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                                          Power For Abundant Living

Nov 10, 2024

Recently I’ve been thinking about a class called Power For Abundant Living, and specifically the first session of that class. This class was taught by Dr. Victor Paul Wierwille and recorded in 1967. He was a committed student of the Bible and wanted to share what he had learned from his studies of the scriptures and how to operate the power of God.

This class teaches the basic keys on how to understand the truths from the Bible. If you want to live an abundant life in all categories, you’re going to have to have a firm, spiritual standard in your life.

We believe the Bible is that standard for true living and that God is the author of the Bible. John 10:10 is the foundational verse upon which the class was developed.

It says, “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”  This is Jesus Christ speaking.

We believe that the Bible teaches that Jesus Christ is the only begotten son of God and that he is the subject of the Bible from Genesis through Revelation and that he was God’s plan of redemption and salvation for mankind.

We believe God is the author of the Bible.  There were many writers, but God authored what they wrote by revelation.  We see this in 2 Peter 1:21, “For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.”

We learn in this class that the word ‘moved’ equals  receiving revelation from God. Men wrote what God, by revelation, told them to write.

The overall goal of the class is found in Acts 26:18, “To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.”

Dr. Wierwille works this class over the course of 12 Sessions, teaching keys to build our believing so that we can operate the power of God in our lives. Believing is the key to receiving anything from God or anything in this life, for that matter.

My thoughts turn to the Day of Pentecost at this point because it was on that day that man first received the gift of holy spirit.  This was the culmination of everything that Jesus Christ was to accomplish.  He told his Apostles in Acts 1:8, “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”

The “uttermost part of the earth’”includes wherever we are at any given time.  God wants us to know His Word and to be witnesses.  You speak the Word first to yourself and then you speak it to others.

The Power For Abundant Living Class will show you that as you receive, retain and release God’s Word, you will find that life is very meaningful; in case you had any questions about that.

We believe that what separates this class out from all the other classes on the Bible is what is called The Mystery.

The Mystery is a very significant Biblical reality which is found in Ephesians 3:3,4 “How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words, 4 Whereby when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ)

We also see in verse 9, “And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God…”

Also in Colossians 1:27, “To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

You would have to go “far and wide” to find the mystery of Christ in you taught in traditional Christian circles. Why?  Because they don’t know it and the Devil doesn’t want the average Christian to know what God has given them when they get born again.

Any man or woman who is born again of God’s spirit has tremendous power, but they won’t know it if they aren’t taught it.

The Power For Abundant Living Class shows this truth and how God revealed it to the church by way of the Apostle Paul.

These are just some of the highlights of the class; there are many more.

I am very thankful that I was witnessed to many years ago and that I have the privilege to be around people who know how to worship God in spirit and in truth. To know that you have Christ in you and that you can operate the power of God by way of the manifestations of the spirit is an incredible comfort in the life of any man or woman who wants to walk with and for God.

Thanks for reading.  Respectfully submitted!  Will Grove

October 8, 2024

Go…Stand…and Speak

On Oct 4,5,6 there was a gathering of about 200 PFAL believers at the Inn at Stone Mountain Park in Atlanta, Ga.  It was a wonderful time of fellowship, teaching and seeing the mystery of the One Body in action.  We refer to this gathering as an Advance.

The theme for the Advance was taken from Acts 5:20, “Go, stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life.”

That’s what we want to do. We are all born again of God’s spirit.  We are able to manifest spiritual power in the form of the manifestations of holy spirit, listed in 1 Corinthians 12. We fellowship with one another, which means enjoying the company of other believers who speak in tongues and endeavor to live the mystery in their lives.

In the first paragraph, I referred to PFAL believers.  Everybody who attended has either directly taken a Bible class called Power for Abundant Living or has been taught by someone who has.

This is a very specialized Bible class originally recorded in 1967 by Dr. Victor Paul Wierwille, with the sole purpose of enabling people to understand the Bible and to apply its truths – lessons in their lives.

At the Advance, we heard many wonderful teachings on God’s Word that were designed to encourage us to believe what we are in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 2:15 “That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world.”

Our minds are intended to hold light; the light of God’s Word. The more abundant life promised in John 10:10 starts in the mind. As we become more mindful of God’s Word, excitement will build in our lives and we will be encouraged to speak it, which is what God wants. First you speak it to yourself and then you speak it to others. You never know whose life you’ll change for the better as you are faithful to speak God’s Word.

We are encouraged to take care of those we speak to and the best way to do that is by prayer and then helping to take care of whatever they need, spiritual and physical.

1 Thessalonians 5:17 “Pray without ceasing”. This means to pray a lot. We need to discipline ourselves to pray in the spirit, which is speaking in tongues and with our understanding. That’s simply talking to God.  We should encourage people to expect God to take care of them, to expect good health, and to expect to get their physical needs taken care.

The Apostle Paul said in Romans 1:11, “For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end ye may be established.”  We can do that for others with our prayers and using our spiritual abilities. Paul was being specific here, but you don’t have to be an apostle to pray for others and to teach them the Word to the end that they get established.

There are lots of Christian groups doing what they can to teach God’s Word, but how many of them teach the Mystery?

1 Corinthians 2:7 “But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the world unto our glory:”

Ephesians 1:9 “Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to the good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:”

Colossians 1:27 “To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:”

This is what we tried to study and learn more of at the Advance. It’s Christ in you and with Christ in us, it is limitless, what can do spiritually. We are saved by grace, not of works, lest any man should boast (Ephesians 2:9).

Men, for the most part, want to boast about their works to get saved. That is made up. Man is not good enough to earn salvation.

We know that it’s by grace that we are saved, and with that Christ in us we are able to do so many things to move God’s Word. It’s just a matter of faithfulness and keeping that desire alive.

The Advance was a wonderful getting together of the Family of God and a reminder to us all that what we need is God and His Word and we need the fellowship of the family of God to keep us healthy and whole.

That’s about it.  Thanks for reading. Respectfully submitted.

Will Grove

October 8, 2024

Go…Stand…and Speak

On Oct 4,5,6 there was a gathering of about 200 PFAL believers at the Inn at Stone Mountain Park in Atlanta, Ga.  It was a wonderful time of fellowship, teaching and seeing the mystery of the One Body in action.  We refer to this gathering as an Advance.

The theme for the Advance was taken from Acts 5:20, “Go, stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life.”

That’s what we want to do. We are all born again of God’s spirit.  We are able to manifest spiritual power in the form of the manifestations of holy spirit, listed in 1 Corinthians 12. We fellowship with one another, which means enjoying the company of other believers who speak in tongues and endeavor to live the mystery in their lives.

In the first paragraph, I referred to PFAL believers.  Everybody who attended has either directly taken a Bible class called Power for Abundant Living or has been taught by someone who has.

This is a very specialized Bible class originally recorded in 1967 by Dr. Victor Paul Wierwille, with the sole purpose of enabling people to understand the Bible and to apply its truths – lessons in their lives.

At the Advance, we heard many wonderful teachings on God’s Word that were designed to encourage us to believe what we are in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 2:15 “That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world.”

Our minds are intended to hold light; the light of God’s Word. The more abundant life promised in John 10:10 starts in the mind. As we become more mindful of God’s Word, excitement will build in our lives and we will be encouraged to speak it, which is what God wants. First you speak it to yourself and then you speak it to others. You never know whose life you’ll change for the better as you are faithful to speak God’s Word.

We are encouraged to take care of those we speak to and the best way to do that is by prayer and then helping to take care of whatever they need, spiritual and physical.

1 Thessalonians 5:17 “Pray without ceasing”. This means to pray a lot. We need to discipline ourselves to pray in the spirit, which is speaking in tongues and with our understanding. That’s simply talking to God.  We should encourage people to expect God to take care of them, to expect good health, and to expect to get their physical needs taken care.

The Apostle Paul said in Romans 1:11, “For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end ye may be established.”  We can do that for others with our prayers and using our spiritual abilities. Paul was being specific here, but you don’t have to be an apostle to pray for others and to teach them the Word to the end that they get established.

There are lots of Christian groups doing what they can to teach God’s Word, but how many of them teach the Mystery?

1 Corinthians 2:7 “But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the world unto our glory:”

Ephesians 1:9 “Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to the good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:”

Colossians 1:27 “To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:”

This is what we tried to study and learn more of at the Advance. It’s Christ in you and with Christ in us, it is limitless, what can do spiritually. We are saved by grace, not of works, lest any man should boast (Ephesians 2:9).

Men, for the most part, want to boast about their works to get saved. That is made up. Man is not good enough to earn salvation.

We know that it’s by grace that we are saved, and with that Christ in us we are able to do so many things to move God’s Word. It’s just a matter of faithfulness and keeping that desire alive.

The Advance was a wonderful getting together of the Family of God and a reminder to us all that what we need is God and His Word and we need the fellowship of the family of God to keep us healthy and whole.

That’s about it.  Thanks for reading. Respectfully submitted.

Will Grove

October 8, 2024

Go…Stand…and Speak

On Oct 4,5,6 there was a gathering of about 200 PFAL believers at the Inn at Stone Mountain Park in Atlanta, Ga.  It was a wonderful time of fellowship, teaching and seeing the mystery of the One Body in action.  We refer to this gathering as an Advance.

The theme for the Advance was taken from Acts 5:20, “Go, stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life.”

