Tag: Apostle Paul

Be Strong!

On December 24, 2018

THE KIMBERLY JOY SHOW: WHY BELIEVERS IN CHRIST NEED INNER STRENGTH

WHY DO BELIEVERS IN CHRIST NEED TO BE STRONG?

In the third chapter of Ephesians, Paul prayed inner strength for the Gentiles (non-Jews) who had become believers in Christ. Paul, who was appointed as an apostle of Jesus Christ, knew all too well that inner strength was vital for Christians. During this era, men, like Paul, faced much persecution. Paul detailed some of his suffering in II Corinthians 11:23-27 (New Living Translation):

^“23Are they servants of Christ? I know I sound like a madman, but I have served Him far more! I have worked harder, been put in prison more often, been whipped times without number, and faced death again and again. ²⁴Five different times the Jewish leaders gave me thirty-nine lashes. ²⁵Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. Once I spent a whole night and a day adrift at sea. ²⁶I have traveled on many long journeys. I have faced danger from rivers and from robbers. I have faced danger from my own people, the Jews, as well as from the Gentiles. I have faced danger in the cities, in the deserts, and on the seas. And I have faced danger from men who claim to be believers but are not.²⁷I have worked hard and long, enduring many sleepless nights. I have been hungry and thirsty and have often gone without food. I have shivered in the cold, without enough clothing to keep me warm.”

Today, most specifically here in the United States, we, as believers, are not threatened with physical persecution, like the apostle Paul. Nevertheless, we are persecuted. For instance, perhaps you have endured lies, ridicule, and, even, rejection for believing in Jesus. Whatever the case may be, through it all, you must be strong!

HOW DO BELIEVERS WITHSTAND OPPOSING VIEWS?

Besides persecution, we need inner strength to withstand the opposing views of non-believers:

Jesus isn’t real!

Jesus isn’t the Son of God!

Jesus isn’t God!

Jesus was only a prophet!

Jesus didn’t die for our sins!

Jesus didn’t rise from the dead!

If you’re not strong in your faith, you can be easily led astray by those who don’t follow Christ. Therefore, you have to be strengthened daily through prayer, worship, and God’s Word. You will then know how to “[cast] down imaginations, and every high thing that [exalts] itself against the knowledge of God, and [bring] into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ,” (II Corinthians 10:5, King James Version). In other words, in time we learn how to dismiss words of doubt from naysayers with God’s Word, just as Jesus did when He was tempted by the devil in the wilderness (Matthew 4, Mark 1, Luke 4).

WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT FOR BELIEVERS?

As Paul prayed inner strength for the Gentile believers, he said in Ephesians 3:16-17, NLT):

“I pray that from His glorious, unlimited resources He will empower you with inner strength through His Spirit. 17 Then Christ will make His home in your hearts as you trust in Him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong.”

Once we invite Jesus Christ to live in our hearts, through our faith in Him—believing He died for our sins and rose from the dead—we should also invite the Holy Spirit to fill us. At our church Power and Faith Ministries in Fairifield, Ohio, while we believe in accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior, we also believe in being filled with the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in other tongues, as the believers did on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2.

Each time we pray in our heavenly language (as we also like to call it since it comes from God), our spirits are strengthened.

In Ephesians 3:18-19 (NLT) Paul then said:

“18 And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love is. 19 May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.”

Overtime, we recognize more and more just how great God’s love is, and His love becomes strong in us.

WHY IS LOVE SO IMPORTANT IN THE BODY OF CHRIST?

Love is important in the body of Christ because GOD IS LOVE (I John 4:16). Since God is love, His love strengthens us. Please recognize that it’s GOD’S love we need, not worldly love. What do I mean? Worldly love is conditional, which says, “I love you IF…” On the other hand, the love of God says, “I love you IN SPITE OF….”

If we’re full of GOD, then we’re full of LOVE; if we’re full of LOVE, then we’re full of GOD, thereby being strengthened.

When Jesus was asked about the greatest commandment by some of the Pharisees or religious leaders in Matthew 22:37b-40 (KJV), He replied:

“37…..Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”

When we’re full of love—GOD—we won’t do anything to hurt God and each other.

DO WE LOVE AUTOMATICALLY?

Once we are saved, do we possess unconditional love automatically? No, not necessarily. Thus, we must follow the example of Jesus which is displayed so vividly in the Bible. What was His biggest demonstration of love? Absolutely! His crucifixion, burial, and resurrection! Naturally, we are not expected to follow in His footsteps and sacrifice our lives for all mankind on a rugged cross. Nevertheless, we can show the love of God in other ways. Just as Jesus exemplified, while He lived as a man here on Earth, we can love through our kindness, encouragement, helping hand, generosity, and selfless prayers. In a nutshell, we must CHOOSE to love!

