But Christ (the Messiah) was faithful over His [own Father's] house as a Son [and Master of it]. And it is we who are [now members] of this house, if we hold fast and firm to the end our joyful and exultant confidence and sense of triumph in our hope [in Christ]. Hebrews 3:6 AMP

As followers of Jesus, God's Anointed One, we should maintain an expectant attitude of triumph. It was the Lord Jesus who was triumphant over sin, death and the devil. But that was only the beginning. The Bible tells us that, "For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet," 1 Corinthians 15:25 WEB. This is the ultimate victory that all history is moving towards. Thus, we should not lose hope when we encounter setbacks and difficulties. Rather, we can and should be jubilant, expectant and full of hope because we believers are on the winning side. Those who are in opposition to the God will lose in the end. And in God's coming kingdom all sorrow and pain will be wiped away; righteousness and justice will triumph. This is the future that God has revealed in his word. We must not loose sight of this.

Have you have seen the television program, Flash Forward, where the whole population of the earth receives a brief glimpse of their individual futures. As a result of these visions everyone must deal with the implications of their foretold destiny. Some seek to avoid it, many struggle with it and some others wholeheartedly embrace it and place their faith in their revelation. The show is basically a fictional account of prophecy for a secular world. And this is interesting because God has already given us a glimpse of our future; yet the secular world ignores it; they do not recognize it. This is not surprising since Paul reminds us that the natural man does not receive the things of God's Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:14) and the that mind of the flesh is hostile towards God (Romans 8:7). Thus, as we see signs of Christ coming all the time, things such as an increasing number of conflicts, wars, earthquakes, famines, pestilences and a push towards a one world government. Yet the world remains oblivious to the fact that these things have all been foretold and that there is a victorious future for the ones that have been redeemed by Christ's blood. Plus, the word of God tells us what our individual futures can be like when we respond to God in faith and obedience, that we are more than conquerors and that Christ always leads us in triumph! Therefore, as believers, we should never be discourage, give up or loose hope. In the end we will be victorious; in the end, God's word, his promises to us and his love will prevail. Thus, armed with this understanding, let us go forward with a sense of triumph and not be deterred by the things we see happening around us.

What could be going on when the things that we are trusting God for are not showing up in our lives? It may be that we need to do some self-examination. For it may be that we are allowing somethings in our lives which are blocking the flow of God's favor. Consider each of the following items; is there any area where we might need to change our attitudes and behaviors?

• Are we harboring unforgiveness towards anyone? "But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your transgressions," Mark 11:26.
• Have we been neglectful of prayer? "He also spoke a parable to them that they must always pray, and not give up," Luke 18:1.
• Have we been stingy with our resources? - "Now may he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food, supply and multiply your seed for sowing, and increase the fruits of your righteousness; you being enriched in everything to all liberality, which works through us thanksgiving to God," 2 Corinthians 9:10, 11.
• Have we been seeking the wrong priorities? "But seek first God's Kingdom, and his righteousness; and all these things will be given to you as well," Matthew 6:33.
• Have we not been content with our current situation? "Be free from the love of money, content with such things as you have, for he has said, 'I will in no way leave you, neither will I in any way forsake you'," Hebrews 13:5.
• Have we been putting others down with our words or by gossiping? "Let no corrupt speech proceed out of your mouth, but such as is good for building up as the need may be, that it may give grace to those who hear." Ephesians 4:29.
• Have we been neglectful in demonstrating God's love to others? "Because iniquity will be multiplied, the love of many will grow cold." Matthew 24:12.
• Have we been guilty of exhibiting pride? " For I say, through the grace that was given me, to every man who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think reasonably, as God has apportioned to each person a measure of faith," Romans 12:3.
• Have we been imitators of the world? "Don't be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God," Romans 12:1.
• Are we relying on our own faulty thinking and understanding? "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And don't lean on your own understanding," Proverbs 3:5.
• Have been disobedient to God's instructions? "...in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the powers of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience," Ephesians 2:2.
• Have we neglected to spend time in meditation and study of God's word? "Because they hated knowledge, and didn't choose the fear of the Lord. They wanted none of my counsel. They despised all my reproof. Therefore they will eat of the fruit of their own way, And be filled with their own schemes," Proverbs 1:29-31.
• Have we been absent from functioning as part of Christ's body? "...not forsaking our own assembling together, as the custom of some is, but exhorting one another; and so much the more, as you see the Day approaching," Hebrews 10:24.
• Have we been seeking our own glory instead of Christ's? " But "he who boasts, let him boast in the Lord." For it isn't he who commends himself who is approved, but whom the Lord commends," 2 Corinthians 10:17, 18.
• Have we been making our own decisions independent of the Lord? "But they didn't listen nor turn their ear, but walked in their own counsels and in the stubbornness of their evil heart, and went backward, and not forward," Jeremiah 7:24.
• Or are we impatient and not allowing the Lord time to work out his plan for us? "We desire that each one of you may show the same diligence to the fullness of hope even to the end, that you won't be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherited the promises," Hebrews 6:11, 12.