That’s what we want to do. We are all born again of God’s spirit.  We are able to manifest spiritual power in the form of the manifestations of holy spirit, listed in 1 Corinthians 12. We fellowship with one another, which means enjoying the company of other believers who speak in tongues and endeavor to live the mystery in their lives.

In the first paragraph, I referred to PFAL believers.  Everybody who attended has either directly taken a Bible class called Power for Abundant Living or has been taught by someone who has.

This is a very specialized Bible class originally recorded in 1967 by Dr. Victor Paul Wierwille, with the sole purpose of enabling people to understand the Bible and to apply its truths – lessons in their lives.

At the Advance, we heard many wonderful teachings on God’s Word that were designed to encourage us to believe what we are in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 2:15 “That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world.”

Our minds are intended to hold light; the light of God’s Word. The more abundant life promised in John 10:10 starts in the mind. As we become more mindful of God’s Word, excitement will build in our lives and we will be encouraged to speak it, which is what God wants. First you speak it to yourself and then you speak it to others. You never know whose life you’ll change for the better as you are faithful to speak God’s Word.

We are encouraged to take care of those we speak to and the best way to do that is by prayer and then helping to take care of whatever they need, spiritual and physical.

1 Thessalonians 5:17 “Pray without ceasing”. This means to pray a lot. We need to discipline ourselves to pray in the spirit, which is speaking in tongues and with our understanding. That’s simply talking to God.  We should encourage people to expect God to take care of them, to expect good health, and to expect to get their physical needs taken care.

The Apostle Paul said in Romans 1:11, “For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end ye may be established.”  We can do that for others with our prayers and using our spiritual abilities. Paul was being specific here, but you don’t have to be an apostle to pray for others and to teach them the Word to the end that they get established.

There are lots of Christian groups doing what they can to teach God’s Word, but how many of them teach the Mystery?

1 Corinthians 2:7 “But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the world unto our glory:”

Ephesians 1:9 “Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to the good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:”

Colossians 1:27 “To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:”

This is what we tried to study and learn more of at the Advance. It’s Christ in you and with Christ in us, it is limitless, what can do spiritually. We are saved by grace, not of works, lest any man should boast (Ephesians 2:9).

Men, for the most part, want to boast about their works to get saved. That is made up. Man is not good enough to earn salvation.

We know that it’s by grace that we are saved, and with that Christ in us we are able to do so many things to move God’s Word. It’s just a matter of faithfulness and keeping that desire alive.

The Advance was a wonderful getting together of the Family of God and a reminder to us all that what we need is God and His Word and we need the fellowship of the family of God to keep us healthy and whole.

That’s about it.  Thanks for reading. Respectfully submitted.

Will Grove

July 14, 2024

What Would Jesus Do?

I recently had the opportunity to be at a family camp in the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania. I heard wonderful, inspiring teachings on God’s Word for four full days.  During one of those teachings the teacher made the statement, ‘What would Jesus do?’

That has brought me to the following thoughts.

‘What would Jesus do?’ has been a popular phrase in the Christian community for a long time. If you are a Christian, it makes sense because Jesus Christ is our lord and savior.  He is the one who is to be the primary example in our walk with our Heavenly Father.

John 14:12b “…and greater works than these shall he do because I go unto my Father.”  The greater works are leading a person into the new birth with the end result being speaking in tongues, which Jesus Christ did not do because it was not available.  Any Christian can operate manifestations of the spirit. They just need to know it’s available to them.

We see in

John 6:63, “It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are life.”

John 14:10 “Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? The words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself; but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.”

Jesus Christ always did God’s will and he always spoke God’s words. God would be the first to tell you this. When we need examples of how to think and move in a given situation, God can always be called upon to help out.  He did it for His son and He’ll do it for us.

Mark 9:7 “And there was a cloud that overshadowed them: and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him.”

Many people around him followed Jesus because of the words he spake and the spirit power he operated. From what we read in the Gospel records, we can also think when we go about our daily business, and situations arise, ‘What would Jesus do?’

From what we’ve seen in the records we just looked at, we know that Jesus Christ always did what his Father wanted him to do and he always said what God wanted him to say.

He had the words to bless and heal and he had the words to confront.  He knew how to lead a fearless, peaceful, godly life.  He knew how to do it from when he was very young.

One record of forgiveness that has always intrigued me is

John 8:3 “And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst.

4 They say unto him Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. [So somebody was watching them?] 5 Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou? 6 This they said, tempting him that they might have to accuse him.  But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not. 7 So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.”

They felt the shame and left one by one.

Vs 10 “When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? Hath no man condemned thee? 11 She said, no man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.”

This is a great record of where Jesus refused to take the bait of the accusers and got peaceful and showed great compassion.

