The coin

Coins are two sided and yet we only ever see one side of the coin at a time, unless we use a mirror to reflect the flip-side of the penny while viewing it. Our consciences are a tool which we have been given by God in spite of our sinful natures to keep us in check, especially as children of God. We know from Scripture that it is the Word of God that guides us into truth with God the Holy Spirit uncovering the areas of our lives which needs repentance. Those nagging zones which just don’t want to die! Ignore any sinful patterns for too long and a person’s conscience will eventually be seared the same way a hot iron dulls the nerve endings if accidentally touched; in like manner habitual sin will have a similar effect on the person involved, before long the sin that you despised will become the acceptable practice. If we have no fear of God when we habitually keep on sinning, we are of all men most foolish. Christ had conquered to free us from our bondage to sin. We are instructed to no longer live in it. In fact the Lord Jesus had this to say; “And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the hell of fire.” (Matthew 18:9) 

For us to be securely rooted upon the “rock that is higher than I”, (the Lord Jesus Christ, my beloved Saviour, the darling of heaven, the rose of Shannon and the Hero of all hero’s) we must have substance to our lives. There must be evidence to our claims of Christianity. Regardless of our failures, of which, over time and after my conversion I have travelled down the road of destruction. However there must come a time in every believer’s life where we take responsibility for our mistakes and cry out for grace in order that we like our great Saviour may also overcome the tests placed before us. It may well take us a lifetime with a particular sin but we must never take it lightly.

A man cannot claim salvation through the blood of the Lamb and continue as he once did. This would be a false conversion; an appealing thought some latch onto just to hedge their bets in case it is needed. Deception playing its part in that individual’s persona and the longer the pattern survives the worse off their conscience is seared. It then becomes an acceptable thing to believe that God will accommodate them on their own merits and because they verbally confess “Jesus as Lord” where in fact they obviously live a life of contradiction. Salvation should be a radical encounter; a person moving from total darkness into God’s marvellous light. If that’s not a radical experience then I am not sure we have understood anything. And I am not referring to our own pity filled light that we try to generate on own merits. With comments like, “I am not as bad as that person”, or “I give to the poor you know” - Blah-de-blah! – That is commonly known as a dead work, it will never generate eternal life, What I am referring to is a personal encounter with the living God which is so brilliant, darkness is forced to flee. God uncovers His glory and anything which opposes Him disintegrates into nothingness – Just a simple Word from HIM and destruction is imminent. For now, but for the grace of God, so much of what we see with our God given eyes remains as we see it. The sun rises and it sets day after day. However there is a day coming when the wrath of God will be revealed; the other side of the coin! Therefore it is crucial that we find grace to make straight that which is crooked in our lives.

It is not enough to have faith without works or works without faith. One without the other is not a true witness to an accurate convert, both faith towards God’s rescue and works must accompany our lives for us to have peace with God. We must strive against sin in our lives; no matter how long the same sin has knocked at our door. While we have breath we have hope, the one side of the coin, but there is a day coming when life as we know it will run its course, the other side of the coin – judgement after death or the wrath of God revealed here on earth as never witnessed before, whatever comes first…

Both sides of the coin (us as individuals) must be studied in detail, not by another, we must learn to examine our own lives and we will then soon cry out with David, “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.” (Psalms 51:1-3) - David understood his sin and his need to find forgiveness from God is obvious and the only way this will ever be possible is through a deliberate action of repentance and faith towards God. And just like Nathan the prophet was needed to highlight David’s sin in order for his change of heart to kick into gear, his own conscience was not enough. Someone had to man-up and confront the king in spite of the potential consequence. The gospel is all we really have for a dying world; it is the good news that should be on the tip of our tongues for it is the only truth that will free us from bondage. We all have a responsibility to be accurate with that message, God requires it from us! Freely we have received and now we must learn to freely give to others. We must never skirt the sin issues in our lives or the lives of others. Sin is what has kept us from a relationship with the true God of the universe, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Just as the Lord Jesus laid down his life for us whilst we were still enemies of the cross, we must also follow suit if we are to have the joy of the Lord evident in our lives. There is a day coming when the wrath of God will be revealed and this is part of the gospel message that must never be skirted. It is the other side of the coin.

