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And God Said... "Let There Be Light": And Then There Was Light...
And God Said... "Let There Be Light": And Then There Was Light...
And God Said... "Let There Be Light": And Then There Was Light...
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And God Said... "Let There Be Light": And Then There Was Light...

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This book will provide information that will help you through a journey of change. A better understanding of how to allow God to turn your life around and gain control of the mess you thought you have created.
LanguageEnglish
Release dateJan 18, 2018
ISBN9781483478906
And God Said... "Let There Be Light": And Then There Was Light...

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    And God Said... "Let There Be Light" - Evangelist Theresa Hart Pullen

    best.

    CHAPTER

    1

    The Schoolroom of Life Is an Equal Opportunity

    Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Jesus Christ is in you-unless, of course you fail the test?

    —2 Corinthians 13:5

    We live in a world that looks for outer qualities that will get the job done. We look for people with charisma, pizzazz, and swag who can put up a good front. We look less and less for integrity, honor, and true character.

    But God passes up all the externals and looks for the humble of heart. God’s plan includes everyone, every nation, every race, and all cultures, just you as a person. It’s an open opportunity to the schoolroom of life. God is not limited. He accepts all who are willing to come and learn. In this schoolroom, we encounter pop quizzes and periodic tests. Our education process and knowledge are assessed based on examinations. Our ability to withstand the tests that come our way without having them shake our foundation measures our Christian maturity. The best thing about God’s school is that we get to grade our own papers. You see, He doesn’t test us for His sake. This test can discover how well we are doing in our growth in Him.

    We have tendencies that make us want to look at ourselves, including our thoughts and motives that take the forms of our actions. God knows our true character, our thoughts, and the intents of our hearts, and He sees through every disguise. To please God, we must change our old ways and know what He requires of us. Who is it he is trying to teach? To whom is he explaining his message? To children weaned from their milk, to those just taken from the breast? (Isaiah 28:9).

    Let’s begin our journey through God’s schoolroom of learning.

    First Class: Dying to Sin

    While Jesus was in one of the towns, a man came along

    who was covered with leprosy. When he saw Jesus,

    he fell with his face to the ground and begged him, Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.

    —Luke 5:12

    We all have hit rock bottom at one time or another. You thought some person, specific job, or new clothes, a car, or house would fulfill you. You perceived they would make you happy and satisfy you, but instead you are still feeling empty and miserable, if I may say.

    This man’s illness took its course. Now mind you, back in the biblical times, there were neither medical physicians nor cures for this type of disease. This disfigured man was dressed in tattered clothing. There was no escape. His only hope was Jesus.

    This makes me give Him praise for what He has done for me. Thank God that we are not where this man was, touched by this awful disease. Oh, but think about it. The same disease that this man was struck by may not have touched us, but we have our own ailment, sin, that we are dealing with at this very moment.

    Sin is just like being struck with leprosy. It disfigures the soul, just like leprosy malformed this man’s body. We may change our looks, jobs, friends, locations, or even vocabulary, but spiritually we are still being destroyed. We must be honest with God and admit our condition. Lord, if You are willing, please make us clean!

    We must take the risk of losing friends and family and being talked about, ridiculed, and set apart for us to come to Jesus. This man took a chance on being beaten when he didn’t keep his distance from others. He took the risk of any punishment, however severe. But he had to!

    We should know that this walk with the Father can be a lonely but worthwhile one. Dying to sin means you are dying to self so you can live with Him forever. Our hope can only be in Jesus Christ. If we keep rationalizing our behaviors or conditions, we will not be able to be renewed and healed from the very sin that is before us. Jesus teaches those who come openly and honestly.

    A sanctification begins to occur within us, meaning that the very things we used to do no longer excite us anymore. Sanctification means to set oneself apart as sacred, to be purified, to be free from sin, to impart religious sanction. Jesus will teach those who come honestly. We must revere God, meaning falling to our knees and first asking for forgiveness and then knowing by faith that He can set us free.

    Second Class: Walking in His Humility

    Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.

    —Luke 18:17

    If we as adults want the benefits of God, we must learn how to receive them with humility and thankfulness. If we as adults don’t learn how to walk in a self-denying frame, we will not enter the kingdom of God. We must receive the kingdom of God as little children. Many of Jesus’s teachings and miracles involved children because they were trusting, loving, and honest. We as grown adults must learn to come to Jesus with humility and faith, trusting that He will make us clean. Children are models of faith because they are willing to learn and are inquisitive. A child has an honest spirit and is not aware of having an agenda, as we sometimes have. But know that Jesus wants us to be childlike, not childish. There is a big difference.

    If we go back to Luke 18:16, we will see that Jesus called the little children to Him and said the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Matthew Henry says,

    That none are too little, too young, to be brought to Christ, who knows how to show kindness to those not capable of doing service to him. The promise is to us, and to our seed; therefore, He will bid all to come to Him and receive His kingdom, not by purchase, but must call it our Father’s gift.

    Third Class: A Matter of Balance

    Martha, Martha, the Lord answered, "you are worried

    and upset about many things, but few things are

    needed—or indeed only one Mary has chosen what

    is better, and it will not be taken away from her."

    —Luke 10:41–42

    Mary chose to sit at Jesus’s feet instead of running around and preparing things for His visit. Sitting at Jesus’s feet shows a readiness to receive His word freely, and that is what Mary chose to do. Martha was busy preparing food and cleaning, not realizing that Jesus was prepared to share important information with them both.

    Sometimes we get so involved in doing that we miss the most important things that God wants to do with us or even for us. Martha was preparing a repast for Jesus. No doubt Jesus had food on His mind when he used the expression one thing is needful. He was contrasting spiritual nourishment with physical. Martha seems to have thought to entertain the Lord. Mary’s thought was to hear His word. Both were great, but the latter was the best. The difference between Martha and Mary was that Martha honored Jesus as a guest to entertain Him and Mary’s thought was to hear the word. She honored Him as a teacher.

    We must balance ourselves. There is a time to do the work of the Lord, which involves the things that Martha was so desiring for Jesus. But there is also a time to just sit at the feet of Jesus and consume as much of His word as we can. It is a matter of balance.

    Fourth Class: Delight Yourself in God

    Take delight in the LORD, and he

    will give you the desires of your heart.

    —Psalm 37:4

    When God is someone’s greatest desire, that person’s other desires become prioritized and then mirror God’s own desires for that individual’s well-being. As we learn to love what God loves and hate what He hates,

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