful stewards for His glory? What do you think about what I’ve posted here?

Mike 

God’s Riches through Christ

Often, the first thing we think about when we come across the word ‘riches’ is ‘lots of money and material things worth lots of money.’ We think of really rich people in this world like Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, Mark Zuckerberg, Donald Trump, Lebron James, Oprah Winfrey, and Carrie Underwood. These people have networths in the billions or millions. They certainly have access to a lot of liquid assets, cash, and material blessings. Some of us dream about being rich like this or have goals to be rich like these people. Having a lot of money and valuable resources are thoughts all of us have probably had more than once.

The Lord recently showed me something interesting about ‘riches’ when I was studying in the Bible book of Ephesians during our pastor’s message series. I noticed that the word ‘riches’ or ‘rich’ is a recurring key word in Eph. 1-3. It occurs six times and none of them refer to worldly riches like money and valuable physical resources. Instead, they are about abundant spiritual blessings based on who God is and what God does, especially toward born again redeemed Christ-followers. Here are the six verses.

Eph. 1:7 ESV In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,

The Greek word for ‘riches’ here is ‘ploutos’ and it can mean fullness of wealth, money possessions, or figuratively mean abundance and valuable bestowment; enriched with something that is good. The occurrence here is not about worldly wealth. It’s about spiritual abundance of grace in who God is and what God does. Notice the phrase ‘According to the riches of God’s grace’ not ‘of’ the riches of His grace. If it were of the riches then the amount could be any amount including a very small amount like if Donald Trump only gave a dollar tip or just 15% of the bill at a restaurant. But if Donald Trump tipped according to his riches, the server would be rich with money. God is unbelievably spiritually rich with grace and according to that richness of God’s grace comes forgiveness in Christ. Amen! When you receive/trust Christ as your personal Savior and Lord, by God’s grace through faith you receive His forgiveness for your sins whether your sin is or seems minor or major. Praise God!

Eph. 1:18 ESV having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,

Through the Word of God, the Gospel, we learn that Christ-followers have an eternal inheritance in Christ and they are also an inheritance to the risen and glorified Jesus Christ. They are the Lord’s church here on earth. He is at work in and through them and the time will come, His Second Coming, when Christ returns and claims His inheritance here on earth. The spiritual blessings of eternal life are already underway in and around genuine Christ-followers as the Body of Christ. They experience the blessings. They are to be a blessing to others and they are to be a blessing to God.

Eph. 2:4 ESV But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us,

This is the only singular version of ‘rich’ in these 3 chapters and the Greek word here is based on the same one used in the other five occurrences.

How do we distinguish between the Lord’s grace and mercy?

- grace: undeserved favor and blessing

- mercy: compassion/pity or withholding punishment

This combination of God’s grace and mercy are found in the Gospel. We don’t deserve forgiveness and eternal life and He is compassionate on us as sinners and He withholds the ultimate wrath of God from those who are redeemed by Christ. God is abundant in mercy and He displays this through His great love toward us as seen in Christ’s atoning death on the cross for our sin.

Eph. 2:7 ESV so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

Here, Paul refers to God’s grace again; this time describing it as immeasurable riches of God’s grace displayed in kindness toward Christ-followers. Throughout eternity God will display His gracious kindness to His redeemed and they will be a testimony of His amazing grace and kindness toward other redeemed people that while they were still lost in their sin Christ redeemed them. Amen!

Eph. 3:8 ESV To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ,

This grace mentioned here is the Gospel of grace; the Gospel of Christ; the great news of Christ, God’s plan of redemption for us sinners. This grace was given to Paul, who personally experienced it, and Paul proclaimed it to the Gentiles, the Gospel, the unsearchable riches of Christ. In one sense there is a simplicity to the Gospel that a child can trust in but there is also a depth and magnitude to Christ that is more than we can comprehend and find in full understanding at this time but I believe Christ-followers will know much more about Him when they get to Heaven.

Eph. 3:16 ESV that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being,

This is similar to ‘according to the riches of God’s grace’ in 1:7, although here the word ‘glory’ is in place of grace; God’s glory. This is the Greek word ‘doxa’ meaning honor, praise, splendor, greatness, majesty; esteem given. God is glorified in who He is and what He does. He will be glorified. He deserves to be glorified, and we are to give Him glory with our lives and good works. The riches of God’s glory pours out of His nature and works. It is out of this spiritual abundance of God’s glory that Paul prays to God the Father that these Ephesian Christ-followers would be strengthened with power through the Holy Spirit; for what? To know the love of Christ better and better, to experience the fullness of God in your life through Christ.

There you have it. Six occurrences of the word ‘riches’ or ‘rich’ in Eph. 1-3 and they all point to abundant spiritual blessings in who God is and what God does, especially toward Christ-followers. How about you?  Do you believe in these spiritual riches rooted in God through Christ and are you personally being blessed by them?

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor,

so that you by his poverty might become rich.

2 Cor. 8:9 ESV

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, Eph. 1:3 ESV

What are your thoughts on the riches referred to in Eph. 1-3 and what I’ve written about here?

Mike