We can do the same thing.

There is a record in Luke 8 of a man named Jairus who was a leader in the synagogue. He had a twelve year old daughter who was very sick and dying. He asked Jesus Christ to come and heal his daughter.  Jesus went to do this and while they were on the way, in Verse 43 we read, “And a woman having an issue of blood twelve years, which had spent all her living upon physicians, neither could be healed of any, 44 Came behind him, and touched the border of his garment: and immediately her issue of blood stanched [she was healed]. 45a And Jesus said, Who touched me? 46 And Jesus said, Somebody hath touched me: for I perceive that virtue is gone out of me.”

In Verse 47 she explains herself.

Verse 48, “And he said unto here, Daughter be of good comfort: thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace.”

It meant everything to her that Jesus Christ would take the time to show her that compassion. Jesus Christ was doing double duty here, so to speak. He was heading to heal Jairus’s daughter, and here comes this sick woman, who he took the time to heal as well.

When we have to deal with strong situations, expected and unexpected, we should go to God first.  What he did during the course of a day, Jesus didn’t have to give a second thought to doing what he did because he always listened to God.  That should be our goal as well.

A few verses from Psalms to think about:

Psalm 34:3 “O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together.

Verse 4 I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.

Verse 7 The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.

Verse 8 O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.”

Thanks for reading! Respectfully submitted.  Will Grove

June 12, 2024

Since Before the Foundation of the World

God’s plan since before the foundation of the world was that he could have children who could stand before Him as holy and without blame in love.  Ephesians 1:4

“Before the foundation of the world” goes back further than our minds can comprehend.  We just can’t compute in our minds, but we can comprehend that God loves us very much and we in turn are to love Him back. That’s a very simple truth. That should not be a problem.  But there is a problem because our physical minds are carnal and are at times like a giant force field fighting ourselves and God.

We don’t need to, it’s just the way our old man nature is.

Ephesians 1:3 tells us, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.” Once we are born again, our true nature is not the very powerful force of the old man nature, but it’s Christ in us, the hope of glory.

We can’t comprehend all spiritual blessings; not yet anyway. Someday we will nevertheless and we can be thankful to God that He’s blessed us with them.  Some of these blessings we’ll see now, some after Christ’s return. God’s Word says we’ve been blessed with them.

The simple fact is, God has said it and that settles it.

All we have to do is work on believing.  And that is work. It’s brain work, which can be just as hard as physical work.

Romans 12:2 says, “And 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.”

The good news is that we don’t have to do anything but change our thinking. The further good news is that that’s what God wants us to do and He’ll help us. This is God speaking and we need to wrap our heads around that, otherwise we won’t go very far with the things of God.

God has given us a job to do and He never asks us to do anything we can’t do.  All we have to do is commit ourselves to what God tells us.

The financial giants of this world eagerly pursue their interests because money is usually the motivator. Money is physical power, however, the greater truth is spiritual power and the operation of the manifestations of the spirit.  That’s power that the financial giants don’t understand.

The idea is to have the same enthusiasm when dealing with the things of God.

1 Corinthians 16:15 tells us, “I beseech you, brethren, (ye know the household of Stephanas, that it is the firstfruits of Achaia, and that they have addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints,)

Addiction implies over and over and over again to the point that there’s really nothing else you’d rather do.  That’s a really great place to be when it comes to ministering God’s Word, and not a lot of people get there and maintain it over the long haul.  It takes time to see a lot of the things that God has prepared for us.

Some of God’s blessings you can see quickly, but not near as many as what are available with the working of time.

Anyone who makes a commitment in a certain area will see things pertaining to that commitment because of their believing.  It’s the same with godly things.

You probably won’t see the greatness of the abundant life that God promised in a short period of time. You’ll see some wonderful things and maybe a lot of healing in some areas, but not full maturity. It’s like a good whiskey that has to age.  We need to give it time and it needs to be fruitful time.

The prophets of old saw this.  They just understood in light of their administration which was before Pentecost.  They knew something great was coming, but they didn’t see The Mystery. We are post-Pentecost so we have the greatness of all those spiritual blessings.  How many of them can we tap into and see?  We have so much to deal with now and so much to look forward to in the gathering together.

Ephesians 1:11-14 “In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him [God] who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will.

That we should be to the praise of his glory who first trusted in Christ.

In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise [speaking in tongues]

Which is the earnest of our inheritance [the manifestations] until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.”  This will be when we are finally gathered together with our new bodies.

What a thing to look forward to!

Thanks for reading!  Respectfully submitted.  Will Grove

April 5, 2024

Let’s Take God’s Word Seriously

When a person becomes born again of God’s spirit, it is a spiritual matter.  To do this, you have to hear and/or see God’s Word to the point where you can make the decision that Jesus Christ is Lord in your life and that God raised him from the dead.  When that happens, that person will have repented, which means to change for the better.

