The link to my book - Destroy and Deliver (Autobiography)

Wednesday 25 February 2015

A Pilgrims journey

A pilgrim’s progress through a world tainted by sin…

From the outset I would like to conclude with this understood assumption, all is vanity and again I say “ALL IS VANITY” or “Futility wrapped up in a disguise of our independence, driving to preserve that which will all come to an end regardless of our endeavour’s, come what may! This then is the conclusion; “acknowledge your sin before a holy God and seek out his forgiveness! This then is the sole duty of mankind!” Why do I say this? Because we’re been born into a world full of corruption because of one man’s sin and we have all partaken of that sin.

Hollywood have just handed out awards for their finest, but from their inception they have sent the world with all its inhabitants looking for “straw men”; misguided undertones, with their stamp of approval on all that is tainted by sin; when in fact God has offered the finest of His delicacies to all; He sent His Son, His only begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ to pay the price for our sin. We can all autonomously come to this knowledge, but sadly many will pass Him by.   

Here then is an allegory which could make it easier to understand, for all those trying to make sense of this life…

There was a man from another world who understood the beauty of all things; he came from a land which had the best of fruits, a place where the lion laid down with the lamb. It was a world too beautiful to accurately describe its sheer brilliance. Thorns were unheard of, blemishes foreign to any of it fruits and sheer joy was an emotion that he understood all day. Peace was an undertone that filled his environment. It was an acreage embodied with pure bliss.

 And then one day an enemy from another world saw his opportunity. He was a creature with great power; he was cunning and full of sin, an evil being. His objective to get this man to follow him, but this man was not so easily fooled and so he devised a cunning plan and targeted that which he held closest to his heart. His wife was the apple of his eye and so this wicked creature approached her with lies and beguiled her into believing that he had a better life and land for her, unbeknown to her, she was drawn into his cunning scheme. So she entertained his advice and tried something forbidden. On the surface what he had to say seemed harmless enough, but once she indulged in the prohibited, her eyes were opened to a world of terror filled with death and then it was too late the door to their wonderful world was closed forever.
They were banished from their blissful country into a world filled with treachery. Monsters and vile beasts surrounded them on every side. They were now on the run seeking the preservation of life, hiding in caves and eating fruit full of worms. Death had become part of their survival! They now had to track and kill live venison to sustain their family. They hunted and at the same time were also hunted. The utopia on what was once peaceful had long been forgotten. Pain and suffering now had become a way of life with death continually knocking at their door.

Until one day the greatest of beings from another world witnessed their dilemma and took pity on them, HE made a way of escape for them. The only true God of the entire universe, both seen and unseen sent His Son to remove the curse that now ruled their world. This God-man was not a man of war but a man of peace and yet combat surrounded him and the evil beast that had deceived the woman set out with all his enlisted infantry to destroy him but to no avail. He did not succeed! Nevertheless the surmountable pressure cost the son of God his life, but with it came away of escape for mankind. Now there was hope where there was once only death and destruction, the wheel had turned and a way of escape was now on offer for all who would dare to clutch at it with both hands. What was needed was a simple cry for forgiveness. Sadly many continued in their old ways, pride and sin had blinded them. It was the way they had been accustomed too. However some did reach out and cry for forgiveness. For the fortunate few the shackles of their blinding spell of destruction had now been broken and the hope of a new world was just over the horizon. So they packed their bags and set out on a pilgrimage with their flag of “HOPE” flying high. Leaving behind the lifestyles they once lived.

The journey was rough as they still hid for cover from all the terror that surrounded them. Some even found themselves going back to the way they once lived but before long they came to their senses and reunited themselves with those of the “caravan of hope”. There were still thorn and thistles penetrating their hardened feet, but no matter, they stayed the course and even though they were looked upon by the bystanders as weak madmen they knew what was on offer. Utopia once again in a land full of bliss and a place where the lamb was feeding next to the lion; a territory where the waters were crystal clear and sweet to their palates, with streets of gold, with no more death nor destruction playing any part in their lives. HOPE fueled their motivation! It took them their entire lifetime to reach their destination, but they all eventually arrived. It was worth it all!

