Uncategorized – Yeshuah Boyton

You might be curious about what life lessons you could take out of the Bible. Because there are so many, I asked a pastor to give a qualified comment on this topic. Pastor Mitch Rhoden has a thriving ministry in North and Central Florida and has pastored for over 30 years. He has an abundance of experience when it comes to applying the Bible to life. Pastor Mitch initiated a local minister's association and a food bank that brings many local ministers and churches together to feed about 3,000 people per month. He leads a Christian private school that educates its students with a great curriculum and impacts the kids for Christ. That's why I wanted him to share some of his life lessons from the Bible with you. I also included a social media poll and some life lessons I found in the Bible. I pray, this list inspires you to dig deeper into the Word of God and encourages you to live a life more passionate for Christ. 1. Remain meek and humble “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.” James 4:6 NKJV When I asked Pastor Mitch Rhoden what life lessons he takes from the Bible, he gave me a list of helpful points but made one stick out from the others. "One of the most important life applications," he says, is "to remain meek and humble. No (...) self-promoting. Let God do the promoting. Pray, fast, give all in secret, not before man - and God will reward openly." This is the key to so many things in life. The Bible says there is wisdom with the humble and reveals to us how much God hates pride. It is an evil offense to Him. (Proverbs 11:2, James 4:6) "Everyone proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord;Though they join forces, none will go unpunished." Proverbs 16:5 NKJV God makes humility one main requirement in our relationship with Him. Without humility, there is no repentance. Without repentance, there is no salvation or access to God. "These six things the Lord hates,Yes, seven are an abomination to Him:A proud look, (...)" Proverbs 6:16-17 NKJV 2. Trust in God with all your heart Another important life lesson Pastor Mitch says is to "trust in God." "Trust in the Lord with all your heart,And lean not on your own understanding;" Proverbs 3:5 NKJV God is the only person who never fails you and will always keep His word. Why should we not trust in Him? It is the most crucial part of a relationship. But it goes both ways. We know we can trust God. But can God trust us? 3. Combine your work with faith I know Pastor Mitch not only as a man of faith but also as a hard worker. He is a man who has learned to combine both. The fruits of His life and ministry speak for themselves. In our conversation, Pastor Mitch told me, "Works without faith will not accomplish anything." We need to have "faith and works." I encourage you to read James 2:14-26. It emphasizes how we cannot have one without the other. We cannot be justified by "just" believing in God. Likewise, can we not work our way into the kingdom. We need to combine the two. James says, "I will show you my faith by my works." (James 2:18 NKJV) Faith without works is dead (James 2:20). So are our works without faith. If we don't combine work with faith, it is like sowing seeds in the flesh. The Bible tells us if we do so, we will reap death (Galatians 6:7-9). Combine the two, and you will sow in the spirit and see more fruitful results. "For as the body without the spirit is dead,so faith without works is dead also." James 2:26 NKJV 4. Pray and God will reward you In the interview, Pastor Mitch told me to "not be weary in well-doing. For, in due season, God will reward with greater anointing, insight, revelation," and more. See, God is a rewarder. "But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him." (Hebrews 11:6 NKJV) The condition to gain reward is to earnestly pray and seek God. He loves it when we go all-in. Only if we sincerely spend quality time with Jesus will we see results. 5. Recieve God's love, it will change you forever In preparation for this article, I asked my social media following about their most important Bible life lesson. A pastor from Germany said, "While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." He refers to Romans 5:8 where it says: "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8 NKJV When I read this, I had to think of 1 John 4:19. There the apostle John tells us, "We love Him because He first loved us." Jesus knew we would mess up and sin (again). Yet, He still died for us. Jesus gave His life for the forgiveness of our sin and salvation from eternal damnation. Through the Holy Spirit, this love and revelation are poured into our hearts. (Romans 5:5) Only then can we love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength - and our neighbor as ourselves. (Deuteronomy 6:5, Matthew 22:37, Mark 12:30, Luke 10:27) Jesus says this sums up all the law and the prophets. Everything combined boils down to just that. As James writes in James 1:126-27, this is the true "religion" - selflessly serve those that can't repay you and keep yourself clean from worldly stuff. 