December 2015

Remember, it isn’t about looking
good by doing good things.
The Pharisees did many “good”
things; yet Christ called them
“white washed tombs full of dead
men’s bones” (Matthew 23:27).
God doesn’t care about the
works, by themselves. It’s about
the heart… about the fruit that
you bear (Galatians 5:22).
“I am the vine; you are the
branches. If you remain in me
and I in you, you will bear much
fruit; apart from me you can do
nothing. If you do not remain in
me, you are like a branch that is
thrown away and withers; such
branches are picked up, thrown
into the fire and burned. If you
remain in me and my words
remain in you, ask whatever you
wish, and it will be done for you.
This is to my Father’s glory, that
you bear much fruit, showing
yourselves to be my disciples.
~John 15: 5-8
What you believe will determine
the quality of your fruit; and only
when you are fully connected to
the True Vine, will you produce
truly good fruit. For, whatever we
believe, we will also teach; and
we, alone, are responsible for
our teaching.
This is why it is so extremely
important to be equipped for
identifying what is false. The
only way to see through the
enemy’s lies is to know the truth;
and, once again, we see that the
only way to know the truth is to
immerse ourselves in the source
– God’s Word.
Throughout time, our Father has
carefully preserved the integrity
of His word, so faithfully, that no
other historical document could
ever compare. He promised that
His word would never be broken
and our God cannot lie (Numbers
23:19).
“The grass withers, the flower
fades, But the word of our God
stands forever.” ~Isaiah 40:8
Christ knew the Word put His
full confidence in it (John 10:35);
as did His apostles (2 Timothy
3:16-17). They didn’t just rely on
it then; they made sure we knew
that it could be looked to, for
every instruction and direction,
for all time.
“For truly I say to you, until
heaven and earth pass away,
not the smallest letter or stroke
shall pass from the Law until
all is accomplished.” ~Matthew
5:18
You read the word “Law” and
some may argue “But, He’s only
talking about His commandments
or the Old Testament”. But, I ask
you this: If God is no respecter
of persons (Acts 10:34); why
would He become a respecter of
His own Word? Christ would not
instruct us to abide in something
that we could not put our full faith
in at all times.
Not one dot of an “i” or cross
of a “t” will fade away until all
has been accomplished. All.
Not some or most; but all. That
means until every last prophecy,
from Genesis to Revelation, has
been completed, God’s word will
stand. We can see the proof of
that in every note at the bottom
of every translation, which clarifies
any possible variation; so we
have full access to the complete
picture. God has proven, beyond
any reasonable doubt, that His
Word can be trusted to lead us,
guide us, comfort us, change
us… save us. Our Father has
left us with all the truth we need
to see through any deception;
any false doctrine. All we need
to is believe Him.
And trusting God at His Word is
vital; because without that trust,
the enemy can convince us that
we are missing something. He
can persuade us to believe he
has a truth that has been hidden
from us; just like he convinced
Eve in the Garden of Eden.
And planting that simple doubt,
my friends, is more deadly than
any other attack he can launch.
For, if we believe God’s Word is
not enough, all sorts of doctrine
become possible.
Suggested reading:
Galatians, 1 & 2 Peter; 1 & 2
John and Jude
The Case for Christ, by Lee Strobel
The New Evidence That
Demands a Verdict, by Josh
McDowell
Biography
Heather Bolinger is a devoted
daughter of God; a wife, mother
of 3, step-mother of 2, writer,
bible teacher, public speaker
and co-founder (with her wonderful
husband) of Single Hope
Ministries for single parents. Her
passion, calling and focus are
to be God’s vessel to minister
to the broken hearted, provide
direction to the lost and bring
hope to the hopeless.
You can connect with Heather
on www.facebook.com/foreverchanged1Sam106