They had now earned the right to rule this new city for they had been tested along their journey and now had experienced the harshness of that old sinful world. They now knew what to look out for and they ensured that their children no longer made the same mistake their grandparents made. It was a land filled with no pain, nor crying, heartbreak was no longer a consideration. They were forever thankful to the one who died for them because he had been raised to life again and HE seated on a throne in the Land called the New Jerusalem and He was their king.

“For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” (John 3:17)

Signing off

Tyrone
   


  


Monday 23 February 2015

True wisdom or just a decoy!

Wisdom is something we all search for in one form or another, but without true knowledge we will always clutch at straws! Marketing is the king when it comes to leading people astray. There will always be some truth attached to a good marketing regime and depending on the targeted audience, believing their pitch or not, sales will either escalate or fall away. Because mankind is so needy it isn’t hard to fish out the weak if you have money and power behind you. Look at our current government, they have all the power and their campaign has been filled with empty promises for a very long time and yet the masses support even their blatant corruption. Why? Because they are still full of hope! They expect a better life and the government keeps promising them it; however when we evaluate the facts we see a shift in the opposite direction.

People overweight have a similar objective, they will try anything to lose weight and the simpler it is the more you draw in the candidates. Old age is another lure and then we could speak about the beauty industry and how they have women buying products that could feed a family of four for a month just to keep some wrinkles at bay. Deception always carries with it some form of truth. Take the greatest of all traps, Satan tempting Eve in the Garden of Eden; they (Adam and Eve) did for the first time understand what sin was all about, after eating from the tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, having understood sin for the first time; prior to that they had no knowledge of death.

Deception keeps our eyes off true wisdom and knowledge. The most powerful men in the world have accomplished great wealth and power and they use it to further their comforts in this life and then what? AND THEN THE JUDGEMENT! We will all stand before the judgment seat of the Lord Jesus Christ, previous to being ushered into a life of bliss or a painful existence for all eternity! This is a statement full of accurate wisdom and filled with priceless knowledge. Why then is this not the message propagated by the most powerful men in the world? This is an easy answer, they have been deceived by sin and the father of lies, Satan has hoodwinked the masses!

“If an axe man uses a blunt blade he will need more strength to bring the tree down”!

It is rather frustrating to think that we are so simple and yet without the grace of God it is impossible for us to realize this reality! Everything began with the Lord Jesus Christ (creation was spoken into being and the Word became flesh) and everything will end with Him {(“for it is written, "As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God." So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.” (Rom 14:11)} – And yet none of the great leaders propagate this message! But there was one who did many years ago and his name was King Solomon, King David’s son. This is what he had to say; pay attention! –- “Light is sweet, and it is pleasant for the eyes to see the sun. So if a person lives many years, let him rejoice in them all; but let him remember that the days of darkness will be many. All that comes is vanity. Rejoice, O young man, in your youth, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth. Walk in the ways of your heart and the sight of your eyes. But know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment.” (Ecclesiastes 11:7-9)  

For those of you who haven’t actually read the Bible I would encourage you to read at least the book of Ecclesiastes and examine Solomon’s insight in the light of your own life and the wisdom you have applied to it and then come to a decision. Do not lie to yourself and say, the Bible is just a book and speak about it as a fool would claiming to be an expert on it if you haven’t read it.

What I have told you is not a lie so my prayer is that you would take what I say seriously, it may just open your eyes to the light and free you from groping in the dark when in fact you believed that you have it all together. Come what may you will never see a hearse towing a safe! But there is life or death on the other side and that is a promise in accordance with what the Bible teaches!

Signing off

Tyrone      

Tuesday 17 February 2015

God's Mercy

(John 3:17) “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.”