God help us to be bold in these last days with that message and our willingness to find grace to break the shackles of sin.

Signing off

Tyrone

   

  

The snare of the fowler

I often get “lost in translation” when it comes to my independent struggle with the cares of this life and sin as it endeavours to take a strangle hold at any given time. I believe I am not alone when it comes to this reality in my life, many, like the Apostle Paul would share my sentiment when it comes to the weakness of our flesh. Human nature will always pull us in the opposite direction to the will of God for our lives. This is why I believe he arrives at this conclusion in the book of Romans; “For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.” (Romans 7:22-25) – With this in mind, let us never accommodate sin in our lives as an acceptable commodity.

Let me leave you with the words of a far greater gifted man than I could ever be as we pay careful attention to His God given wisdom…

 “Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler.” (Psalms 91-3)

“God delivers his people from the snare of the fowler in two senses. From, and out of. First, he delivers them from the snare-does not let them enter it; and secondly, if they should be caught therein, he delivers them out of it. The first promise is the most precious to some; the second is the best to others.

“He shall deliver thee from the snare.” How? Trouble is often the means whereby God delivers us. God knows that our backsliding will soon end in our destruction, and he in mercy sends the rod. We say, “Lord, why is this?” not knowing that our trouble has been the means of delivering us from far greater evil. Many have been thus saved from ruin by their sorrows and their crosses; these have frightened the birds from the net. At other times, God keeps his people from the snare of the fowler by giving them great spiritual strength, so that when they are tempted to do evil they say, “How can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” But what a blessed thing it is that if the believer shall, in an evil hour, come into the net, yet God will bring him out of it! O backslider, be cast down, but do not despair. Wanderer though thou hast been, hear what thy Redeemer saith-”Return, O backsliding children; I will have mercy upon you.” But you say you cannot return, for you are a captive. Then listen to the promise-”Surely he shall deliver thee out of the snare of the fowler.” Thou shalt yet be brought out of all evil into which thou hast fallen, and though thou shalt never cease to repent of thy ways, yet he that hath loved thee will not cast thee away; he will receive thee, and give thee joy and gladness, that the bones which he has broken may rejoice. No bird of paradise shall die in the fowler’s net.” (Charles Spurgeon)

So wherever you may find yourself take encouragement from the hope that we have in our God. His Spirit will lead us into all truth concerning our conduct as Christians, Amen and Amen!

Signing off

Tyrone

  

Another very valuable lesson

This morning I have had varying densities of thoughts moving through my mind. It amazes me how often my mind travels to the material concerns I face each and every day and then I am reminded that “if God is for me who can be against me”. However I am sadly a man that needs to combat “unbelief” in this area of my life. But I certainly understand that this is the area that needs strengthening. My prayer is that God would be glorified in and through my tussle. The comfort of a steady income is something I hanker for, but it has eluded me for some time. And then I am reminded that God cares for those who belong to him and all those who have His Spirit. God’s elect will never beg bread. This then is the lesson that must become cemented into my mind. In hindsight and through the throes of life I have been taught this lesson over and over again. Without having to depend upon the Lord for my daily bread is a place I would never want to find myself. There will come a day when the nagging voice of unbelief will have run its course, but until that day arrives we must all learn to walk by faith.

Consistency is the key to our success. Over the past two years I have had a number of pullets (chickens) and even they like uniformity. Give them variation and they will very quickly prove that they are not to be messed with. After a constant supply of laying pellets I decided to try and save some money and feed them rice, and mealie meal (cooked maize) and within a few days they no longer were laying any eggs. From thirty eggs a day to zero was the lesson. I have subsequently put them back onto the original diet and they are yet to lay any eggs. But I am hopeful that they will soon begin to produce what they once did. If not all they may be good for is the pot.

