bible study jude 24

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Document produced by SDA Christians – Members of the Preaching Place – Final Messengers

Preface

One morning when on my knees, I experienced an overwhelming desire that was felt throughout my

entire body, this desire was to overcome sin, and remove anything in my life that caused me to sin. I

can’t express through the English language the intensity of the desire, all I know is that every time I

got down on my knees and spent time at the foot of the cross, this desire grew stronger and

stronger leaving me with a hunger for knowledge that I’ve never had before. All I wanted to know

was what I needed to do in order to walk on this earth with Jesus. I wanted to know what it meant

to surrender, to die daily, and to crucify my flesh with its lusts and affections, and I didn’t want to

just know it, I wanted to live it.

Someone shared this analogy with me:

Q: Who would win in a battle between Jesus and Satan?

Me: It wouldn't even be a battle, there is no contest, Jesus wins hands down, the Creator vs. the

created.

Q: So if there is no contest, what would happen to all of your trials and tribulations if you died to

self, and allowed Jesus fully into your life?

Me: booooooooy, if I allowed Jesus to deal with them, then it would be game over for Satan's hold

over me with lust, anger, judging... everything

Q: I die daily! The real question is, do we know what it means to die to self, to surrender

EVERYTHING that Satan causes us to delight in that isn't of God? Do we know what it means to

spend time at the cross, meditating on what Jesus did?

Me: humbled

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Bible Study – Can we overcome sin?

Overview

This study researches the following points:

- Can we overcome sin?

- If so, how?

- And if so, when?

The 16 day plan is a guide that will help you get through the document as a whole.

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Abstract

The first thing to be learned by all who would become workers together with God is the lesson of

self-distrust; then they are prepared to have imparted to them the character of Christ. This is not to

be gained through education in the most scientific schools. It is the first fruit of wisdom that is

obtained from the divine teacher alone. (DA 249.4)

It is of paramount importance to daily surrender our will to God, by continually seeking His face.

There we find a love that cannot be completely comprehended with finite minds, but should cause

us to hate and want to remove the very thing that is tearing us away from God; sin.

‘‘Now, while our great High Priest is making the atonement for us, we should seek to become perfect

in Christ. Not even by a thought could our Saviour be brought to yield to the power of temptation.

Satan finds in human hearts some point where he can gain a foothold; some sinful desire is

cherished, by means of which his temptations assert their power. But Christ declared of Himself: ‘The

prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in Me.’ John 14:30. Satan could find nothing in the Son

of God that would enable him to gain the victory. He had kept His Father's commandments, and

there was no sin in Him that Satan could use to his advantage. This is the condition in which those

must be found who shall stand in the time of trouble. {GC 623.1}’’

Focus point: Imagine if we got to the stage in our walk with God, where our minds are so

subdued with God that not even one evil lie of a thought Satan puts in our minds has any

time to incubate, but is swiftly rebuked! How beautiful would that be?

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Day 1: Can we overcome sin? The Bible is filled with texts that directly command us to hate, remove and rebuke sin. This study

focuses on one of the most potent verses in the Bible that is so clear cut; there can be no mistake in

understanding the simple message.

- Jude v24

o Now unto Him who is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless

before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy

One can imagine a young child who’s just finished making a toy out of playdo, then runs joyfully to

his parents to show them what he’s made. Similar to this is the joy Jesus wants to express by

presenting us faultless to the Father. Further to this point, the text makes it clear Jesus is able to

keep us from falling, which leaves the question:

- How is Jesus able to keep us from falling?

o To gain full understanding from Jude v24, one must first understand the context of

the chapter; why is it written, and to whom it was written for.

The purpose of this study is to show us that we can, and should aspire to having complete victory over sin. Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, (Jude 1:24 KJV) The above passage will be broken down into 9 separate sections:

• Now

• Unto him

• Who is able

• To keep you

• From falling

• And

• To present you faultless

• Before the presence of his glory

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(Now)

What does it mean when the text says 'now'? Definition of 'now'; 1. at the present time or moment: You are now using a dictionary. 2. Without further delay; immediately; at once: Either do it now or not at all. The word 'now', literally means to do something at the present moment of time, immediately, without delay or at once. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(Unto Him)

Who is this 'Him' that the text is referring to? The book of Matthew gives us an introduction to this person; And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. (Matthew 1:21 KJV) Just from reading this verse, we can see that it is Jesus, that will come and save 'His' people from their sins. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(Who is able)

We already know the 'who', so we will now focus on the being 'able'. Able: having necessary power, skill, resources, or qualifications; qualified: able to lift a two-hundred-pound weight; able to write music; able to travel widely; able to vote. When someone is able, it means they can do something, it does not necessarily mean they will do it. The text is telling us that Jesus can, is willing to, and has the ability to 'keep us from falling'. The fact that text tells us he 'is able' and not 'he will' means that there must be something to be done on our side (a determining factor). So this leads to the question: What do we need to do, in order for Jesus, to do what the Bible says he 'is able' to do? This will be answered further into the study. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(To keep you from falling)

To fall means: to come or drop down suddenly to a lower position, especially to leave a standing or erect position suddenly, whether voluntarily or not: to fall on one's knees. Genesis 3 informs us of the 'fall of man', and how sin separated man from God. The concluding point here is; Jesus is able to 'keep' us from falling/sinning. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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(And)

The word 'and' tells us that Jesus not only wants to keep us from sinning, but he wants to do something else too. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(To present you faultless)

This shows us that Jesus wants to now 'present' us in our new state. Faultless means to be without flaw or defect, or in this sense, be without sin. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(Before the presence of his glory)

This is speaking of where we are going to be presented in our sinless-state. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(With exceeding joy)

This shows us the joy that Jesus shares in presenting us 'before the presence of His Glory'

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Day 2: Understanding the context of Jude 1:24

- Jude v1: Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to them that are sanctified

by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called

o Within this passage there are four key words, ‘servant’, ‘sanctified’,

‘preserved’ and ‘called’. In order to understand the full context in relation to

Jude v24, let us first break down the meanings of these words in their

simplest form.

- Is a servant proud or humble?

2 Chronicles 7:14-15 ‘If my people, which are called by my name, shall

humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their

wicked ways; THEN WILL I HEAR FROM HEAVEN, AND WILL FORGIVE THEIR

SIN, AND WILL HEAL THEIR LAND… Now mine eyes shall be open, and mine

ears attent unto the prayer that is made in this place.

Question: Why do we pray? Further to this - If a proud, cocky and boastful person is in a fight, and

some of his opponent’s friends jump in to help, he will never ask for help, why? Because his pride

will keep him from realising his need for help. In contrast, a humble person will always realise his

need for Jesus Christ, which is why we must be servants, humble, realising our need for prayer,

seeking His face with fervent desire. By seeking His face, we realise how beautiful God is, there a

love begins to build so strong, it naturally causes us to hate sin with venomous passion.

- Sanctified - means Holy

o 1 Corinthians 6:11 (Just after it’s listed many sins) some of you were once like that.

But you were cleansed; you were made Holy, you were made right with God by

calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

When we go through temptations, when we call on Jesus’ name and the

Spirit of God rescues us, why? For we have called His name. Why would we

call out for help? Because we are humble and realise we can’t overcome by

our might, so our callings are our short prayers in the midst of the spiritual

battle. As we pray those swift prayers in the midst of the battle, whose face

are we seeking? And by seeking His face, He gives us the strength to turn

from our wicked ways.

- Preserved – preserved means ‘well kept’, ‘unspoiled’

o What are we preserved from? Sin!

- And called

o Acts 2:39 (Peter had just finished preaching), the crowd asked what shall we do, his

reply was ‘Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for

the remission of sins! And ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. V39 For the

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promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many

as the Lord our God shall call.

So it’s God that calls, but who does God call? (Mathew 22:3-4) , whether

everyone hears this calling is another question

It is important to understand God has a plan for each and every one of our

lives: Jeremiah 1:5 ‘Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before

thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee’

Unfortunately, many are called, few are chosen Mathew 22:14

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Day 3 - If so, how can we overcome sin – part 1?

In order for one to answer this question, one must first understand our sinful nature, which then

beckons the question:

- When will we be made perfect?

o Read: 1 Corinthians 15: 50-54

o Yes we are changed in the twinkling of an eye, the real question is, what will be

changed?

“...even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to

wit, the redemption of our body.” Romans8:23

o So if our bodies will be made perfect only when God comes, what needs to happen

in order for Jesus to keep us from falling according to Jude v24?

o Further, what about our Character? When is that changed FULLY... When we get to

heaven?

"A character formed according to the divine likeness is the only treasure

that we can take from this world to the next. Those who are under the

instruction of Christ in this world will take every divine attainment with

them to the heavenly mansions. And in heaven we are continually to

improve. How important, then, is the development of character in this life."