Did you know that the world is condemned because of Adam’s sin? The Christian knows this to be true but how many outside of the Christian faith are aware of this fact? Many have differing opinions when it comes to the reality of Gods perception and this world we call home, where in fact our opinions will carry very little weight in the bigger scheme of things.

Let us reason together as reasonable beings; if you believe in creation then you are closer to God’s grace than you think, you are just a confession away from the covering of His mercy. But if you believe in a “big bang theory” I see trouble on the horizon. God is very clear that His presence can be witnessed through creation and those who admire His handiwork can understand His existence; “For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:” (Romans 1:20)

Let me use an example to illustrate a point that we can all comprehend; If the government of any particular country enforces a law, let’s say they enforce a speed limit for vehicles travelling on their roads and that speed is exceeded and a person is caught, what will happen? They will be guilty of breaking the law and subject to the punishment of their crime. It will not matter whether you agree with them or not, that is their law and you have been caught breaking it and subject to the penalty. It is no different with God’s law, if we are caught breaking it we will be subject to His judgement. Regardless of whether we agree with Him or not! I trust I have made my point very clearly!

Without going into too much historical detail, the world with all its inhabitants has been condemned for a very long time. But God who is rich in mercy did not bring judgement upon us but made a way for us to escape His judgement. How did he do this? He sent His Son from heaven, the Lord Jesus Christ to pay the price for our personal sin. This is a mind-boggling thought but accurate according to the teachings of the Bible! There is a condition attached to this mercy; we must acknowledge our sin against God and ask Him for forgiveness; if not we will remain accountable to Him for our own personal sin. There is nothing complicated about it. The choice is in fact ours to make! Will we accept the Lord Jesus’ sacrifice on our behalf or not? I have made my choice, I am thankful to my God and Father for His mercy which now covers my sin.

“For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.”

Signing off

Tyrone
        
  








Sunday 15 February 2015

God's Power revised!

(Nehemiah 6:16)  “And when all our enemies heard of it, all the nations around us were afraid and fell greatly in their own esteem, for they perceived that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God.”

Exploits done in the name of their Lord must drive every Christian to learn a valuable lesson, which is less of us and more of Him! It’s not as if we are called to be uninvolved, we must be very active participants within our daily activities, after all we are the ones that carry out what happens, if I am hungry I pick up an apple and put it to my mouth, etc. but there must be an obvious shift in our mentality. WE MUST BELIEVE THAT GOD IS ABLE!

Let’s strip down the simplest of actions, like walking. When a child takes their first step we always account the glory to the child. I have heard people boast about how good their child was as they outdid the next and walked from an earlier age. It’s never a blatant gloat, and yet there is always a hint of pride that accompanies their glee. Apart from the handicapped, every child eventually learns to walk. God has equipped them with that capability. Period! God has enabled them! And yet how often does He get the praise when a child takes their first step?   

Believing that God is able cannot just be a distant though we uncover when we are alone and meditating, it must be our actuality! Every true Christian believes that God spoke the creation into being; I am not talking about that kind of belief; that could almost be construed as objective faith. It is a fact in accordance with God’s Word, therefore it cannot be argued by the Christian. “God said” and the land brought forth its abundance. What is argued is whether the world is 6000 years old or millions of years old. Both are right by the way! God created man with age and therefore when scientists tells us that rock faces are millions of years old, so be it! What prevented God from creating creation with age? Absolutely nothing I would suggest! It is only time that handicaps our thinking! God is sovereign and therefore must have the ability to move in and out of any realm; therefore time has no hold on him! The Apostle Peter has this to say; “But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.” (2Peter 3:8) 
  
Now back to my point; we all say we believe the Bible, many uses it with a twisted set of rules, which is manipulation and all, will have to give an account of that type of trickery; those false prophets and teachers that use God’s Word for their own gain. Christianity is all about God extending His helping hand to a lost world; offering His favour to people who had transgressed His laws. God showed mercy, it’s all about what God was able to do, but more than that, What He was willing to do by choosing to show mercy. He had it in His power to forgive and chose to extend grace, and every Christian can bear witness to this marvelous act of God’s mercy. But if that message gets skewed, then we need our sails trimmed; we must always place “GOD FIRST” in everything we do, He must receive all the glory. This is not negotiable! By projecting this message we will shift people’s attentions from what may appears to be our achievements, helping them understand that it is rather God’s gracious work in our lives that empowers us.