The Word of God sustains all of creation. The rain falls at God’s command and then the grass grows. It is God who gives the increase and not our cunning schemes. We like to believe that we are in control, but who can add a single inch to their stature? It is obvious that we will find ourselves in one of two camps, Independence or Dependence upon God at His Word. I have by the grace of God seen enough in my life to understand that it is God who decides the fate of all things, including the outcome to our lives. You needn’t look further than the children of Israel and their journey through the Wilderness to understand the importance of our faith towards God. Even though we play our part in receiving His blessings we must learn to rely on Him at all costs. One may ask how am I able to reconcile the two variables, dependency upon Him and playing our part. It is rather simple, when God speaks, obey! We must bare our hearts to Him, it is imperative that we cry to our God and Father, the only true God that cares for His children. Where it often becomes clouded is for us to learn to tell the difference between our needs and our wants. Our wants are often our enemy as they hinder our growth in Him.

There is another truth that needs understanding for obedience to work itself out, which is; “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.” (Galatians 2:20-21) – This is where the rubber hits the road hardest for all who desire to live Godly in the finished work of Calvary. The Apostle Paul was once Saul, a man obsessed with the first covenant, a law according to works but now saved into a better covenant, the second agreement which now abolished the first; Jesus having paid the price for sin once and for all. This is a truth that Paul was not taught by some institution but he received it directly from God. – “For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man's gospel. For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.” (Galatians 1:11-12) – However all that which he had become through his lifetime was now shattered and he now knew that he needed to realign his thinking and put the “Old man” down. I wonder how many times after the call, from the time of his conversion, did he have to remind himself that he had now been crucified with Christ and had been called to die with Christ? A man that God used mightily way back then and yet he still speaks as he penned most of the New Testament. And just as he had to learn to live by faith and not by his application to the law, so too must we learn to follow suit.

It is imperative for us to understand this call and to die to our old natures. If not we will continue to make the same mistakes over and over again just like the children of Israel as they journeyed through the Wilderness for forty years instead of a couple of months and sadly with most of them not entering the Promised Land. We have been called to die with Christ! It is no longer about our want but about His will for our lives; “And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” (Galatians 5:24)

We must learn to take up our cross and follow Him. Every Child of God has the potential to accomplish this quest in and through the grace of God which is readily available for all who come to the “throne of grace” with confidence as we learn to draw from it in time of need. God give us the resolve to live at the feet of Jesus, Amen and Amen!

Signing off

Tyrone  

Re-visiting the purpose of life...

As my mind races about this morning from thought to intent, I believe it would be good for me to bring them to an abrupt halt and concentrate on my own commitment towards the grace of God in my life and his abundant mercies. Even though I may have posted similar thoughts before I feel that such considerations should be re-visited from time to time. It is needful for us to all consider our blessing in Him and the escape that we have received from our heavenly Father.

When I consider what I actually deserve, hell would be a just reward for all the sin in my life and yet I have escaped that fate and all because of my Saviour’s Love towards me. In spite of my rebellion towards God, God the Father initiated the rescue for my soul. He sent His only begotten Son to pay the price for my sin…  

Therefore, I resolve in His abundant grace and by the finished work of my Savior’s wonderful accomplishments, I will now therefore go on the record and pen these words.

I articulate that from today, I will make every effort to trust the Word of God with greater intent than I did yesterday. In addition, implement your instructions to the best of my abilities within the bounds of your mercies. When faced with choices I will look to the Word of God for counsel with greater determination and believe in its instructions as a child trusts in their father’s ability to keep them safe. I will not let the nagging voice of apparent reason influence your instruction. I certainly do not want any relationship to stand in the way of that truth.

“Let God be true and every man a liar”… I know in whom I believe! There is none like you; you are all knowing; perfect in all of your character and you have instructed your children to walk by faith, which feeds our hope and in turn energizes us to find your will for our lives.   

