What Does It Mean to Abide?

Abide

What does it mean to abide?

Well, let’s look at what the Merriam-Webster dictionary says.

transitive verb

1: to wait for : await

2a : to endure without yielding : withstand

intransitive verb

1: to remain stable or fixed in a state

2: to continue in a place : sojourn

Now let’s look it up in the Strong’s and see what the Greek meaning is.

# 3306 --- I remain, abide, stay, wait; 

I looked into some of the verses that mention ‘abide’ and found that the word meant –  To be equivalent to not depart, not leave, to continue to be present, to maintain unbroken fellowship with one.

To dwell as it were within him, to be continually operative in him by his divine influence and energy, John 14:10; Christians are said to be rooted as it were in him, knit to him by the spirit they have received from him, something has established itself permanently within my soul, and always exerts its power   

 

John 8:31    Then said Jesus to those Jews who believed on him, If you continue in my word, then are you my disciples indeed;   

So Jesus was saying to the Jews that believed IF they continue (or abide) – not depart, not leave, continue to be present and to maintain unbroken fellowship with Him – then they would be His disciples.

 

John 14:16    And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever; 

I love this passage because Jesus is telling us that we shall have the ‘Comforter’ abiding with us forever – I love to see this as an unbroken fellowship, then the comforter will never leave.

Let’s take a moment to look at ‘comforter’

‘Comforter’ #3875 (Helper)  an advocate - properly, a legal advocate who makes the right judgment-call because close enough to the situation.

This is the Holy Spirit, it’s not a oh poor baby let me wipe your tears. The comfort is in knowing the Holy Spirit makes the right judgment call and there is ‘comfort’ In knowing everything will work out as we abide in Him and listen and follow our ‘Comforter’.

 

John 15:4    Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can you, except you abide in me.

So what is the fruit here? According to Strong’s Greek #2590 it can be a fruit we eat (apple, orange, etc)  but I believe it’s the second choice -  deed, action, result.

By definition, fruit (2590 /karpós) results from two life-streams – the Lord living His life through ours – to yield what is eternal

 Our fruit that comes from abiding in Him is the Lord living in and through us and that will produce eternal results.

 

John 15:9    As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you: continue you in my love.

The ‘love’ in this verse – Strong’s Greek #25    - properly, to prefer, to love; for the believer, preferring to "live through Christ" - embracing God's will (choosing His choices) and obeying them through His power - preeminently refers to what God prefers as He "is love"    (all are a form of AGAPE)

 

I Corinthians 7:20    Let every man abide in the same calling in which he was called. 

‘calling’ Strong’s #2821 - of the divine invitation to embrace salvation of God

 

The Lord has wanted me to study the word ‘abide’ and I found this to be a long study that involved lots of prayer and sitting and listening to the Holy Spirit.

I was beginning to feel my flesh rise up, questions and fear subtly entering and I could not figure out why. I was doing everything the Lord had placed on my heart. I was following my passions and breaking the chains that had held me in the past.

When fear began to return I knew something was wrong so I took God’s direction and began to really study abide. This is not all of the Scriptures just the ones the Lord used to speak to me.

I found that I was not abiding in Him as His Word tells me. Somewhere along the line I stepped off the path and had put the focus on ‘me’. I was worrying more about what man thought of me than God. 

How did I get back on this path?  You know I’m really not sure where I stepped off the path, that is how subtle satan and your flesh can be. But Praise God He got my attention and I've repented!

So to sum up what I've learned through this study on abide:

I need to make sure I am so immersed in Him, in His Word that I maintain unbroken fellowship with Him so it’s His divine influence and energy pouring out of me.

 I have the Comforter, He is my legal advocate and He knows the right moves, the right words and the right attitude to approach everything.  

When my focus wanted to please man because I didn't want to lose their friendship or disagree with a teaching because I feared being shut out or ridiculed…..my focus was off God I was no longer abiding in God. I should never fear man but should always ALWAYS fear God. 

When you have the Holy Spirit living in you and you are abiding in God you clearly hear from Him and it’s in the Scriptures to validate it. I like what a guy at church did today when he was giving his Discipleship message. He would read a passage and then pause and say now it’s our choice – some would just rip the page out, ignore it and move on. To me that is getting off the path and no longer abiding, it is broken fellowship. It is when we receive and obey; when we take action and glorify the Father; that we are abiding.