The only thing that will ever silence the enemy is the brilliance of God. When they actually witness His majestic power! The grandiose miracle of the Rea Sea swallowing up the Egyptian army was heard far and wide; in fact even Rahab the harlot had this to say about that event; “For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you devoted to destruction. And as soon as we heard it, our hearts melted, and there was no spirit left in any man because of you, for the LORD your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath.” A(Joshua 2:10-11) – Unfortunately for many they will have to see to believe, but then it will be too late as the bounds of God’s grace will eventually have run its course.

It is imperative that we must make every effort to point people to the finished work of Calvary and learn to be quick with what come out of our mouths. Comments like, “by God’s grace”, “if the Lord wills” and “Lord willing” we will do this or that! It is up to us to at the very least to let people know that we believe in the only true God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob! And with everything we achieve in live it is only because of the grace of God in our lives. Sure we all have differing abilities, but that is also only because of the grace of God! Everything must be given back to Him! This must be our resolve, wherever possible and whenever an opportunity presents itself to glorify God with our mouths. We will suffer persecution for it, but some may see the light and we know that if one sinner repents, the whole of heaven rejoices. Not all of us have the gift of the Evangelist but we all are capable of opening our mouths and glorifying God for who He is and for what He has done for us.

Let us be slow to curse but may God give us all boldness to be sharp with our tongues in praise of Him! To God be the glory now and forever more, Amen!

A man’s self-esteem must be crushed for Him to realise that he is in need of a Saviour! Until we understand our need we will never call for help! It is the sick man that seeks out the aid of a physician!   

Signing off

Tyrone     
   


Thursday 12 February 2015

God's Power!

(Nehemiah 6:16)  “And when all our enemies heard of it, all the nations around us were afraid and fell greatly in their own esteem, for they perceived that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God.”

Exploits done in the name of the Lord must drive every Christian to learn a valuable lesson, which is less of us and more of Him! It’s not as if we have been called to be uninvolved, we must be very active participants with our daily activities, but there must be an obvious shift in our mentality. WE MUST BELIEVE THAT GOD IS ABLE! It can’t just be lip service it must be our actuality! Every true Christian believes that God spoke the creation into being; I am not talking about that kind of belief; that could almost be construed as objective faith. It is a fact in accordance with God’s Word, therefore it cannot be argued by the Christian. “God said” and the land brought forth its abundance. What is argued is whether the world is 6000 years old or millions of years old. Both are right by the way! God created man with age and therefore when scientist tells us that rock faces are millions of years old, so be it! What prevented God from creating creation with age? Absolutely nothing I would suggest! It is only the time that handicaps our thinking; God is sovereign and therefore must have the ability to move in and out of any realm, therefore time has no hold on him! The Apostle Peter has this to say; “But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.” (2Peter 3:8)  
  
Now back to my point; we all say we believe the Bible, many uses it with a twisted set of rules, which is manipulation and all, will have to give an account of that type of trickery; those false prophets and teachers that use God’s Word for their own gain. Christianity is all about God extending His helping hand to a lost world; offering His favour to people who had transgressed His laws. God showed mercy, it’s all about what God was able to do, but more than that, What He was willing to do by choosing to show mercy. He had it in His power to forgive and chose to extend grace, and every Christian can bear witness to this marvelous act of God’s mercy. But if that message gets skewed, then we need our sails trimmed; we must always place “GOD FIRST” in everything we do, He must receive all the glory. This is not negotiable! By projecting this message we will shift people’s attentions from what may appears to be our achievements, helping them understand that it is rather God’s gracious work in our lives that empowers us.