Continue to teach me these valuable lessons; give me a deeper understanding of what the men of old went through in regard to their commitment to you. My prayer is that you would help and instill your truths in me like never before, so that I may glorify your name as you equip me to walk by faith. I am thankful that these lessons have already kicked into gear, here I am Father God take me where you need me to be. I will not be as bold as I once was in my youth and cry out “thrash me if I am out of line”. Moreover, how I needed that trashing, but I will understand that I will be forever indebted to you for it. I stand in awe when I think of the goodness of Jesus and I think of what He has done for me. Thank you for being patient with me Father God. I love you my King. How merciful you are to some who are in desperate need to find rescue from themselves. When I consider a man like Samson the Nazirite, one of the men of faith mentioned in Hebrews chapter 12. A man blessed of God from birth. The one you called out to free Israel in a desperate time. And how things panned out in his life; with all eventually giving up on him; “But God” after allowing him to travel down a very slippery slope as he flirted with your promises, he eventually came to his senses; “But the hair of his head began to grow again after it had been shaved.” (Judges 16:22) – People often write off others as spent, but you Father God are the final authority on all things and you look into the hearts of your children and determine their outcome. My plea is that you renew a right spirit in me, as you teach me to wait patiently for your rescue in every area of my life. Open my senses to the Word of God like never before, as a hunter hones his knife ready for use when called upon. What else does a man have that will stand the test of time, the pleasures of this world are temporal and lures to take my eyes off what really counts, YOUR VOICE and YOUR WILL!  

 

When we study any given subject there will come a time when we are expected to write an exam. Am I ready for the test? On reflection, I have failed many tests dismally and yet a resolve that can only come from the Spirit of God has driven me to pursue your will for my life. Please continue to drive me towards your will and not my wants, and I know that you, my great God and Father, will give me the desires of my heart. Thank you for who you are Jehovah God, Amen!

I am persuaded that you are true and that it is impossible for you to lie, not that my validation would add any value to your awesome character but this truth helps me with my application of “putting on the mind of Christ”. Gracious Heavenly Father you are perfect in every facet of your being, and how do I know this to be true? You Word so declares it, the Lord Jesus said; “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48)

God can and will never be enticed by sin. It is out of the reach of His brilliance. Satan thought he was immune to sin but proved that he was taken by it, in fact he is the author of it, at least when it involved mankind. Was he not the one to entice Eve with mankind’s very first sin? Ay! Therefore it is imperative for my mind to be captivated by these truths; “if God is for me who can be against me”, but in the same breath if you are for me, I too must be as equally committed and take up my cross and follow you with new vigour. This I will only ever achieve if you enable me to apply my wishes. Restore the resolve I once had when I was newly saved so that I may take up my cross and follow my beloved Saviour even to death if need be for your name’s sake. However, not with zeal without knowledge, I could never repay the debt of your kindness, thank you Father God for your undying love and commitment toward me; I just want to go on the record and thank you. THANK YOU MY LOVING GOD AND KING!  

Sure, I am fully aware of the weakness I still have as the old man looks to rob me of this, but the truth has been declared in and through your Word that I am a new creature in Christ, old things have passed away and all things have become new; “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” (2Corinthians 5:17) – It is this truth that I long to embrace, restore what the canker worm has eaten from my life and thank you Father that as I make this request I am persuaded that you will oblige, bless your name now and forever more, there is no One like you and because of this I can cry Abba Father, Amen and Amen!

Let me leave you with the song I now sing…

“When I think of the goodness of Jesus, when I think of what He has done for me my very soul cries out hallelujah, praise God for saving me.”  

Signing off

Tyrone       

Encountering God

Who is God is the pressing question on so many minds?

We needn’t journey too far into a conversation about religion amongst a random group of people to soon realise that we are very opinionated individuals. Whatever “god” fits into a person’s lifestyle seems to win their vote. I recall as a schoolboy on Sunday’s lining up in different groups for the different denominations services. Greek orthodox, Roman Catholics, Methodists, and whatever else was on offer that resembled religion were accepted. All claimed that they were on the right path. It was no different in my two year National Service stint in the Marines.

Let us not be fooled into making any brash assumptions concerning God or His character. However we most certainly have seen the Father in and through the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Reject the Lord and you reject God, full stop!

One third of the Godhead left the portals of heaven and went through the normal throes of life like any other infant, born of a virgin woman, Mary impregnated by the Spirit of God. Just imagine the uproar as she claimed that she had been with no man and yet she was pregnant; God confounding the wise opinionated perceptions of man’s logic. A clue to understanding who God actually is, the impossible made possible. God showing that He is not bound to mankind’s limitations. And we are given this verse from the Apostle Paul which highlights the point; “For the wisdom of this world is folly with God. For it is written, "He catches the wise in their craftiness." (1Corinthians 3:19) – God is not bound by the same laws we are, He is beyond that, He is far greater!

