DIG for Saturday the 22nd of July…..do you want all what Jesus has provided for you…..John 5 v 6

Jesus provided so much more for us through His finished work than just a ticket into Heaven.

But for so many people that is all their salvation is, an assurance of life after death.

Well, Jesus came to provide life, and abundant life, for us before death.

Jesus has provided healing, wholeness, acceptance and prosperity among other things.

When Jesus met the impotent man at the pool of Bethesda He asked him what I used to think was a silly question; He asked him if he wanted to be healed (John 5 v 6).

But this was of course a valid question, either the man did not want to be healed or did not know healing was available.

Jesus of course had the power to heal but the man had to want it for himself.

There is a similar issue in the church today.

People either do not want to be healed (I have seen this!) or do not know that healing is available, that healing has been provided.

Jesus is still asking today, through His Holy Spirit and through His disciples (those who do believe in healing), do you want to be healed?

Do you want to be healed today?

He is asking you now if you want all those things that He provided at the cross; He is offering them to you right now.

All you need to do is believe and accept; and of course then thank Him!

Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord for the finished work of Jesus and thank you for the healing that this has provided for me”.

John 5 v 6…..When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole?

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DIG for Monday the 17th of July…..healing equals salvation…..Matthew 9 v 21 and 22

I read a wonderful piece last night about healing, reinforcing a truth that I already knew.

Do you know that what you think about salvation can be superimposed upon healing?

For example we know that it is God’s will for all men to be saved.

We know that men can do nothing to earn their salvation; there are no good works or religious observance required that a man could do to be saved.

We know that salvation comes as a gift of grace through faith in the finished work of Jesus.

So my friend, we can remove the word salvation from these statements and replace it with healing.

The base Greek word associated with salvation is sozo, and this Greek word (among other things) also means to be healed, and it is this base Greek word that is sometimes used for healing (14 times).

So healing is associated with salvation, indeed they are linked together; if you have been saved you have had healing provided.

Salvation and healing are both provided through the finished work of Jesus on the cross.

You do not have to work for healing, do good works to be healed and you do not need to ask, beg or plead with God to heal you.

As you trusted in Jesus for salvation you can trust in Jesus for healing.

The lady with the issue of blood trusted in Jesus and was healed, or made whole (Matthew 9 v 21 and 22).

This was obviously a physical healing and the Greek word used was based on sozo.

Speak this out today…..”Thank you that that through the finished work of Jesus you provided healing as well as salvation”.

Matthew 9 v 21 and 22…..For she said within herself, If I may but touch the hem of his garment, I shall be whole. But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; they faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour

DIG for Saturday the 13th of May…..as you began so you must carry on…..Colossians 2 v 6

We all know that we came to salvation as a gift of grace through faith in Jesus.

We know that there was nothing we could do in our own strength to be saved.

Yet, many in the church now think that in order to move in other parts of salvation (such as healing and prosperity) we have to work for it.

All parts of salvation (our ticket into Heaven and our peace, joy, acceptance, healing and prosperity for example) are gifts and are never rewards.

We did not work for our initial salvation so we do not nee to work for our on-going salvation.

As you first received, so walk ye in Him is what the Bible says (Colossians 2 v 6).

This means that if you require healing you receive it by faith.

This means that if you require prosperity you receive it by faith.

You do not need to fast, pray and ask for healing and prosperity, just as you did not need to fast, pray and ask for your initial salvation.

Healing and prosperity (among other things) are part of what I call the ‘sozo package’.

If you are saved (got your ticket into heaven) then you are also healed and prosperous; you just may not see this manifest in your life at the moment.

Faith is what is required to walk into your on-going salvation, into what Jesus died to bring you.

Faith, not works, is the key to moving into the abundant life that Jesus promised (John 10 v 10).

Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord that I can move into my healing and my prosperity through faith in the finished work of Jesus”.

Colossians 2 v 6…..As ye therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him

DIG for Friday the 12th of May…..salvation is only found in one ’place’…..Acts 4 v 12

As I wrote yesterday the account of Noah and the ark is a wonderful piece of typology about Jesus Christ.

There was only one place to be during the flood that guaranteed absolute safety, and that was in the ark.

If you were not in the ark you would perish, the ark was the only place where salvation could be found.

This is of course a picture or shadow of Jesus.

He is the only ‘place’ where salvation can be found.

If you are in Christ you are saved, if you are not in Christ you are lost.

It is that simple!

Jesus is the way, the truth and the life; no one can come to the Father (and salvation) except through Him (John 14 v 6).

There is no other way to salvation; there is no name that you can call upon to be saved (Acts 4 v 12).

But the great truth is that anyone and everyone can call upon the name of Jesus, no one is excluded!

Jesus died for the sins of all men for all time (1 John 2 v 2).

Salvation is available to all though Him, however every man has to exercise faith to receive this free gift.

Jesus is our ark; He is where we find our safety, security and salvation.

Jesus is the way to salvation and He is the only way.

Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord for Jesus and thank you that He is our only way to salvation”.

Acts 4 v 12…..Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved

DIG for Tuesday the 10th of January…..all there, but we need to choose it for ourselves…..Ephesians 1 v 4

Yesterday my DIG was based upon Ephesians 1 v 3; well, I carried on reading the rest of this awesome passage described what we have through the finished work of Jesus.

Verse 3 says we have all spiritual blessings, and the verses following described these blessings.

Before the world began we were chosen to be in Him and with Him.

Now, this may sound like a Calvinistic doctrine, saying certain people are chosen for heaven and others for hell; it sounds like what is known as ‘predestination’.

This is not what this verse is talking about however.

God has chosen all mankind to be with Him; all sins for all men were forgiven at the cross and Jesus came to bring reconciliation to all men (Hebrews 10 v 12 and 14).

It is God’s will that all men are saved (2 Peter 3 v 9).

Men however need to choose to benefit from this forgiveness and reconciliation through faith in Jesus and His finished work.

God wants all men to be made ‘holy and without blame’, but not all men will receive this.

That is why verse 4 uses the word “should”.

We should be saved if we choose to be saved.

We should benefit from reconciliation and forgiveness if we choose to benefit.

We should be holy and without blame however we need to choose Jesus for this to happen.

Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord that you want all men to be saved and you have provided this for every man to choose for himself”.

Ephesians 1 v 4…..”According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love

DIG for Friday the 14th of October…..salvation and righteousness, one and the same…..Romans 10 v 10

The end of Romans 9 and start of Romans 10 is a wonderful description of righteousness by faith.

We see quite clearly (in fact very clearly) that the way to righteousness is through faith in Christ and Christ alone.

No works or deeds of the law are required for a man to become righteous, in other words to have complete and unconditional acceptance and approval from God (Romans 3 v 28)

Faith in Christ ends any requirements for works or deeds of the law to be right with God (Romans 10 v 4).

Further on in Romans 10 the emphasis seems to change and Paul tells us how a person comes to salvation (Romans 10 v 9 and 10).

But this is not a change; it is a continuation of his discussion about righteousness.

You see a man is made righteous the instant he is saved!

Being made righteous is not a process.

You cannot move toward righteousness or become more or less righteous.

Becoming righteousness is an event.

You are either righteous or you are not and it all depends upon whether you are saved or lost.

Being saved is the same as being righteous as you are made righteous when you are in Christ or come to salvation (2 Corinthians 5 v 17 and 21).

What an awesome truth, and what a simple truth!

Speak this out today….”Thank you Lord that I am saved and thank you that I have been made righteous”.

Romans 10 v 10…..For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation

DIG for Friday the 30th of September…..He wants you with Him for eternity…..2 Peter 3 v 9

There are times when a book, verse or song just hits me and turns me into a ‘blubbering heap’.

This happened yesterday when I discovered a ‘new’ worship song.

“You didn’t want Heaven without us, so Jesus you brought Heaven down”.

This truth brought me to my knees in adoration for a God who loved me and loves me so very much.

I realised in the instant of hearing these words that Jesus came personally for me; and that realisation is making me cry as I wrote this!

He died for me.

He came from Heaven because of me.

He came for me.

He became flesh, bringing the Kingdom so that I could spend eternity in Heaven.

The big revelation though was that Jesus wanted to spend eternity with me.

Yes, read that again, Jesus wants to spend eternity with me!