COL p332

o Is ‘character’ something we just get when we go to heaven?

"The characters we form here will decide our eternal destiny." R&H June11,

1901

"No unlikeness to Christ will be permitted in the holy city. The process of

gaining perfection of character is to be carried on in this life, that we may be

prepared for the future immortal life. It is God’s purpose that His church on

earth shall reach perfection. It is essential that His directions be strictly

obeyed.... We must act like saints toward one another, preparing ourselves,

drilling ourselves, to be without fault in character, without spot or wrinkle or

any such thing.—Letter 67, 1905"

"This goody-goody religion that makes light of sin and that is forever

dwelling upon the love of God to the sinner, encourages the sinner to

believe that God will save him while he continues in sin and he knows it to

be sin. This is the way that many are doing who profess to believe present

truth. The truth is kept apart from their life, and that is the reason it has no

more power to convict and convert the soul. There must be a straining of

every nerve and spirit and muscle to leave the world, its customs, its

practices, and its fashions.... {3SM 155.1}

"When Christ shall come, our vile bodies are to be changed, and made like

His glorious body; but the vile character will not be made holy then. The

transformation of character must take place before His coming. Our natures

must be pure and holy; we must have the mind of Christ, that He may

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behold with pleasure His image reflected upon our souls..." {OHC

278.3}

"Nothing but holiness will prepare you for heaven. It is sincere, experimental

piety alone that can give you a pure, elevated character and enable you to

enter into the presence of God, who dwelleth in light unapproachable. The

heavenly character must be acquired on earth, or it can never be acquired at

all.

Then begin at once. Flatter not yourself that a time will come when you can

make an earnest effort easier than now. Every day increases your distance

from God. Prepare for eternity with such zeal as you have not yet

manifested. Educate your mind to love the Bible, to love the prayer meeting,

to love the hour of meditation, and, above all, the hour when the soul

communes with God. Become heavenly-minded if you would unite with the

heavenly choir in the mansions above." {2T 267.2}

God is guaranteeing the universe will be free of sin. For the rest of

eternity.

"Without perfection of character no one can enter the pearly gates of the

city of God, for if, with all our imperfections, we were permitted to enter

that city, there would soon be in heaven a second rebellion. We must first

be tried and chosen, and found faithful and true. Upon the purification of

our character rests our only hope of eternal life. - Sermons and Talks Vol2

p294

The guarantee of a universe free from sin for the rest of eternity. Only

those who are absolutely determined in their character to never sin again

are coming in. When Christ returns and we are changed in the twinkling of

an eye. What will be changed is our vile body which will be made to

correspond to the perfect sinless character we have developed, corruption

will put on incorruption.

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- To understand where sin dwells, and why we keep sinning read Romans 7:14-24

o Note, even when we do ‘good’ evil is present with us v21

Even when preaching, giving Bible studies, listening to someone in distress

comforting them, evil is still present with us! (These points are studied in

more depth in the following sections)

So what is the answer, how do we actually overcome sin?

o Rev 12:11 And they overcame by the blood of the lamb, and by the word of their

testimony and they loved not their lives unto the death

The blood is what symbolically washes away our sins, for our sins to be

forgiven it requires faith so that our sins are washed away. When studying

this text never forget the simple message, it’s Jesus’ blood that cleanses us,

it’s because of Jesus why we even have a testimony, it’s because of Jesus

why we don’t love our lives to the death.

In light of this, let’s take a deeper look at the text. If we are to not only

overcome by the blood, but by the ‘word of our testimony’ also, the

question is; what obstacle would need to be in our way, in order for us to

‘overcome’ by the word of our testimony also? Look at how Jesus was

tempted by Satan: ‘IF… you be the Son of God’. In Satan using the word ‘if’

he attempted to cast doubt on our Saviours mind, trying to get Him to

question whether He really was the Son of God. In like manor, might it be

that one of Satan’s greatest deceptions in the last days is to get us to doubt

God’s power to save us from sin? Might our faith in what God has done for

us in our personal lives be so sorely tempted, that many of us may lack the

faith required to keep us so cocooned in Jesus’ love that when Satan attacks

us at our weak points, for e.g. lust, jealousy, anger etc. because our faith is

so weak, he is then able to gain a strong foothold in our lives meaning we

are overcome by sin, rather than overcoming by faith in Jesus.

o – What does this actually mean in a practical sense?

A personal testimony: From my personal experience spending time focusing my mind on the cross,

not even saying a word but visualising Christ on the cross. God often takes my mind away to a quiet

place where I am hugging the bottom of the cross; the blood trickles down from Jesus’ feet unto my

body which symbolises the purification of sin as I utter prayers asking for forgiveness of my sins.

Recently I have learned to ask in faith, whilst wrestling with God in prayer. Some times when going

through trials, God delays in answering my prayers of help for a few moments, and I’ve often

wondered, why? Sometimes God delays to help in the midst of the battle to work patience and faith

in us. Like Shadrack, Meschack and Abendigo, they had a faith that caused them to get to the ‘but if

not stage’ yet I will still follow! After reading James 1:2-7, I realised that our trials should be a joyous

occasion. At first glance at this text I found myself perplexed, I couldn’t quite figure out how, through

my many trials and temptations I could count this on joy. For example, if I’m in a busy area and

Satan puts an attractive young lady in front of me wearing next to nothing, because lust has been my

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weakness, I didn’t understand how I could count this on joy. So one morning I asked God, how do I

count it on joy when I go through these trials? He didn’t answer my prayer straight away like normal,

there was no thought put in my head by the Holy Spirit, neither a vision explaining my question, so I

carried on through the day. Later that morning when I was doing my work, Satan attacked me with

filthy lustful thoughts, but because I had spent time at the foot of the cross, asking God in faith to

crucify my flesh, and asking Him to show me every time Satan attacks me, as soon as the temptation

came, my only thought was to look spiritually to God. (Note, strength came when I looked to God…

many of us struggle with temptations because we try to fight, instead of fighting, look up to where

your strength comes from). There Satan could do nothing but flee as I rebuked Him in Jesus name.

The problem is there are times when I don’t stick on my armour like I should, and don’t pray like I

should, so by doing so I push away God and am so susceptible to falling. Another morning I fell to a

typical sin and found myself asking God, why do I keep falling, why do I find it so hard to study, why

do I find it so hard to pray 3x a day like He showed me to. The Holy Spirit showed me… seek me in

love, not because you regimentally feel you have to. Sometimes it’s easy to think, in order to be

saved, I must study, I must pray, I must do this and that, and not do this. In essence, yes studying the

Bible and prayer are necessities but they can easily become our idols if we do not pursue them with

love. This opens the way for a Pharisees approach to life, getting caught up in ritual rather than a

beautiful relationship with Jesus Christ. On one side yes I believe we need a structured prayer life,

but on the other side never forget the greatest commandment, to love the Lord with all your heart

mind and soul.

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The beautiful surrendering prayers

- Surrender

o The definition of surrender is: to give up in favour of another

So what are we to give up?

o ‘He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find

it.’ Mathew 10:39

How beautiful it is to completely and utterly give up everything in this world

for the One that created us. What is the point of vainly pursuing a career

trying to make as much money as possible, what is the point in living on the

limit trying to afford rent, a mortgage, monthly car payments, the latest

‘garms’ to look fashionable, then Jesus comes, and asks, the homeless

person you walked by but didn’t stop for, where were you? What was more

important than feeding your brother at that moment? Your sister that

started to lose faith, where was you to help her, hug her, encourage her?

Apart From The Risk of Rebellion Rising a 2nd Time... Why Must We Develop a Godly Character

fully?

- "For the LORD thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God." Deut4:24

- “If you cling to self, refusing to yield your will to God, you are choosing death. To sin,

wherever found, God is a consuming fire. If you choose sin, and refuse to separate from it,

the presence of God, which consumes sin, must consume you.” Thoughts from the Mount

of Blessing p62

- “... Our will is to be yielded to Him, that we may receive it again, purified and refined, and so

linked in sympathy with the Divine that He can pour through us the tides of His love and

power. However bitter and painful this surrender may appear to the wilful, wayward heart,

yet “it is profitable for thee" Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing p61-62

- What does it mean to surrender?

o Read Romans 7: 18-25

V18, where does sin dwell?

V20, do we have control over what we do?

V21, even when we’re doing the so called good things, preaching, bible

studies, helping the poor… evil is still present with us!

V23, link with Galatians 5:17 (Link later to no more warring! Victory!)