At that moment, all your sins, including all of which you couldn’t begin to remember, are erased.  The term, “washed away”could also be used here. Acts 2:38 “…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.”

It’s easy to get born again.  It is done in a moment of time.

However, the Devil doesn’t want you to get born again, so he will influence our surroundings to make it seem undesirable or very hard to do. 1 Peter 5:8 tells us “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.”

This is not a one-time thing; this is continuous action. The adversary cannot stop you from being born again, if you really want to be. He will try, however, to make life rough for you if you don’t know about him or don’t know enough about him to push him away.  The Adversary never takes a day off, but then, neither does God.

2 Corinthians 2:11 tells us “Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.”

“Not ignorant of” if we pursue the Scriptures; most definitely taken advantage of if we don’t. His devices are many, and they’re often hard to see. You need to know how to recognize them.

For those of us who have been students of the Scriptures for some time, we understand how important it is to keep up your enthusiasm for the things of God.  Perhaps we remember how we were “undershepherded” when we first got into the Word. The early days in God’s Word should be very enthusiastic. It is also very important to keep yourself excited about the promises of God and to help younger believers get and stay excited.

1 Corinthians 16:15 “I beseech you brethren, (ye know the house of Stephanas, that it is the first fruits of Achaia, and that they have addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints,).”

Paul wrote this as a compliment to the house of Stephanas because they had become so involved with the work of the ministry and taking care of the believers, that that’s all they wanted to do.

They took God’s Word seriously.  They saw that the things of God  were so important that Paul used the word “addiction” in the positive sense, which is unusual.  The Word doesn’t tell us that they put down everything else in their life and did nothing but minister; perhaps some of them did. But they were committed!

It does take a certain level of commitment to keep God foremost in your heart. God’s Word tells us that each believer has a certain part or working in the Body of Christ. 1 Corinthians 12:18, “But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.”

We are all members of the Body of Christ and it is our responsibility to take an active part in the Church. Perhaps you have an ability to teach or to pastor or to pray.  We’re supposed to be doing that.

Imagine how awful it would be if nobody taught or pastored or prayed.  That would hurt the Body and it would hurt God because He wants all those things to happen.  That’s why He put it together.

Deuteronomy 32:9 says, “For the Lord’s portion is his people…”

What God gets out of everything He’s done is us, His people.  He wants us to look to Him as our Heavenly Father.  He wants us to worship Him in spirit and in truth. That’s speaking in tongues!  Even Jesus Christ couldn’t do that because it wasn’t available during his earthly ministry.

Look at all the things we have available to us spiritually. Certainly, that would be an inspiration to take God’s Word seriously until Christ comes back to gather us up.

1 Thessalonians 4:17 “Then we which are alive, and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”

What a cause for celebration

Thanks for reading.  Respectfully submitted.  Will Grove

February 2, 2024

It’s All Up To Believing

 

For some time now, the law of believing has been on my mind.

It is a vast subject, one that everybody does, and it does determine a persons destiny, one way or the other.

Many years ago, in his class called Power For Abundant Living, Dr. Victor Paul Wierwille explained how the law of believing works for saint and sinner alike. We are what we are because of our believing and we will become what we will become because of our believing.

That got my attention because we always believe something, and often we don’t give it a second thought. Biblical believing can be put into two parts: the right way of believing or the wrong way of believing.

Hebrews 11:6 tells us, “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”

I would like to add that in the Christian walk, this is referring to the right way of believing, because if you are not working the things of God in your heart and life, you are not building the right way of believing in your life.

Believing is not necessarily an overnight process.  It can be in some cases, but quite often it’s gradual and we have to work to build believing (confidence in God) in our lives.

Romans 10:14 tells us, “How then shall they call on him who they have not believed? And how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?” This verse sets the necessity of having the right kind or way of believing.

The way we are built, the way we are, can determine much in how easy or how difficult believing can be for us. Jesus Christ summed up believing very simply. In Luke 17:6: we see, “And the Lord said, if ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you.”

This tells us just how easy believing can and should be.  This refers to Biblical believing.

Anybody who is honestly pursuing the things of God will endeavor to build the right way of believing in their lives.  There are many examples of men who thought they represented God but who wrongly taught and oppressed God’s people over the years.

The Gospels have many records of the Pharisees at that time persecuting Jesus Christ for his teaching and stand on God’s Word. John 8 has several records regarding this. Beginning in verse 4 of John 8, when Jesus forgave a woman caught in adultery, he showed compassion and love for the accused woman. He showed the same love and compassion throughout the confrontations and accusations caused by that incident.