The only thing that will ever silence the enemy is the brilliance of God. When they actually witness His majestic power! The grandiose miracle of the Rea Sea swallowing up the Egyptian army was heard far and wide; in fact even Rahab the harlot had this to say about that event; “For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you devoted to destruction. And as soon as we heard it, our hearts melted, and there was no spirit left in any man because of you, for the LORD your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath.” (Joshua 2:10-11) – Unfortunately for many they will have to see to believe, but then it will be too late as the bounds of God’s grace will eventually have run its course.

It is imperative that we must make every effort to point people to the finished work of Calvary and learn to be quick with what come out of our mouths. Comments like, “by God’s grace”, “if the Lord wills” and “Lord willing” we will do this or that! It is up to us to at the very least to let people know that we believe in the only true God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob! And with everything we achieve in live it is only because of the grace of God in our lives. Sure we all have differing abilities, but that is also only because of the grace of God! Everything must be given back to Him! This must be our resolve, wherever possible and whenever an opportunity presents itself to glorify God with our mouths. We will suffer persecution for it, but some may see the light and we know that if one sinner repents, the whole of heaven rejoices. Not all of us have the gift of the Evangelist but we all are capable of opening our mouths and glorifying God for who He is for what He has done for us.

Let us be slow to curse but may God give us all boldness to be sharp with our tongues in praise of Him! To God be the glory now and forever more, Amen!

A man’s self-esteem must be crushed for Him to realise that he is in need of a Saviour! Until we understand our need we will never call for help! It is the sick man that seeks out the aid of a physician!   

Signing off

Tyrone     

    

Monday 9 February 2015

Learning the right lessons well!

Habits can be profitable, so long as they point us to Christ! After our salvation experience, our “born again” event that happened somewhere along life’s pilgrimage, the rules for us have changed and we have been instructed to now “put on the mind of Christ”, therefore if we do something that will help us “put on the mind of Christ” it will benefit us as well as those around me. With all this “load shedding” and the darkness that surrounds the space that we normally have well lit, it certainly throws our routine. However if someone walks into that dark room with a light in their hands, it will have the same effect as the person who puts on the mind of Christ; it will illuminate the area and darkness will flee!

These are good practices; we must look for them and nurture them. How are these good habits kept in toe? Obviously without a shadow of a doubt by the grace of God, it’s the goodness of God that leads a man to repentance and when we put on the mind of Christ that often requires repentance. It is God’s goodness that leads us there! Within the recesses of my own heart I have noticed that these positive habits, like waking up in the early hours of the morning, can at times be very destructive as it rears its head and turns what is  positive into something very negative, How so? Pride is a very wicked thing and must be kept at bay, this was Satan’s downfall! He took all the glory for himself; he forgot that it was God who had created him with all his beauty and wisdom!

Whatever we are in Christ, may we never forget that we are who we are by the grace of God. If we have more resolve than our brother in certain areas of our lives it is only because of the grace of God. If we cross that valley and begin to think more highly than we ort to think, our fall is just around the corner. Take heed: “Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.” (1Corinthians 10:12) - Our dependency is in the unseen, it is what our faith is built upon, and it feeds our hope which in turn stirs up love for others. Here is an interesting reminder of the mind of Christ; “One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want. Whoever brings blessings will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered.” (Proverbs 11:24-25)

Having said that there is another trap as effective that also deceives and it is this; we look to excuse our sin as if we are incapable of shedding our old natures. Even a snake has the ability to shed its skin! We must beseech God by His mercies to overcome all our Achilles heals that throw us violently off course. It is up to the individual to wrestle looking for grace to find victory. I understand that we will not always receive deliverance; it is often through the trial that our faith is tested. This was Paul’s testimony; “So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2Corinthians 12:7-10)

Warning! I have often unwittingly used this verse to excuse sin in my life. This is not what the verse implies! When we suffer wrong for doing what is right and we take it patiently, this is when the grace of God is made perfect in our weakness. This is Paul’s point; “For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” Not weak due to my sin but weak with my rights that I am entitled to as an individual living in a democracy. This then is a good example of how we put on the mind of Christ!

