Andrew Golden's Blog, page 29

Turn Back To God

Hosea 14:1-2 

1 O israel, return unto the Lord thy God; for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity. 

2 Take with you words, and turn to the Lord: say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously: so will we render the calves of our lips. 

Have you transgressed against God? Have you sinned and thought well God will forgive me when I ask him to later, then you forget.  Well, you are just like Israel. The profit was telling Israel that their transgressions had caught up to them. He was telling and begging them to turn back to God. That is what we need to do. Look the transgressions of this world is catching up to us. Sin is running wild. People think there will never be a repercussion for it. They do not know that the wages of sin is death. How would they know, when the people claiming to be the body of Christ is doing the same sin. Christians walk away from your transgressions and turn back to God. Turn back to prayer and fasting. Get back to humbling yourself before God. Get back to asking his guidance. It is time we turn back to God. 

Calm Down And Be Wise

Proverbs 29:11

11 A fool uttereth all his mind: but a wise man keepeth it in till afterwards.

Ever thought, I’m just going to speak my mind and tell them what I think. We all have and when we do, it causes more problems. You see the fool lose their tempers and just go off. They let their temper control their actions and words. The wise will stop, calm down, and ask God what to say. They will wait until tempers are calm to have a calm conversation about the problem. God wants us to be wise. He wants us to seek him for what we need to say. If we do this we can keep things from getting worse. Stop giving people a peace of your mind and be wise about what you say.

Time to Prove Yourself

Ephesians 6:11 

11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 

1 Samuel 17:38-39 

38 And Saul armed David with his armour, and he put an helmet of brass upon his head; also he armed him with a coat of mail. 

39 And David girded his sword upon his armour, and he assayed to go; for he had not proved it. And David said unto Saul, I cannot go with these; for I have not proved them. And David put them off him. 

Every Christian claims they have on the armor of God. They claim they are suited up for battle. However, when the enemy shows his face they cannot move. The armor does not fit them because they have yet to prove the armor that God has made ready for them. David knew this when Saul placed his armor one the young future king. He instead stopped and took what he had proved, his sling and a stone. If you have sin in your life then the armor of God will not fit you. If you are straddling the fence then you are not prepared for battle. In order to prove that you are worthy of the armor of God you have to be close to God. You cannot be someone who serves God on Sunday and lives like the world on Monday. When you say you have the armor of God you should be able to prove that you are worthy of it. I’m not saying that you have to tell people everything you have done for God. The Bible says you will be known by the fruit you bare. So, can you prove to me that you are worthy of the armor, can you wear it and it fit just right, or will you be one of these who have no business even trying it on until they get sin out of their lives? 

You Have To Do Good

James 4:16

17 Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.

Everyone knows we are not to sin, but do they know we are supposed to do good? We are supposed to tend to the elderly, carry one another’s burdens, and spread the word of Christ. For some reason Christians have come to the conclusion that they don’t have to do anything once they come to Jesus. They don’t realize there is a work to be done. If you are out taking care of the elderly with a smile, people see a difference. If you are out just talking with someone who is having a hard time, people see the love of Christ in you. If you are spreading good and doing good works then more people can come to Christ. Don’t set there like a knot on a log, get up and do good.

A Good Or Bad Man

Matthew 12:34-35

34 O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.
35 A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.

A good man will speak good of the ones who hate him. He will rejoice when the ones who have wronged him succeed. He will pray for those that attack him. An evil man will do none of these things. They will speak bad of the ones they hate. They will complain when others succeed. They will steal, cheat, and lie in life. So the question is, which do you want to be? Is gaining money, fame, and wealth worth being known as an evil man? I think it is better to be the good man and bring forth good into the world. Just remember, Jesus wants the good man.

Fear Not

Psalms 34:4

4 I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.

Did you know that “fear not” is in the bible a total of 365 times? I didn’t until a friend told me today. They explained that it was one for each day of the year. It got me to thinking that if it is written for us not to be afraid and do not give into fear, then why do we? Why is it we become afraid of the world when he said no weapon formed against you shall prosper? Why is it that we worry about money, when God paves his streets with gold? Why do we worry about sickness when we call him the great physician? Stop being a afraid. Stop letting fear overcome your faith. Stop letting your fear of the future hinder your walk with God in the present. Seek God out and tell him you are afraid. Tell him you need help overcoming your fear and have faith he will do so.

It’s Easy

Matthew 11:29-30

29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

People say that it is too hard to be a Christian. They claim we live an impossible life. However, most of them can dedicate themselves to the gym, a diet, or a consistent work schedule. Accepting Jesus as the son of God and the one who died for your sin isn’t so hard. It is actually easy. People over complicate it and think they have to be perfect before Jesus will save them. They are wrong. Once they come to Christ, then he begins to clean them up. Confessing that he is your saviour is easy. It is easier than any diet. It is easier than going to the gym every day. It is way easier than going to work. It is the easiest thing you could ever do.

Part-Time Christian

John 3:18

18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

Matthew 6:24

24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

Have you ever seen the Christian that amens on Sunday but lives like the rest of the world on Monday? We all have met them. They want nothing to do with God until Sunday or until their world falls apart. They want to hold onto the world but also reap the benefits of being a Christian. It does not work this way. God does not want part time Christians. He wants you to be a 24/7 Christian. He wants you to wake up ready to work and close your eyes knowing you did everything God asked of you. He wants you to give it your all because He gave his all for you. So if you are one of these part time Christians, I encourage you to go full time. The benefits are much more rewarding.

Be Better Than The Flesh

Genesis 6:5

5 And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

Romans 8:8

8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

If you only worry about what the flesh wants and only care about pleasing it you cannot and will not please God. You will actually drive a wedge between you and your walk with him. From the beginning the human race has struggled with this. We constantly have to force the wants and desire of the flesh down. Most will chase world possessions to please the flesh over spiritual gain to please God. Then there is always the excuse, well I am only human. Yea that you are, but you also have read that we must overcome our human desires and build a desire for God and his will. So, stop being like the men in Noah’s time. Stop giving into the flesh and work on your walk with God.

A Break In The Clouds

Matthew 14:27 

27 But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. 

John16:33 

33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. 

While driving to work all I could see was clouds, but then I noticed one spot where the sun was shinning through. In that one small spot I could see the blue sky. In all the grey clouds you couldn’t miss it. It was like seeing a rose growing in a field of weeds. In a way it was one spot of beauty. However, the farther I drove the bigger that one spot became. By the time I arrived at work it was like that small spot of clear sky had overcame the clouds. Then it hit me, Jesus is like that one clear spot. He is the one shinning through the darkness of this world. He is telling you don’t watch the world in all of its turmoil. Don’t worry about the troubles of life. Just focus on him. Focus on that one clear spot. Focus on the fact that he overcame the world through his sacrifice and now is the reigning king. Know that even though times are bad and it seems that all we see is storm clouds brewing, that just over the horizon is that one sunny spot breaking through the clouds. If you take your attention off the storm and focus on that one spot you will watch it spread and see him overcome the storm.