A RECIPE FOR INNER STRENGTH

Again, how do we gain inner strength, so we may be able to stand up against persecution, the views of non-believers, and sin?

Repent of our sins and receive Jesus into our hearts as Savior and Lord
Be filled with the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in other tongues
Spend time praying to and worshiping God
Study and obey the Scriptures
Walk in God’s love

THE PRAYER OF SALVATION

If you haven’t accepted Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, you can do so right now. I then encourage you to find a good Bible-believing church that will help you grow in your relationship with the Lord.

Romans 10:9 (New International Version) says, “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Please pray the following prayer:

Dear Jesus, I come to You confessing I am a sinner in need of a Savior. I believe You shed Your blood on the cross and died for my sins, were buried and rose again so I could be free! Please forgive me for my sins and the life I have lived. I confess You Jesus as Lord and accept You as my own personal Savior. According to the Word of God, I am now saved! Hallelujah! I AM FREE!

WELCOME TO THE FAMILY OF GOD!!!!!

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God Will Empower You With Inner Strength

By Kimberly Joy

On December 17, 2018

In Inner Strength

(THE KIMBERLY JOY SHOW: God Will Empower You With Inner Strength)

GOD WILL EMPOWER YOU WITH INNER STRENGTH

The above words are part of a prayer the apostle Paul prayed on behalf of the Gentiles in Ephesians 3:16 (New Living Translation). In the beginning of the chapter, Paul informed them that God had chosen him to minister to them.

Who were the Gentiles? A gentile was any person who was not a Jew. According to Biblical history, the Jews were identified as God’s chosen people. As a result, the Jewish nation viewed the Gentiles as inferior and called them heathens. Fortunately, Jesus changed all that! In Ephesians 3:6 (NLT) Paul said:

“And this is God’s plan: Both Gentiles and Jews who believe the Good News share equally in the riches inherited by God’s children. Both are part of the same body, and both enjoy the promise of blessings because they belong to Christ Jesus.”

WHO IS SALVATION FOR?

Paul revealed to the Gentiles what wasn’t revealed before. Salvation (from sin, death, and hell) and all the blessings attached to it are not only for the Jews, but for the Gentiles as well. John 3:16 (King James Version) declares:

“For God so loved the WORLD, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

Our Heavenly Father sent His beloved Son out of love for ALL humanity, not just a select few.

As Paul continued in the third chapter of Ephesians, he encouraged the Gentiles to not worry about him because of his sufferings. The apostle Paul endured much suffering and persecution for preaching about Jesus and, now, for preaching to the Gentiles.

Like Paul, what have YOU gone through or are going through now as a result of taking a stand for Christ? What type of persecution have you faced or are facing for telling others about Jesus?

What have you suffered or are yet suffering because you’ve chosen to live holy before God? What have you sacrificed by interceding for others? Whatever it is, don’t lose heart! Don’t give up! Instead, I pray you are strengthened!

Paul didn’t allow his suffering and persecution to deter him because he was INSIDE STRONG. In other words, he was strong mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Paul lived by faith in God. He knew he was called to be a servant of Jesus Christ, and he was, wholeheartedly, committed to his calling.

As you embark upon this new year, God says you must be INSIDE STRONG. God wants to do something new in your life. He wants to reveal more of His will to you. Although you may say you’re blessed now, God wants to bless you in an even greater way. More importantly, God wants to use you to reach more souls for His Kingdom. However, none of that will be accomplished if you’re not mentally, emotionally, and spiritually prepared.

HOW DO YOU BECOME INSIDE STRONG?

Again, let’s consider the apostle Paul. He boldly declared:

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me,” (Philippians 4:13, New King James Version).

He was letting every believer know that our strength comes from the Lord. Needless to say, in order to be made INSIDE STRONG we must first repent of our sins and accept Jesus as Savior and Lord. Jesus must be our LORD as much as He is our Savior. There are those who want Jesus to save their souls from eternal damnation, but don’t want Him to be Lord over their lives. However, it doesn’t work that way. Praying the prayer of salvation is only the beginning. We must build a strong relationship with God through worship, prayer, and His Word.

To say that we must live by the Word of God may sound like a cliche, but it is anything but that! James 1:22-25 say:

“22 But don’t just listen to God’s Word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. 23 For if you listen to the Word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. 24 You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. 25 But if you look carefully into the perfect Law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.”

I challenge you, as I challenge myself, to stop focusing so much on the outer man, what the public can see. Do not concern yourself with what people think about you. Instead, be more concerned about God’s view. Take this time to focus on the inner man—your mind, your emotions, and your spirit. As you are strengthened on the inside, the outside will fall in line.

THE PRAYER OF SALVATION

Romans 10:9 (NIV) says, “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Please pray the following prayer:

WELCOME TO THE FAMILY OF GOD!!!!!

