Every Spiritual Blessing

God has blessed His people with every spiritual blessing in Christ. To get a handle on how great this is, let’s briefly backtrack to the Old Testament laws and the Kingdom of God in the Sermon on the Mount.

The OT laws were pretty straightforward. They were not impossible to keep. You did not have to be spiritual to keep them. Do not murder. When you build a rooftop, put a fence around it so people don’t fall off. No kidnapping. When you sin, bring the best from the flock to the priests and sacrifice it and your sin will be covered. Keep this feast on this day of this month. The laws are straightforward and mostly about what to do and not to do.

But then Jesus comes along and upsets the applecart (and the moneychangers’ tables). The Jews were pretty situated around their laws and doing their best with them and the many extra traditions added by the scribes and Pharisees.

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Enter Christmas Prepared

As we enter this Christmas season, let’s do it from the solid foundation of scripture. (But then that’s how we’re to approach all of life, isn’t it?) So, what does the Bible say about the Christ Child? We already know that the season is primarily a commercial enterprise. Everybody gets stressed as they ponder what to buy, they’ll stress over the crowds at the malls and over Black Friday sales and their dwindling checking accounts, stress over being alone during the holidays. The tinsel and merry-making are masking a lot of sleepless nights.

But we have an advantage. We have a God who loved us and came in the flesh to save us. Before we approach this season based on warm feelings, memories of family traditions, home for the holidays, putting up decorations, fresh baking smells, sentimental songs, beautiful decorations, and gift-giving — before all this, let’s start with the facts of the Savior’s birth and what the implications are for us.

There’s a way to go through this season and give God the glory. I separated my observations into two groups: 1) Jesus’ birth fulfilled prophecy, and 2) Jesus’ birth is God becoming man. Continue reading

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Musing on recent news as it relates to end-times prophecy

Thousands of northern Europeans are conducting cashless and cardless transactions by using an implanted device the size of a grain of rice. These recipients are the testing ground for the technology the antichrist figure will possibly use to flush out certain Christians, those faithful to the Lord who will not take the mark. This cashless system will also be a means for the Lord to test His saints — will they choose this present world or the kingdom of God?

An increasing number of grocery stores are incorporating checkout self-serve scanning devices to replace human cashiers. Next up will be various means of scanning without cash or cards. All retail businesses will be herded into a cashless state, and these grocers are a visible reminder of that. No one will be able to buy or sell unless the person had the mark in the right hand or forehead. How do we get ready for supporting ourselves in this system? Continue reading

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The Way, the Truth, and the Life

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me (John 14:6).

How can we understand this verse, these three aspects of Jesus? This passage takes place while Jesus is with His disciples in the upper room, just shortly before they leave for Gethsemane to be betrayed by Judas. Jesus told them several minutes earlier that He was leaving. That saddened them. That’s when this chapter starts and Jesus tells them not to be troubled. As part of His encouragement to them, He reveals this phrase about Himself.  Continue reading

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The Stories Continue

Some atheists attack the bible, saying it is full of fiction. The stories of God working in people’s lives are not true, they say. But the stories did not stop with the book of Acts. The biblical canon stopped with the book of Revelation, but the stories of God moving continue on today.

The missionary reports tell of a God who is still at work. Our home bible meetings divulge personal experiences of God moving still. Our own lives are testimonies that Jesus has risen. Continue reading

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Mindfulness

Sit comfortably in a quiet place. Breathe in deeply, count 1, then release. Repeat until all stress is gone and you are refreshed.

Is mindfulness pop psychology? My medical (IPO) sent me a slickly designed card with a handy card containing a mindfulness prompt to relieve stress.

There are countless coloring books for adults (in paper and app) with intricate designs where we can color between the lines, and take our minds off our daily problems. Their repetitiveness and simplicity are soothing and calming. Continue reading

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Life in the Kingdom, book 2 — Excerpt from Steve’s latest book

This is an excerpt from my latest book, Life in the Kingdom, book 2. Learn more about it here.

