Be on Guard & Alert..

Be on guard and alert…

Stimulatingly in the early hours of this morning, sleep has evaded me, not that I normally suffer from insomnia, but I do love these times, when in the still of the night I find myself alone in thought with the Lord. I’m not sure my son feels the same as I clout away at the keyboard.

·         Sin with its lying effects must top them all; the deception of believing that self-gratification can outweigh the peace we find in Christ… the devil with his cunning beguilements has used it effectively from Adam and then some! Ah but the peace I experience even now as my thoughts explore the graces of the day and the wonderful Love of God my Father is unmatched. But alas I know that there will be some lure just around the corner looking to trip me up, but if I (we) can find rest in the finished work of Calvary, it will be well with our souls. Always be quick to cry out to the One who has conquered all, even Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour!

·         Be wary of vain jangling’s (babblings) it is no more than another decoy to shift our focus off the One we love!

·         The law is good but only if used lawfully!

·         Never to forget, although we were saved in our ignorance when we were still blinded by our sin, remembering that Christ died the ungodly and that we have been saved by grace through faith, not of ourselves, but it is a gift of God, therefore boasting in any form on behalf of the believer has now been excluded.

·         God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble…

·         To take our focus off ourselves and to consider others within the family of God, for one needn’t look far to find a brother or sister contending with a struggle.

·         To be quick to gaze at our reflection in the mirror of the fruits of the spirit and then to cry out to God our Father as we seek out His grace to appropriate the lack.

·         To my sisters in Christ, remember to learn quietly with all submissiveness and not to be out spoken as is the manner of some, especially with today’s booming voices across our country and the globe which is contrary to God’s order. It is no more than just another distraction to keep you from the peace of God. Remember the account of Abigail; “Now the name of the man was Nabal, and the name of his wife Abigail. The woman was discerning and beautiful, but the man was harsh and badly behaved; he was a Calebite.” (1Samuel 25:3)  - Did you know that it is through the foolishness of preaching whereby God has chosen to save souls? However the Apostle Peter gives us an exception to the rule and it applies only to women; “Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, when they see your respectful and pure conduct.”  (1Peter 3:1-2)

·         Remembering that deception is not willful sin in that sense but rather a trap to trip one up into believing something to be true when in fact it is false! – be watchful and pay careful attention to God’s instruction for there is no shepherd like our Saviour the One who looks out for us. His instruction is for our benefit! We know that with God all things are possible and yet it is impossible for Him to Lie! “…so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie…” (Hebrews 6:18)

·         The Spirit expressly teaches us that in the later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and the teaching of demons, let us therefore hold fast to sound doctrine, and at all costs to avoid liberal loose teaching opening ourselves up to these deceptions. If something sounds new or strange let us be quick to examine the scripture to see if that indeed is precise!

·         Avoid silly myths and rather seek out graces to correct godliness to our lives. Bodily exercise will profit our well-being but godliness must be far higher on our agenda as it holds promise for this present life and the life to come.

·         “Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it.” (Proverbs 3:27)   

·         Bring our children up establishing them upon the truth of God’s Word.

·         What has passed in our lives is history, from now on we must keep a close watch on ourselves and on the teachings from God’s Word, we must persist in it, for by so doing our example will affect those around us and who knows who mayA be converted by it, God knows, may we all earnestly with great zeal seek out His graces in our daily lives to bring glory to His Majestic name, now and forever more, Amen!

Signing off

Tyrone