By design we all look for something greater than ourselves and the problem many have with their interpretation of who God actually is, they bring him down to their level instead of meeting Him on His level. God is Spirit and we are made up of flesh and blood, sold to sin. Our nature is the opposite of His. We are miles apart in character and the Lord Jesus proved this when he lived as a man. He had it in his power to destroy those who arrested him and eventually had him crucified whilst having it in his power to terminate them all and yet he allowed it to happen; “Then Jesus said to him, "Put your sword back into its place. For all who take the sword will perish by the sword. Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels?”” (Matthew 26:52-53) - We on the other hand instinctively fight for our rights. We cry, “unfair, we have rights you know”. 

The Apostles walk and lived with the man Jesus Christ and they experienced his miraculous powers as he performed miracle after miracle whilst living on earth. He gave sight to the blind, raised the dead, walked on water and performed numerous other incredible feats. Those who witnessed it were in awe and many flocked to see him. Wherever he went he was surrounded by the masses. Sadly many came to tickle their sense and get a handout, from healings to food but their encounters were temporary and they missed the most important reason for Christ’s arrival and that was to forgive them of their sins. True repentance eluded them and their lives continued as they always had once the Lord was out of sight. However there were others who were miraculously changed and sold out for Him. Take the Apostles, one day living life as they always had and then eventually preaching the gospel, forgetting what they once achieved in their lifetimes and even in spite of the persecution they faced from there on in. History teaches us that all but John were eventually martyred. Even Judas Iscariot, the man who betrayed the Lord could no longer live with his crime and he took his own life.

Without change in a person’s life the notion of religion is but a fantasy and no more. If we claim salvation in and through the Lord Jesus Christ’s sacrifice for our sin and we continue to live like we always have, we deceive ourselves. It is a form of religion that is dead. A true encounter with the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob will transform us into new individuals; “Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?--unless indeed you fail to meet the test!” (2Corinthians 13:5)

Moses is a man that fought for that reality and although God is Spirit he longed to catch a glimpse of God. Here is the account; “Moses said, "Please show me your glory." And he said, "I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name 'The LORD.' And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. But," he said, "you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live." And the LORD said, "Behold, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock, and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back, but my face shall not be seen."” (Exodus 33:18-23)

Lets us glean some important truths from this passage of scripture…

Moses’ encounter was like no other this side of heaven, and although many people witnessed the Lord Jesus in the form of a man with His glory veiled by flesh, Moses was in God’s presence on a much higher level, God revealing part of His glory, sensational, what an encounter that must have been. Amazingly, although Moses had been on the mount for some time he couldn’t get enough of God’s glory and so he looked for more. Is that our daily determination I wonder. But one thing is for sure when we, like Moses, have encountered God’s glory, even though veiled, we will hunger for more of it, that is a given!

We also learn that God is Sovereign (self-governing) and is the final decision maker with His creation, there are no polls that determine the outcome of any decision He makes. He alone has it in His power to bestow mercy on an individual and unless you find His covering you will be doomed for eternity. Therefore we must make every effort to observe His instructions in and through His word, the Bible.

What blessed me with Moses’ encounter was the more he was given the more he requested. He teaches us to strike while the iron is hot. If we find grace from the Lord we need to capitalize on it. I am persuaded that God will bless those who are greedy to witness His glory.

There is much more I could say about our awesome God but for now time has run its course so I will leave you with this thought: God is so majestic that even Moses could not look at His face and live. It would be impossible to come into the fullness of God’s glory as a human being and survive.

In conclusion, all those who like to “box” God into their little worlds will one day experience His wrath and see Him for who He actually is. However today is a great day as the grace of God is still on offer to the world and all its inhabitants, use it wisely, and while we have breath we have hope, so share the Gospel to a dying world while it is yet the day, night is coming and then it will be too late for our loved ones.