V24, notice he says, ‘‘who’’ shall deliver me from this body of death

V25, we now have the answer, Jesus Christ

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Note, he (Paul) states, ‘so then with the mind I myself serve the law

of God

On the other hand… ‘but with the flesh the law of sin’

Whilst in prayer, surrendering our will/mind to God, something

needs to happen to the flesh…

Read Galatian’s 5:24 ‘And they that are Christ’s have CRUCIFIED the

flesh with the affections and lusts

o If something or someone is crucified, what happens? Are

they not dead?

o Read Romans 8:8-10

V8, you cannot please God if you have not crucified your flesh

V9, a clear distinction is made! You are either for God or against God

V10, bingo! Do you believe Christ can be in you? So if Christ is in you, your

body is dead, why? The wages of sin is death, Christ paid that penalty by

submitting His will to God the Fathers, therefore He offered himself the

perfect sacrifice by being crucified. Thus likewise, as followers of Christ, we

must follow Him on the cross, and die there too, die to self that Christ may

live. WHAT WONDOROUS LOVE IS THIS, HE DIED PHYSICALLY, THAT WE

DON’T HAVE TO EXPERIENCE TRUE DEATH, COMPLETE SEPERATION FROM

GOD! Our death is a spiritual death, death of the flesh unto Christ Jesus our

Lord and Saviour.

o In concluding the point regarding surrendering: What must I do to be saved?

…Believe! On who? …The Lord Jesus Christ! What must we do to surrender? Believe

that when you pray, asking God to crucify your flesh that it no longer lives but God in

you, understand that in faith it is done!

o So if our flesh is dead with one faithful prayer, why then does the apostle Paul state,

‘I die daily’?

If somebody is shot dead, therefore a funeral service is planned, how can

this person die again, if they are already dead?

- Peter’s fall was not instantaneous, but gradual. Self-confidence led him to the belief that he

was saved, and step after step was taken in the downward path, until he could deny his

Master. Never can we safely put confidence in self or feel, this side of heaven, that we are

secure against temptation. Those who accept the Saviour, however sincere their conversion,

should never be taught to say or to feel that they are saved. [Note: It is the privilege of the

Christian to know that on his acceptance of Christ he is saved from his sins and can rejoice in

this salvation. But neither the Scriptures nor the Spirit of Prophecy writings supports the

popular teaching: “Once saved, always saved.” A person may be saved today, but failing to

keep his eyes on Jesus and to grow daily in Him, may become self-confident and be lost

tomorrow. The apostle Paul declared, “I die daily.” In a sense, conversion is a daily

experience. {NL 41.1} 1 Corinthians 15:31-34.

- Study carefully the warning drawn from the lesson in Peter’s life. Read it in its full context

and in conjunction with the similar statement that follows. You will find the perplexing

passage to be self-explanatory. Our Lord would have each Christian rejoice freely in his

salvation, the salvation he enjoys daily. And when asked, “Are you saved?” He can with

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assurance answer yes. He will explain that this experience is one that results in constant

dependence on God and in daily Christian growth.—White Trustees.] This is misleading.

Everyone should be taught to cherish hope and faith; but even when we give ourselves to

Christ and know that He accepts us, we are not beyond the reach of temptation. God’s Word

declares, “Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried” (Daniel 12:10). Only he who

endures the trial will receive the crown of life (James 1:12).

- Those who accept Christ, and in their first confidence say, I am saved, are in danger of

trusting to themselves. They lose sight of their own weakness and their constant need of

divine strength. They are unprepared for Satan’s devices, and under temptation many, like

Peter, fall into the very depths of sin. We are admonished, “Let him that thinketh he

standeth, take heed lest he fall” (1 Corinthians 10:12). Our only safety is in constant distrust

of self, and dependence on Christ. [Christ’s Object Lessons, 154, 155.] {NL 41.2}

- Further texts on surrender:

o Jeremiah 13:23 talks about the helpless of man to do good by himself.

o Philippians 2:13 tells us that it is GOD WHO WORKS IN US, to WILL and do of His

good pleasure. Again surrender to the will of God.

o Philippians 1:6 gives us hope that as we start this surrender, God will work in us AND

COMPLETE THIS WORK IN US.

o Deuteronomy 3:22 tells us that God WILL FIGHT FOR US IN THIS WARFARE as we

surrender the will...Over will...Surrender MUST BEGIN WITH THE SURRENDER OF

THE WILL...

o Also 1 Corinthians 3:9 talks about the necessity of surrender and hence cooperation

with God "For we are LABOURERS TOGETHER WITH GOD...Ye are God's husbandry,

ye are God's building."

o The plan to save man requires 2 things. 1) The surrender of the will of man 2) The

INFINITE POWER, EFFICIENCY AND STRENGTH OF CHRIST.

Christ has given us no assurance that to attain perfection of character is an easy matter. A noble, all-

round character is not inherited. It does not come to us by accident. A noble character is earned by

individual effort through the merits and grace of Christ. God gives the talents, the powers of the

mind; we form the character. It is formed by hard, stern battles with self. Conflict after conflict must

be waged against hereditary tendencies. We shall have to criticize ourselves closely, and allow not

one unfavourable trait to remain uncorrected.

Let no one say, I cannot remedy my defects of character. If you come to this decision, you will

certainly fail of obtaining everlasting life. The impossibility lies in your own will. If you will not, then

you cannot overcome. The real difficulty arises from the corruption of an unsanctified heart, and an

unwillingness to submit to the control of God. {COL 331}

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If you will battle against selfish human nature, you will go steadily forward in the work of

overcoming hereditary and cultivated tendencies to wrong. By patience, long-suffering, and

forbearance you will accomplish much. (HP June18)

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Does a structured prayer life help?

o Read: Ephesians 6:10-18

Like it or not, the reality is we engage in a spiritual battle from the minute we open our eyes.

Imagine the physical battles of old with the Vikings! In those days you would have had butch/ Hench

men running at you full speed ready to wipe you of the face of the planet. They would have had club

hammers, battle axes, swords; they would have been equipped with shields, helmets and

breastplates. Testosterone would have been pumping and the only thing that would have crossed

their minds is launching their weapons into your body as hard as they could.

o Question, if you were in this battle, would you dare go out unto this battle field

naked? With no weapons, or armour?

The reality is you wouldn’t! So why do we do this so often in our spiritual lives? Why do we wake up

so often without spending time with God? The reality is; we do not realise the seriousness of the

battle that we face ‘For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against

powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places’.

In other words, we do not wrestle against people that do us wrong, people that hate us, people that

say things about us behind our backs, no, we wrestle against fallen angels who were once perfect in

heaven, but are now revengeful after being cast out because they chose to follow the created over

the Creator! They do not like us, they hate and despise us, and spend their entire lives plotting how

to spiritually destroy us, while we sleep at night, they sit and analyse our daily activities, they study

what we like, what we enjoy, they analyse what type of girl or guy we like, what type of food we like,

what type of movies appeal to us, every single thing in our lives, they know about! They analyse

years upon years of data from our personal history, and then make new plans every night, perfecting

strategies that mean we are tempted to our limit in every point.

o Knowing this, how dare we wake up and not spend time with the One who loves us

most, the great ‘I Am’.

Focus point: It’s important to note, yes we have a need to study and spend time talking with God

every morning for we are in this great battle for our minds. Yet, let us not do this regimentally as

if we feel we have to. The greatest commandment in the Bible is to love the Lord with all your

heart, mind and soul, through love for the One that gave us life should we seek Him every

morning. Never forget, God is not angry with us when we spend no time with Him, He’s heart

broken, He wants to chill with us, and we grieve Him by stepping out into the day with no armour,

therefore He knows we’re going to fall even before we do so, and all He desperately wants to do is

just save us from Satan’s clutches, and hold us for a few moments, where He can strengthen us,

and feed us with His Word.

Every time Satan tempts us to sin, he literally puts a coffin in our way and opens the door. He

doesn’t even have to push us in, we readily jump in because we’re so deceived by focusing our

attentions on entertaining sin, we don’t even realise how Satan has slammed the door and locked

us in, in complete spiritual darkness. By entertaining one evil thought whether it be hating

someone because they did or said something against us, or looking at someone in a lustful way,

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any thought not of God, entertained by us puts us in that spiritual coffin, where the door is shut so

tight, only Jesus can open it and rescue us. Whilst in spiritual darkness, (even by one thought)

Satan is readily trying to destroy us pushing us to be spiritually cremated… o what a wonderful

Saviour we have, who stands in the way, and waits patiently for us to call His name so he may

remove Satan from clutching the door holding it tight, o what a wonderful Saviour who opens the

coffin door, removing deceptions, giving us true light.

