


GRACE BLOGS COLLECTION
by Clint Byars
As a child of the 90’s my friends and I were avid Soundgarden fans. The whole Seattle grunge scene spoke to me. That sort of depressed, disenfranchised with society world view…it kind of defined me. I grew out of the thrift store clothing and cut off my long hair but the music stayed with me. I wasn’t one of the Christians that threw away my CDs when I got saved, those lyrics still spoke to me and
The post Chris Cornell, Prescription Drugs and the Things that Steal Our Peace appeared first on Forward Ministries.
by Clint Byars
This week’s Forward Moment: The Spirit of the Living God is Active
This week’s FREE message
If you’re going to take God seriously you have to take him at his word. You have to humble yourself and accept his truth as your foundation for your worldview. If we find in his Word information that is personal to you, you must allow it to redefine who YOU are in light of this truth.
You behave according to who you believe you are. I want to help you understand and naturally live from the new creation reality that you are righteous because you’re in Jesus. The best way to do that is continually remind you of your inheritance as a child of God promised in his new covenant that is upheld by the blood of Jesus.
Righteousness – as he ought to beRighteous – innocent, faultless, guiltless, approved of God or acceptable to God
Is it a reality to you that Jesus became your sin so you could become his righteousness? This is important because if you’re serious about transformation and allowing his grace to teach you godliness then you must change who you think you are to the righteousness of God in Jesus to have any hope of outwardly living that way.
You live out of your identity. The believer under grace is delivered from the law of sin and death and the law was nailed to the cross of Christ, never to be held against you…from there we are to allow that finished work in our spirit become effectual in every aspect of our being for the sole purpose of glorifying God.
I gave you an exercise last week but I’d like for you to repeat it.
Say out loud: I am righteous
Go ahead, now is as good a time as any…
When you say it, pay attention to your inner thoughts and feelings. Do you start thinking about what you did last week? Do you start thinking of a doctrine you’ve learned along the way? Or do you take a deep breath of relief and become filled with thankfulness for what Jesus did for you?
You can take any truth or promise and apply the same exercise. Try it with provision, “God is my provider,” and persuade your heart of God’s will to be your provider.
All things are possible to those who believe!
CHECK OUT THIS SERIES FOR MORE ON RIGHTEOUSNESS
Message Titles
1. Why Covenants?
2. Why the New Covenant?
3. Eternal Life
4. Sons of Glory
5. God is Committed to UsHebrews 9:15 For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.
The Law was never meant for righteousness so God offered a New Covenant in Jesus Christ through which we can receive eternal life. But have you ever wondered why God created covenants at all? You will be grounded in God’s purpose for making promises and you will have unshakable confidence in your salvation.
The post Right Standing with God Comes ONLY by Faith appeared first on Forward Ministries.
by Clint Byars
This week’s Forward Moment: The Spirit of the Living God is Active
This week’s FREE message
If you’re going to take God seriously you have to take him at his word. You have to humble yourself and accept his truth as your foundation for your worldview. If we find in his Word information that is personal to you, you must allow it to redefine who YOU are in light of this truth.
You behave according to who you believe you are. I want to help you understand and naturally live from the new creation reality that you are righteous because you’re in Jesus. The best way to do that is continually remind you of your inheritance as a child of God promised in his new covenant that is upheld by the blood of Jesus.
Righteousness – as he ought to beRighteous – innocent, faultless, guiltless, approved of God or acceptable to God
Is it a reality to you that Jesus became your sin so you could become his righteousness? This is important because if you’re serious about transformation and allowing his grace to teach you godliness then you must change who you think you are to the righteousness of God in Jesus to have any hope of outwardly living that way.
You live out of your identity. The believer under grace is delivered from the law of sin and death and the law was nailed to the cross of Christ, never to be held against you…from there we are to allow that finished work in our spirit become effectual in every aspect of our being for the sole purpose of glorifying God.
I gave you an exercise last week but I’d like for you to repeat it.
Say out loud: I am righteous
Go ahead, now is as good a time as any…
When you say it, pay attention to your inner thoughts and feelings. Do you start thinking about what you did last week? Do you start thinking of a doctrine you’ve learned along the way? Or do you take a deep breath of relief and become filled with thankfulness for what Jesus did for you?
You can take any truth or promise and apply the same exercise. Try it with provision, “God is my provider,” and persuade your heart of God’s will to be your provider.
All things are possible to those who believe!
CHECK OUT THIS SERIES FOR MORE ON RIGHTEOUSNESS
Message Titles
1. Why Covenants?
2. Why the New Covenant?
3. Eternal Life
4. Sons of Glory
5. God is Committed to UsHebrews 9:15 For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.
The Law was never meant for righteousness so God offered a New Covenant in Jesus Christ through which we can receive eternal life. But have you ever wondered why God created covenants at all? You will be grounded in God’s purpose for making promises and you will have unshakable confidence in your salvation.
