How To Live A Triumphant Christian Life
By Dr. J. A McBean.Th., MCC
Copyright © 2008 Library of Congress
Washington.D.C.20559
D uring world war two, a pilot was shot down over enemy territory, he starve to death. Months later, another pilot was shot down over the same jungle and survived. He hides out by day, and travel by night. He eats well. What was the secret to this man survival? He did survival training. He learn how to make a fire without matches, he learn how to collect water from leaf and rocks. The same things with the Christians life, it can be hard or it can be easy. There are certain things that the new Christians need to start doing the moment they got save, in order to have a victorious and easy walk with God. The after coming to know Jesus as savior, the first battle is going to be your immediate family and friends. It is not good to go home and tell them that you got save, people must just see your mannerism, and see your life of living, including change conversation and know that you meet the lord.
CONDITIONS IN SERVING GOD.
To walk with God, you will have to come in agreement with God, because God will not change, so you have to change. “I am a the lord I change not”” Can two walk together except they be agree?” Amos 3.3. You will need to know what upset God, why he rejected certain people, and why he answers some. Since he is not partial, then those who get answered by him and those who get rejected, has to do with how they act. You will need to know why. Some of the reasons why God rejected certain people are disobedient, unforgiving spirit, root bitterness, double mindedness, evil doings, and forgetful ears are few of the things why God rejects some people.
PLEASING GOD IS THE SOURCE OF VICTORY:
God is mention in the Bible in the masculine. However, God in his dealing with humanity is more in the feminine. If for some reasons, a man hurt a woman in any way, great or simple. The man will never get any thing good out of her until he correct his doings. Every thing she does for that man will carry her signature of disdain. It is same thing with God. God will never answer a person if for some reason H e is displeased with the person lifestyle. God will give forgiveness so the person can get back on tract with him. However, the offender has to come in agreement with God.
1 Cor. 10:5 (KJV) But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness.
Hebrews 13:16 (KJV) But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.
Genesis 38:10 (KJV)And the thing which he did displeased the Lord: wherefore he slew him also.
1 Kings 3:10 (KJV)And the speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing.
Genesis 38:10 (KJV)And the thing which he did displeased the Lord: wherefore he slew him also.
Numbers 11:1 (KJV)And when the people complained, it displeased the Lord: and the Lord heard it; and his anger was kindled; and the fire of the Lord burnt among them, and consumed them that were in the uttermost parts of the camp.
2 Samuel 11:27 (KJV) And when the mourning was past, David sent and fetched her to his house, and she became his wife, and bare him a son. But the thing that David had done displeased the Lord.
UNDERSTANDING WHY THE LORD SAVES YOU.
God save us to so he can use us as an extension of his arms to reach the unreachable for him. The Bible said that Satan do not open the house of his prisoners. Therefore, God want servants who will go in and set those prisoners free.
Isaiah 14:17 That made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners?
GOD CALLED US TO LOOSEN THE PRISONERS.
Isaiah 42:7 To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house.
You cannot fight an enemy that you do not know about, you cannot fight and enemy that you underestimate and you certainly cannot fight and enemy if you have no knowledge and battle plan, and how to deal with the enemy. Therefore, you need to understand why you were saved, and you need to understand the obstacles that might be in the way and prepared to deal with it.
GIVE YOUR CHRISTIANS LIFE A FOUNDATION.
For the new Christians to be successful in their walk with the Lord, he or she will have to lay a good foundation. If the new believers starting out dragging those bad habits along with them it is going to lag them down and strangulate them along the way. Let us use marriage for and example. The reason why many marriages broke up is because the couple did not lay a good foundation before they get married. Every marriage that has been broken, broken because of one out of nineteen reasons. Such as, Money trouble, power struggle, the interference of family and friend, gullibility, hear says, look phobia or “What you looking at?” Fear of who his or her mate is looking at, has sent countless numbers of black American men to prison yearly, because that mentality has set them up for a fight every where they go. Because if the woman is looking good other men is going to look, if other men do not turn heads that mean the woman do not make any sense. Therefore, head turning is a compliment and should not cause a fight. The couple must talk about these thing and start out right, the same thing with the Christians life. The new believers must have cultivated a different mind set from the one that they got before they met the lord.
