“He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds.” (Titus 2:14 NLT)

When you received Him, He gave you the right to become a child of God

“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” (John 1:12-13)

His prized possession

“For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for His prized possession, above all peoples on the face of the earth.” (Deut. 7:6)

Therefore…

“Come, let us worship and bow down, Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker. For He is our God, And we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand Today, if you would hear His voice.” (Psalms 95:6-7)

“When we get together, I want to encourage you in your faith, but I also want to be encouraged by yours.” (Rom. 1:12 NLT)

Strengthen one another

“For I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you.”(Rom. 1:11)

Encourage towards love and good works

“And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.” (Heb. 10:24-25)

Every day

“But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.” (Heb. 3:13)

Therefore…

“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” (1 Thes. 5:11)

“Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.” (2 Cor. 13:11)

“Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.” (Acts 17:11 NASB)

Using the truth gage

We hear all kinds of messages coming from everywhere, including news sources, talking heads, social media, friends, family and even coming from religious speakers. It can be very confusing. But, to remain safe, you must use the Word of God as the gage for obtaining the truth of things. That’s what a group of Jewish believers from a place called Berea did when Paul and Silas came to their synagogue to speak to them (Acts 17:11). Even though the believers in Berea received their message with great eagerness, they still examined the Scriptures to see whether these things that were being said were so. Because they did this, the Bible said they were noble-minded. No matter where a message comes from, it must be tested by what the Word of God says about it. I’ve discovered, for instance, that much of what is called “politically correct” these days, does not stand up to what the Word of God calls acceptable. Understand that those who contradict the Word of God are completely in the dark and you do not want to get your instruction from them!

“Look to God’s instructions and teachings! People who contradict his word are completely in the dark.” (Isa. 8:20 NLT)

Therefore…

“So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31-32 ESV)

Jesus said, “In this world you will have trouble. But take courage; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

Yes, you will have trouble

Jesus said, “in this world, you will have trouble.” That is because we live in a fallen world and problems of all kinds and sizes will challenge us from time to time. Just this past week, for instance, Susan and I were on vacation, happily driving along in our RV on a remote road in another state, and suddenly, our vehicle’s engine quit and wouldn’t restart. We called roadside assistance and waited on the roadside for almost three hours for them to come. They towed us to the nearest repair facility which was a two hour drive from where we broke down. We arrived about midnight Friday and waited there all night for them to open the next morning. The problem turned out to be a broken water pump which had to be ordered and wouldn’t arrive until Monday morning. The repair folks allowed us to stay in their parking lot over the weekend and even had a car available for us to use. We treated the weekend as an unexpected adventure, exploring their town. On Monday morning a new fuel pump was installed, and we were again on our way.

What to do when trouble comes your way

1) Don’t get upset. Take a deep breath and remain calm. You can’t prevent problems from coming your way, but you can control how you react to them. If you allow yourself to panic or get upset you won’t be able to make good decisions related to finding a needed solution. “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts.” (Col. 3:15)

2) Ask for God’s help. “… God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” (Psalm 46:1 ESV). When you ask, God may give you wisdom and knowledge to find a solution and/or He may send someone to help you. But, if you don’t ask God for His help, you may not get it. “You do not have because you do not ask God.” (James 4:2 NIV)

3) Look for and expect God to work it out. When we broke down alongside a remote highway we decided not to get upset but to trust God and to treat it as an opportunity to see how it would all work out. Even though our plans were interrupted, it all eventually got resolved. “The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble…” (Nahum 1:7 ESV)

“God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.” (1 Peter 4:10 NLT)

If your gift is speaking

“Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you.” (1 Peter 4:11a NLT)

If your gift is helping

“Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies.” (1 Peter 4:11b NLT)

Use your gift to glorify God

“Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen.” (1 Peter 4:11c NLT)

• I am not shackled by sin, demons or fear, for “thy God whom thou servest continually, He will deliver thee.” (Dan. 6:16)

• I am not in a losing battle, for "the Lord shall fight for me, and I shall hold my peace.” (Ex. 14:14)

• I am not without joy, for "His joy shall be in me, and my joy shall be full." (John 15:11)

• I shall not fail to see God; for “blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God" (Matt. 5:8)

• I am not oppressed by cares, for I am "casting all my cares upon Him, for He careth for me." (1 Pt. 5:7)

• I am not lacking any good thing, for “no good thing will He withhold from them that walk uprightly.” (Psalm 84:11)

• I am not overtaken by any evil work, for “the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work." (2 Tim. 4: 18)

• I am not afraid of any plague, for “there shall be no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling" Ps. 91:10.

• I am not running from the devil, for I am “resisting the devil, and he is fleeing from me.” (James 4:7)

• I am not without daily quickening, for "He that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by His spirit that dwelleth in you." (Rom. 8:11)

Over the last few days we’ve been focusing on Bible verses proclaiming what we ARE as members of God’s family. Now, we will look at what we are NOT.

• I am not bound, for “if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." (John. 8:36 NIV)

• I am not sick, for “He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases.” (Psalm 103:3 NLT)

• I am not defeated, for “in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” (Rom. 8:37 NKJV)

• I am not weak, for “the Lord will give strength unto His people.” (Psalm.29: 11 KJV)

• I am not without power, for “you shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you." (Acts 1:8KJV)

• I am not without peace, for “being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." (Rom. 5:1 KJV)

All the promises of God are “yes and amen” (2 Cor 1:20)

• I possess wholesome sound sleep at night. I confess, He gives me sleep.

"He giveth His beloved sleep" (Psalm 127: 2 KJV)

• I possess the assurance that my labour in the Lord is fruitful. I confess, my labor is not in vain.

"For as much as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord." (1 Cor. 15: 58 KJV)

• I possess abounding blessings. I confess, my blessings abound in faithfulness.

“A faithful man shall abound with blessings" (Proverbs 28:20 KJV)

• I possess within me the power to accomplish infinitely more than I might ask or think. I confess that I am able to accomplish infinitely more through God’s power that’s working within me.

“Now all glory to God , who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.” (Eph. 3:20 NLT)

• I possess employment by God. I confess that I work for God in all that I do with all my heart.

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters,