Love, Grace, & Faith: God's Balance for Believers

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Copyright © 2024 by David Atterberry

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ISBN 979-8-89041-865-4

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BEFORE 2003

Acknowledgments

I would like to acknowledge my Lord, Savior, and King, Jesus Christ, first and foremost. If it wasn’t for His unconditional love and divine protection, I could have been gone many times over. I realize that there is an adversary who hates me simply because the Father loves me. So, I’m thankful that I am still here. I’m in good health, and I have my wife, who is still with me after twenty years. Both of us are still able to watch our children grow into young adults. Our marriage is wonderful in spite of the growth challenges. We are also witnessing my two older daughters maneuver their way through life with the hand of God on them as well. I am very grateful for where the Lord has taken them and what He has done thus far for them.

I know that He has a plan for them, and the two of them are in good hands. I also would like to acknowledge God in all the adversity that has come against me and my family. Without it, there’s no room for growth. Peter and James said that we shouldn’t think it strange when we find ourselves in a trial. Nor when we are being tempted by Satan, for all trials and temptations serve as a very important tool in the life of every Christian. If you’re thinking why, it’s because the two (trial and temptations), along with the proving of our faith, bring out endurance, steadiness, and patience. With this wisdom, knowledge, and understanding. We can willfully allow the three to have full play while doing thorough work in us.

This is the work that the Lord has begun and will continue to do until the day of His return. The Psalms also tell us that because we are (made) righteous, there will be many afflictions in our lives. So, my response to those afflictions is not one of anger or confusion but one of joy, for it is an honor and a privilege to be a partaker of our Lord’s suffering. Without tribulations, temptations, trials, and afflictions, how could one grow or come to the fullness of who they were created to be? God has a plan for every human being born, but each one must come to know Him personally to find out that plan.

Author’s Note

As I meditate on the goodness of our Lord Jesus, concerning how His Word keeps us and preserves us as children of the Most High, I sense a real heaviness to speak to my brothers and sisters of all races (in Christ) all around the world. As I pondered for days and weeks about what the Lord would have me to write, I began also to sense a great urgency as well. I believe this urgency is the approach that our Lord wants us all to have concerning the things of God in these last days. As I look around, I see and hear about people dying and being killed on a daily basis. Many of them which are not in Christ. Being from a big city myself, hearing sirens day or night is nothing new or startling. It was almost the norm. Whether we were hearing the police, ambulance, or fire department.

We go to funerals, and the priest or pastor tells the family members that their loved ones are in heaven now. They no longer have to deal with the troubles of this world. All the while knowing that the person laying in the casket did not know Jesus based on the information given about the deceased person. So, I am compelled to be straightforward in what I write to you in this book. Some of the things you read in this book I know not everyone is going to agree with or like. That’s okay; I’m alright with that. I also know that many things you read will be possibly old or new to you.

My purpose is not to get approval for the content in this writing. My purpose with this book is to educate by the sharing of knowledge and insight. Give hope and inspiration to destroy, cast down, and tear down anything that is antichrist. While lifting and building up the entire body of Christ. That’s my purpose, though it is quite possible that this book may not see the hands of every Christian. That’s still the purpose. I pray that each reader, believers and nonbelievers, will take what they need for themselves. I pray that you read this with an open heart or with a spirit of discernment. Ready and willing to be a doer of what God says and not just a hearer or debater.

For if one hears the Word of God and then rejects it, it is not to reject the vessel that brought it but the one who sent it in the first place. Don’t be the one who rejects the wisdom of God. Reverence the Lord, let us all worship and obey His ordinances. Become a worshipper now because if you don’t do it now, you will sooner or later. Nevertheless, not at your own free will. In the end, every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord! Believers and nonbelievers alike.

Preface

Since the beginning of this journey with the Lord, I have seen and felt an increase in His love for me. He has shown His unconditional love in so many ways that I can’t begin to describe it in words. Any words that I may attempt to use would probably take away from glorifying how wonderful, excellent, and trustworthy His love is. This divine love is unknown to humanity. God’s love is far above any other love known to humankind. I began to experience this love right from the beginning. So, I desire to share with my readers what I have learned and understand up to this point in my walk with Jesus. Understanding this will help you with your worship as well. No person can worship the Lord God beyond their understanding of His love for them as an individual.

I’m learning that His grace is sufficient in all things and, yes, for all things. I see that when we use the faith that we get from God to agree with what He says, grace is always available for it. Why? Because God said He watches over His Word, waiting to perform it. For the believer, this is one reason all things work together for the good of those who walk up right before the Lord and love Him. Falling or stumbling is one thing. Grace is still there and available. But a lifestyle that doesn’t agree with God and His Word stifles grace from being available to that individual. With this book, allow me to remind you that Satan was and is defeated. We are not fighting the devil or his demons. We are only fighting the good fight of faith. The enemy and his demons come to see if the believer truly believes what God has said and promised.