SET YOUR HEART TO SEEK THE LORD.
2 Chron. 12:14 And he did evil, because he prepared not his heart to seek the Lord.
2 Chron. 20:3 And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.
After getting save the new believers must begin to seek God. It is not a time for playing games and seeking love relationship. If you as new saint of God do not set your heart to seek God you will fall into evil.
Hosea 10:12 Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the Lord, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.
You have to set your heart to seek the lord. Rising early and call upon his name. If you refuse to seek the lord you will fall into all kind of bad life style.
THE THINGS THAT CAUSE CHRISTIANS TO BE HAVING TROUBLE LIVING THE NEW LIFE.
The number one reason why Christians get in trouble with the faith is bad religious leaders, who cannot care for the flock, so the flock starves for knowledge of the scriptures. Failing to purge their life, and add to their faith as the scriptures commanded us. Bad religious leaders and false brethren can cause a new Christians to went into church shock. Surprise to see that the same wickedness that he she was running from is also at the place of refuge.
Galatians 2:4 (NASB-U) But it was because of the false brethren secretly brought in, who had sneaked in to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, in order to bring us into bondage.
Hos 4:6 Msgb. My people are ruined because they don't know what's right or true. Because you've turned your back on knowledge, I've turned my back on you priests. Because you refuse to recognize the revelation of God, I'm no longer recognizing your children.” We did not seek the lord to know his will, or what he called us to do, and where to go and what to say, we jump a head of God. We did not seek to know the genuine Holy Spirit, so when the fake Holy Spirit came along it sweep us away further from the will of God.
We failed because we did not know the voice of God we fall into mist-match marriage, which drags us down into discouragement. We felled into money problem and hard time, and finally we did not learn how to dealing with Christians pretenders among us. All these the author will show you how to deal with and turn your Christians life around and make it a success.
BEWARE OF GETTING SPOILED.
When a person became converted to Christianity, one out of three things is going to happen. Either the person is going to continue and become a great child of God. Or the person is going to became spoiled by demonic spirits or spoiled by man. You would never like to see a spoiled Christians. Col. 2:8 (KJV) Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.
1 Cor. 10:12 (NASB-U) Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall.
Galatians 5:15 (KJV) But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another.
Hebrews 3:12 (KJV) Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.
Jeremiah 4:30 (KJV) And when thou art spoiled, what wilt thou do?
KEEP GODLY COMPANY.
Proverbs 14:14 (ASV) The backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways; And a good man shall be satisfied from himself.
When a new believer are brought to the community of faith, he she must be aware that there are people among us that was once believers and backslider in their heart. In other word, they are not serving God any more but they are still there among the worshipers, and still having their same post in the church. These do not like new converts with new power and zeal’s. Read the entire chapter and see what this old prophet does to the younger prophet.
1 Kings 13:11 (KJV) Now there dwelt an old prophet in Bethel; and his sons came and told him all the works that the man of God had done that day in Bethel: the words, which he had spoken unto the king, them they told also to their father.
PUTTING THE WORD IN YOUR SPIRIT.
1 Peter 2:2 As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:)( however, we need to be able to understand the word.
Putting the word in your spirit, mean to understand the basic meaning of the word, and thereby understand the mind of God. To see how God does things and how he thinks and to bring yourself into agreement with that kind of thinking. Not just to agree with you mouth, but let these things be a part of your life, or to live by these concept, and arrive at all your conclusions base upon the written word.
Years ago when the Gilbert storm hit Jamaica. It is rumored that certain churches was given food to feed the people, the Christians who was responsibly for feeding the people, feed the Christians only and did not share the food with the Rastas1 and their children. The following verses will show you how God does things.
Luke 6:35 (GW) Rather, love your enemies, help them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then you will have a great reward. You will be the children of the Most High God. After all, he is kind to unthankful and evil people.
Matthew 5:45 (KJV) That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
Christians suffer stagnating because they did not set their hearts to know the Holy Scriptures. If you do not know the scriptures, you will be driven about by every wind of doctrines. Today you are a Jehovah’s Witness, tomorrow you are a Seven Day Adventist, and the following day you are back in sin right where you were taking from. God want you to remain in your calling, stay where you got saved.
