Living In The Power And Peace Of God
There’s NO way to live in the power or peace of God without knowing, understanding and applying the word of God, and it’s very unlikely that it’s possible to successfully stand for marriage restoration without God’s peace and power. So yesterday’s TV broadcast message by Charles Stanley is a very important message for all of us as we stand for our marriages, as he makes an excellent case for why the Bible is so vitally essential to us if we want to live godly lives in an ungodly world, as anyone standing for marriage restoration is certainly called to do.
Dr. Stanley used Titus 1 as the basic text for his message, and particularly focused on Titus 1:9 (from the AMP this time), which says He must hold fast to the sure and trustworthy Word of God as he was taught it, so that he may be able both to give stimulating instruction and encouragement in sound (wholesome) doctrine and to refute and convict those who contradict and oppose it And he used Isaiah 40:8, which says The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever.”
He makes a very good case for the fact that the only way to “hold to the word” is to believe it and apply it. And offers the following specific guidelines for doing that:
1. Read it carefully
2. Meditate on it daily
3. Study it seriously
4. Believe it whole heartedly
5. Apply it personally
6. Obey it deliberately
7. Share it openly
This message also makes a powerful case for the consequences in our lives when we drift from the word with the following points, which we all probably recognize the truth of:
1. We begin to think the way the world thinks
2. The world wins our affection
3. We compromise our convictions
4. It dominates our conversation
5. It redirects our focus on God
6. It influences our dress
7. It steals God’s tithes
8. It alters our schedule
9. It feeds our minds with sensual thoughts leading to immoral acts
10. It ruins our testimony
11. It renders us useless for the kingdom
That last point is one we REALLY need to pay very close attention to, because there is so much in God’s word that makes it very clear that our purpose here on earth is to give praise, honor and glory to Jesus, and when we live our lives in such a way we can’t do that, there’s NO reason for the Lord to bless and protect us, provide for us or hear and answer our prayers. One of those passages is Ephesians 1:4-14. And if we’re living lives that render us useless for the kingdom of God, we are NOT living in accordance with HIS purpose, as clearly indicated in the above passage, so we can NOT rely on God’s awesome promise in Romans 8:28, which says And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. And we can’t count on His promise in Proverbs 3:5-6 either, because it says Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. It’s not possible to read the Bible without understanding that while God’s love is unconditional, His blessings, provision and protection are not, because many of His promises require us to trust Him without reservation and to obey Him without question. So I hope and pray everyone will listen to Dr. Stanley’s message, Living Godly In An Ungodly Age, and understand how vitally important it is for us as we stand against the gates of hell in this wicked world for the restoration of our marriages.