If the Holy Spirit has shown you an area where you have fallen short then repent. That is, change you attitude and your actions. Yield yourself to the Lord and his way of doing things and God's abundant favor and grace will begin to manifest in your life.

One again our government has demonstrated its unresponsiveness to the people and many are starting to become fearful. Fear will try to paralyze us and defeat us. But we do not have to give in to it for God is our source of resisting and overcoming fear. Hebrews 2:14, 15 tells us, "Since then the children have shared in flesh and blood, he also himself in like manner partook of the same, that through death he might bring to nothing him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might deliver all of them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage." Jesus has defeated Satan and his power of death which is the source of all fear. Therefore we can resist the temptation to fear. We can maintain our confidence in the Lord and not dwell on what negative things could happen and through faith starting visualizing victories over the challenges we face.

Remember the prophet Daniel had a problem with those who were passing laws in Babylon as recorded in Daniel chapter 6. They sought to remove Daniel by making his practice of prayer illegal. Yet, he did not give in to fear. He continue his practice which lead to his arrest and punishment of being cast into a den of lions. Yet God did allow Daniel to be consumed; he sent his angel to protect Daniel from the lions. Thus by remaining faithful and confident in the Lord Daniel was delivered from the plot made against him. So let us not give into fear. Instead we need to stay focused on the Lord Jesus, recognizing that he loves us and is able to deliver us. We need to stay faithful to him and obedient to his word and not take any actions that we may later regret. Thus, like Daniel, we too will see a victory over this present difficulty.

The latest statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau estimate that the number of single or unmarried Americans make up 43% of the population or 95.7 million individuals. 63% of these have never been married. With so many single people one would think it would not be difficult to find romance and settle down with a partner for life. But this is not so easy in our high tech, fast moving, mobile society. Yet, God can be our source for dealing with the issues that confront those who are experiencing difficulties with their singleness. I was single for a number of years and I often dealt with feelings of worthlessness due to the lack of romantic relationships in my life. Now looking back after five years of marriage, I see now that there is a better approach that I could have followed. That approach would been to change my focus from seeking romantic love to spreading the love of God by becoming involved in ministry to others.

As a single adult I spent much time, energy and money searching for a mate. All these resources could have been better used to help others through some time of ministry. And in taking this approach I would have avoid a lot of discouragement and rejection. Instead I could find a way to share God's love and bring joy to others by ministering to their physical and spiritual needs as a volunteer for a established church or ministry or by starting my own ministry. I expect that through involvement in ministry I would have a greater level of satisfaction with my life and seldom have feelings of worthlessness. Also I expect that I would meet lots of people and that new opportunities would open up for me that would one day lead to meeting my future mate--someone who shares that same desire that I have to serve the Lord.