Signing off

Tyrone

   

                 

  

  

Exercise

Exercise teaches us to be disciplined and it brings with it rewarding results when managed correctly. Most of us have been trained in some form of exercise through the throes of our lifetimes. A body builder ensures that his routine is precise and accurate to achieve their desired results. They are motivated by the change to their physiques. But one thing is certain if they do not adhere to strict diets and their daily programmes they will not reap their full potential. This is a principal we can apply to every area of our lives, “no pain no gain” and it is no different to the Christian walking in the Spirit, they must be trained within the realms of spiritual truths. The Word of God is where we find the correct instructions for our lives and it is imperative that we set our minds upon those truths if we are to be rewarded.

The beauty of it all is we have the Commander of the universe instructing us. However, when we ignore the instructions we find in the Word of God we stagnate in our growth as Christians and bear very little fruit to our lives.  In fact we hinge on the fringes of unbelief, which is a very dangerous place for the child of God to live.

“Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.” (1Timothy 4:7- 8) – It is crucial to note that this verse emphasis that we are to train ourselves for godliness; we must resolve to be serious about the call that God has placed on our lives. I know that there are areas of my life that I am not willing to freely yield, but I am wrong and my stubbornness is hampering my progress. Sure, we are but flesh and this process will never come from the flesh it must be driven by the Spirit of God that now dwells in us. But I am convinced of this one fact if I have understood the theory, it is God who has been merciful and quickened my understanding and I now must be willing to find grace to yield in the areas that I struggle with. Will I? Time will tell!

We most certainly have an enemy that looks to trip us up with our progress towards godliness and the flesh will never be able to achieve God’s righteousness per say. The Apostle James teaches us this truth; “Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am being tempted by God," for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers.” (James 1:13-16) – Lets suppose I am training as an athlete for the Olympics and I have a weakness for chocolate and it has been proven through research that chocolate hinders my progress but I have a weakness for it, it is obvious I need refrain from eating chocolate. In like manner to proceed in righteousness I need to put off my old habits, whatever it is that hinders my development. The beauty of it all is I am not left to my own devices to achieve the anticipated result. But we have been afforded storerooms of grace to draw from in time of need and we need to be exercised in that application. How will we ever learn this valuable lesson unless there are times in our lives that we are confronted with temptation? It is part of the training process and this will be our lot in life as long as we live here on earth. Once God calls us home and we breathe our last we will then be graded on how disciplined we actually were. And just in case you doubt that to be true the Apostle Paul enlightens us to a day of judgement for the Christian; “each one's work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.” (1 Corinthians 3:13-15)

I realise that this is making reference to what we teach others in respect to God’s Word, however there is most certain a principle we can draw from in regards to our application to others and not applying them to ourselves with hypocrisy playing its part in trying to trip up the Christian. It is only through training and applying ourselves to Spiritual truths that we will learn to conquer that beast.

Signing off

Tyrone     

      

      

Be still and listen

We must all arrive at a correct understanding to clearly hear the voice of God in our lives. That statement would seem like a no brainer and should be obvious to all, but is it? Let us delve a little deeper. Firstly if my ears have been tweaked to “selfish wants” I will not be in the zone I ort to be with my flesh playing its part in hindering those life-changing gems from above, my flesh acts like a sound proof room filled with empty egg boxes pasted all over the walls. It muffles the clarity of what is actually being transmitted. In other words we must put on the mind of Christ, I know I say this often but it must become part of our characters if we are to grow up into His likeness. It must become our first port of call and not the second. This then is the call for all who claim salvation in Him. The Apostle Peter is very clear on this; “Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God.” (1Peter 4:1-2)

Our life after conversion is about the will of God, in fact regardless of mans intent everything will eventually align itself with God’s will. He is the director of the universe and whether people acknowledge this truth or not will make no difference to the end result that I can guarantee you. However for the Christian it’s about learning to tweak our ears to His voice, this is the key to unlocking peace within our souls. And it would be good for us to understand the theory behind it all and then we can call upon our great Saviour to find grace in time of need to appropriate these truths into our lives.

We must all conclude that suffering is part of our internship; we must stop trying to skirt this reality. Instead of always asking the question, why? Let us rather probe our thoughts to inquire, what I am being taught through the test. And we will soon realise that it all pivots on our faith in Him. Read Hebrews chapter 11 and it will soon become obvious that the point I stress is accurate. Independence is our enemy and not our confederate. Our dependence upon the grace of God in time of need is all we require to become effective Christians.