Anything we can place in our daily lives that will help us put on the mind of Christ; can only ever benefit our cause so long as we remember to seek out our sister’s helps through it all and her name is Humility! As soon as arrogance and pride becomes our stance in life, we will certainly come tumbling down! God help us to learn this lesson well!

Signing off

Tyrone     
    



     



Friday 6 February 2015

Faith believes God!

Faith believes God for who He is and then proves that by action. This morning I woke up with a durable thought and as it resonates through my mind I know I need to dissect it to get a clearer understanding of its message. My first point of call must always be prayer and then to cross reference all those ideas that resonate with the bible. No notions may supersede the Word of God; if it does it must be dissuaded as a vain imagination!

How do we help someone in need? Obviously there are many differing applications to comfort a person in want and I am sure we could all fill in the blanks quite comfortably. My objective is but one and with the help of God the Holy Spirit to show you who the Lord Jesus is! He is the only true Christ and before any true miracle can take place people must believe that emphatically!

Let me prove this to you from scripture, the writer of Hebrews has this to say about faith; Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God.” (Hebrews 6:1) - Why do so many look to reinvent the wheel; programmes, course and other tools to try and conjure up more faith, when in fact it is really very simple, “faith towards God” will do! No need to add salt to the recipe! Commitment to the sound Word of God is all that is required.

Let’s explore what it means to have “faith towards God”; a firm belief of the existence of God, of his nature, attributes, and perfections, the trinity of persons in the unity of essence, the whole mind and will of God as revealed in his word, particularly what relates to the Lord Jesus Christ. We must by faith acquaint ourselves with these things; we must assent to them, we must approve of them, and apply all to ourselves with suitable affections and actions. Observe, (1.) Repentance from dead works, and faith towards God, are connected, and always go together; they are inseparable twins, the one cannot live without the other. (2.) Both of these are foundation-principles, which should be once well laid, but never pulled up, so as to need to be laid over again; we must not relapse into infidelity.” (Matthew Henry) - An unbeliever could never believe all of those truths that Matthew Henry so accurately points out for us, they are spiritually blind! Nevertheless they must at the very least understand that it is God who has the power to heal. They must have faith in His ability and no one else!    

The problem I see with the world today is very simple, many Christian communities do not witness true miracles because they do not believe God at His Word and they doubt His ability to heal, which in turn only proves one thing, their unbelief! It’s not that they don’t want the miracle to happen, they do but their sight is shifted onto the wrong source. How so? They look to the man and not to God! People flocked to TB Joshua and a building collapsed. Men will always be unseated; God will never be dethroned that is impossible! Do you believe that?

Now let’s look at some actual examples from scripture to prove that “faith toward God” is where the power lies; Let me use one of the greatest illustrations to prove this; The Roman Centurion heard about the man Jesus of Nazareth, he was so convinced that He had the power to heal that he made every effort to be seen by Christ.

Here is the account; “When he entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward to him, appealing to him, "Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering terribly. And he said to him, "I will come and heal him." But the centurion replied, "Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, 'Go,' and he goes, and to another, 'Come,' and he comes, and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it." When Jesus heard this, he marveled and said to those who followed him, "Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith." (Matthew 8:5-10) – From the outset it is evident that the soldier understood the Lord Jesus’ authority, His power to heal is obviously understood by the man – his “faith towards God” in action! Proving that he believed God at His Word, this is a true understanding of what it means to have “faith towards God”. If God says it, it will come to pass; nothing else will ever be needed. WE MUST UNDERSTAND THIS! There must be no hedging of our bets! It is up to us to make this very clear to people when we pray for them!

