Abiding in the Vine Part 3
"Tuned Up, Geared Up, and Ready to Go"
Text John 15:1-8:
Last few lessons have been about "Abiding in the Vine".. The importance of our personal relationship with Our Heavenly Father, and Jesus our Lord.
One of the things we learned was that when we abide in the vine, we will bear fruit.
One of these fruit is a productive prayer life.
A prayer life that gets answers and glorifies the Father through Jesus His son.
We have also stressed the importance of walking in love.
God is love and loved us enough to send His son to die for us. The world will know we are His disciples when we walk in love toward the brethren.
Today we are going to look at another benefit of "Abiding in the vine."
James 1:2 count it all joy when you fall into various trials. Read amplified.
The Amplified Bible tells us to consider it wholly joyful. Whenever you are enveloped in
Or encounter trails of any sort.
1 Corinthians 9:24 - 10:13
Paul is telling the Corinthians that the Jews suffered many things and it was recorded to teach us God's ways and judgements. They were unfaithful, tempted God, were immoral and worshipped idols. They were not obedient to God or His Word and They placed themselves out of God's Plan. God allowed these things to happen to them, because He could not stop them.. They chose to be disobedient and therefore they fell.
The same thing applies to us. If we do not do what Jesus instructed us to do, which is love God with all our heart, soul and body and love each other. If we do not abide in the vine as we should so that we imitate Jesus in all we do, and have all our actions glorify God, we will fall into trials also…God allows it, as we have not walked in His way. Also The God of this world, Satan, will not allow you to be obedient. When you take a stand for the Lord know that He will come against you. Just as Jesus was led into the wilderness to be tempted, as He had just been filled with the spirit. Just as He was fasting and praying and drawing near to the Father, Satan attacked Him when He was most obedient and physically weak…. The enemy looks for our fall and He looks for our rise. He does not want us to be able to glorify God in any way…
But just as these verses say, God in His mercy will not allow us to be tested beyond our endurance.. These tests are common to all man, and we will be given a way to bear. It.
James tells us that we are to count it joy !!!
1 Peter 1:3-7
Peter tells us that we will be tried as fire and it will strengthen our faith.
We don't count the trial as joy, and it is not the trial that is the test, It is what you do with the trial that is the test! That's why God allows it, for you to grow and become stronger. We make the choices, we reap what we sow, but God always, always uses it
To develop our faith and trust in him.
Do you stand firm in the face of the fire, or do you quiver and run?
When you abide in the vine You will stand firm in the face of the fire!!! Why??
Because Abiding in the vine
- builds up your spirit so that it dominates your flesh.
- Strengthens us before the trial comes.
- Keeps us.
How do we do this?
The first way is one we have already talked about. Prayer
Ephesians 6:18
Praying with all manner of prayer.(praise, thanksgiving, supplication, dedication, repentence.) It is also praying with your understanding and in the spirit. Let's look at what Jesus told the disciples.
Mark 14:37-38
Jesus told them to pray, that they would not fall into temptation. Pray is what keeps you strong in the spirit. Prayer is what keeps your spirit man built up. But it takes commitment to God's Word. Psalms 119:11 "Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You."
Praying in the spirit is very important. God's spirit dwells in you, God's spirit touches the Heart and mind of God, He knows God's thoughts. Let God's spirit in you express itself in times of need.
1 Corinthians 14:14
Romans 8:26
Keep God's Word in your heart.
Joshua 1:8-9 "This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. "
We need to be so connected to God, through prayer and study of His Word, that no matter what the enemy throws at us, We are only a minute away from hearing from God. Spend time with God, in His Word, in prayer so that you can recognize His voice and leading in times of trouble. Be so familiar with God's Word that no matter what happens you will speak and think God's thoughts not the World's.
Keep connected to God 24/7 ---- not just 30min or an hour each day. Any time you can, when you have a moment just praise Him, think on a verse, hum a song, thank Him for His goodness and mercy…
We need to be tuned up, geared up and ready to go, before the enemy attacks not after.
Your earthen vessel needs to be full of God before the trial comes, not after or during when you are weary worn and cracked. It is a lot harder to put the Word of God and keep it in a cracked vessel than a whole one! If you are not grounded in the Word, before the trial comes, then when you plant the Good seed, the fowls of the air will come and devour it. Matthew 13:4-6,20-21
Matthew 13:31
Birds in Scripture represent the enemy. The air is heavenly where the enemy dwells.
The enemy is like a vulture circling waiting for you to fall or speak death over your situation. Anything you say that does not line up with the Word of God is death….
And believe me, the enemy will swoop down in a second and devour you… if you let him. If you allow him an opening.
One of the most important ways to prevent this is the keeping of your soul.
1 Thessalonians 5:21 "Test all things; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil. Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Our soul or mind is to be kept blameless for the Lord. How do we do it.
James 1:21 "Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls."
When you are born again, your spirit is reborn, it does not need to be preserved or kept or saved. It is already new!!!! But our minds, which controls us most of the time, is dead. It has to be trained to think God's thoughts, just like our body has to be trained to glorify God.
Romans 8:5
Romans 12:1-2
We renew our mind, we present our bodies.
Lastly we must be clothed in the full armor of God.
Ephesians 6:13-17
Read from The Final Quest.