A Father’s Fury

18:5–6 “Whoever receives one such little child in my name receives me, but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to stumble, it would be better for him that a huge millstone should be hung around his neck, and that he should be sunk in the depths of the sea.”

God has invested so much time and effort in creating a person to be like His Son that He pronounces dire judgment upon those who undo His work of salvation. It will be better that the stumblers be drowned deep in the sea than face what they will experience at the Judgment Seat. God so appreciates and loves all the work we expend to trust and obey Him, to fight the battles we fight to stand for Him, to cut off all those elements of sin to honor Him above all, that He will be furious at those who unravel all of our and His hard work. Continue reading

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End-times prophecy roundup

Musing on recent news as it relates to end-times prophecy.

Thousands of northern Europeans are conducting cashless and cardless transactions by using an implanted device the size of a grain of rice. These recipients are the testing ground for the technology the antichrist figure could possibly use to flush out certain Christians, those faithful to the Lord who will not take the mark. This cashless system will also be a means for the Lord to test His saints — will they choose this present world or the kingdom of God? Continue reading

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Letter to my pen pals, July 2019

Grace and peace are multiplied to us through knowing Jesus (2 Peter 1:2-4). In some way, the more we know of him, the more his power is given. We may know ourselves and our weaknesses very well. We may be able to point to any number or weaknesses as reasons why we can’t do more or believe more or be more like him. The more we fixate on our inabilities or the circumstances, the less we feel we can do.

But grace comes, aid comes, through knowing him more, not self more. It comes through knowing him, not by trying harder with the hopelessness of our failures dragging us down. Continue reading

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The Our Father Prayer, part 2

Let me first point out how unusual this prayer is. We’ve heard it so often that we forget something: these are not thoughts that the average person would think of. Apart from Christ, we would not say these things on our own. These are words directed to God, and we in our sin would never think this way.

The Bible tells us that we all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Here’s the prayer life of those who have been restored to God. They care about honoring God. They want to stay close to their heavenly Father. They want Him to rule in His kingdom. They want to do His will. Having these desires indicates a healthy spiritual life.

This prayer can awaken or shape these desires in the child of God, but not when it is said as a matter of repetitious religious routine. When God’s ways are earnestly sought, then these words of the Our Father prayer will transform us. They will give us new light about our relationship with God and each other. We can use this prayer as a model for your own time of prayer, but in our own words. Continue reading

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My ebooks are 75% off throughout the month of July 2019!

Life in the Kingdom, book 1

Life in the Kingdom, book 1

Several of my e-books have been reduced in price at Smashwords, which hosts my ebooks. Doubt Busters, Life in the Kingdom (book 1), Steps of a Disciple, and Ready for a Reward are available at a reduced price this July.

You can read more information about these books on this page. 

 

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Meditation: Colossians 1:26-29

1:26 Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:

God raised up Paul to teach what had not been revealed in the Old Testament. However, how could Paul know about this mystery when men and angels have never gotten wind of it? How do you faithfully teach what God has never revealed before from ages and from generations in His own holy book?

Jesus came and pulled back the curtains to reveal the mystery God wanted to show us. He gave us a box called the Kingdom of God, and gave us instructions on what to do with it. We still have those instructions in the gospels. They give a fuller picture of God’s vision of the coming kingdom than we see in the OT. Continue reading

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Strengthen Yourself

When I was lethargic, low on energy, or just feeling the blahs, I would watch TV, putter around the house, or waste my time in other ways. In the back of my mind, though, I knew there was spiritual power waiting for me if I wanted it. Unfortunately, I kept taking the easy way out. I decided to do something different and seek God for a recharge. But how? Continue reading

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Letter to my pen pals, February 2019

A new year has started, and with it new possibilities. I know, that sounds like a corny Hallmark card. Like the happily-ever-after of a fairy tale. Some people have a right to be skeptical. But not Christians. With a risen Savior, a happily ever after is guaranteed. Because God is for us and His mercies are new every morning, every day that begins with faith in God’s promises is a fresh start. Continue reading

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For to us a child is born

About 700 years before the Word was made flesh, God revealed details about the Savior of the world so we would know what He would be like. In Isaiah 9:6–7 we find these words:

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.