However this does not come naturally to us as humans, we need to put on the mind of Christ to find this reality.

Our eternal existences depend on one thing alone and that is the Word of God. God has proved this to us from the beginning and the Apostle John saw this clearly and that is why I think He began His Gospel with these words; “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:1-5) – Later on in the chapter he educates us to this truth; “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14) – And I will remind you that John was called the beloved disciple and if we want to embrace God’s love to the fullest degree we must learn from him; “Now there was leaning on Jesus' bosom one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved.” (John 13:23) – John was allowed to rest upon the Lord Jesus’ bosom, it was a place reserved by the Lord for him, wow! What a privilege he was afforded. Imagine the intimacy they shared. In fact history teaches us that he was the only disciple that wasn’t martyred.

In conclusion let us remember that God’s ways are not the ways of the world, His brilliance is far higher than the scurvy found in this world. Let us learn to appropriate the Word of life into our lives, whatever the cost and it will be well with our souls. That does not mean that we will only ever need to suffer continuously, God understands our frailty and He often brings us relief when we have learnt what is needed to go on towards His perfection, praise His name now and forever more, Amen and Amen!

Signing off

Tyrone     

      

    

Come out from among them

We are on our way into the New Year with normality already starting to gain momentum; it is the first working day of the year for many. As Christians I would endeavour to encourage us with a very simple request and yet to take it rather seriously and not run with the crowd. We are floorboards for the world to walk all over with the masses looking to discredit our every move and with time moving on, it will only get worse. We have been called to “come out from among them”…

“Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you, and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty."” (2Corinthians 6:17 -18) – All this simply implies is that we are to be a people that do not behave like the rest of the world and if we take this instruction seriously we will make it part of our behaviour. We will not behave like the world and they will unsurprisingly look at us with strange eyes. Nevertheless that is the call for every Christian.

There was a time when I walked as close to the world as I possibly could, I ran with them in hope that I could win some but sadly before long I was running with them. My selfish wants wanted to hang onto the world with all its lusts, this was still part of who I was. “You shall know a tree by its fruit”. That is the only true test that proves where we actually stand with our profession of faith.

This is Charles Spurgeon’s take on those who feel that it is necessary to flirt with the world and their indulgences; “Now, I have heard of some professed Christians, wanting to see, they said, the ways of the ungodly, going into low places of amusement, to spy out the land, to judge for themselves. Such conduct is dangerous and worse. 

My dear friends, I never found it necessary, in my ministry, to do anything of the kind, and yet I think I have had no small success in winning souls. I must confess, I should feel very much afraid to go into hell, to put my head between the lion's jaws, for the sake of looking down his throat. 

I should think I was guilty of a gross presumption if I went into the company of the lewd and the profane to see what they were doing. I should fear that perhaps it might turn out that I was only a mere professor, and so should taint myself with the dead matter of the sin of those with whom I mingled, and perish in my iniquity. 

"Come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing!" The resort of the ungodly is not the place for you. "Let the dead bury their dead, but as for thee," said Christ, "follow thou me."

If we must in this life, in a measure, mingle with the dead, let us take care that we never suffer the supremacy of the dead to be acknowledged over the living. It would be a strange thing if the dead were to rule the living: the dead must be laid into their coffins, and put away in their narrow cells according as the living may decree. 

Yet sometimes I have seen the dead have the dominion of this world; that is to say, they have set the fashion, and living Christians have followed. The carnal world has said, "This is the way of trade!" and the Christian man has replied, "I will follow the custom." Christian, this must not be. 

"Ay, but," saith one, "I must do as others do, for you know we must live." This also is not true, for there is no necessity for our living; there is a very great necessity for our dying sooner than living, if we cannot live without doing wrong. O Christian, you must never endure that corruption should conquer grace. 

By God's grace, if you get at all under the power of custom, you must cry out, "O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me?" You must wrestle till you conquer, and cry, "Thanks be unto God, who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."”

Time is closing in on the offer of God’s grace for people to find their salvation, let us therefore be examples so that some may see our lights in a dark and dying world as some draw nigh unto the Lord calling out for His redeeming power.