The post Right Standing with God Comes ONLY by Faith appeared first on Forward Ministries.
by Clint Byars
The broad view of God’s will for mankind is Heaven on Earth. He created it that way in the Garden of Eden and he’ll put it back that way after the Resurrection. The time in between is the result of mankind allowing sin into the world with death as the result.
What’s at stake is the character of God when we talk about suffering, persecution and tribulation (I have another article on trials and temptation here). We must clarify the context of His relationship with believers under the New Covenant.
God doesn’t change but the covenant did.
In the process of awakening unto righteousness we must learn to detach from the flesh anything that is given as a gift by God in Christ.
There is a notion that we are made holy through suffering. The problem is that’s actually never taught in the Bible. There are some passages where it’s inferred by certain denominations and schools of thought but when you examine the passages that discuss suffering you find it’s not from God for his own purposes related to salvation. When studying this topic we must also not forget how holiness and righteousness come under the new covenant.
In short, when we put our faith in Jesus (become born again of the spirit) we are cleansed (sanctified) by the eternal, sacrificial blood of Jesus. This leaves us holy or set apart for the masters use. God then presents us to himself as holy and unblamable in Christ. He gives us a new heart and makes us one with himself. In this process we become his children, joint-heirs with Jesus and accepted in Christ. In this process we gain the same standing with God as Jesus because he shares everything he has with us. We’re not god or becoming a god, we’re just given the righteousness of Jesus. His spirit then emits grace into our hearts to transform our mind, soul and actions to match what he’s done in our spirit.
All that’s left is to yield to his spirit because he’s already made us holy and unblamable. In no way can we add to that by our efforts, good or bad. In no way can we take credit for any aspect of this unmerited salvation that we receive as a gift in Christ.
We must make sure our beliefs are based on the Word of God rather than our interpretation of our circumstances. We often learn the hard way from our mistakes or adverse situations and come away with the conclusions that God crafted the experience because in the end it drew us closer to him. That’s a dangerous process that may lead us into error. Review these passages at face value and see if you’ve been reading anything into these ideas that are not present in the actual passages that address suffering.
Our foundation for salvation must be firmly planted in the fact that we’re saved by grace through faith alone, the works of our flesh or the endurance of our patience has nothing to do with it.
Romans 3 19 Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, so that every mouth may be closed and all the world may become accountable to God; 20 because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin. 21 But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22 even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; 25 whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; 26 for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. 27 Where then is boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? Of works? No, but by a law of faith. 28 For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law.
To press or afflict.
A word study on this reveals tribulation comes from the world or from God toward his enemies. Believers will never experience tribulation from God but we may experience it from his enemies.
Galatians 3:12 Those who want to impress people by means of the flesh are trying to compel you to be circumcised. The only reason they do this is to avoid being persecuted for the cross of Christ.
2 Timothy 3:10 But you have fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, patience, 11 Persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra; what persecutions I endured: but out of them all the Lord delivered me.12 Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
Persecution comes from the world as we display our faith.
Acts 5 ESV 40 and when they had called in the apostles, they beat them and charged them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. 41 Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor (atimazō 818 – verb – to dishonour, insult, treat with contempt) for the name. 42 And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching that the Christ is Jesus.
God sends Ananias to Paul at his conversion.
Acts 9 ESV 15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. 16 For I will show him how much he must suffer (paschō 3958 – to undergo, to have an experience – can be applied in a good way or bad way) for the sake of my name.”
The suffering they experienced was because they preached the name of Jesus. It was not a test from God for them to earn favor, blessing, holiness or righteousness.
Romans 8:16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer (sympaschō – 4841 – to suffer or feel pain together) with him in order that we may also be glorified with him (syndoxazō sün-do-ksä’-zō). 18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
Look at Young’s Literal Translation for more clarity.
YLT 17 and if children, also heirs, heirs, indeed, of God, and heirs together of Christ — if, indeed, we suffer together, that we may also be glorified together.
If we’re to suffer with Christ we must ask a few questions about his suffering.
Q: Where did Jesus’ suffering come from?
A 1: The religious who wanted to kill him
A 2: From God on the cross on your behalf
So which kind of suffering can you expect? We will not suffer like Christ on a cross under God’s judgment because that was only for the Messiah to endure on behalf of mankind, so the only suffering that Jesus experienced that we may experience os for our faith in him…not from God.
