Whenever you see a biblical precept written in the OT and that same exact precept is referenced in the NT you might want to pay close attention.

That being said, in both Habakkuk 2:4 and Romans 1:17 and also in Galatians 3:11 we find this example of scriptural duality: “The just shall live by faith.”

Consequently, this passage is also referred to as the crux of the Gospel. The Scriptural passage mentioned above, when understood, can give us such peace and assurance in knowing our salvation doesn’t depend on us. This was the prophet Habakkuk’s and Paul’s driving message. Not to mention it was also God’s plan from the beginning that His people would be made just, or right with God, not through striving, church attendance, or legalism, but rather through faith in Jesus Christ and His selfless payment for our sins.

Let’s briefly expand contextually on these two personalities (Habakkuk and Paul). The ancient Hebrew prophet, Habakkuk first spoke this phrase during a dark time of Israel’s history and centuries later the apostle Paul quoted him in Romans and Galatians while explaining God’s gift of salvation.

Shortly before the Chaldeans invaded and overtook Judah, the ancient prophet wrote: “Behold, his soul is puffed up,” speaking of the prideful and self-reliant enemy, “it is not upright within him, but the righteous shall live by faith” (Habakkuk 2:4, NIV). In other words, though destruction was coming, God wouldn’t forsake those who trusted in Him. As John Piper states, “There is hope for those who will hold firm their trust in God when the calamity comes.”

Now then, when Paul spoke of the just, or righteous, he wasn’t referencing someone’s behavior or personal integrity. Rather, he was referring to our being made right with God. This is known as the doctrine of justification, and it has a legal connotation. It refers to God declaring Christ-followers not guilty because of the price Jesus paid on our behalf.

Fact check alert….all of Scripture and human history proves this: Mankind cannot live as God desires. We know this in the depths of our spirit. Despite our best efforts we fall, fail, and fumble everyday (Romans 3:23). If our salvation, our righteousness, depended on us, we’d be lost and hopeless. Thankfully, Jesus bridged the gap between us and God and did what we could never do. He offered His life in place of ours so that we could receive His life in place of death. So that we could become the just through faith.

At the end of the day, no matter what happened to you in your past or what is going on in your life right now has any power to keep you from having an amazingly good future when you choose to walk by faith in God.

#BeStrong

#TGBTG

#JustifiedByFaith

It would be naive of me to think for a second that everyone that takes the time to read my posts is saved. Fact is there are people that believe in God, but not in Jesus not fully recognizing the only way to the Father is through the Son (John 14:6). Let me insert: the premise of this post is not to incite debate, but rather to highlight an acutely obvious point.

TODAY IS THE DAY OF SALVATION!

This world is not going to get better and according to the Bible, it’s going to get worse. If you don’t know Jesus, it’s
not too late …..yet. The day is coming when you’re going to wish you would have believed and received Him as your
Lord and Savior.

In Peter’s second letter he encouraged his readers back then and us today pursue spiritual maturity through the Word of God as a remedy for false teaching and a right response to heretics in light of Christ’s promised second coming (2 Peter 1:3, 16).

Peter wrote his second letter because the churches of Asia Minor were not just struggling with the persecution and suffering addressed in Peter’s first letter; they also had strife and dissension within their own ranks. Therefore, in an effort to stem the tide of heresy and false teaching among the Christians, Peter emphasized the importance of learning and clinging to the proper knowledge of God.

Like Peter, I encourage you (and myself) to apply yourselves to acquiring the true knowledge of God and living out the life of faith with “all diligence,” so that you too may “be found by [Jesus] in peace, spotless and blameless” (1:5; 3:14).

Fortunately, if you are reading this message today it not too late and the kicker is you’re not waiting on God, He is waiting on you. 2 Peter 3:9 says, “God is patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.”

#BeStrong

#TGBTG

#TodayIsYourDay

One day a man was crossing a bridge in life but was scared so he turned n asked God, “Can I hold your hand so I may not fall?” God said. “No, my child, I will hold your hand”. He asked, “What’s the difference?” God replied, “If you hold my hand and something happens, you might let go but if I hold your hand, no matter what happens, I will never let you go”. May the Lord hold your hand tightly in all your ways.

There’s a lot of truth in this fictional story!

Beloved of God, when a person comes to Jesus through the drawing of the Father, it is impossible for him/her to be turned away or cast out.

Jesus said this in John 6:37-40, “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”

Jesus doesn’t just take care of our spiritual needs. He also helps us with our physical, mental, and emotional needs too. He protects us with his loving hand. He keeps danger and harm from us. We learn from Psalm 91:11, “He will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.” He promises to send his angels to keep us. He also promises us in Psalm 50:15, “Call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me.” We can go through the storms of life confident in the Lord’s help. He prays for us. He saves us from death. May we be comforted by this thought as we cross over various bridges in our lives – Jesus won’t let go of our hand!

“Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen” (Jude 24-25).

#BeStrong

#TGBTG

#InHisMightyGrip

Let us read Ephesians 6:1-16: “6 Let us praise God for his glorious grace, for the free gift he gave us in his dear Son! 7 For by the blood of Christ we are set free, that is, our sins are forgiven. How great is the grace of God, 8 which he gave to us in such large measure! In all his wisdom and insight 9 God did what he had purposed, and made known to us the secret plan he had already decided to complete by means of Christ. 10 This plan, which God will complete when the time is right, is to bring all creation together, everything in heaven and on earth, with Christ as head. 11 All things are done according to God’s plan and decision; and God chose us to be his own people in union with Christ because of his own purpose, based on what he had decided from the very beginning. 12 Let us, then, who were the first to hope in Christ, praise God’s glory! 13 And you also became God’s people when you heard the true message, the Good News that brought you salvation. You believed in Christ, and God put his stamp of ownership on you by giving you the Holy Spirit he had promised. 14 The Spirit is the guarantee that we shall receive what God has promised his people, and this assures us that God will give complete freedom to those who are his. Let us praise his glory! 15 For this reason, ever since I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all of God’s people, 16 I have not stopped giving thanks to God for you. I remember you in my prayers.”

I’ll be the first to testify that I wouldn’t be where I’m today if it weren’t for GOD’S amazing GRACE and undeserving MERCY. I can’t help but to give God PRAISE!

#BeStrong

#TGBTG

#HisOwnPeople

2 Corinthians 1:20 reminds us, “The promises of God are yes and amen in Christ. If God says He will carry and care for you, that is exactly what He will do. You must however play your path by believing whatever He says concerning you.” Somebody give God praise because when He makes a promise, He keeps it. When God says something He means it…His promises are always yes and amen.

Let’s be honest, all this sounds good when the skies are clear and the sun is shining, but clearly it’s a bit more challenging to embrace when unexpected and unwanted storms begin to wreak havoc in our everyday normal lives!

But that’s just it! God wants us to run to Him when life becomes a bit difficult and challenging because it’s in these moments our relationship with God grows even stronger!

Isaiah 46:4 NLT says: “I will be your God throughout your lifetime— until your hair is white with age. I made you, and I will care for you. I will carry you along and save you.”

When life get too hard to handle God says He will carry you. He says He will care for you; not for a while, but for your entire lifetime. What an awesome promise from an awesome God. For this promise to be fulfilled, you must believe the God that said it. You must have faith in him. “But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him” (Heb 11:6).

Your faith in God is what cleaves you to God’s promises! God will not only carry you and care for you here on earth but for all eternity. He says He will save you. Ultimate salvation that will guarantee you a place in heaven. No man can care for you like God, but you need to fully surrender your life to Him and accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior before the full benefits of His promises is fulfilled in your life.

#BeStrong

#TGBTG

#GodWillCarryYou

It’s about that time and I encourage you and myself today to stay the course, keep standing, and don’t stop believing. We didn’t go through all ‘that’ for nothing! God is getting ready to take us all to another level! Galatians 6:9 reminds us to, “Not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.”

#BeStrong

#TGBTG

#LevelUp

#HarvestTimeIsNear

Letting go is the easiest but the hardest thing to because choosing to let go, surrender, and give it up to God means letting go of our own selfish desires, egos, and pride! Letting go simply means humbling ourselves so that our spirits can be led by God!

Beloved, God has a plan and His plan always has a greater purpose. Proverbs 16:9 says this, “In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.”

As Christians we should all desire to seek God’s will and the best way to accomplish this is to let God direct our steps to spend time with Him in prayer and reading His word!

As I mentioned above, letting go is the easiest but hardest thing to do; our natural instincts urge us to move on with our plans and our timetable. And sometimes we make a plan assuming that it’s God’s, and try to force Him to do what we want to do. But that’s definitely not consider letting go or surrendering, and that mindset will only end in pain, frustration, and heartbreak.

Today, I encourage you to let go of your plans, and let God direct your path. He has had a plan for your life since the beginning of time, no step along your journey has been missed. Faithfully trust Him, and willingly surrender your plans before Him! I guarantee you that He will not let you down!

#BeStrong

#TGBTG

#TurnItOverToGod

All throughout Scripture the God on the text affirms time and time again that He never fails. Joshua 21:45 is one of many passages of text that firmly establishes this truth: God keeps his Word. Not one of God’s good promises has ever failed, not before the time of Joshua, not after, and not now.

Isaiah 55:10-11 also confirms this biblical truth; “The rain and snow come down from the heavens and stay on the ground to water the earth. They cause the grain to grow, producing seed for the farmer and bread for the hungry. It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it.”

God’s Word is a seed (Luke 8:11). Once it’s planted, it will grow and develop into the fruit the Lord intends it to become.

God’s Word is trustworthy. His promises are true. What God says He will do, He will do. The English Standard Version expresses this idea in 2 Corinthians 1:20; “For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory.”

As God’s children, we can stand firm in our faith. God’s covenant with us is not going to fail. His Word is flawless, right, true. His promises can be fully trusted, no matter what our circumstances may be.

Friends, I get it! Not everyday is going to be easy. However, if your experiencing difficulty in this season don’t give up hope. In Christ you can face each day confidently with an awareness that the victorious Lord is on your side. Trust and believe with unequivocal assurance that God never fails. His good promises to you will always come to pass.

#BeStrong

#TGBTG

#GodNeverFails