Eph. 4:14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; Invest time and money in a good bible, and spend time reading it. Your inner man need three meals per day just like your body.
Matthew 22:29 Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.
1 Tim. 4:13 Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine The scriptures show you where to walk
Psalm 119:105 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
Jeremiah 15:16 Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O Lord God of hosts…
WHY GOD REJECTS SOME PEOPLE.
James 1:7-9 (KJV) For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. [8] A double minded man is unstable in all his ways. [9] Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted:
Job 8:20 (KJV) Behold, God will not cast away a perfect man, neither will he help the evil doers:
Proverbs 3:34 (KJV) Surely he scorneth the scorners: but he giveth grace unto the lowly. Hebrews 12:14-15 (KJV) Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: [15] Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;
SOUL PURIFICATION ON OUR PART.
Hebrews 12:15 Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;
It IS Possible for the believer to become defiled, and spoiled. And stop hearing from the spirit of God. As a new Christian, you are going to have many decisions to make, and you are going to need the Holy Spirit to help you in your decision-making. Your change life is going to get you enemies some of which will be secret enemies. You will need the Holy Spirit in your life to reveal them to you. You also need to know that what you will see in charismatic circles being portrayed as the Holy Spirit is some cases Satan disguised himself as the Holy Spirit.
The new believer must embark upon a self-cleansing process. Which he or she begins to cleanse themselves from certain sins of former life style. Namely, grudges, envy, covetousness, evil eyes, bad mouth or tearing down others, speaking evil of others, prejudice, unforgiving spirit, and doublimendedness. When these sins are practice by people of the faith. The bible calls all these spiritual wickedness in high places. The lord is not going to be communicating with such a defiled person.
1 Samuel 28:6 (KJV) And when Saul enquired of the Lord, the Lord answered him not, neither by dreams nor by Urim, nor by prophets.
1 Samuel 28:7 (KJV) Then said Saul unto his servants, Seek me a woman that hath a familiar spirit, that I may go to her, and enquire of her. And his servants said to him, Behold, there is a woman that hath a familiar spirit at Endor.
Joh 16:13 But when the Friend comes, the Spirit of the Truth, he will take you by the hand and guide you into all the truth there is. He won't draw attention to himself, but will make sense out of what is about to happen and, indeed, out of all that I have done and said.
Joh 14:26 The Friend, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send at my request, will make everything plain to you. He will remind you of all the things I have told you.
The reason for this, the Holy Spirit is going to be communicating with you, and these sins will prevent you from receiving the signals as it comes from the Holy Spirit to you.
John 15:3 (NASB) "You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.” As the word of God goes into your spirit, the bad attitudes, and every thing ungodly must begin to go out of your life. Christians became stagnant in their faith because they did not set out to purge themselves from their old lifestyle. Therefore, it spring back again and bring them down.
Hebrews 12:13 And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed.
2 Tim. 2:21 If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honor, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work. )
STRIP YOURSELF DOWN.
Hebrews 12:6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. Strip yourself of certain things, before God do it ( Start getting rid of root of bitterness, grudges, jealous, prejudice, hate, sodomy, and unforgiving spirit, out of your life, or it will spring again and entrap you. This is how Christians became stagnant. The terminology for this is call, “getting rid of the old man, and putting on Christ.
God will never use a covetous Christians, because these hurt many people that after awhile they refuses to even forgave themselves. These became stumbling blocks for other to fall over.
GETTING TO KNOW THE GENUINE HOLY SPIRIT.
To prevent your Satan from derail your faith, you will need to know who and what is the Holy Spirit. The reason for this, many church people will have you balking like a dog saying what they give you is Holy Spirit, and it is Holy Spirit making you behaving stupidly like that.
You might ask, how many Holy Spirit there are? There is one Holy Spirit. I will not elaborate on this because we have one book called fire on the mountain that deals with the Holy Spirit. However, this is where many Christians went off course, because what is being portrayed in many churches as the Holy Spirit is just another one of Satan spirit posing to be the Holy Spirit. If a believer do not know the Holy Spirit and do not know when the Holy Spirit is operating upon a person life, he she is bound to be deceived by deceiving spirits.