“To be glorified with him” is not talking about salvation. When you do a study on glorifying God it’s talking about your life putting the focus on Jesus or exalting Jesus. Jesus is glorified when you remain faithful in the face of persecution and suffering which comes as a result of your declaration of faith in Christ.
Persecution, hardship, suffering, loss, death and illness are not methods God uses to develop you into the person he needs or wants you to be. They also do not produce the spiritual fruit in/through you that he desires you to develop. His desired fruit in you is from his spirit within you and his word abiding in you. Your flesh and what you do in the body do not produce God’s spiritual purposes but your endurance in the face of such things can point to him and bring him glory. When you declare the Gospel of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ you may encounter hardship and even death but those results have nothing to do with what God is doing in you by his spirit.
Philippians 1:27 Only let your manner of life be as it becomes the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel; 28 And in nothing terrified by your adversaries: which is to them an evident token of destruction, but to you of salvation, and that of God. 29 For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake; 30 Having the same conflict which you saw in me, and now hear to be in me.
Remaining in faith in Christ is “to you of salvation,” not the enduring of suffering.
2 Timothy 2:11 It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him: 12 If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us: 13 If we believe not, yet he abides faithful: he cannot deny himself.
This is a completely different Greek word for suffer which means: remain, to persevere: under misfortunes and trials to hold fast to one’s faith in Christ. Also, he does not deny us for not suffering properly, he denies us if our faith is not in him. This passage is a perfect example of erroneous doctrines which teach that salvation is related to suffering. In fact we clearly see that faith is the issue in this passage.
This is where an understanding of the Old COvenant rituals and ceremonies are beneficial. A garment, table, lampstand, cup, bowl and even a human was made holy through the proper type of cleansing or sanctification. The right kinds of oils, spices, garments and blood were to be applied to set apart (make holy) a garment, dish or even human. Even under the Old Covenant no human or thing were made holy through works of any kind.
1 Corinthians 15:50 Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.
No works of the flesh, including enduring suffering gain any aspect of the kingdom of God.
Ephesians 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, 26 so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless.
It is God who cleanses us with the sacrifice of Christ and presents us holy to himself. We do not endure suffering or pass tests then go to God to present ourselves for acceptance.
Ephesians 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.
Every aspect of salvation, righteousness and holiness that God requires from humans is by grace through faith, not endurance through suffering. Just because there is instruction about how to handle suffering doesn’t mean it’s from God to accomplish his spiritual purposes. We must not read into scripture something that isn’t there. The fact that you learn patience or perseverance in a trial doesn’t mean that God crafted the trial for you. Patience is a fruit of the spirit. The process is this, while enduring suffering, remain patient because patience (spiritual fruit from God) is what produces the aspect of salvation we attributed to the trial itself.
I pray that this article helps you sort out areas where you still have the flesh, and anything you do in it, connected to the spiritual attributes God requires from you. This of course does not invalidate holy living, it just places the credit where credit is deserved, squarely and fully on Jesus and his death, burial and resurrection.
The post Is It God’s Will for You to Suffer? Is It Necessary for Holiness? appeared first on Forward Ministries.
by Clint Byars
You only allow yourself to think thoughts that match your self-image. The thoughts you choose to dwell on are shaping your life. You can change your entire life by dealing with your thoughts. The way to change your abiding thoughts is to repaint the self-image on your heart to look like Jesus.
Imagine a tornado of thoughts swirling around you, you choose which one to reach out and grab. But first you look at your self portrait to see what you look like, which determines what thought you’ll grab and dwell on.
Do you see yourself as a failure? Guess what thoughts you’ll think
Do you see yourself struggling with your emotions? Guess what thoughts you’ll think
Do you see yourself as fat? Guess what thoughts you’ll think
Do you see yourself as sad? Guess what thoughts you’ll think
Do you see yourself successful? Guess what thoughts you’ll think
Do you see yourself righteous? Guess what thoughts you’ll think
Do you see yourself holy? Guess what thoughts you’ll think
Do you see yourself full of grace and favor? Guess what thoughts you’ll think
Do you see yourself loved by God? Guess what thoughts you’ll think
You already know that your beliefs determine your thoughts and your thoughts determine your choices and actions. But you may not know you don’t have to be a victim of your thoughts. It’s your mind, your life and they’re your choices. Only allow the ones that match your new creation self to roll around in your mind. If you allow your thoughts to be influenced by God’s truths, by your new creation self-image, you will get used to thinking God’s way and you will follow him when he leads because you’ll already think like he’s thinking.
Don’t wait until your point of weakness to seek God, seek him now. Listen to the message below for more on finding grace in weakness. I also address Paul’s thorn in the flesh.
Message Titles
- What is Repentance?
- Think Like Heaven
- Think Like God
- Points of View
- Ambassadors of Heaven
How would your life change if you knew what God was thinking?
Matthew 4:17 From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Jesus launched his public ministry with a call to repentance. To repent is to have a change of mind. We needed to think differently because Jesus was joining people to his kingdom in a way that was not possible before.
Discover how to be spiritually minded and continually walk in the spirit. Being spiritually minded is the key to experiencing life and peace. Believers have been given the mind of Christ which means we can know his thoughts and Think Like Heaven. God doesn’t want you in the dark, wandering around trying to figure out this thing called life. God has given you the gift of a renewed mind and continually speaks to you because you are his children.
Romans 8:6 For to be carnally minded [is] death; but to be spiritually minded [is] life and peace.
In this empowering series, you will:
- Discover true New Covenant repentance
- Develop your spiritual mind
- Think Heaven’s thoughts and let go of carnality
- Have your mind renewed and see the Kingdom
- Come into harmony with God’s thoughts
- Unlock the mystery of walking in the spirit
The post Change Your Life by Choosing Your Thoughts appeared first on Forward Ministries.
by Clint Byars
Religion encourages a change in behavior as proof of holiness. Grace empowers a change in the desires of the heart, which drives behavior. If you leave out the heart, you leave out grace.
The heart craves what it thinks it needs to survive, the flesh seeks to survive without God. The flesh isn’t concerned with truth, only satisfaction, which can masquerade as peace. The heart or the real you knows there is a truth. That’s why it seeks to make sense of things it knows to be wrong or have been promised by God but may not be in our lives. If it’s not in ones life, we will seek a justification, often putting the blame on God.
To experience all of God, our hearts must be fully persuaded of his character and Christ’s finished work.
Many believers still struggle with destructive habits, sin and doubt. Some teach that those are natural issues out of a wicked heart. But we know that God gives believers new hearts that are not wicked. The remaining issue is to root our hearts in his love for us to the degree that our natural cravings and desires change. This is not through our own effort, it’s the fruit of his spirit influencing us, which we must choose to allow.
Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday. Psalm 37:4-6
The post How Do I Make My Heart Soft Toward God So My Natural Desires Change? appeared first on Forward Ministries.
by Clint Byars
Do you want to obey God?
Do you think you’re doing a good job of obeying him?
If you think you’re not doing a good job of obeying God, how do you define obedience?
I would guess that all Christ followers want to obey God but often times we feel like we fall short. This is true for various reasons but one overwhelming reason we feel we’re not obeying God is due to a wrong understanding of obedience.
Look at the Hebrew and Greek definitions of obey:
shama – Hebrew – to hear, to listen, to obey
hypakouō – Greek – to listen, to harken, to submit to
peithō – Greek – to be persuaded, to trust, to have confidence, believe, to listen, to suffer one’s self to be persuaded
The focus is listening and being persuaded. To obey God is to be persuaded of and confidently act on what he has said.
Yes, obedience does have an element of submission but it starts in the heart, where we truly believe. If you have put your trust in Christ as your righteousness then you have obeyed God at the deepest level of obedience. From there, we are to remain confident in his finished work to the point that we are continually submitted to the transformative power of his spirit, which is the very essence of GRACE.
If you want to be obedient to your Heavenly Father, first and foremost do whatever it takes to be fully confident of what Jesus has done for you. In every situation you face in life, persuade yourself of the victory that Jesus has already won and shares with you.
Peithō also happens to be the root word of faith (pistis). Faith is not a commodity that you need to figure out how to get more of to be more spiritual. Faith is something that grows as you are persuaded of what God has done through Jesus and promised in his Word. Jesus says that all things are possible to the one who believes. The more confident you are in him, the more you believe and the more anything becomes possible for you.
Are you actively persuading yourself of your victory in Jesus?
Are you intentionally placing confidence in God’s promises?
What does it take for your heart to be grounded in his truth?
Take 3 minutes and watch this encouraging video. Share it with you friends when you’re done. Below is a free full length teaching on this topic for those who like more detail.
The post Are You Obeying God? appeared first on Forward Ministries.
by Clint Byars
Physicists have a problem, they don’t know why the universe works. They know much about how it works and what it’s made of but are missing the information about why matter behaves in such an organized fashion.
The Standard Model of physics includes quarks, leptons and 4 forces but the model is missing the bits that give it it’s intelligence to function the way it does.
Believers know that the unseen force that holds everything together is God, specifically, the word that God has spoken.
You can use this video in your small group for discussion purposes:
1. Do you believe God can work in your life?
2. How are you limiting God?
3. What would happen if you stopped limiting God?
Like what you hear? You will like this series:
The post Universe Building, Large Hadron Collider Kind of Faith appeared first on Forward Ministries.