The Pharisees wanted Jesus to explain and defend himself, but he would have none of that because in verse 44, it culminates with Jesus telling them, “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do.  He was a murderer from the beginning and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.”

Jesus Christ always believed to speak God’s Word.  We can do the same. The adversary will always try to trick us out of believing. The adversary is not partial in who he works on to try to move people off God’s Word.  He will work just as hard on a more mature believer as he will on somebody who has just gotten born again.

Some time ago, I would hear people say, “well, I’m going to believe God”. I said it myself and sometimes it was because I didn’t know what else to say in a given situation.  It is the right thing to say because we want to believe God more and more each day.

There were times, however, when I saw people condemn themselves because they didn’t feel that they believed big enough. That can be a trick of the adversary.  No matter what stage you may be in your Christian walk, you’re still born again of God’s spirit with Christ in you, so there’s no room for condemnation. Condemnation is unproductive!

Romans 8:1a: tells us, “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus,…”  We need to encourage ourselves every day, regardless of how our day goes.  God is an encouraging God and He wants us to see the fruits of our spiritual walk as we endeavor to build ourselves in the right way of believing.

Thanks for reading.  Respectfully submitted. Will Grove

Nov 21, 2023

                                          Our God is Receptive and Just

Depending on which church you’re supporting or who you’re listening to, a person is likely to hear multiple viewpoints on what God will and won’t do or Who He is.  To clarify that statement, the God of the Scriptures is exactly Whom He says He is in the Scriptures.

In Exodus 20, before giving the 10 Commandments to Moses, God says, in verse 2 “I am the Lord thy God…”

Malachi 3:6a tells us, “For I am the Lord, I change not…”

The God of the Scriptures is the same God Almighty who created the heaven and the earth, as it tells us in Genesis 1:1. Why would anyone need other forms of worship when God describes Himself so clearly in His Word?

Man’s mind is made to hold God’s Word.  Man just can’t bring himself to believe that God Almighty could and would put spirit on and in men and women and therefore speak to men and women and have them write it down.  Not being able to believe that is a major spiritual and physical handicap.

Man’s mind is made to hold God’s Word and when he refuses to do so, he handicaps himself and allows himself to be deceived with the comforts of the world. 1 Corinthians 2:14 tells us, “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”

On the other hand, in 1 Corinthians 2:9 we see, “But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared  for them that love him.”  It doesn’t really matter what unrighteous people think about God: things that are outside of His Word.  We see that He has great things in store for those of us who love Him.

Psalm 1 describes the blessings for a person who is faithful with God and the things of God.

Verse 1:  “Blessed is the man who walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.

Verse 2: ”But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.”

Here is a person who has made a decision.  He is a believer in the one true God and the things of God.  He has put God’s Word on in his heart and it is his delight day and night. Verse 3, “And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf shall not wither and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.” This describes the reward of having your delight in the Lord.

3 John verse 2 tells us, “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.”  This is a wonderful promise and it fits with the prosperity of having your delight in the Lord as described in Psalms 1:2.

Staying consistent with putting God’s Word on in your mind can be a dog fight at times because our minds can be just as crazy as the world around us if we don’t make the decision to control them. It’s easy to believe God’s Word when you’re healthy and things are going well. There will be times when you’re not healthy and things are not going well; what do you do?

I’m sure the Psalmist did not go through life pain or trouble free. However, he kept enough control to be able to say what God told him to say in Psalm 1.  He decided he didn’t want the nonsense of the world to rule his life and God rewarded him for his integrity.  It does take integrity to stand for the One true God.  If you read the rest of Psalm 1, in verses 4 and 5, God states very simply what will be the future of the unrighteous.

“The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind drives away.”

Verse 6: “For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.”

It’s been said, “you gotta serve somebody,” so why not choose the God of the Scriptures Who is receptive, just, loving and righteous?  Life is spiritual, but very few people see it that way because they can’t understand how you can depend on what goes beyond the 5 senses.

However, it doesn’t really matter what they can or can’t understand. Those of us who love God are very blessed, privileged people.  Going back to 1 Corinthians 2:9, “…Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.”  I think that sums it up. Amen!

Thanks for reading.  Respectfully submitted, Will Grove

 

September 5, 2023

What If? … So What? … God is Able

Recently, while watching TV, I sat through a “What If” ad.  It’s a type of ad that is sponsored by the medical world.  It infers, ‘What if I’m pre-this or pre-that?’  Arguably, it’s the type of commercial that’s designed to talk you into thinking you are sick.  I thought to myself, ‘So What?’  God is able to deliver!

This type of ad is geared to a large audience who are just sitting there watching; not giving it a thought.  And the next thing you know you’re thinking about being sick or having some kind of condition that needs to be treated, perhaps on a regular basis.