We can quote Scripture, give advice, pray, speak in tongues, be baptized, hold a position in the church…..but what we do outside those walls during the week….that shows if we are really abiding -------

Do you yell at your spouse and belittle them? Do you provoke your children? Do you set aside time with the Lord to watch a program you know causes you to lust, be it food or something else? Do you gossip to others? Do you promote yourself when talking to others? Do you show agape/charity to others – believers and nonbelievers alike? Are you honest when the cashier gives you back too much change or didn't charge you for every item? Are you rude to the hostess at the restaurant? Do you think you are the only one right and that’s the end of the story?

Or maybe you’re afraid to give your opinion or share what the Lord has told you because you don’t want that person to get angry at you. Or you really are ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ and will not speak to someone when you know the Lord wants you to say or do something that will show His goodness.  I could go on and on but I’m sure you get the picture.

Challenge - What do You Speak?

I put this on my Facebook status today and felt the nudge to put it here too. I am not pointing fingers at anyone, besides the old saying, 'when you point a finger at someone, there are 3 pointing back at you"!

But stop and think about what you have been speaking to your children, your spouse, your neighbors, your 'Christian' brother and sisters......and compare it to what God says we are to speak and how we are to treat the people He created, the people that He does not want to perish.

I sure don't want my tongue (words) to look like this!

Facebook status (please add me as a friend if you're on facebook)

‎"The tongue weighs practically nothing, but so few people 


can hold it." I put this challenge out to you (and myself) think


 before you speak, do you speak mean things to others 


about your spouse (disrespect), do you speak lies about 


other people or expand on their prayer requests (gossip), do 


you say hateful things about or to people that are different 


from you......I could go on and on. Speak life, it could 


improve your marriage, your friendship, your workplace,


 the persons life you just met today.......it will change your 


life, your attitude and your walk with your Father God! 


Speak life!

and as I was looking for images I found this next one and as a cat lover I just had to add it  :-)

Looks like my Scruffy and his 'tongue' when he is hungry or mad at me for ignoring him. 


Have an awesome day!!

Prayer and Speaking in Tongues

I have heard there is power behind your words when you speak in tongues. I have heard people speak in tongues and sometimes it sounds forced and other times it flows with such beauty and peace.

With that said, I do not speak in tongues, at least not that I’m aware of. I do get lost in my time with the Lord and deep in prayer to where I’m not aware of anyone or anything around me, it’s just my God and me. Could I be speaking in tongues then? Don’t know, what I do know is my God hears me and my prayers are answered. I know my Father is with me and wants a relationship with me, He wants me to talk to Him, to praise Him, to give Him my every care, to trust Him and to walk in faith.

The LORD is far from the wicked but he hears the prayer of the righteous Proverbs 15:29

But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.  Romans 3:21-24

He hears the prayers of the righteous and I have been made righteous through the blood, through my faith in Jesus Christ.

I wanted to look up the original Greek words in a couple passages.

I used www.biblos.com

The first Scripture is

Jude 1:20 But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,

The first word ‘building’ - Definition: I build upon (above) a foundation.

2026 epoikodoméō (from 1909 /epí, "apt, fitting on," which intensifies 3618 /oikodoméō, "to build up, edify") – properly, appropriately build on, following aplan with pre-designed (pre-defined) specifications

Holy –

40 hágios – properly, different (unlike), other("otherness"), holy; for the believer, 40 (hágios) means "likeness of nature with the Lord" because "different from the world."  The fundamental (core) meaning of 40 (hágios) is "different" – thus a temple in the 1st century washagios ("holy") because different from other buildings (Wm. Barclay). In the NT, 40 /hágios("holy") has the "technical" meaning "different from the world" because "like the Lord."   [40 (hágios) implies something "set apart" and therefore "different (distinguished/distinct)" – i.e. "other," because special to the Lord.]

Faith –

Definition: faith, belief, trust, confidence; fidelity, faithfulness.

4102 pístis (from 3982/peithô, "persuade, be persuaded") – properly, persuasion(be persuaded, come to trust); faith.

Faith (4102/pistis) is always a gift from God, and never something that can be produced by people. In short, 4102/pistis("faith") for the believer is "God's divine persuasion" – and therefore distinct from human belief (confidence), yet involving it. The Lord continuously births faith in the yielded believer so they can know what He prefers, i.e. the persuasion of His will (1 Jn 5:4).

Faith (4102/pistis) is also usedcollectively – of all the times God has revealed (given the persuasion of) His will, which includes the full revelation of Scripture (Jude 3). Indeed, God the Lordguarantees that all of this revelation will come to pass! Compare Mt 5:18 with 2 Tim 3:16

Holy –

Definition: set apart by (or for) God, holy, sacred

40 hágios – properly, different (unlike), other("otherness"), holy; for the believer, 40 (hágios) means "likeness of nature with the Lord" because "different from the world."

The fundamental (core) meaning of 40 (hágios) is "different" – thus a temple in the 1st century washagios ("holy") because different from other buildings (Wm. Barclay). In the NT, 40 /hágios("holy") has the "technical" meaning "different from the world" because "like the Lord."

[40 (hágios) implies something "set apart" and therefore "different (distinguished/distinct)" – i.e. "other," because special to the Lord.]

Spirit –

Definition: wind, breath, spirit.

4151 pneúma – properly, spirit (Spirit), wind, orbreath. The most frequent meaning (translation) of4151 (pneúma) in the NT is "spirit" ("Spirit"). Only the context however determines which sense(s) is meant.

[Any of the above renderings (spirit-Spirit, wind,breath) of 4151 (pneúma) is always theoretically possible (spirit, Spirit, wind, breath). But when the attributive adjective ("holy") is used, it always refers to the Holy Spirit. "Spirit" ("spirit") is by far the most common translation (application) of 4151(pneúma).

The Hebrew counterpart (rûach) has the same range of meaning as 4151 (pneúma), i.e. it likewise can refer to spirit/Spirit, wind, or breath.]

Praying –

Definition: I pray, pray for, offer prayer.
4336 proseúxomai (from 4314 /prós, "towards, exchange" and 2172/euxomai, "to wish, pray") – properly, to exchange wishes; pray – literally, tointeract with the Lord by switching human wishes(ideas) for His wishes as He imparts faith ("divinepersuasion"). Accordingly, praying (4336/proseuxomai) is closely inter-connected with4102 /pístis ("faith") in the NT. See: Ac 6:5,6,14:22,23; Eph 6:16-18; Col 1:3,4; 2 Thes 3:1,2; Js 5:13-15; Jude 20.

And then I looked up a passage about tongues

I would that ye all spake with tongues, but rather that ye prophesied: for greater is he that prophesieth than he that speaketh with tongues, except he interpret, that the church may receive edifying. I Corinthians 14:5

Speak –

Definition: (I talk, chatter in classical Greek, but in NT a more dignified word) I speak, say.
Word Origin  from lalos (talkative)

Tongues –

Definition: the tongue, a language, a nation (usually distinguished by their speech).

1100 glṓssa – tongue, used of flowing speech; (figuratively) speaking, inspired by God, like the evidence of tongues-speaking supplied by the Lord in the book of Acts to demonstrate the arrival of the new age of the covenant (i.e. NT times).

[The normative experience of the 120 believers received "tongues (1100 /glṓssa) as of fire" (Ac 2:3) and miraculously spoke in other actual languages, i.e. that they could not speak before (Ac 2:4f). This sign was repeated in Ac 10:46, 19:6 – furnishingample proof (three attestations) that the Lord had incorporated all believers into Christ's (mystical) body (1 Cor 12:13).]

After looking up these few Scriptures and studying out the original meanings in the Greek. I believe all prayers, prayed in faith by the person that has accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Savior, are answered!

When I hear someone speak or pray in tongues do I discount it? No, I do not.  Who’s to say they are not speaking in a ‘nations’ tongue that we are not aware of yet? I have learned to give it over to God, He knows I don’t understand it, and I pray quietly, giving Him praise and asking Him – if this is from you then please move among us, let us hear what You are speaking to us in a way we can receive and move forward giving You all the glory, honor and praise!

That is my heart’s desire – to glorify my God, my Redeemer, my Savior, the Creator of everything, the Bright Morning Star, my Provider, my Healer….the list goes on and on.

He’s these things to you too!

If you have never received Him as your Savior, call out to Him now, repent of your sins and let His cleansing come in. It doesn’t have to be a wordy or flowery speech – just talk to Him and then listen and receive. If He puts it on your heart to sing – sing, to dance – dance – to speak works of Hallelujah then speak!

1 John 5:11-13 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: 

it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Romans 5:5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad 

in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.