A personal testimony: One morning I was on my knees, instead of asking for forgiveness of the sins I

knew I was regularly committing, the Holy Spirit prompted me to ask Father the sins I was

committing unawares. He then showed me how I was breaking 8 out of the 10 commandments on a

regular basis, this left me utterly humbled! I then asked, ‘Father, how can I overcome’, the Holy

Spirit then placed this in my mind: ‘Seek me three times a day’. (The importance of keeping the Ten

Commandments is discussed further in the next study)

Read Daniel 6:10

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Keeping the commandments

o Read: Psalms 19:7 - The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the

testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.

o Read: Psalms 37:31 - The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide.

o Read: Psalms 119:97 - O how love I thy law! It is my meditation all the day.

Personal testimony: A while ago somebody told me to recite the law every morning and night; when

I first started to do it, I recited them in a rather mundane and ritualistic way. I saw them as a list of

do’s and don’ts, what I can and can’t do. After a few days, the Holy Spirit started to shine light on

my darkened mind, as I seeked God’s face in prayer; He started to show me the beauty in the law.

Instead of simply reciting the law, I now started to proclaim the law in full faith, looking back with

utter disgust at how I used to recite the law. My words were now:

1) How could I ever have any other God before you!!?? Did you not speak and the light did

what it was told to do, and shine so exceedingly bright!!?? Did you not form Adam with your

own hands and breathe life into Him?? Are you not the very reason for my own existence,

therefore, how could I ever have any other God before thee??

2) How could I ever have any idols, any graven image and worship it!!?? How could I ever let

anything in my life become an idol above you? My business, girlfriend, football team,

formula 1, money, house, cars?? How can anything come before you Lord?? You have given

me everything I need, and you can also take it away, how can any thing come above you??

3) How could I dare say your name in vain?? Did you not send your only begotten Son to die

for my sins? Did you not conjure up the plan of salvation just for me? Knowing this, how

dare I even contemplate for a split second saying your name in vain!!

4) Oooo how beautiful it is to keep the Sabbath Holy! Oooo how beautiful it is to prepare from

mid-week just so that I can relax and have no work to do on your beautiful Sabbath day. O

how beautiful it is to spend time communing with you, and allowing my very being and

every thought to be completely and utterly absorbed by you. I don’t want anything from the

world to congregate near my mind on this day! O how beautiful it is to ponder your amazing

creation of this world, how you spoke everything into existence and every atom obeyed,

Father I want to obey you in the same way.

5) O how beautiful it is to humble myself and HONOUR my parents. Submitting my will, to your

will, and only looking to please others. O how beautiful it is to be respectful to my parents,

even if they’re in the wrong, and I’m right, unless I need to stand for the truth, how beautiful

it is to keep the harmony within the family. How beautiful it is to keep your law, show me

more Lord, show me more!

6) How beautiful it is not to entertain an angry thought for one split second, but for my mind to

be cocooned in your love Jesus so that when I am simply tempted to get angry due to a

frustrating situation, my words may be like yours Lord on the cross, Father forgive them for

they know not what they do. For in my mind is where sin starts, for me to kill, an angry

thought must first be entertained, therefore, how many people have I killed in the past! O

how beautiful it is to allow your Holy Spirit into my life that I may love instead of hate!

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7) How beautiful it is to spend the morning with you, dying to self, so that when Satan puts just

ONE lustful thought in my head, it is not I that fights but you Jesus. How beautiful it is

further still to have such faith in your victory, knowing that you don’t know how to loose,

therefore as I continually die daily, my life will never again be plagued with such filth, for in

you Jesus I have the victory!!

8) How beautiful is it to allow you into my life FULLY, that I am no longer selfish but selfless,

constantly thinking of others therefore, how dare I steal!! Further still, how dare I steal our

quiet time, alone, together, first thing in the morning, at noon time and at night time!!??

How beautiful is it to just chill with you, and talk with you, and meditate on the cross, ahhh

this is my new found joy in life

9) How dare I lack faith and lie, knowing there are so many scenarios in the Bible that exemplify

what kind of faith we should have!! How dare I trust myself over you, how dare I take

matters into my own hands and try to take the easy way out. O how beautiful it is to trust in

your will no matter what, just like Shadrack, Meschack and Abendigo, ‘but if not, yet I will

still follow’

10) How beautiful it is to be content with what you have given me, not to get jealous of others

but to be happy for those whom you have blessed. How beautiful it is for self to be

removed, therefore one jealous or envious thought has no time to incubate in my mind, how

beautiful it is for through faith in Jesus, to be happy for others, never allowing Satan to steal

my joy.

I am yours Lord, I love your law, this is my true delight, day and night

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The beauty of prayer

Read: Psalms 103:12-14

Imagine if a Father’s son runs away, after a week, will he miss him more or less? After a month, a

year? Isn’t he going to miss him more and more??

Read: Genesis 3:1-19

V7- The first thing that happened after they sinned, they realised they were naked. They were

always naked, now they knew they were naked. They were clothed in righteousness therefore they

couldn’t see their nakedness, now they missed being clothed, and tried to cover up themselves.

They couldn’t be in God’s presence anymore, because of sin!! Because of unrighteousness, they had

to be separated from God. So why on earth do we willingly continue in sin???

V22 – Out of love God put them out of the garden of Eden so they could die, and one day be

restored. He didn’t want them to live forever and ever in sin.

V21 – Jesus gave His life for us

When we sin, and don’t go to Jesus, it’s because we feel that same guilt as Adam and Eve did. Sin

separates us from God!

Read: Isaiah 59:1 and 2 – iniquities separate us! THIS IS WHAT SIN DOES! But don’t think God can’t

bring you back.

When we mess up and don’t pray, does God love you more or less?

Read: Luke 15:11 – The prodigal son... was lost and now is found. V18 He’s planning what he’s going

to say… that’s us, when we sin and we know what we’ve done wrong… Before we even come back to

God, He sees us coming, and He runs back to us… v22 God wants to put back on us the best robe of

righteousness, that’s all He cares about!!

Read: Mathew 6:1 – 7

V5 they will get their reward – wages of sin is death – their words are in vain

V7 God knows what we have need of

Read: Romans 8:20-26 v26 - For we know not what we pray for, but the Holy Spirit makes

intercession for the saints, according to the will of God. Link with Mathew 6:8 – Don’t worry about

what you have to say.

Read: Ephesians 2:8 – We being saved is a gift, not of works, not by what we say!

Read: Mathew 6:9 Our Father… This is who we are talking to!

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Understand:

1. God wants you back

2. He wants to make us righteous so there is no gap!

3. The Holy Spirit speaks for you

The privilege of prayer, we can go before God, and ask whatever we want.

Read: SC pg93 – Prayer brings us up to Him

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The importance of the health message

A personal testimony: From the age of around 20 – 22 years old, I experienced a number of visions

and had encounters with God where I heard His voice. I’ll never forget the time when, in my second

year of university, God showed me a number of visions regarding what He wanted me to do with my

life. The problem was, I didn’t understand what He was trying to show me. I could remember

everything in finite detail but could not for the life of me understand what Father wanted me to take

from them.

I remember as the second year of university came to a close, a time when the number of

assignments, and exams were piling up, I would leave from university everyday really late to drive

home. As I would drive by the pizza and fish & chip shops, I always felt a huge urge to ‘back’ a large

veggie pizza, or ‘back’ two large portions of chips. I remember always enjoying the food, then

straight after, hating myself for doing so.

One morning, I was praying asking Father why He never gave me full understanding of the visions.

At that point a thought was placed in my head, ‘open the Bible and there you will find an answer’.

Immediately I was thinking, huh?? That’s random!! None the less I opened the Bible, and it opened

directly on Daniel 1. I’m ashamed to say this now, but at that point I was thinking to myself, ‘how

am I going to find the answer here?’ But I continued to read, as I was reading a thought was placed

in my head, ‘go to another scripture’ but I did not sense that this came from the Holy Spirit, it was

weird, I was thinking why would you allow me to start reading a text, then ask me to change? So I

continued reading the chapter.

Read Daniel 1 – the whole chapter

When I got to verse 17, ‘…And Daniel had all understanding in all visions and dreams’ I was like,

woooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooow!

For the next two weeks I cut out all fatty foods, and ate a healthy balance of proteins,

carbohydrates, vegetables and fruits. After that period, God then revealed to me clear as day one

evening whilst I was on my knees, everything that confused me about the visions regarding my

future. I can’t begin to describe how amazing I felt, not just to understand the visions, but to know

that God cared that much for me, He was so patient with me, and carefully brought me to a place

spiritually and physically where He wanted me to be.

The health message goes further than just what you eat though. Sleeping patterns are key!

Read Mark 1:35

You can surrender your will, study your Bible, seek God in prayer, but if you consciously decide to go

to bed late most evenings, you place your physical body under unnecessary strain. If you are

physically tired, you are more susceptible to falling to Satan’s attack. Neglecting the health message

is like putting your foot in a fire and stating, ‘nope, I’m not going to get burnt, I have faith Jesus can

keep me from getting burnt!’… Well yes, Jesus can keep you from getting burnt, but why would you

intentionally put your foot in the fire in the first place?