I have by the grace of God resolve to no longer pray for someone without helping them understand this truth where possible.

If we go back in time we see that men no longer honoured God for who He IS and therefore God withdrew from them. Society is so warped that it is our responsibility with the aid of God the Holy Spirit to steer men and women back to God, but we must declare Him as the great “I AM” nothing else will cut it! No other men or gods can ever be entertained.

Here are the verses that prove this thought; “For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves. (Romans 1:21-24)

My conclusion is that we must get those in need to understand who God is before we pray for them so when He decides to respond to our prayer that there is no mistaking the source of the miracle. When God puts on a show, it is magnificent!

Signing off

Tyrone    


Monday 2 February 2015

Diligence

(Proverbs 4:23) “Keep your heart with all vigilance (diligence), for from it flow the springs of life.” – Here is a great insight from the law of wisdom.

How can we measure a person’s commitment? By their assiduousness to a specific task! Diligence is a word referred to in scripture and carries with it great intent. It is our hope that feeds our commitment with meticulousness and allows others to partake of fruits that flows from that commitment, which in turn will nourish their hope in Christ.

What then does it mean to “keep your heart”? It funds our resolve to wrestle with God in order to find grace to overcome so much opposition in our lives. It means that we must keep out all the evil thoughts of our hearts and ponder on the good ones. It reminds me of the daily battle that takes place in my soul and every time I look for victory I am reminded about Jacob’s encounter in the desert and he teaches me this lesson; And Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day. When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he touched his hip socket, and Jacob's hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. Then he said, "Let me go, for the day has broken." But Jacob said, "I will not let you go unless you bless me." And he said to him, "What is your name?" And he said, "Jacob." Then he said, "Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed."” – For all who make it to heaven have this hope;He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it.'” (Revelation 2:17)  

Theoretically it is easily understood but to find the means to methodically carry it out is quite another altogether. Diligence then the key to finding victory and yet we must never forget that this must always be carried out within the constraints of God’s grace, no other methodology will do! If not, boasting will be our lot in life. These are the tricky nuances that need to be juggled correctly. Our first port of call in achieving the correct bearing, which is heaven bound, must always start with “GOD FIRST”; This way we get the order of our priorities straight and the rest will then follow as it ort.

It is God who has given us souls; we have the charge over them and we must learn to be good stewards with them. There is so much work to do! I get dizzy just at the thought of it, but then I am remind to tackle one thought at a time and then one day at a time. I am yet to tick the box whereby I can say I have arrived in this area of my life, but while we have breath we most certainly have hope. If we understand anything about our sister wisdom, we will embrace her advice with open arms. And it is with “diligence” (resolute commitment) that we must pursue her instruction if we want wisdom to be our companion. The instruction is plain and must be received as the author has intended, nothing mystical, plan and simply understood; “Put away from you crooked speech, and put devious talk far from you. Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you. Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure. Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil.” (Proverbs 4:24-27)

We all seem to have a different Achilles heel but we must never sweep that sin under the carpet, ponder upon it day and night, wrestle with it to find grace through it and then that which is crooked will be made straight. This is wonderful advice and our sister Wisdom illuminates the burrs that rob us of our victory in Christ, paying careful attention to her voice will leave the soul well nourished. God help us give “her” due benevolence!    
   
“Diligence” is an attribute well worth pursuing, from it will flow many precious palatable fruits. God’s commitment to mankind is clear for all to see, God sent His Son to save those who were lost and His commitment to us is amazing. He is perfect in wisdom and He has led the way, we owe Him our lives and at the very least diligence should be our resolve. I understand it is a process but we must look to our God to find grace to become more astute with our perseverance in Him. Sin and darkness will always look to steer us in the opposite direction, but we have the mind of Christ, may God help us learn to arm it with due diligence!

Signing off

Tyrone