FIRST MARK OF A GENUINELY FILLED CHRISTIAN.
Philip. 4:7 (KJV) And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. All genuine Christians are filled with a peace and joy that passeth all understanding. If a believer falls under depression, he or she salvations are come under question. Especially those who has reasons to be giving thanks. Even under massive persecutions Christians in communist prison was rejoicing.
Acts 16:25 (KJV) And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.
Depression, mean spirited, sassy spirit and unforgiving spirit is not the mark of believer who has received the genuinely baptism of the Holy Spirit. This person is being deceived, by one of Satan familiar spirit posing as the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit came to give power to God’s people.
Acts 1:8 (NASB-U) but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth." Power for service, power to propagate the good news, boldness, and courage to carry the gospel message to the end of the world.
THE HOLY SPIRIT CAME TO IMPLANT LOVE.
You will came across people in the church with no empathy, while calming to be having the holy spirit.
1Jo 4:8 MSGB: The person who refuses to love doesn't know the first thing about God, because God is love--so you can't know him if you don't love.
2Jo 1:6 MSGB: Love means following his commandments, and his unifying commandment is that you conduct your lives in love. This is the first thing you heard, and nothing has changed. Romans 5:5 (NASB-U) and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
Col. 3:12 (KJV) Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;
THE HOLY SPIRIT CAME TO SHOW US THINGS TO COME.
John 16:13 (NASB-U) "But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.
THE HOLY SPIRIT CAME TO COMFORT THE SAINTS.
John 14:26 (NASB-U) "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.
THE HOLY SPIRIT CAME TO HELP US LIVE THE LIFE.
Zech. 4:6 (NASB-U) Then he said to me, "This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel saying, 'Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,' says the Lord of hosts. Zech. 4:7 (NASB-U) 'What are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become a plain; and he will bring forth the top stone with shouts of "Grace, grace to it!" ' "
Ephes. 2:8 (NASB-U) For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; Ephes. 2:9 (NASB-U) not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.
THE HOLY SPIRIT IS A SPIRIT OF LOVE.
Galatians 5:22 (KJV) But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Galatians 5:23 (KJV) Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
Ephes. 5:9 (KJV) (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)
1 John 4:20 (NASB-U) If someone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen.
2 Thes. 3:10 (NASB-U) For even when we were with you, we used to give you this order: if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either.
What some people call love is hand out. They sit down and commit fornication all day and smoke and Christians relatives of the family must support them and they call it love.
THE HOLY SPIRIT DO NOT INGENEARED WILD IMPULSIVE BEHAVIORS.
1 Cor. 14:40 (KJV) Let all things be done decently and in order.
Wild impulsive behaviors in the church are not of God, it is just self-displaying and self-lifting up. 1 Cor. 14:33 (KJV) For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.
GETTING TO KNOW DECEIVING SPIRITS.
There is the spirit of divination that fakes the Holy Spirit. Also there is the familiar spirit. Familiar spirit is a friendly demons, you would think, the way this person is nice he/ she is fill with the Holy Spirit, then when you saw how they back stabs and dig pits you faint at the wickedness. Acts 16:16 And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying:
Leviticus 20:6 And the soul that turneth after such as have familiar spirits, and after wizards, to go a whoring after them, I will even set my face against that soul, and will cut him off from among his people.
These two spirit take possession of many Church people, infect the church is a breeding ground for these two spirits. Some of them break fight right there in church. Behind all that niceness there will be a hate undreamt. These also do not have any stomach for the written word of God. They prefer somebody gave them a word Many Church people do not know genuine Christians, and do not know the spirit of God. Nor know demonic spirit. You and I will never live a triumphant Christian’s life if we do not know deceiving spirits.
John 16:2 (Living) For you will be excommunicated from the synagogues, and indeed the time is coming when those who kill you will think they are doing God a service.
FOOLED BY EVIL SPIRITS.
Supposed conviction of sin by deceiving spirits. By Jesse Pen- Lewis, in the book title” War On The Saints” " I united with a number of brethren and sisters one whole week every month, in prayer to God to pour out more of His Spirit, gifts and power. After having done this for some time with great earnestness, such powerful and wonderful manifestations of God and His Holy Spirit (apparently) took place, that we no longer doubted God had heard our prayer, and His Spirit had descended into our midst, and on our gathering. Amongst other things this spirit, which we thought to be the Holy Spirit, used a fifteen-year-old girl as his instrument, though whom everyone belonging to our gathering, and having any sin or burden of conscience, had it revealed to the gathering. Nobody could remain in the meeting with any burden of conscience without it being revealed to the meeting by this spirit.