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Faith in the POWER of God and His word! Section 1

I believe there are two world views:

1) In the beginning God

2) In the beginning nothing, then something came from nothing, and or nonsense

I had to include the ‘and or nonsense’ for there are so many different religions and church

denominations that profess to believe in God, but follow man over God, hence the differing

doctrines. But let’s keep it simple, I believe in the beginning… God!

I believe He SPOKE everything into existence, I believe He SPOKE and the light did what it was told to

do and shone exceeding bright. Just ponder that thought for a moment… imagine the time before

time when God was creating the world, imagine Jesus at the centre of the universe where the sun is

placed right now, imagine seeing Him SPEAK, and see things brought into existence!! That is a

POOOOOWERFUL God, amen!!

If I believe Genesis 1, in the beginning God, then I believe John 1:1, in the beginning was the Word,

and the Word was God, and the Word was with God, which means everything in this Bible is God. So

if I believe that, then I must believe John 3:16, For God so loved the world that gave His only

begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life.

Focusing on further, if I believe John 3:16, then I have no option but to believe Jude 1:24, Now unto

Him who is able to keep me from falling.

Focus point: Often people look at this text, and immediately doubt what the text is trying to tell

us.

Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord. Psalm 31:24.

Heaven’s resources are limitless, and they are all at our command.... Are there not presented before

Christ’s followers the highest virtues to be cultivated, the greatest honours to be gained? God calls

upon them to enter a race in which everyone may win. He calls upon them to enlist in a warfare in

which everyone may be a conqueror. A robe of righteousness and a crown of everlasting life—this is

the reward held out before the overcomer.

The inhabitants of the heavenly universe expect the followers of Christ to shine as lights in the

world. They are to show forth the power of the grace that Christ died to give to men. God expects

those who profess to be Christians to reveal in their lives the highest development of Christianity.

They are the recognized representatives of Christ. Their work is to show that Christianity is a reality.

They are to be men of faith, men of constant growth ... whole-souled men, who without questioning

trust in God and His promises.

Heavenly angels are close by him who strives to bring his life into harmony with God and His holy

law. God is with him as he declares, “I must overcome the temptations that surround me, else they

will drive Christ from my heart.” He combats all temptation and braves all opposition. By the

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strength obtained from on high, he holds in control the passions and tendencies which,

uncontrolled, would lead him to defeat....

Why, then, should not those who are fighting against the powers of darkness move forward with

faith and courage? God and Christ and the Holy Spirit are on their side.... {HP 327}

How can we talk of God's power to create this world with words and doubt His power over Satan to

create in you a clean heart?

(Don’t talk about Satan’s power) for the weakest of saint on his knees...

He (Jesus) will look upon no trembling suppliant without raising him up. He who through His own

atonement provided for man an infinite fund of moral power, will not fail to employ this power in

our behalf. We may take our sins and sorrows to His feet; for He loves us. His every look and word

invites our confidence. He will shape and mold our characters according to His own will. {COL 157}

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- FAITH Jude v3 ‘that you should CONTEND for the faith which was once delivered unto the

saints’

o Contend means to: struggle – fight/brawl/scrap (Jacob)

o Read great controversy – Chapter: Time of trouble, pg. 616 – 618

Focus point: ‘His only hope is was in the mercy of God; his only defence must be in prayer. Yet he

leaves nothing undone on his own part to atone for the wrong to his brother and to avert the

threatened danger. So should the followers of Christ, as they approach the time of trouble, make

every exertion to place themselves in a proper light before the people, to disarm prejudice, and to

avert the danger which threatens liberty of conscience’.

Focus point: ‘Though disabled and suffering the keenest pain, he does not relinquish his purpose.

Long has he endured perplexity, remorse, and trouble for his sin; now he must have the assurance

that he is pardoned.

Question: Do we have this same burning passion and desire to not get up from our knees until we

know we have assurance that our sins are pardoned? Are we this sincere?

Focus point: ‘‘I will not let thee go unless thou bless me.’’ What confidence, what firmness and

perseverance, are here displayed. Had this been a boastful, presumptuous claim, Jacob would

have been instantly destroyed; but his was the assurance of one who confesses his weakness and

unworthiness, yet trusts the mercy of a covenant-keeping God.

Focus point: He no longer feared to encounter his brother’s anger, for the Lord was his defence.

Could it be that we need to go through these trials, just so God can bring us to a state where we

are completely and utterly humbled, so that there is no option but to rely on Him completely.

Then when we allow God to take charge of a situation, by submitting to God, we can no longer

fear what we once feared. If our weakness is lust, do not get up of your knees until you have

assurance that your sin has been pardoned. Then you can go forward in full faith, knowing come

what may, the Lord is our defence, therefore, we have the victory.

Further Reading

Job 13:8-15

Proverbs 28:4

Ecc 6:10

Jer 18:19

Amos 7:4

Micah 6:1

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Faith the evidence of things hoped (Correct Hebrew translation means ‘’expected’’)

Imagine if you prayed your prayers, expecting God to keep you from falling….

Now read again: Jude 1:24

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Faith - How do we remain in Christ in the midst of the battle? – Section 3

o So many times we fall, and get back up, fall and get back up, we hear a powerful

message, feel close to God, then we slowly get broken down and fall back into the

mould of falling and getting back up

Often a time we find ourselves in the midst of attack from Satan, he batters and bombards us with

temptation after temptation, and instead of fighting back with the Word of God, we find ourselves

sitting there in a lazy state of mind, wallowing in our weakness, wanting to commit the sin we know

is wrong. After a period of time, because we do nothing, our armour gets completely ripped off and

we fall to that one particular sin… AGAIN!

At this point Satan does his utmost to shed doubt on our minds, causing us to doubt the power of

God which weakens our faith.

- So what are we to do?

Well what did Christ do when tempted in the wilderness? Didn’t Jesus use the WORD OF GOD to

fight his battles? Understand that this is a spiritual battle at all times, there is no time for laziness or

holidays, we are to be vigilant, ready at all times, as we draw nearer to God, it is the Holy Spirit that

motivates us more and more to be ON IT for God, ready to fight in this battle (Note it is not us that

fights but God in us). As we daily accept Jesus which causes us to repent, there the Holy Spirit will

manifest more of His power in us (Acts 2:35 onwards).

ULTIMATE FOCUS POINT: So the question is, if Jesus were to fight Satan, who would win? Would it

even be a contest? Creator vs. created? So as Jesus would win hands down, no questions asked,

what if you allowed Jesus into your life? What if every temptation you faced were no longer you

dealing with it, but Christ! Now do you see the beauty in ‘dying to self’? Would there ever be a

temptation you would fall to if you were dead, and your flesh was crucified by faith??

Texts that spring to mind in the midst of the battle

- If God be for us, then who can be against us

- Walk in the Spirit and you shall not fulfil the lusts of the flesh

- He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments; I will not blot out his name from the

book of life, but shall confess his name before my Father and before my Father’s Angels.

- Now unto Him who is able to keep you from falling, and present you faultless before the

presence of His glory with exceeding joy

In the midst of the battle, call upon JESUS’ name!! Recite gems in the Bible… HATE SIN… AND… never

fail to… LOVE GOD! When Satan starts to attack you, because you have spent time at the foot of the

cross that morning because you LOVE God, and in FAITH you have died to self by asking God to

crucify your flesh (Read Galatians 5:24), because of this, it is no longer you that lives but Christ in

you. So when Satan attacks you, because you’re in love with God, whenever a temptation is put in

front of you, you can’t bare be drawn away from God for a split second, so the Jesus fully in you

naturally causes you to HATE SIN! At these times rebuke Satan in Jesus’ name, in FAITH, and he will

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have to flee! In the midst of the battle, recite gems that the Holy Spirit brings to mind, there you will

realise again the love Jesus has for you, this is the balance between HATING sin and LOVING God.

You cannot do one without the other. The more you realise how powerful Jesus is, and that it was

never a contest for Him, the more your faith will begin to grow day by day in extremities. There a

close knit relationship will grow so strong, that by faith, because Jesus is fighting your battles, you

continually gain the victory over sin time and time again. Understand temptations will always be

there, and sin will forever dwell in your members, which is why we must die to self-daily, forever

depending on Jesus Christ.

Focus point: Read - James 1:2, you can count the vilest temptations, the ones that always caused

you to fall in the past on JOY, why? Because of your FAITH in Jesus, knowing as we die to self-daily,

it is not us that fight but Him. Jesus giving us the victory over and over and over again is what

gives us true joy.