So this approach is what I call the ministry of singleness: that rather than spending their time in seeking to fulfill their own desires and experiencing the pitfalls and discouragement that may result, single Christians could focus attention to fulfilling the needs and desires of others that would in turn bring them purpose, satisfaction and ultimately the love which they are seeking because God's kind of love never fails.

A recent news report came out about a male teacher at a Christian school who had a six month long sexual relationship with a 15 year old female student. Those who posted comments about the story were very critical of the 50 year old teacher saying that he should have known better than to have such a relationship. Yet, as experience teaches us, just knowing what is the right thing to do does not guarantee that we will always resist temptations. We may be aware of or give mental ascent to the truths that the Bible teaches us to follow, but it is only the truth that we consistently apply in our lives that keep us from falling into sin as we are reminded us in James 1:25, "But he who looks into the perfect law, the law of freedom, and continues, not being a hearer who forgets but a doer of the work, this man will be blessed in what he does." It is like being in a canoe on a river. If we are not actively seeking and applying Biblical truth in our lives each day then the current of popular culture will cause us to drift down the stream of conformity to the world. But when we use the pattle of the disciplined application of God's way of doing things then we are able change our direction and travel up stream to the destination and the destiny that God has in mind for us.

God is our source for staying pure in an impure world. His word clearly defines the boundaries that when crossed will take us into sin and sin's consequences. By respecting and maintaining the boundaries that God has set we can insure that we do not fall under the mastery of sin. So what does God's word say about saying sexual pure? It tells us that:

• Sexual immorality keeps us from receiving the Kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 6:9)
• It is God's will that we abstain from sexual immorality (1Thessalonians 4:3)
• We should flee from youthful lusts (2Timothy 2:22)
• God will judge fornicators and adulterers (Hebrews 3:4, Revelation 22:15)

What then is a practical method that will help us remain sexually pure? It is simply to keep our relationships with anyone other than our spouse public. Stay transparent. That means no secret relationships. And no secret meetings with the opposite sex, no secret phone calls, text or e-mail messages and no secret gifts.

The sexual relationship in marriage is a blessing that God has given humanity to create a live long bond between a man and a woman and a stable family where children can be nurtured and raised to be responsible adults. Yet the misuse of sex can cause much pain for ourselves and others. It can even keep us from reaching our destiny as in the example of a young Christian lady we became acquainted with here in Argentina. She believed that God had called her to be a missionary. Yet as time passed she became involved in a romance with a man who was not a believer and soon they were living together. Later we heard that she had a baby. What happened to her dream to become a missionary? Will it ever happen? It is not likely; she is on a different path now. Let us not make the same mistake. Let us find the destiny that God has in mind for us by staying pure.

• It was erroneous to think that one's problems with the tax code were not solvable. Tax experts have analyzed Joseph's situation and concluded that he lacked good accounting advice.
• It was erroneous to think that setbacks whether financial, physical or emotional are reason enough to end one's life; our lives still have value and purpose; it is always too soon to quit!
• It was erroneous to think that hurting others would diminished his own pain. Such actions only create more pain. Did Joseph stop to consider how he would feel if a stranger killed a member of his family in a vendetta against a business or an organization?
• It was erroneous to think that his actions would not result in suffering and negative consequences for his family.
• It was erroneous to think that he was entitled to be judge, jury and executioner in condeming the system that he was up against. He did not consider that he might be wrong in his reasoning.

Thus, by his actions, Joseph demonstrated his own pride by:

• his taking matters into his own hands.
• his lack of consulting with those who have dealt with the same problems.
• his disregard for the lives and safety of others.
• his lack of awareness that when faced with overwhelming stress he should seek out those who can provide him with encourgement and emotional support so that he might not give in to defeat and self-destruction.

Such are the results of faulty thinking.