We, as Christian believers do not need those types of distractions.  It’s physically and mentally exhausting and can be a major drain on your brain.  However, there is so much sickness in our world that it must be a successful distraction because it keeps coming around.

As active Christian believers, God’s Word tells us in Romans 8:37, “Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.”

“… in all these things…” refers to the nastiness that preceded that verse.

Philippians 4:19 tells us, “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”

3 John 2 tells us, “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.”

The world can think what it wants to think, however, Jesus Christ came to deliver us from sin and sickness and he was successful because his Father God made him successful. It was done, once and for all.  Yes, we’re going to get sick from time to time and some things we deal with for quite some time; however, the “What If” mindset doesn’t have to be our mind set.

In Acts 12, Peter had been locked up and was awaiting  probable execution by King Herod.  He could have had the “What If:” or “Oh No” mind set and have had a nervous break while waiting for the morning, but verse 6 tells us that Peter was sleeping between 2 soldiers.  Talk about having a “so what, God can and will deliver” mind set.  I think he was peaceful with God and as we see in the following verses, he was rescued by an angel sent from God.

It didn’t hurt that in verse 5 we read, “…but prayer was made without ceasing  of the church unto God for him.”

When the “what if” syndrome pops up, we’ve always got God on our side.  It does take some ”steel in the guts” sometimes to think that way, but it’s available.

There is part of a prayer that’s in the first chapter of Ephesians: it’s verse 19, “And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,” That “mighty power” is always available and it far exceeds the “what if” attitude which is a device of the adversary.

A lot of pressure can come from friends and family who are not believers (and some of them might be) who take in the news and negative advertisements just as if it’s nothing. They take it to heart and then they get in your face with their “What If’s” and so on.  That’s going to happen regardless of whether we put our heads into God’s Word or not. If you don’t want to be affected by that we might do well to adopt the “So What, God can and will deliver” position.

In 2 Kings 4, there is the record of a woman who had extended kindness towards Elisha the man of God at that time. She and her husband had no children.  Elisha wanted to extend a kindness back to her and was told that they were childless.  In verse 16 of that chapter, Elisha told her that God was going to give her a child and it came to pass.  Reading on through the record it shows that the child grows up and at some point becomes very ill and then dies.

When you read the record through, it is obvious that she could have become very angry and discouraged with the situation.  She could have had a form of the “What if” attitude.  However, she went right to the man of God and explained what had happened.  “When asked how things were, she replied in verse 26, “…is it well with the child [the child was dead]? And she answered, it is well.”

She could have been swallowed up in that situation, but she held her ground spiritually, and didn’t allow the circumstances to bring her down.  Elisha went back to her house, received revelation from God, prayed for the child and the child rose from the dead and was delivered to his mother.  It’s a very inspiring record.

There is a lot of negative stimulus out there just waiting to catch your attention.  Much of it is designed to put fear into your life and make you less productive for God.  However, God is bigger than any circumstance we will ever deal with.  The next time, you are faced with a negative “What if”, remember the “So what, God’s got it covered” attitude!

Thanks for reading.  Respectfully submitted!  Will Grove

 

 

July 15, 2023

Love Never Fails

Mark 12:30 tells us, “And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with thy strength: this is the first commandment.”

1 Corinthians 13:8a says, “Charity [the love of God] never faileth…”

Verse 13 tells us, “And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity [the love of God].”

Love is a word we’ve heard with mixed uses and in a multitude of contexts for most of our lives.  You could probably get a gazillion definitions of love if you were to ask around.

The love of God is different!  The love of God is a spiritual reality and it’s only available to those who are born again of God’s spirit.  You ask, what is the difference?  It comes from God.  It’s a spiritual thing so you can’t comprehend it with your five senses, therefore, the man of the senses will not understand.

For the most part, the world wants to put sex into the mix when it comes to love and sex can get perversive, especially in the pornographic community.  That was not and is not God’s intention with the love of God.  That happens because the Devil wants  to trick us from the reality of how the love of God will work in our hearts, so he throws up all kinds of  diversions.

John 3:16 tells us, “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.”

God created love.  The Bible states that God is spirit and God can only give out that which He is, which is spirit, which establishes the love of God as a spiritual reality.

We, as active believers, operate that love of God when we are in fellowship with God and it’s pretty easy to know when you are in fellowship.  When we are in fellowship with God, we will do and speak godly things. Jesus Christ was the world’s greatest lover.  All you have to do to see the love of God in action is to read the records in the Gospels.  The Gospels are jam packed and yet, they are only a portion of what Jesus Christ did in his less than a year earthly ministry.