- Read Isaiah 26:3

o Make time during the day to diligently study the Word (Understand every time you

open the Bible you have an audience with God)

o Make time to pray each day – searching for the cross, wrestling with God like Jacob

o Understand fasting is just chilling with our Creator, get read of that negative mind-

set towards fasting, you have a chance to spend the whole day communing with the

One that spoke, and the light did what it was told to do! Wow.

o Meditation in prayer – Aunty Ellen states we should spend an hour daily

contemplating Christ’s life

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Belief - meditate on the following passages:

God is planning to reveal his FULL glory to us (Isaiah40:5) and some of us are going to be able to live.

"...it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him..." Isaiah25:9

"the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty

men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the

mountains; 16And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that

sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: 17For the great day of his wrath is come; and

who shall be able to stand?" Rev6:15-17

- Who will enable us to stand?

"And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not

be ashamed before him at his coming." 1John2:28

"Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know

that, (when he shall appear, we shall be like him); for we shall see him as he is. 3And every man that

hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure" 1John3:2-3

"Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God." Matthew5:8

The Lord Jesus came to strengthen every earnest seeker for truth, to reveal the Father... every

human agent must see that the great and important work for them in this life is to receive the divine

likeness, to prepare a character for the future life.... {CTr 33.4}

"Every day we should make advancement in gaining perfection of character, and this we shall

certainly do if we press toward the mark of the prize of our high calling in Christ Jesus. Let us not talk

of the great power of Satan, but of the great power of God...." Sons and Daughters of God p328

Faith, saving faith ... is the act of the soul by which the whole man is given over to the guardianship

and control of Jesus Christ. He abides in Christ and Christ abides in the soul by faith as supreme. The

believer commits his soul and body to God, and with assurance may say, Christ is able to keep that

which I have committed unto Him against that day. All who will do this will be saved unto life

eternal. There will be an assurance that the soul is washed in the blood of Christ and clothed with

His righteousness and precious in the sight of Jesus.

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Remember that the exercise of faith is the one means of preserving it. Should you sit always in one

position, without moving, your muscles would become strengthless and your limbs would lose the

power of motion. The same is true in regard to your religious experience. You must have faith in the

promises of God.... Faith will perfect itself in exercise and activity. {HP 104}

Our Saviour asks the question, “When the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?”

(Luke 18:8), implying that true faith would be almost extinct. It is too true that the spirit of doubt,

criticism, and fault-finding is destroying confidence in God’s Word and in His work. It is impossible

for the carnal mind to understand or appreciate the work of God. All who desire to doubt or cavil will

find occasion.... Those who in humility of heart follow the light as it shines upon them will receive

clearer light, while those who refuse to obey till they can see all occasion for doubt removed, will be

left in darkness.

God gives us sufficient evidence to enable us to accept the truth understandingly, but He does not

propose to remove all occasion for doubt and unbelief. Should He do this, there would no longer be

a necessity for the exercise of faith; for we would be able to walk by sight. All who with a teachable

spirit study the Word of God may learn therefrom the way of salvation, yet they may not be able to

understand every portion of the Sacred Record.... Whatever is clearly established by the Word of

God we should accept, without attempting to meet every doubt which Satan may suggest, or with

our finite understanding to fathom the counsels of the infinite One, or to criticize the manifestations

of His grace or power....

If we seek in humility to learn the will of God as revealed in His Word, and then obey that will as it is

made plain to our understanding, we shall become rooted and grounded in the truth. Said Christ: “If

any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine” {HP 105.1}

According to your faith be it unto you. Matthew 9:29 There is a real work to be wrought in us.

Constantly we must submit our will to God’s will, our way to God’s way.... By beholding as in a glass

the glory of the Lord, we are actually changed into the same image, from glory to glory, even as by

the Spirit of the Lord. We expect too little, and we receive according to our faith. We must learn to

take everything to the Lord with simplicity and earnest faith. Heavenly Places p107

“Heavens resources are limitless and they are all at our command. If you can believe ALL things are

possible. Nothing shall be impossible to you. If you believe in your heart the things you say WILL

come to pass you shall have whatsoever you say.”

"ALL that Christ received from God WE too may have. Then ask and receive. With the faith of Jacob,

with the unyielding persistence of Elijah, claim for yourself ALL that God has promised. “Early

Writings p72-73

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For "Jesus revealed no qualities, and exercised no powers, than man may not have through faith in

Him" in other words Christ had NO MORE access to any MORE power than we do, He had no

advantage. He was able to be kept from falling with the SAME power available to us.

“Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until

the day of Jesus Christ:” Phil1:6

“Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith” Hebrews12:2

“...For I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have

committed unto him against that day.” 2Timothy1:12

“Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the

presence of his glory with exceeding joy,” Jude1:24

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Love and Joy

*If you haven’t already done so, to gain a deep understanding of what Jesus has done for us, take

time out every morning, noon and night to read the story of Redemption and steps to Christ.

- Read: John 3:16

Take a deeper look at the text; what did God have to do in order to send His Son? Read the text

again, there you will find the answer…. How beautiful is it to know, that God the Father loves us so

much, He was willing to do anything to save us, and so, because the law could not be changed, He

sent His only begotten Son for us, just so He could chill for eternity with us! How beautiful is that,

what wondrous love is this???

- Read Galatians 5:22-23

Notice how ‘joy’ comes straight after ‘love’… is this a coincidence or is there a specific reason why

God put those words in that order?

- Read James 1:2-6

When I first read this text, I had a huge problem believing it! My thoughts were, ‘Father’ how am I

to count it on ‘joy’ when I go through temptations that cause me to lust, get angry etc?

Consider this analogy: Imagine a family sitting in front of the TV watching a movie. The movie gets

to the climax of scenes, and just at this point you walk across the TV so they can’t see. What would

their reaction be? How angry would they be? For us, like-wise, when Satan tempts us, shouldn’t we

have the same reaction? Shouldn’t we get angry and vex and HATE sin. Why? Because we’re in love

with Jesus and cannot bear be drawn away from Him for one second. This state of mind comes from

much prayer and fasting.

o This is why we hate sin, because our true joy is found with our eyes stayed on Jesus!

Anything that tears us away, we hate for it is stealing our joy

Focus point: Studying into how to overcome sin, I have found two things that keep occurring, love

and faith. You cannot have one without the other. To love something, or someone, you must

have faith in something or someone. Picture this scenario, if you were walking through a busy

town centre, as you crossed the road, an attractive young lady/ buff guy, walked across your path

wearing next to nothing/ a tight tank top. IF… you woke up that morning and through LOVE for

God the first thing you wanted to do was seek His face on your knees, and meditate on His cross…

You did this also because by FAITH you knew that due to Ephesians 6:10-18 you’re in a serious

battle, so by FAITH you claimed His promises, NOW UNTO HIM WHO IS ABLE TO KEEP ME FROM

FALLING… YOU WILL NEVER LEAVE ME NOR FORSAKE ME. Because of your FAITH it was done, and

through LOVE you stayed a little while longer meditating on the cross and spent time imagining

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Jesus’ life story, as he helped the woman in John 8, or how he dealt with the Pharisees, or how he

walked on water. Through LOVE for Him you surrendered your will to His, and by FAITH you

crucified your flesh with lusts and the affections thereof. Through LOVE you recited the beautiful

Ten Commandments, and by FAITH you understand He is ABLE to keep you. Your mind gazed

upon creation and by FAITH you believed, and then when the Holy Spirit revealed to your mind a

little more of the plan of salvation, you then fell in LOVE with God just that little bit more, and

now through LOVE for Him, you confess your sins, and by FAITH you understand that your sins are

washed away, which causes you to fall in LOVE with God just a little bit more. Your FAITH

increases just a little bit more as you understand now you are made whole, then you go on about

your day after thanking God for everything in your life and whilst praying for others.

Imagine now if you’re met with the temptation of lust when that hot girl or buff guy is put in front

of you! Because of your LOVE for God, because you are dead to self by FAITH, because by FAITH

your flesh has been crucified, you now naturally HATE SIN!! And look back at your past in disgust,

knowing this is where you used to fall time after time, but in the midst of hating sin, after you’ve

rebuked Satan in Jesus’ name by FAITH, you can’t help but then glorify God and rejoice for Him

giving you the victory time after time after time (James 1:2-6), and this becomes your life story,

daily, dying, daily, surrendering, gaining victory after victory, why? Because you LOVE God and

can’t bare tear yourself away from Him anymore, and by FAITH you understand HE WILL KEEP YOU

FROM FALLING!! To think anything else is the worse judgement ever since the history of our

world, to think that Satan is more powerful than the Creator of this universe, that is what people

believe when they say ‘you can’t live a life free from sin’!

God loves us and wants to help us! He needs your co-operation.