6. God, the Father, wants you as His child The Bible gives us another great insight we have to apply to our life: God wants to be our Father. (John 1:12, Romans 8:14-16, Galatians 3:26)Before I knew God, it was this truth that broke my shell and won me over. “I will be a Father to you,And you shall be My sons and daughters,Says the Lord Almighty.” 2 Corinthians 6:18 NKJV When God revealed Himself as my Father to me, I broke down in tears. I realized my messed-up self yet felt His amazing love and acceptance. That was the moment my life started to change. Through faith, we are sons and daughters of the most high God. He literally made us a new being (2 Corinthians 5:17). Before, we were slaves to ourselves - to our sins and lusts. Now, He made us His beloved sons and daughters. (Galatians 4:6-7) We no longer have to feel lonely or abandoned. We are no longer spiritual orphans. We are now seated with Christ in heavenly places. (Ephesians 2:6) Give God all your mess, brokenness, and loneliness. Invite Him as your heavenly Father and see how your life will change. 7. Whatever happens, never stop doing deliverance A man of God told me once: Whatever happens, never stop doing deliverance. If you don't quite know what I mean by "deliverance," please check out this article: Healing vs. Deliverance: Differences & Similarities. It explains what it is and what the difference is to the commonly known Christian Healing. It always stuck with me. You know, without God, I was bound in my wacky emotions, addictions, and immaturity. I constantly complained about everything. Life was a struggle and miserable. I was a mess. But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 1 Peter 2:9 NKJV When I became a Christian, God started a wonderful healing and deliverance process. Life became beautiful and worth living. Jesus gave me focus, a mission, and a purpose. He set me free in so many areas, where I am now much more productive than before. Even now, God delivers me from the inside out. The freer I become, the more I can hear His voice and direction. God's Word gets richer too. It is a process of cleansing God's gifts in me and the temple of the Holy Spirit. (2 Timothy 2:20-22, 1 Corinthians 6:18-20) So, I kept this truth in mind: Whatever happens, don't stop doing deliverance. It helps me keep my eyes on the prize. 8. Jesus is your doctor This life lesson became very real to me when I battled cancer. I was only 21 years old. It was a total shock to me and everyone around me. I realized later, God was taking me through an important process of my life. You can read and watch the rest of the story on my about page. God revealed Himself to me as the God who heals. (...) “If you diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the Lord who heals you.” Exodus 15:26 NKJV Even though this promise is bound to a condition, Jesus truly is the best doctor. If we keep our part, God will keep His. "He sent His word and healed them,And delivered them from their destructions." Psalm 107:20 NKJV https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=op-NZCJUfnM 9. Almost giving up is not giving up Another biblical life lesson I learned from a man of God says, almost giving up is not giving up. Struggling, feeling down, fighting under spiritual attack, and feeling like giving up is not giving up. Sinning and struggling are also not giving up. Giving up is giving up. When we sin and feel down, we need to repent. We must come back to God, polish our armor, and take up our sword again. Giving up is to stay on the ground and walking away from God. As long as you stick with Jesus, come back, and get back up again, you are still in the fight. There are people in the Bible who also wanted to give up. They struggled, but God still used them. Some examples are the apostle Paul, the renowned prophet Elijah, and King David. (Acts 20:13-28:31, 1 Kings 19:1-2 Kings 2:14, 2 Samuel 11:1-12:25, Psalm 51:1-19) They came close to throwing in the towel. They even somewhat rebelled against God. But God still used them. Almost giving up is not giving up. Giving up is giving up. 10. The gospel is simple yet poweful This lesson took years for me to truly internalize. As Christians, we are told the news of the gospel is our salvation. But it is just not true. Yes, you read that right. I disagree. The good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ starts with our salvation. But then it continues with healing the sick, delivering the spiritually oppressed, and preaching of the same. I'll just leave these scriptures for you here, for you to go through on your own: Luke 4:18, Mark 16:15-21, Matthew 28:19-20, John 20:21. If you are a Christian, please consider them diligently. You can see, when the disciples went out and did exactly what they saw Jesus do and preach, the Holy Spirit, God Himself, went with them and confirmed the word with signs, wonders, and miracles. The question is: Why doesn't the church do this same way? Why doesn't the church truly help its people when they know the Word of God and have the key to actually help them? "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek." Romans 1:16 NKJV The people around you need what you have! Don't hide your talent in the ground but go, multiply, and bring fruit. (Matthew 25:14-30, John 15:1-5) I'd highly encourage you to read this article: What Is The Gospel Message? – Simply Answered! It explains the full gospel so even a child could understand. It's not a special or weird doctrine. It is simply what Jesus taught and did. 11. Don't judge or look down on others “Judge not,that you be not judged." Matthew 7:1 NKJV Jesus taught us in His famous sermon on the mount not to judge others. (Matthew 7:1-5) Prideful judging develops out of a hardened heart full of self-righteousness and pride. Its fruit is division, hurt, isolation, and the destruction of relationships. The judging Jesus talked about is a spiteful looking down on others. Stop doing it. Get delivered. Be filled with the forgiving and accepting love of Father-God. (Romans 8:12-17) Bonus: Did you know there is another kind of judging that the Bible teaches we should do: Judge yourself, so you don't have to be judged. (1 Corinthians 11:31-32, Proverbs 28:13, 1 John 1:9) 12. Don't be worried, God will take care of you "(...) do not worry about your life (...)" Jesus Matthew 6:25 NKJV One more life lesson Jesus teaches us on the mount is: Don't be worried about anything. (Matthew 25-34) It's super relevant. I think everyone can relate to this one. But Jesus says, God is going to take care of you. Don't heap up treasures here on the earth. It's going to fade away one day anyways. Make sure you're spiritually productive. Because that stuff will last for eternity. 13. God made you for a purpose We all question the purpose of our existence at some point in our life. God gives us a great applicable life lesson through His word, though. "You did not choose Me,but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit,and that your fruit should remain,that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you." John 15:16 NKJV God, the Father, not only desires us to be His sons and daughters, but He made up great plans for our life. (Jeremiah 29:11 NKJV) By the way, it says plans - as in plural, as in more than one. I heard a pastor say because we always mess up - lol. Anyways, God made us so we would walk in His mighty power and manifest His supernatural kingdom in this natural world. (Ephesians 2:8-10, Acts:26:16, Romans 8:28) Why not step into this mighty purpose and build something that will last? One way to do that is to pray for miracles and help people as Jesus did. If you wonder how you can perform those miracles, you should give these two articles a try: (1) 7 Tips On How To Pray To God To Perform Miracles (2) How To Perform Miracles Like Jesus: A Helpful Guide 14. Forgive every person everything, quickly This life lesson is a biggy. It is so freeing and important, though. It was an intense process for me to learn this lesson (see the video below). But in the end, I experienced a liberating breakthrough like never before. Jesus tells us how important it is for us to forgive others their offenses. If we won't, it is like we are stuck in a cage of bitterness and unforgiveness. In the parable of the unforgiving servant, we read how torment comes into our lives when we choose not to forgive. (Matthew 18:21-35) “So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.” Matthew 18:35 NKJV On top of that, Jesus says, if we don't forgive, our Father in heaven won't forgive us either. (Matthew 6:14-15) Be quick to forgive. Don't hold grudges. It's not worthit. "Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection." Colossians 3:12-14 NKJV If it is hard for you, you do need breakthrough prayer! Find someone near you to pray with for your healing and deliverance. Follow those links to find more help in this area. https://youtu.be/RQBH4lLCiwo 15. Be a happy giver The Bible prompts us to give generously (2 Corinthians 9:6-8). Because God is a generous giver, we should be