If you find value in this article, please share.

To subscribe to The Kimberly Joy Blog and receive new articles by email, please leave your email address in the box marked SUBSCRIBE TO BLOG VIA EMAIL provided at the end of the article.

If you would like to make a donation to help with my mission of spreading spiritual inspiration, you may donate to The Kimberly Joy Show via Cash App, Venmo or paypal.me/thekimberlyjoyshow.

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A True Soldier

By Kimberly Joy

On August 16, 2018

In Perseverance

WHAT IS A TRUE SOLDIER?

On April 5, 2003, at the age of 34, Army Staff Sergeant Stevon A. Booker was killed by enemy fire in Iraq during a raid into Baghdad. Although I had heard and read about other casualties of war, this particular incident hit close to home because he was family! To the world he was Staff Sergeant Booker, but to those close to him, he was Stevie.

I was in shock the night I received the news that he was dead. My heart especially ached for his mother, sister and nephew. Stevie was gone??? No! It couldn’t be right! Again, he was ONLY 34 years old!!! He had been in the service since he was 18 or 19 years old.

He still had so many more years to live. In fact, following his death, I was told that Stevie had made plans to bring home a special lady, also a member of the service, to meet his family, and in just a few more years, he would have been eligible to retire. However, none of that was going to happen now, and it just didn’t seem fair!

As I pondered over the tragic event, I found solace in knowing that Stevie was a true soldier! A soldier can be defined as an enlisted man or woman. However, just because one survives boot camp doesn’t necessarily mean he or she is a TRUE soldier! A true soldier is willing to fight in order to defend his or her own. In battle or war, a true soldier risks being injured, maimed and even killed. Although we didn’t want to believe that Stevie was never coming back, we had to remember one thing! He was a true soldier who had made an allegiance to the army and to this country, even if it meant losing his life!

ARE YOU A TRUE SOLDIER?
The book of Romans was an epistle or formal letter written by the apostle Paul to the Christians at Rome. In Romans 8:35-36 he asked,

“35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”

Paul was informing them that as Christians they would face trouble. In other words, at times they would be persecuted, hungry and destitute, and in grave danger because they chose to follow Jesus Christ.

This truth still resonates today. As believers in Christ, we will face challenges, just as Jesus faced challenges while living on earth as a man. Because He was ridiculed, we will be ridiculed. Because He was mistreated, we can expect to be mistreated. Because He was attacked, we shouldn’t be surprised if we’re attacked. Therefore, we must learn to persevere.

To persevere is to endure through difficult circumstances. II Timothy 2:3 says,

“Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.”

Paul wrote a letter to his young Christian brother Timothy encouraging him to continue doing the work of the Lord and sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ, despite any suffering and hardship he would experience.

Like a true soldier, as believers in Christ, we’ve made a commitment to serve God. Consider the apostle Paul. He was totally committed to telling others about Jesus, even if it meant sacrificing his life. In II Corinthians 11, he acknowledged being a prisoner and facing death countless times, including being whipped and even stoned by Jews and Gentiles alike. Three times he was shipwrecked. There were nights he didn’t get any sleep and days he went without food, water or warm clothing. Nevertheless, because of his faith in Jesus and undying devotion, he continued to persevere. He kept praying, preaching and encouraging other believers.

ARE YOU FULFILLING YOUR COMMITMENT?
Just as the apostle Paul persevered, I encourage you to do the same! Don’t allow anything or anyone to stop you from fulfilling your commitment to God. Trust that even when you go through, that God is with you. Know that every struggle is worth it, because not only do you gain rewards on earth, but you will gain the reward of eternal life because you accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and remained faithful to the end!

THE PRAYER OF SALVATION
If you haven’t accepted Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, you can do so right now. I then encourage you to find a good Bible-believing church that will help you grow in your relationship with the Lord.

Romans 10:9 (NIV) says, “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Please pray the following prayer:

Dear Jesus, I come to You confessing I am a sinner in need of a Savior. I believe You shed Your blood on the cross and died for my sins, were buried and rose again so I could be free! Please forgive me for my sins and the life I have lived. I confess You Jesus as Lord and accept You as my own personal Savior. According to the Word of God, I am now saved! Hallelujah! I AM FREE!

WELCOME TO THE FAMILY OF GOD!!!!!

If you find value in this article, please share.

To subscribe to The Kimberly Joy Blog and receive new articles by email, please leave your email address in the box marked SUBSCRIBE TO BLOG VIA EMAIL provided at the end of the article.

If you would like to make a donation to help with my mission of spreading spiritual inspiration, you may donate to The Kimberly Joy Show via Cash App, Venmo or paypal.me/thekimberlyjoyshow.

Please follow The Kimberly Joy Show on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.

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