Sometimes we think of the love of God as soft and gentle and so on.  It quite often is; and yet, when you read records in the Book of Acts regarding Paul and Peter and Stephen and others, there is a lot of violence involved in their walk as they confront various types of spirits trying to impede the movement of God’s Word.

There is a record in Acts 5 regarding a husband and wife name Ananias and Sapphira who were being dishonest in their dealings with God and they both dropped dead on the spot when confronted by Peter regarding their actions.  That’s pretty violent, and yet Peter was walking with the love of God.  He had to be  operating the manifestations of the spirit.

Jesus was quite often having to deal with the violence and negativism of his surroundings.  In John 8:42-44, he had to deal with religious leaders and their antagonism, ultimately telling them in Verse 44a “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of you father ye will do.”  It took a lot of love for him to stay his mind in this situation and to deal with it as he did.

In Acts 7, Stephen was dealing with the High Priest and other Judeans with him, who just didn’t get it after he had given them a wonderful outline of how God had worked with and taken care of His people from Abraham on up.  To show their appreciation, they ended up stoning Stephen, and in Verse 60, it says, “And he [Stephen] kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge.  And when he had said this, he fell asleep.”  Even when dying, he had enough love of God in his heart to forgive his murderers.

It’s unlikely that in our time, we will die for what we believe, but here we have a few examples of how the love of God worked in the lives of certain men.  It’s not just the (phileo) – human kind of love; it’s a state of rest  once we’ve worked God’s Word in our lives and it can only come from our loving, heavenly Father.

Philippians 4:8 tells us, “Finally brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”  These things all show the love of God and they are fun to think on because it’s fun to think godly thoughts.

So there you have a few thoughts on the love of God which can only come from God.

Thanks for reading!  Respectfully submitted.  Will Grove

 

 

 

 

April 27, 2023                          Being Peaceful

 

1 Corinthians 14:33 says “For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints>”

Philippians 4:7 says “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus>”

Colossians 3:15 says “And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.”

These verses, among a myriad of others, encourage us to seek the peace of God.  True peace can come only from God and He has encouraged us to go to His Word to see the greatness of that. The peace of God is a spiritual matter and it’s available for people who truly want to seek the things of God. As we look around us, we can see the various ways in which people seek peace: whether it be all the religious methods, chemicals, trying to find the inner self and on and on.  When you go that route, you are depending upon other men to replace the peace that comes from God with their own ideas on what peace should be.  And that won’t work!

John 16:33 says “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me you might have peace.  In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”

As of Genesis 3:5,6, it was no longer available to have peace in the world.  The Devil became in charge at that point, and ever since that moment, he has been making sure that the world is as unpeaceful as possible.  Jesus Christ said what he said to give the people he was speaking to hope. People throughout the ages, for the most part, want peace in their lives and quite often work very hard to bring peace into their lives.  There is a captive audience for peace, but no real solution, outside of God’s Word for finding it.

When I was growing up I thought that if my mind was happy, I’d be peaceful and that’s certainly part of it.  But if my mind wasn’t happy I had no definitive way to bring it back in.  My parents didn’t know and neither did the adults around me.  In the late 60’s and early 70s there were large peace movements that were among young people in various places but they were more for just hanging out and blowing off energy. It wasn’t until I was introduced to the scriptures when I was in my twenties that I learned that true peace is a spiritual matter and that you can only get it from God and His Word.

John 14:27 says, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you.  Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”

This is a very wonderful truth.  You don’t need artifacts and chemicals to bring peace into your life. Of course, you’re going to be challenged by your friends to try what they’re trying, which according to them might seem to work at the moment.  If it’s outside of the Scriptures, it’s only temporary. What you need is the spirit of God in you to will and do of His good pleasure. Each morning when I pray, I thank God for a healthy body and a sound mind and for a safe and productive day.  I endeavor to not let things stress me and I stay pretty peaceful as I keep that in mind.  Sure, there are things that are going to come up: that’s just the way it is. However, we see in Isaiah 26:3, “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.”

If you can discipline your mind to practice the presence of God, that will keep you peaceful.  The fact is you can discipline your mind, as in anything else that you enjoy.  God designed our minds to hold His Word.  The world doesn’t understand that and never will; Therefore it can get really chaotic out there with what people allow into their brains. It won’t get any better until the return of Christ, so we owe it to God and to ourselves to practice that presence of God which will bring us God’s true peace.

Once again, Isaiah 26:3 says, “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.”

Recalling John 16:33, “…that in me ye might have peace.”  It’s very simple when we allow God to do His thing.  We already know that in the world we’ll have tribulation and we don’t want that.  Nobody wants tribulation, but you have to follow God’s rules if you want true peace and comfort in your lives.  I like being peaceful.  It takes work but it’s worth it!

Thanks for reading.  See you soon.  Respectfully submitted.  Will Grove