Signing off

Tyrone

This thought was ignited after reading a post from Pyromaniacs (another Christian site) 

A New Year

(Plasms 119:173)  “Let your hand be ready to help me, for I have chosen your precepts.”

Today is the 1st day of a new year; something rather common for so many of us who has reached their last lap of life as time marches on. Regardless of your age, today is a new year filled with innovative possibilities. Whether it’s that same New Year’s resolution that you make every other year, just to break it, or something new; today is a day filled with promising potential, it speaks of new beginnings or so the world has programmed the masses to accept that New Years resolutions is rather the norm. It is possibly the most eventful day of the year with the tenacities of so many looking for change. Sadly old wine cannot be put into new wine skins as the container will burst. For centuries now people have endeavoured to avoid their doom, Botox and the like is only an external lie because you internal organs  will eventually run their course; with death looming for all and then the judgement. Since the beginning of time no one has cheated death but it has been mans intention from the beginning to avoid bereavement, we have an instinctive nature that drives us to live. It’s only God who has it in His power to implement such acts of mercy and there have been only a few who had never physically died; Enoch, Elijah and possibly Moses comes to mind.

Let us not keep on making the same mistakes as we mix up our application with our implementation of our faith towards God, if we are new creatures in Christ; if we have been born again by the Spirit of God, then we need to live with that mind-set and learn to put on the mind of Christ each and every day, prior to brushing our teeth in the morning, it must become our first natures and not our second; God first and not the other way around. Today is a new beginning so let us make this our resolve and it will be well with our souls. Here is a verse that came to my attention this morning, let it sink in and regardless of where you are within your walk with the Lord, whether you are a “babe in Christ” or “going on to perfection” let it change our lives; “Let your hand be ready to help me, for I have chosen your precepts.” (Plasms 119:173) – I am convinced that God helps all of His children even when they are in the depths of the pig’s pen but we cannot continue to live there, for He has far better things in mind for us. But when and if we learn to put His precepts as our first port of call our lives will be lamps in a dark and dying world for all to witness and it will be well with our souls. And then we can stand back and watch God turn our lives around, whatever your need or your circumstance look out for God’s helping hand as the seemingly impossible becomes evident to His faithful obedient children.

God has always looked for those who would live by faith in Him. This then is my resolution; to put God first like never before and I know that He will come through for me. I beseech you to do the same…

There came a time in the Israelites journey through the Wilderness where they reach their destination and then they ate all the delicacies from the land of Canaan, which was filled with milk and honey…

Let me leave you with these inspiring words…

(Joshua 5:12) “They did eat of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year.”

“Israel’s weary wanderings were all over, and the promised rest was attained. No more moving tents, fiery serpents, fierce Amalekites, and howling wildernesses: they came to the land which flowed with milk and honey, and they ate the old corn of the land. Perhaps this year, beloved Christian reader, this may be thy case or mine. Joyful is the prospect, and if faith be in active exercise, it will yield unalloyed delight. To be with Jesus in the rest which remaineth for the people of God, is a cheering hope indeed, and to expect this glory so soon is a double bliss. Unbelief shudders at the Jordan which still rolls between us and the goodly land, but let us rest assured that we have already experienced more ills than death at its worst can cause us. Let us banish every fearful thought, and rejoice with exceeding great joy, in the prospect that this year we shall begin to be “for ever with the Lord.”

A part of the host will this year tarry on earth, to do service for their Lord. If this should fall to our lot, there is no reason why the New Year’s text should not still be true. “We who have believed do enter into rest.” The Holy Spirit is the earnest of our inheritance; he gives us “glory begun below.” In heaven they are secure, and so are we preserve in Christ Jesus; there they triumph over their enemies, and we have victories too. Celestial spirits enjoy communion with their Lord, and this is not denied to us; they rest in his love, and we have perfect peace in him: they hymn his praise, and it is our privilege to bless him too. We will this year gather celestial fruits on earthly ground, where faith and hope have made the desert like the garden of the Lord. Man did eat angels’ food of old, and why not now? O for grace to feed on Jesus, and so to eat of the fruit of the land of Canaan this year!” (Charles Spurgeon)

Signing off

Tyrone