I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no

more. Hebrews 8:12.

God proposes cooperation with His frail, erring creatures, whom He has placed on vantage ground.

On the one side there are infinite wisdom, goodness, compassion, power; on the other, weakness,

sinfulness, absolute helplessness, poverty, dependence.... Man is given the privilege of working with

God in the saving of his own soul. He is to receive Christ as his personal Saviour and believe in Him.

Receiving and believing is his part of the contract....

In His infinite love Christ devised the plan of salvation. This plan He stands ready to fulfil in behalf of

all who will cooperate with Him. In their behalf He says to the Father, Do not impute their sins to

them, but lay them on Me. Be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities

remember no more. They have accepted my merits and made peace with me.... My righteousness is

theirs, and for my sake bless them with all spiritual blessings. {HP 12}

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Day 15 - If so when – Part 1?

Can we overcome sin straight away?

For example, be a sinner, then realise our sinful state, repent then go sin no more?

When I asked God this question, He brought to mind the scenario of the leper, who was immediately

healed because of his faith. I then reasoned with God, ‘but God, that’s a physical healing’ He then

brought to mind the scenario of the woman found in bed with another woman’s husband in John 8.

I saw this scenario in vision a few years back but its only now the Holy Spirit is bringing home the

points to mind that shine light on why Jesus was able to say those four beautiful words to the

woman, ‘Go sin no more’.

Firstly, understand the woman was caught in the ‘act’, in bed with another woman’s husband. This

is a shameful experience, especially for a woman, further to this, understanding the mind-set of men

in those days having such a dim view of woman, note, the woman is only to blame and is cast out

into the street whilst no mention is made of the man who was in bed with her. As she was dragged

through the dusty streets publicly for everyone to see, the crowd swiftly grew bigger and bigger,

with wondering eyes and a love for gossip being the height of entertainment for most. The

malignant crowd grew louder and louder shouting ‘stone her’ ‘stone her’. Try to picture this in your

head, try and understand how the poor woman felt, it was bad enough she had just been caught in

the act with another woman’s husband, this compiled with public humiliation, but worst of all, she

was now facing a horrific death believing she was doomed to hell because of her sins. Terror and

despair flashed through her body, she felt numb and sickly, almost feint, her tears were cries of

agony, nothing could comfort her soul at this moment in time. That is, until Jesus came from around

the corner.

As Jesus made his way to the front of the mob, his attention was not for the woman, but for the

crowd, the Holy Spirit revealed her heart to Him, therefore His major concern was for the angry

crowd’s salvation. As the crowd still shouted louder and louder, ‘stone her’ ‘stone her’, further still

as the leaders in the crowd tried to question and catch out Jesus, He ignored them and started to

write all of their sins in the sand. After a while, Jesus stood up, with a firm and loud voice spoke

those potent words, ‘He who is without sin, let him cast the first stone’. The crowd was silenced as

the simple words cut deep to their hearts, Jesus did not say this angrily against the shouting mob, in

his voice they could feel his agony for their souls, they could sense the sincerity in his voice for their

sins, the sad look in his eyes convicted them, and so, one by one, from the eldest to the youngest,

they walked away, utterly humbled, realising none is worthy to throw a stone but the One without

sin.

Jesus then turned His attention to the distraught woman, His gentle eyes gazed into the depths of

her soul, at that moment, the woman experienced a love that was the only thing that could comfort

her soul. As the crowd walked away, hope filled her heart, yet within this hope was found a humility

that every follower of Christ must possess. You see she had to be brought to that stage where there

was no other option but to choose Christ, a few minutes ago she faced a cruel death, doomed to

hell, now there was hope through Jesus Christ that she could be forgiven, but Jesus wasn’t satisfied

with just forgiving her, Jesus wanted to keep her, untouched, the Holy Spirit revealed to His mind

that she fully accepted within her heart to serve Him all the days of her life. Because of her sincerity

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and humility, Jesus understood her past and that she was searching for love in the wrong places,

now she had found true love, she clung unto it like a baby to its mother’s chest. Because of her

sincere surrender, Jesus was able to say to her, ‘woman, go sin no more’.

On that day, the woman fulfilled the full surrender all must practice in order for Jesus to completely

fill us. But let’s take a deeper look, if after a few weeks, she does not continue daily to surrender her

life to Christ in the way in which she did on that day where her life was at stake, is she allowing

Christ fully into her life so that He can keep her from sinning/falling? No. This is why we are to die

daily, it is a daily experience. The reality is; do we see every temptation as a life or death scenario?

Every time Satan tempts us, do we realise he is trying to draw us away from Jesus’ arms and heavens

gates. Do we fully understand or comprehend the seriousness of the matter? Every sin we commit,

Jesus paid the price for, every sin must be repented for, for every sin is written and recorded. Is this

a list of ugly acts and thoughts there to batter us and keep us in guilt? No. As we daily meditate on

the cross, there the Holy Spirit will bring to mind the seriousness of the situation that we face every

time we are tempted.

The question is, is Jesus able to say to you right now, go sin no more? God doesn’t like seeing you go

through trials, but allows them to come your way, just so He can SAVE YOU!! The reason why we go

through so many trials, hardships, bad experiences is because we need to go through them, just so

we realise we can’t do this by ourselves, we need Jesus, it is this beautiful realisation, and the

manifestation of a humble heart that truly seeks God, that Jesus requires, then He can utter those

beautiful words to us too, my child, go sin no more.

In this chapter, there is hope for the filthiest of sinners. In this chapter, the angry crowd thought she

was the worst of sinners and failed to see their own faults. Look at v6, Jesus bends down and writes

all of their sins in the ground. V7, He stands up! Where else in the Bible does it talk of Jesus standing

up? Daniel 12:1, Mathew 24:15, representing His work in the most Holy place atoning for our sins

will be finished. Notice in v8, Jesus still writes in the sand signifying that their sins are still recorded,

yet the woman whom everyone thought was filthiest of all, she made it, why? Because she

surrendered, which is why Jesus could say to her, woman, go sin no more. This is a beautiful

message to us sinners, that no matter what we’ve done, no matter what people think of us, Jesus is

eager to forgive us, it’s down to us to surrender and submit to Him. Amen

Read: 1 Peter 5:10, the woman in John 8 certainly suffered, but this enabled Jesus to perfect her

ULTIMATE FOCUS POINT: Go sin no more

If I am weak to sin, then when I ask God to strengthen me in faith expecting it to be done, there is

no way this sin can reign over my body ever again for in faith, I believe, therefore, His will is done

as I have surrendered my will to His, amen. As long as a constant distrust of self occurs daily, then

Jesus can say to me, ‘go sin no more’ John 8, 1 John 5:4

You cannot atone for your past sins; you cannot change your heart and make yourself holy. But God

promises to do all this for you through Christ. You believe that promise. You confess your sins and

give yourself to God. You will to serve Him. Just as surely as you do this, God will fulfil His word to

you. If you believe the promise,—believe that you are forgiven and cleansed,—God supplies the fact;

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you are made whole, just as Christ gave the paralytic power to walk when the man believed that he

was healed. It is so if you believe it. – {CSA 30.3)

When on your knees, confess your sins, repent, and understand as a result of doing this by faith in

the blood of Jesus Christ you are renewed and made whole.

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Day 16 - If so when – Part 2?

If Not THEN... Then WHEN?? – Meditate on the following passages

"I also saw that many do not realise what they must be in order to live in the sight of the Lord.

Without a high priest in the sanctuary through the time of trouble. Those who receive the seal of the

living God and are protected in the time of trouble must reflect the image of Jesus fully. I saw that

many were neglecting the preparation so needful and were looking to the time of refreshing to fit

them for the day of the lord and to live in his sight. Oh how many I saw in the time of trouble,

without a shelter they had neglected the needful preparation therefore they could not receive the

refreshing, that all must have to fit them in the sight of a Holy God. I saw that none could share the

refreshing unless they obtained victory over EVERY besetment over pride selfishness; love of the

world and over every wrong act, word and action. We should therefore been drawn nearer and

nearer to the Lord and be earnestly seeking the preparation necessary to allow us to in the battle in

the day of the Lord. Let all remember that none but holy beings can ever dwell in his presence" Early

Writings p71

"If you have become estranged and have failed to be Bible Christians, be converted; for the

character you bear (in probationary time) will be the character you will have at the coming of Christ.

If you would be a saint in heaven, you must first be a saint on earth. The traits of character you

cherish in life will not be changed by death or by the resurrection. You will come up from the grave

with the same disposition you manifested in your home and in society. Jesus does not change the

character at His coming. The work of transformation must be done now. Our daily lives are

determining our destiny." Adventist Home p16

|--------------------|--------------------|------------------->

Probation Time Time of Trouble ETERNITY

I saw that many were neglecting the preparation so needful, and were looking to the time of

“refreshing” and the “latter rain” to fit them to stand in the day of the Lord, and to live in His sight.

Oh, how many I saw in the time of trouble without a shelter! They had neglected the needful

preparation; therefore they could not receive the refreshing that all must have to fit them to live in

the sight of a holy God. {CET 112.3

“He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is

righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.” Revelation22:11

(In order to be clean STILL don't you have BE clean in the 1st place??)

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When we become children of God, our names are written in the Lamb’s book of life, and they

remain there until the time of the investigative judgment. Then the name of every individual will be

called, and his record examined.... If in that day it shall appear that all our wicked deeds have not

been fully repented of, our names will be blotted from the book of life, and our sins will stand

against us. {HP 360}

"...be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye

may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." Romans12:2

"This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and

night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt

make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success." Joshua1:8

"It is a solemn statement that I make to the church, that not one in twenty whose names are

registered upon the church books are prepared to close their earthly history, and would be as verily

without God and without hope in the world as the common sinner." Christian Service p41

Exceeding great and precious promises have been given unto us, whereby we may become partakers

of the divine nature, having escaped the corruptions that are in the world through lust. We must

appropriate these promises to ourselves that we may overcome unbelief and get the victory over

every besetment, perfecting a character that will meet the approval of heaven. We are very anxious

to appear well in the sight of men, but of how much greater importance is it that we stand approved

in the presence of God! {RH May 8, 1913, par. 5}

For He saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee;

behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation, 2 Corinthians 6:2.

Now, just now, is our time of probation, wherein we are to prepare for heaven. Christ gave His life

that we might have this probation. But so long as time shall last, Satan will strive for the mastery

over us. He works with power to lead men to become absorbed in money getting. He invents many

kinds of amusement, so that their minds may be engrossed with worldly pleasure. He would have

them forget all about the inward adorning—the adorning of a meek and quiet spirit—which in the

sight of God is of great price. He is determined that every moment shall be filled with efforts to carry

out ambitious projects or to amuse and gratify self.... {HP 346}

“If I knew that Christ were coming in a few years,” one says, “I should live very differently.” But if we

believe that He is coming at all, we should live just as faithfully as if we knew that He would appear

in a few years. We cannot see the end from the beginning, but Christ has provided sufficient help for

every day in the year.

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All we have to do with is this one day. Today we must be faithful to our trust. Today we must love

God with all the heart and our neighbour as ourselves. Today we must resist the temptations of the

enemy, and through the grace of Christ gain the victory. Thus we shall watch and wait for Christ’s

coming. Each day we should live as if we knew that this would be our last day on this earth. If we

knew that Christ would come tomorrow, would we not crowd into today all the kind words, all the

unselfish deeds that we could? We should be patient and gentle, and intensely in earnest, doing all

in our power to win souls to Christ....

I urge you to turn your thoughts from worldly things and centre them on the things of eternity.

Christ has placed everlasting life within your reach, and He has promised to give you help in every

time of need.... We should never rest satisfied with present attainments. If we put mind and heart

into the work of reaching God’s ideal for us, if we go to Christ, the mighty helper, for aid, He will give

us the very assistance that we need. He will bestow on us the very power that will enable us to be

victorious in the struggle against evil. {HP 355}

The robe of your character must be washed till it is spotless, in the fountain opened for all

uncleanness. Your moral worth will be weighed in the balances of the sanctuary, and if you are

found wanting, you will be at an eternal loss. All the coarseness, all the roughness, must be removed

from your character before Jesus comes; for when he comes, the preparation for every soul is

ended. {3SM 155.3}

If you have not laid aside your envy, your jealousies, your hatred one against another, you cannot

enter into the kingdom of God. You would only carry the same disposition with you; but there will be

nothing of this character in the world to come. Nothing will exist there but love and joy and

harmony. Some will have brighter crowns than others, but there will be no jealous thoughts in any

heart among the redeemed. Each one will be perfectly satisfied, for all will be rewarded according to

their work.

—The Signs of the Times, February 10, 1888." Selected messages3 p155

"Those who suffer their minds to be diverted with foolish stories and idle tales (Isaiah 33 - Movie

watching/TV), feed their imagination, but to such the brilliancy of God’s word is eclipsed. The mind is

led directly from God; the interest in his precious word is gone. Here is a book given us to guide our

feet through the perils of this dark world to Heaven. It tells us how we can escape the wrath of God,

and also tells of the sufferings of Christ for us, the great sacrifice that has been made for us that we

might be saved and enjoy the presence of God for ever. And if any come short at last that have

heard the truth, as they have in this land of light, it will be their own fault. They will be without

excuse. The word of God tells us how we may be perfect Christians, and escape the seven last

plagues; but they took no interest to find this out. Other things diverted the mind, idols were

cherished by them, and God’s holy word has been neglected and slighted. God has been trifled with

by professed Christians, and when that holy word shall judge them in the last day, they will be found

wanting" Spiritual Gifts, Volume4b p12

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"All should guard the senses, lest Satan gain victory over them; for these are the avenues of the soul.

You will have to become a faithful sentinel over your eyes, ears, and all your senses if you would

control your mind and prevent vain and corrupt thoughts from staining your soul. The power of

grace alone can accomplish this most desirable work." Adventist Home p401

"Walk in the spirit and ye shall not fulfil the lusts of the flesh" Galatians5 (Displacement reaction) 30

days

"Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the

flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God." 2Corinthians7:1

* “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the

stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you,

and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them." Ezekiel 36:23-

27

"And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body

be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is he that calleth you, who

also will do it." 1Thessalonians5:23-24

"Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the

presence of his glory with exceeding joy," Jude24

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Try this 30 Day Challenge...

1) Cut out the t.v, movies, secular music and gaming consoles, and replace that time with

studying the Bible, Aunty Ellen’s books and prayer. (No Evil Influence - 2Corinthians10:5)

2) Cut out all unhealthy food and drinks, plan your shopping and buy a healthy balance of

carbohydrates, proteins, fruits and vegetables, whilst drinking plenty of water.

3) Excercise everyday for at least 45 minutes

It’s a good idea to try this with some of your friends that are on it, you can help encourage

other to keep at it as you all look to Christ for strength.

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Concluding points

These are they that have come up through great tribulation and have washed their robes and made

them white, while the lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God, the self-indulgent and

disobedient, have lost both worlds. They have neither the things of this life nor the immortal life.

That triumphant throng, with songs of victory and with crowns and harps, have trodden in the fiery

furnace of earthly affliction when it was heated and intensely hot. From destitution, from hunger

and torture, they come, from deep self-denial and bitter disappointments. Look upon them now as

conquerors, no longer poor, no longer in sorrow, in affliction and hatred of all men for Christ’s sake.

Behold their heavenly garments, white and shining, richer than any kingly robe. Look by faith upon

their jewelled crowns; never did such a diadem deck the brow of any earthly monarch.

Listen to their voices as they sing loud hosannas and as they wave the palm branches of victory. Rich

music fills heaven as their voices sing forth these words: “Worthy, worthy is the Lamb that was slain

and rose again forevermore. Salvation unto our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the

Lamb.” And the angelic host, angels and archangels, covering cherub and glorious seraph, echo back

the refrain of that joyous, triumphant song saying, “Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and

thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever” (Revelation

7:12).

Oh, in that day it will be discovered that the righteous were the wise ones, while the sinful and

disobedient were fools.... Shame and everlasting contempt is their portion. Those who have been co-

laborers for Christ will then be near the throne of God, girt with purity and the garments of eternal

righteousness. {HP 371}

Imagine if everyone you knew understood what was necessary, then we all focused on that one

thing. Imagine how powerful that movement would be?

The very fact that this bible study is named ‘can we overcome sin’ is a rebuke to our ignorance of

God on a general level. Something that should be so plainly understood from a young age is a huge

learning curve for many an elder. Sin is the one thing that separates us from God; therefore, every

effort should be made to study to find one’s self approved.

Satan wants you to look at perfection as a boring unattainable status that is so far out of reach,

there is no point even trying. There is such a negative stigma surrounding the term, as Satan often

uses negative people who lack love to force the issue. This means many people despise the

character transformation necessary for you to walk into heaven. It’s so sad for all Jesus wants you to

do is surrender, EVERYTHING to Him, and walk with Him. How beautiful is that, to commune with

the one able to keep you from falling, Jude 1:24

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In conclusion; who would win in a fight between Jesus and Satan? Would it even be a contest? If

Jesus is in you, and you get tempted, what is going to happen in that battle if you’re not there, but

Jesus is?

I die daily, because I love Him, and believe that He lives in me

bible study jude 24

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