And the same is true for you; Jesus wants to spend eternity with you.

The Lord wants all men to come to repentance and be saved so that He can spend the rest of eternity with them (2 Peter 3 v 9).

That truth should make you feel glad to be alive this afternoon!

Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord that you loved me enough to send Jesus for me”.

2 Peter 3 v 9…..The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to usward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance

DIG for Saturday the 24th of September…..and this is another passage that is crystal clear in its meaning…..John 3 v 16

I wrote yesterday about a verse in Scripture that was very clear in its meaning.

Today I want to do the same and look at the passage around John 3 v 16.

Once again we read that Jesus is the only way through which a man might be saved.

As with the verse yesterday (John 14 v 6) the requirement for salvation is faith, belief and trust in Jesus and His finished work.

There is only one important thing with regards to a man’s eternal destiny, and that is what they decided “to do” with Jesus.

If you have faith in Jesus you are saved.

If you do not believe in Jesus you are not saved; it is that simple.

Jesus came (He was given by God) in order to bring reconciliation and forgiveness to men from God.

He achieved this through shedding His blood on the cross (Ephesians 1 v 7 and Colossians 1 v14).

Belief in this, belief in Jesus and His finished work is what brings a man into eternal life with God the Father.

Friends, it is not enough to talk to people about God and ask if they believe in God; the devil and his minions believe in God.

We need to tell people about Jesus and His finished work; this is what will bring a man to salvation.

Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord for the finished work of Jesus and thank you for the reconciliation and forgiveness that this work brought”.

John 3 v 16…..For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life

DIG for Monday the 20th of June….salvation (initial and on going) has nothing to do with what you do…..Romans 1 v 16

Romans 1 v 16 is one of my favourite verses in the Word, explaining the requirements for salvation.

Salvation is not just about ‘being saved’ although that is of course vital; salvation is also on going in terms of healing, joy, peace and prosperity.

Jesus died so that you could enter Heaven (initial salvation) however He also died for your healing, and wholeness, peace and prosperity (on going salvation).

This verse in Romans maps out the requirements to receive salvation and it is very easy.

The requirement is belief; belief in Jesus, in who He is and what He did.

No one seriously debates that you are initially saved through your good works and deeds, however when it comes to healing or prosperity it seems to change!

You are saved (initially) as a gift of grace through faith in Jesus (Romans 10 v 9).

Religion and legalism then tells you that in order to be blessed by God (on going salvation) with healing and prosperity for example you have to tithe, pray, attend church and do various other good works.

This is not the case.

You receive your on going salvation in the same way you received your initial salvation, that is as a gift of grace through faith in Jesus.

You walk into the blessings of salvation in the same way as you receive salvation in the first place (Colossians 2 v 6).

The Lord does not want or need your works, He wants your faith and belief.

Once you grasp this concept then good works will flow naturally from you!

Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord that I received and will continue to receive salvation as a gift of grace through faith in Jesus”.

Romans 1 v 16…..For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek

DIG for Monday the 30th of May…..your ‘ticket into heaven’ also includes healing and prosperity…..Romans 1 v 16

Far too many Christians live in this world waiting for Heaven; this is due to them not known the true definition of salvation.

For most, salvation means a ‘ticket into heaven’, a ticket that you redeem after you die.

This of course is true, however salvation means so much more.

The word salvation in Romans 1 v 16 comes from the root Greek word ‘sozo’, and has multiple meanings.

It can mean welfare, prosperity, deliverance, preservation, salvation and safety.

Yes it means you have been saved and are heading for an eternity with the Lord, but it means something here on earth right now.

Salvation has a meaning of moving from illness into health and poverty into prosperity.

So Paul is telling us that prosperity is nothing to be ashamed of.

Paul is also telling us that healing is nothing to be ashamed of.

Healing and prosperity is meant to be normal living for the born again believer; in fact this is what God wants for you above all things (3 John 2).

Your salvation in terms of healing and prosperity started the second you were born again, and it continues as we live on this earth.

You are continually being saved, in terms of health and prosperity chasing after you every day of your life.

Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord for my salvation, thank you for my health and my prosperity”.

Romans 1 v 16…..For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek