Are You A Believer?

James 1: 5-8
⁵If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. ⁶But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. ⁷That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord;  ⁸ he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.


Mark 16: 16-18
¹⁶ He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. ¹⁷ And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; ¹⁸ they^[b] will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”


Belief is an integral part of the plan of salvation. Here are two examples of Disciples talking about the need for belief. James says if you ask but doubt you are double minded and unstable in all your ways. Mark makes it clear that the first statement, "he that believeth and is baptized will be saved," is qualified by the next verse, "and these signs will follow those who believe:"...


The time has come to give serious consideration to this statement. If your salvation depends on the strength of your belief then it is worthy of serious consideration. 


Revelation 21: 8
 ⁸But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.


I find it impossible to believe that we can ignore the words of Mark 16: 17. There are signs who follow the believer. Are you a believer? Do these signs follow you? 

Dare to Believe That Miracles Follow You!

 

We pray for miracles. We wonder why they do not happen. It is true that we tend to overlook the small miracles every day but as Believers the Bible is clear that you will know the believers by the signs that follow them. There are many believers in the world. All love Jesus Christ without a doubt, but somewhere along the way we forgot that there are signs that are clearly named in the Bible so that you will know a believer.  Read this familiar passage and focus on different words. You will be surprised!

Mark 16: 15-20

¹⁵And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. ¹⁶He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. ¹⁷And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; ¹⁸They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. ¹⁹So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God. ²⁰And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.

As a believer every one of you have the power within you that you received when you received the gift of the Holy Ghost. As a believer you should maintain an active prayer life that lasts more then fifteen minutes a day. As a believer who prays you will begin to see these signs that follow the believer activate in your life. God is not a respecter of persons and the implications of NOT having these signs following is truly frightening! It is the responsibility of every believer to ACTIVATE the miracle working power resident your own life!

To put it in simple terms...we have spent too much time following miracles...hoping to see something happen. If you are a believer...a true believer...then these signs and miracles will FOLLOW YOU!

If you have not seen these signs following you in your walk with God, PLEASE reevaluate your walk and learn to pray. Prayer is not easy at first. However, the more you pray the more you will want to pray and the time will pass so quickly you will not know where it went. AND YOU WILL HAVE SIGNS FOLLOWING!

The Devil Made Me Do It!

Do you believe in the devil? Is he a real being, a negative entity, or a figment of the imagination of people who would like to blame anything or anyone for their misfortunes? Do you believe in the paranormal?

Lucifer, or Satan, more commonly known as the devil, is described in the Bible as a fallen angel who became proud enough to challenge God. He caused so much trouble in the Heavenlies that war ensued! Michael the Archangel led the Heavenly Hosts in this battle that ended with Lucifer and one-third of the angels who had joined him being cast out of heaven and bound to the earth.

He has been causing trouble for humans ever since. To be honest, I believe that Satan was already on earth when humans appeared. He was definitely on earth during the period when Adam and Eve were in the Garden of Eden. Many people think that God and the devil are opposites and equal. This is not true!

God created the devil when He created all the angelic beings! Lucifer was one in a crowd until he decided to take control of the Heavenlies to be worshiped as god. He failed and has been trying to get back at God through the millenia since his fall. Unlike God, Satan is not omniscient (all knowing) and cannot be everywhere at the same time. It is highly unlikely that any of us have ever had direct contact with him.

What do you think about the devil? I would love to hear from you.