We must learn our authority in Christ Jesus. That means we must know and understand the laws of the kingdom that Jesus has spiritually translated us into. As each of us grows in the Word of God, getting a greater revelation of His love, we become unmovable or unshaken by all the false teachings. No one will be able to discredit the Bible before you because you are rooted and grounded in truth according to the power that’s working in you. It’s my prayer that you enjoy reading this book while gaining some knowledge at the same time.

Introduction

As a believer in this world that we live in today, I can truly say that, oftentimes, it gets hard to stay focused. So much is going on in and around your space; you really have to make yourself stay focused. I’m pretty sure many believers, whether old or young, mature or not so mature, already know the enemy’s purpose and plan for all the distractions that come into our lives. I understand that we may know things, but because of the many distractions, we tend to forget or not focus on the promises and Word that we know belong to us. So, I’m not here to proclaim the content of this book is something any of you have never heard before either. I’ve written this book as a reminder for the body to go back to the basics and stick with the fundamentals of principle and faith.

These principles are our roots and foundation for how we will stand or react towards every situation and circumstance that we may find ourselves in daily. I say this because Scripture tells us, As he thinketh in his heart [soul], so is he (Proverbs 23:7, KJV). Plus, Jesus our Lord said, Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh (Matthew 12:34, KJV). Satan loves to set snares that will cause one to believe, think, talk, and act contrary to the way Jesus would have us to believe, think, talk, and act. So, this book is to help reset our focus and thinking back to where it should be. Where should it be? On the Lord and, of course, His precepts. Why His precepts? Because His precepts are His original plan for humanity and the kingdom.

Chapter One

The Love of an Unknown God

Genesis 15:7

I’m not going to start this book off by retelling the whole story of creation. However, it is a must that I start with the fall of man and at least the end part of creation. So, with that being said, let’s recount what God says on the sixth day of creation. The day on which He had created the human race. Chapter one and chapter two of Genesis can be a bit confusing if you don’t ask the Holy Spirit for revelation. I believe it would also help if you slow down some when you read the Bible. Both of these chapters give an account of the very same thing. Some people have said that the first chapter talks about the first human society, and the second chapter talks about a second account of the created human society. In other words, you could even say that they are talking about God creating a second human race. Nevertheless, this is incorrect. They are both describing the same event from two different perspectives, that’s all.

We see then, out of the ground, God formed every living creature and brought them to Adam, and he (Adam) named them all. In the beginning, we were connected to God; we were one with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. You might ask, how do we know that? Where does it say that in the Bible? When you read Genesis, it says that Adam named all the creatures. Then it says that what Adam called them; that was their name. Don’t you agree that if Adam had given one of the animals the wrong name, God would have corrected him and told him what to call it? I do. I believe that Adam was so in unity with God that he knew exactly what God would call each animal. Therefore, God didn’t have to change any of the names that Adam gave to each of the animals. This was the position and relation mankind had with God before the fall. We had a oneness with God. Then God said that out of all the creatures He had created, none of them were compatible with Adam. He said then, in Genesis 2:18 (NKJV), it is not good for man to be alone. This was because of the purpose God had for mankind. So, God said, I will make him a helper comparable to him.

I want to make a point here about Adam. He went through every animal that was brought to him, and when he was finished, Adam noticed that not one of them was compatible with him. God knew this; that’s why he said, It is not good for man to be alone. At this point, God did not make another man. He made another human, but one that would be compatible with Adam, which was a female being, the same as Adam, but with a slightly different function or role in the mandate. Compatibility is a very critical word in this situation because of the mandate that God places on humanity.

The word compatible is crucial. It is especially critical if we look at the state of the world’s system today. For this reason (what reason?) specifically, it means that no other being is suitable for a man because of the mandate that God placed on them together. We are missing the entire point of why God even gave Adam (the man) a compatible helper in the first place. No other being could help man to complete the purpose or charge that God gave to Adam (man) at the beginning of time. None! This is one reason why a male/female relationship is mandatory, according to God. Why? God Himself established it that way from the beginning. This has nothing to do with it being customary or traditional. But because the female is the only mate or helper that is compatible (created) to help man complete the God given task. Nothing else! Not male and male relationships, not female and female, nor human with animal. What was the charge that God spoke to Adam and Eve? If we look at Genesis 1:28 (KJV), we see that He said, "Be fruitful, and multiply,