generous givers too. Whatever He gives, He never takes back. I believe the Bible even teaches us to give 10% of our income back to God (Leviticus 27:30, Malachi 3:10, Mark 12,17). You could apply this by giving to Christian ministries that do the full gospel and actually use their resources to build the kingdom of God. But how can we give if we don't have? So many people are in debt and live beyond their means. "The rich rules over the poor, And the borrower is servant to the lender." Proverbs 22:7 NKJV Let's learn and apply this life lesson to become a lender rather than a borrower. Get rid of your debt. Spend your money wisely. Pay your tithes. And when it's possible, be outrageously generous. As Dave Ramsey says: "Live like no one else, so that you can give and live like no one else." If you need help or advice on your finances, I can highly recommend Rave Ramsey's book The Total Money Makeover (Amazon link). Or check out his stuff over at ramseysolutions.com. Their method helped us tremendously. 16. First God, family second, then the ministry So many ministers have this one all mixed up. They'd put the ministry first, God second, and then their family last.But this is not how God intended it. Our very first love and responsibility are God Himself - spend time and build a relationship with Him. If God has entrusted you with a wife or even some children, then you have found a good thing and are highly favored and blessed by God. (Proverbs 18:22, Psalm 127:3-5) They come second after God. They are your main and first ministry! How can you restore others if your own household isn't in order? Apostle Paul says this order is indeed a requirement to be in active ministry. (1 Timothy 3:1-7, Titus 1:5-9) Let's be watchful about how we prioritize our God-given positions. 17. Work hard and take some time off The Bible is super clear on the subject of work: Everything you do, do it as if you do it just for God. (Colossians 3:23)Laziness is not an option. (Be lazy and stay poor.) (Proverbs 20:4, 21:25, 26:15, 2 Thessalonians 3:10)Take your Shabbat (sabbath) (Exodus 20:8-11, Isaiah 56:2,6, 58:14-15) God calls us to work hard but not to idolize it at the same time. Even God rested after finishing His creation. If God Himself needed a rest, how much more do we. (Genesis 2:2-3) He even said his sabbath (Shabbat) day is extra set apart for you and Him. It is His special appointment to rest with and in Him for one day. (Exodus 20:8-11, Isaiah 56:2,6, 58:14-15) That's a good thing. Jesus said the rest day was made for us (Mark 2:27). Might as well take that day off. 18. Combine fasting with prayer How fasting is beneficial for your health is commonly known. But it becomes exponentially more powerful if you combine it with prayer. Visa versa, prayer becomes more effective when coupled with serious fasting. Our flesh becomes weak, and the need of our spirit man becomes more apparent. The channels to connect with God are tuned in better. Try it a couple of times and see what happens. Even if you only step away from all the (social) media noise and enter into serious prayer instead, see how well you will hear from God. "But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly." Matthew 6:17-18 NKJV 19. Be 100% truthful to God, yourself, and others There is one value, one lesson, that is ingrained into me: Honesty. We know we shouldn't lie. But lying is such a nasty and tricky thing that snitches itself in. Above that, it is quite a life-destroyer. “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor." Exodus 20:16 NKJV It starts small, but after a while of lying, you'll find yourself in a place you wonder how to get out again. Be honest and absolutely truthful to God, yourself, and everyone else. It might seem tricky sometimes. But honesty always reaps great rewards and blessings. Lying always reaps a curse. Besides, Jesus said, it's one of the requirements to worship God. (John 4:23) Learn more about what Jesus said about worship in this post: What Did Jesus Say About Worship? 20. Spend time with God alone every day God is the source of everything. Go without spending quality time with Jesus, and you'll feel it the next day. It is the foundation of a vital and healthy spiritual life. I believe it might even be a sin not to consider God in your day at all. I mean, what kind of relationship is this: You live together, do everything together, but ignore each other? Come on now! Try your best to spend time with God every day. God is not sitting there with a checklist or even with a timer. But He has a heart and desires to be loved, respected, and honored by you - like every other being on this planet. Recommended article on this subject: Is It A Sin Not To Pray? Related Posts: