Ephesians 2:1-10 KJV
1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

Why did God send his Son if he was able to redeem people by the word of faith alone so many years ago. if faith needed nt the cross. If our very nature was altered upon faith as Abraham, Noah and so forth, even King David. Cornelius was a righteous man by faith and his works came before God, and God sent a messenger to him so he could be saved by his only begotten Son Jesus. The New Covenant was important to faith. A covenant that took away the old sacrificial laws, establishing the law of sacrifice could only be done by God. If you fast you sacrifice a meal, does the meal save you? No it does not save you but it is a denial of a luxury of humanity with work, or non work by choice to speak to God directly how serious one is about certain matters that he does honor, but not everytime we ask. It is a testimony to ourselves that we are serious about the need and desire to be diligent about praying to God about it, til God answers. So fast for a week if need be until you can get your focus on that prayer need to pray without ceasing before the throne until God answers. Our own sacrifice does not save you, but it a practice that gets our own attention and man hopes God attention, but God already knows the heart and the matter in which you seek him, so do not fool yourself and thinking God needs your sacrifice to achieve your goaled through his power. It is the mindset of our discipline we are seeking to reach the throne of God.

Christ is the only one that could usher in the New Covenant between God and man. God spoke to not only the Gentile nation but the Jews that would hear that the New Covenant had come and believed. New Covenant doing away with the Old Sacrificial law to bring about a New Covenant through Christ to be born again for the purpose of good works on this earth. It not all about our eternal salvation but eternal salvation being the major purpose of Christ coming, because with Christ coming he redeemed both (Jew and Gentile) all mankind. All had the power to be saved through faith in Christ Jesus. By God's grace we are saved and not of yourselves; it is a gift of God. Not by works should any man boast. Salvation has always come by faith, but the New Covenant gave a demonstration of not only good works, but what faith entailed by willing to lay one life down to help save another. Through Christ resurrection we see the eternal hope of faith, that we do not die in vain but we rise again to the newness of life with Christ Jesus to offer ourselves a holy sacrifice for good works. Our good works not saving us, but teaching the ways of Christ, the ways of God and His Spirit.

As believers we become united because of the cross of Christ, the acknowledgement that we are all need of salvation, through faith in Christ Jesus who is the word of God. Noah had faith through the words God spoke to him to build an ark. Those around Noah did not believe that God spoke to him and probably not anyone because the generation was wicked and evil. Yet Noah had faith and built the ark with his wife, his sons, and their wives. Eight people were saved by faith in the words spoke to Noah, and for generations that the story of the ark was carried far and wide about. Imagine the story surrounding the adventure by the ark. The story that grandchildren and great grandchild would pass to their great grandchildren of why they were the only people that were around, that they were the only ones to survive the flood.

As God spoke to the prophets and teachers of his grace there rose a great leader name Moses who became intercessor for God's people. Faith was established through the works of the prophet including the knowledge and fear of God's wrath. Righteousness of faith established through the Prophet Abraham. Through believing God it was counted to him as righteousness that same righteousness that still comes by faith in God, assuring the hope of salvation. Yet the cross was testimony of faith, and what faith can bring including death of unrighteous man. Yet no one can hold our bodies down from rising, no key for vault is needed to open it, for the power of God going to unlock many vaults and many graves on the day of resurrection to come both believers and unbelievers. Both will have a day of resurrection, but the unbeleiver will face God's wrath to come.

Why does being born again produce good works? If we follow in the footsteps of Christ we are destine to follow in the work of Christ not by force but by our very nature caused by spiritual birth in Christ. Our old nature of evil gone away. Our humanity is still there. Yet faith has changed who we are as lost sinners. Our sinful nature done away with. Our sinful nature be transformed into children of God through faith in Christ, following after the ways of God. It is by God's divine power that is given to us as believer to live a life for godliness for God's glory and honor.