So what is faulty thinking and how can we avoid it? Faulty thinking is an incorrect or limited view of our selves, our situation or a solution to a problem. It is the kind of thinking that usually results in making decisions that are not in the best interest of ourselves or of those around us. It is not just a mental problem; it is a spiritual problem too. Our thinking is affected by the environment in which we live; by our education, our relationships, the media and the system of the world in which we live. And there is a spirit that is a part of the world's system. The Apostle Paul identifies it as the spirit of the world:

You were made alive when you were dead in transgressions and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the powers of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience; among whom we also all once lived in the lust of our flesh, doing the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. Ephesians 2:1-3

The spirit of the world is according to Satan's perspective and purposes. Remember that Satan is a deciever and it is his intention to toward God's people is to steal, kill and destroy. This is not the spirit that we want to live by. But there is another Spirit that we born again believers have access to:

But we received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is from God, that we might know the things that were freely given to us by God. 1Corinthians 2:12

We do not have to live according to the spirit of the world which tries to appeal to our flesh, our sinful nature. Rather through meditating on God's word we have access to God's higher thoughts and his higher ways that will renewed our minds, free us from the world's pattern of thinking and lead us to discover the things that God freely gives us. The unfolding of God's word gives us light that can illuminate any dark situation that we may find ourselves in. And by learning to keep ourselves yielded to God's Spirit as we interact with others and with the world we can experience life and peace rather than defeat as Paul explains in Romans 8:

For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind of the flesh is death, but the mind of the Spirit is life and peace. Romans 8:5, 6

Thus, we do not have to be victims of faulty thinking for we are not called to be defeated. God has better things in store for us; He called us to be conquerors. And conquerors we shall be as we practice casting our care on the Lord Jesus, obeying God's word and following the promptings of his Spirit.

The new year has arrived and with it comes new opportunities and new possibilities. Will we be prepared for them? Will we be able to grow in our walk with the Lord? Will we demonstrate the qualities of a disciple in our lives better this year than in all the previous years? And will we want to experience life with God as our source like never before? We can if we commit to be submitted to the Lord. You see there are lots of people who call themselves Christians. They go to church and partake in Christian activities yet they do not manifest transformed lives; they claim that Jesus is their Lord yet not do not obey his will. A transformed life is one that is focused on and submitted to the Lord Jesus, yielded and guided by the Holy Spirit and obedient to God's word. Those who live transformed lives do not live like the rest of the world. They do things that others would not consider doing like helping the weak and the downcast. They do not talk like the world; they do not go around cursing those they disagree with rather they bless them. They give when others say to hold on to what little you have. They love and minister those who are less attractive, less popular who are not able to pay back.

Yet many of us Christians have yet to grasp the need to abandon our pride and take seriously what God's word tells us to do. To do things such as love one another, do not judge or speak against one another, go the second mile, to be a blessing rather than always seeking a blessing, to share the message of salvation through Christ and to bring glory and honor to Jesus. Yes, there are some in the body of Christ who often insist on having their own way and thus give Christ a bad name or reputation. Yet, if we are submitted to Christ we will behave differently.

Living a submitted life is easy in concept but can be difficult in practice. To be submitted to Christ we abandon what we want to do, resist the impulses of our sinful nature, the flesh, and say no to the temptations and the pressures of the world while staying focused on the Lord and what he says to do. Our desire is to please him. How do we know what the Lord wants us to do? We obey what he has already told us to do in his word. We spend time in his word so we can see what manner of person that we are; not what manner of person our neighbor is or a teacher or pastor is, but what kind of person we are are. And we take time each day to pray and to fellowship with the Lord Jesus listening for his instructions. His voice is not difficult to hear if we are accustomed to spending time in his presence. Remember He said in John 10, "My sheep hear my voice." And do not worry about what the Lord might ask you to do. He loves us and he will take care of us. He guarantees that he will always be with us.

Are you one of his submitted sheep? If not, then commit to submit today!