For example: a gentleman of esteem and respect from the neighborhood came to the meeting, and all his sins were exposed in the presence of the gathering by the fifteen-year-old girl. There upon he took me into an adjoining room, so broken down, and admitted to me, with tears, that he had committed all these sins, which the girl had exposed. He confessed this and all other sin known to him. Then he came again into the meeting, but hardly had he entered when the same voice said to him" Ha! you have not confessed all yet, you have stolen ten gulden, that you have not confessed" in consequence, he took me again into the adjoining room and said" It is true, I have also done this" This man had never seen this fifteen-year-old girl in his life, neither she him.---We had to unmask this spirit which had brought about these things-which we took to be the Holy Ghost as a terrible power of darkness.-- As we came downstairs the voice of this power said, using the fifteen-year old girl as his instrument
" What is this rebellion in your midst? You will be sorely punished for your unbelief" I told this voice that it was true we did not know with whom we had dealing. But we wanted to be in that attitude, that if it was an angel of God, or the Spirit of God, we would not sin against Him, but if it was a devil we would not be deceived by him'' if you are the power of God, you will be in accord as we handle the Word of God.-- Then the power had to reveal itself of its own accord. Through the person which he had been using as his instrument he made such abominable and terrible grimaces, and shrieked in such a piercing tone'' Now I am found out, now I am found out"
HOW DEMONS ATTACK ADVANCE BELIEFS.
In The book “War On The Saints, by Jessie Penn-Lewis. Page 149-150. 1-3 The agency of demons is always brought more conspicuously into notice, in proportion to the manifestation and power of God’s work among souls. When the son of God was manifest in the flesh, in called forth the activity and outspoken agency of demons more than ever before.
VARIOUS KINDS OF DEMONS.
Demons are of a multiplied variety. They are of various types, greater in diversity than human being, and these demons always seek to possess a person congenial to them in some characteristic. The bible tells us of unclean demons, with craft and fortune-telling demons, of insanity, of drunkenness, of gluttony, of idleness, of wonder or miracle working, of despotic demons, theological demons, screeching and yelling demons. There are demons that act more particularly on the body, or some organ or appetite of the body. There are others that act more directly upon the intellect, or the sensibilities, and emotions, and affections.
There are others of a higher order that act directly on man’s spiritual nature, upon the conscience, or the spiritual perceptions. These are the ones that act as angels of light, and side-track and delude many who are real Christians.
HOW DEMONS FASTEN ON HUMAN BEINGS.
They seek out those whose make-up and temperament is most congenial to themselves, and then seek to fasten themselves on some part of the body, or brain, or some appetites, Or some faculty of the mind, either the reason, or imagination, or perception; and when they get access, they bury themselves into the very structure of the person, so as to identify themselves with the personality of the one they possess.
WILD ABNORMAL IMPULSES BEHAVIORS.
“A very holy and useful woman says, that soon after receiving the baptism of the Spirit, there came to her one night in the church, a wild abnormal impulse to throw the hymn-book at the preacher, and run over the church screaming; and it took all her will power to keep her hand from throwing that book, but she had common sense to know that the Holy Spirit was not the author of such a suggestion. If she had yielded to that sudden feelings, it would have likely given that fanatical demon admission to her emotional nature and ruined her life-work.
Another person said he felt like rolling on the floor, and groaning and pulling the chairs around, but he distinctly perceived that the impulse to do so had some things wild in it; and a touch of self-display contrary to the gentleness and sweetness of Jesus; and, as quick as he saw it was an attack of a false spirit, he was delivered. But another man had the same impulse, and fell down groaning and roaring, beating the floor with his hands and feet, and the demon entered into him as the angel of light, and got him to think that his conduct was of the Holy Ghost, and it became a regular habit in the meetings he attended, until he would ruin every religious meeting he was in.
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"Sword Bearer"