I talk about our sin nature, but it the oldness of who we were before we found Christ., though our old nature is gone before the throne of God, we still must choose the ways of God and not our old habits of sin while we walk this earth. We truly are transformed by God. Yet our old nature being the garment we put on at times in rebellion to God's will for our life. Our walk of faith is transforming of our very human nature. Our sin nature spiritually gone, but our habits may still exist and so the purging of our sin from our old nature must continue to be in the sanctification process. We wrestle against the evil nature that no longer exist in our spiritual soul. Wrestling not to yield to the temptation of sin in our human flesh. We are to sow to the Spirit. No this is not about money and giving of money, this is about spiritual life. Giving ourselves in obedience to God and his ways. To allow God's Spirit to teach, correct, and show us how to live. To walk by God's Spirit in faith and not revert back to the nature in which we are saved from. To understand to sow into unbelief we will reap unbelief. If we sow into faith we will have faith. Why because God will put us in position to have faith. Moses struck the rock twice out of unbelief, and water still pour out, because of Israel need for faith, and God testifying of his reality to Moses and the people. When we act in disobedience to God's Spirit it does not mean God can not do what he said he would to give us faith. Our old nature is unbelief, our new nature being one of belief, with questions of how can God do this, because we still thinking in our humanity and not in the ability of God. Part of our transformation coming with the journey of the wilderness.

When you get saved you walking in the wilderness of learning to trust in God. Christ teaches us to walk in the newest of his life, and not in former thinking or ways that lead to life of separation from God.The covering Christ protects us when we do fail, when we fall short of God's glory. Fail to sow to the Spirit of God instead sowing to the ways of the world which we can not remain doing but yielded because of temptation. A person that is backslidden is standing with one foot on the rock of Christ and sinking in quick sand with the other foot. You have to decide if the walk of faith is far greater then the walk of shame. God taught Moses in the wilderness that his failing did not change how God still loved him. He was trying to live for God and obey him while leading the people home. Maybe not the job for a convert of faith. Moses probably had knowledge of God even as youth for his mother got to raise him at her knee for a time. Yet his experience with God started with the burning bush as he was called to lead the people. A journey he felt not ready for, and yet he obey God. It in our fear, in our weakness God is able to take us to perform great things for him. In our state of unreadiness we find God has already done that preparation work in our life. Moses when he left Egypt was tending to his father in laws herds. He been raised as the Pharaoh daughter son. He knew about royal life and he learned to lead sheep and cattle, as many of God's greater leaders did. He learn to lead them as his own faith in God was growing. God wants to take our ounce of faith and make it into pounds of faith for his glory. He wants to use our faith to lead those around us, or those we know not. Many missionaries traveled to location God planted them in, and learned faith was commodity need in their work. When the missionaries came home they had the stories to tell about their faith in God has they struggled in a new world to help people they would learn to know and love.

Do not worry about how you are living for Jesus, just walk in faith, and obedience to the Spirit. Learn to listen to God's word and follow in the footsteps of Jesus. Yes that sin nature is gone, but we still fall and fail not because it has been changed but our new nature is still tempted by the enemy. It takes time to be transformed into the people God wants us to be. However our very soul is changed upon salvation to seek the things of God.

If one desires to be in church and been out a while, or desire for revival. God gives that desire. It not one of man, but one of God's Spirit. He wants to revive us, he wants to renew our hearts daily in faith. We work and play hard, but when we worship it not hard, it a life of the Spirit spring forth in our soul to call on God in praise and honor to him, because of all he does for us in our life. Taking us from the valley to the mountaintop experience to bring us back to valley of not only the shadow of death, but table that is prepared before us right in the middle of the enemies by God. Do not worry about your journey of faith, just be willing to obey God. Knowing Jesus is going to teach you all the way and God Spirit going to lead you all the way home, you will not die in that wilderness without reaching the promise land.

Dear Heavenly Father, help us to walk by faith knowing you have already changed us when we received your Son Jesus has Lord. Help us to trust in you as you lead and guide our steps. Help us not to yield to the temptation of this world for we been created in Christ to do good works. Help us to follow your Spirit, in Jesus precious name, Amen.

Continual Scripture Study: 2 Peter 1:2-9 KJV
2 Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,
3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
5 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;
6 And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;
7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.
8 For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
9 But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.

Galatians 6:7-10 KJV
7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.
9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
10 As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.