He is given several names here to whet the Jews’ appetites for the promised Messiah. We can see these names when Jesus shone His light in the darkness during His ministry throughout Israel. Continue reading

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Attitudes of Faith

What does faith feel like? How do you know when you have it? As I was praying about my faith, several aspects of my faith over the years came to mind. I had demonstrated faith in different ways, but they all had one thing in common: they all moved me to action or to making decisions that honored God and His word.

Faith’s definition in the Bible does not mean to believe without proof. It means to have a conviction that something is so. So make sure you don’t apply modern definitions to this book written thousands of year ago.

Why is it important to examine our faith life? Because Hebrews 11:6 tells us that without faith it is impossible to please God. Also, the Holy Spirit in the believer teaches us that salvation is played out in a life of faith, as Roman 1:17 tells us, “the just shall live by faith.” This means that we are living unrighteously if we live according to our five senses and feelings, as though the unseen world does not exist. Living by faith means that we live our lives with the unseen God in view. Continue reading

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How were people saved before Christ came?

When you research this question on the internet, you’ll find that most answers address the example of the Jewish population, which had prophets and the scriptures to guide them to God. Almost none of the articles talk about what happens to those outside the Jewish faith, making their answers unsatisfactory.  Continue reading

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Put on the Whole Armor of God

After I finished reading In Christ Jesus: The Sphere of the Believer’s Life, by Arthur Tappan Pierson, I gained a greater appreciation for the salvation that Christ has accomplished for us. I highly recommend you read the free, online version of this short book here: https://www.whatsaiththescripture.com/Voice/In.Christ.Jesus.1.html The thoughts in that book gave rise to a new perspective on the Armor of God for the Christian, which follows. Continue reading

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What benefits do we get for becoming a Christian?

Here is a short list, in no particular order:

  • When you become a Christian, it is because you have admitted the truth, that you are a sinner, and your sins have separated you from God. This opens the door to yielding to God for forgiveness, and enter into all the blessings.
  • We are forgiven all of our past sins. This means we have a new past that has been wiped clean of past wrongs.
  • We develop a confidence in God whereas before it was confidence in a church.
  • God justifies us. This means that we have been declared righteous, not just forgiven.
  • With sins forgiven, we enter into a right relationship with God. (This beats having a bad relationship with God.)
  • That nagging guilt for our wrongdoing is washed away. Our guilty conscience is eased.
  • God opens our eyes in a special way to understand the lessons in the Word of God, the Bible.
  • God reveals His will to us. We don’t have to wonder why we are here any more. We become aware of our life’s purpose.
  • God gives us a new identity. We don’t have to wonder who we are any more.
  • God saves us from the power of death, for through Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection, we will rise again from the dead. We are sealed with the Holy Spirit; we are guaranteed to be raised from the dead.
  • We lose the fear of death and look forward to eternity with God.
  • We receive the Holy Spirit of God, and He teaches us the things of God that we could not grasp with our natural understanding. We understand the spiritual things we could not understand as atheists or agnostics.
  • God imputes His own righteousness to us. We cannot improve on this righteousness by our good works.
  • God promises an eternal inheritance to His children who prove themselves faithful to Him.
  • We are put into His body on earth, and have the privilege of being used by God on earth.
  • He delivers us from the deceptions and power of our enemies, of Satan and his demons.
  • He delivers us from the power of sin in us. We find the ability to overcome the bad behavior we couldn’t control before.
  • He transforms our character into the true human beings we were meant to be. From selfish to loving. From impatient to patient. From scornful to compassionate. From religious to spiritual.
  • We develop hope in the life to come, where we had none. We develop an assurance that there is more to life than this, and we will live forever.
  • We escape Hell and the Lake of Fire.
  • We discover first-hand the working of God in our lives.
  • We are accepted in the Beloved.
  • We find prayers answered in a way they never were.
  • We start to understand that the Bible has nuances the ordinary person misses. Life is not so simple. The Bible shines light on our personal life, and through it we discover that God is guiding us.
  • We are translated into the kingdom of His Dear Son.
  • We learn to love God as our Father. A wonderful thing for those who never had a father who loved them. We learn to rest in His love.
  • We no longer liken prayer as talking to a brick wall. Prayer becomes meaningful. God becomes more substantial.
  • We learn to love the Bible and appreciate it in a way we never did before. God reveals His mysterious ways to us.
  • God shows us mercy. This is way better than having the haunting fear that God is holding a big stick over our heads for doing wrong.
  • We experience the difference between being merely culturally religious vs. being a spiritual child of God.

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The Our Father Prayer: Hallowed Be Thy Name

Excerpt from Life in the Kingdom, book 1
https://stevehusting.com/doubtbusters/steves-books/

Pray Like This
Matthew 6:9a Pray like this

Notice that Jesus does not say “pray these words,” but “pray in this manner.” There’s nothing wrong with praying these words; we just don’t need to pray exactly these words. We don’t need a script. We don’t need a book of prayers. We may speak to God as naturally as we speak to one another. Jesus has opened the way. When He died on the cross, the veil in the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. This means God opened the way into His presence through faith in Jesus. This is the true kingdom of God: we can talk directly to Him.

Now let’s see in what manner Jesus wants us to pray. In verses 9-10 Jesus starts the prayer with God and His will. I don’t know about you, but I usually start with me and what I want! When we pray in Jesus’ manner, however, we pray for God and His will first and our needs second.

Our Father
Matthew 6:9 Pray like this: Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy.

We don’t find “Father” used of God very much in the Old Testament. The Psalms uses it twice in reference to God being a Father to the fatherless. Isaiah calls him The Everlasting Father in 9:6, referring to Jesus, and he calls God “our Father” in 63:16 and 64:8. But when we come to the Gospel of John we find God referred to as “the Father” over a hundred times! The Gospel of John is unique in that it persistently portrays Jesus as the Son of the Father. Jesus loved to use this term when addressing God. Continue reading

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After the Easter Story: Resurrection Power and the Christian

Edited contents taken from Living with the End in View, book 2, by Steve Husting
http://www.lulu.com/shop/steve-husting/living-with-the-end-in-view-book-2/paperback/product-753096.html

The death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ is the defining aspect of the Christian faith. No other religion has this story of God dying for sinners. Yet the result of that resurrection — the aftermath of power available to us through the resurrection — is missing from the lives of most Christians. It’s like we heard enough of the gospel story to accept Jesus as our Savior, but not enough to live by the resurrection life and power He came to give us. When He ascended to heaven, He did not intend for us to fend for ourselves until we die and wait to be raised up to heaven. No. His death, burial and resurrection have an immediate effect on those who believe; He sends the Holy Spirit to dwell in us and make that new life a reality. Let’s look closer at the work of the resurrection in our lives. Continue reading

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In Matthew 5:17, Doesn’t Jesus contradict the NT authors about the law continuing forever?

Here is the passage in Matthew 5:17-19:

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”

Yet in the gospels Jesus does not appear to be preparing us for a time when the law or any portion of it will be done away with. In apparent contradiction to Jesus, Paul teaches that the law has come to an end (Romans 10:4; Galatians 3:13; 5:1-4). How do we reconcile Jesus’ words with Paul’s? Continue reading

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Did Jesus really mean it when he said to remove the eye or hand if we can’t stop sinning?

Here is the passage: “If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off, and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life maimed or crippled, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into the eternal fire. If your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out, and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into the Gehenna of fire.” (Matthew 18:8-9). Continue reading

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Why are some prayers not answered?

The Bible gives us several reasons why prayers may not be answered. Here are a few. In addition, we can learn to live a life of answered prayer. I’ll cover that later.

If we have enough faith to pray, but then are unbelieving about the issue, then go back and forth, then we won’t receive anything from the Lord. James 1:6-8 tells us, “But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.” Continue reading

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How can you prepare yourself for the rapture?

Jesus told us how in Matthew 24:36–51. There, Jesus told his disciples to “watch therefore, for you do not know” when he will come again. Then Jesus gives us two examples of what it means to watch and not watch.

In 24:43–44, the man of the house knows a burglar is coming to rob him. So he makes preparation to defend his home and his life. We have an enemy who wishes to rob us of our spiritual blessings. The one who is ready, therefore, will be protecting his faith.  Continue reading

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Why was Jesus against the Pharisees so much?

We don’t have very far to look to find out why Jesus and the Pharisees clashed; He pointed out their flaws repeatedly. Let’s look at a few, for the reasons He had against the Pharisees are the same general reasons He has against all religions. Continue reading

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Continuing in faith

“As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him” (Colossians 2:6).

How did we receive Christ the Lord? When we heard the gospel and received it by faith. We realized that we were in need of a savior to save us from our sins. We knew we did not have it in us to save ourselves. God presented His Son to us and we believed, and were saved.

It was not supposed to stop there. We were not to go on in our own strength. We were to continue to believe. The Spirit will continue to show us where we are lacking. In those cases, we are to acknowledge our inability and find in Christ the ability. Continue reading

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Happy in the Kingdom

[This is a book excerpt from Life in the Kingdom: The Gospel According to Jesus in the Book of Matthew, by Steve Husting, in  print now, then ebook soon.]

Introduction

Normally, we think that we can be happy only when certain pleasant conditions are met, such as everything going our way, or doing a fun activity we like to do, or just having peace between times of stress.

With the kingdom of God, the times of happiness are dramatically broadened. The verses at the beginning of Matthew chapter five begin with the word blessed, which means happy, fortunate, or well off. Therefore, in the kingdom of God people can be happy though poor, mourning, meek, hungering for righteousness, merciful, pure in heart, a peacemaker, or persecuted. These are not normal areas for happiness. Who is happy when they have been mistreated or wronged? Rather than being merciful with a smile, the normal response is revenge, anger, or be scared. How can there be happiness in these situations? Continue reading

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Using logic and reason to share the gospel?

Some Christians are frustrated when using arguments of logic and reason, such as from nature, to prove the existence of God or convince a person to become a Christian. The problem with this approach is that it does not take into account the corruption of our faculties, including our reasoning faculties, by sin. Our reasoning abilities don’t exist in a vacuum. Because of the polluted root at the base of our reasoning, our arguments will be co-opted by the flesh and not formed on purely logical grounds. Let’s see some examples. Continue reading

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Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

I recently re-watched the movie, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. I found in this viewing some uneasy parallels with today’s church. In this episode, the Ministry of Magic took over the running of the Hogwarts school, denying the return of the enemy, He-who-shall-not-be-named (Voldemort), which occurred in the previous movie. The ministry made many efforts to squash any affirmation of his existence.

The Defense of Magic teacher was replaced by a Ministry official, Dolores Umbridge, who taught that the mere theory of defense was good enough to learn, as there was no enemy to defend against anyway. This was disturbing on several levels because it mirrors the affair of the church at present. Seminary-trained teachers have entered our pulpits and insist that there is no spiritual enemy. He-who-shall-not-be-named (Satan) does not exist as a literal person, and he and hell are only metaphors of evil or error. Continue reading

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