An Invisible God

(Luke 18:42)  “And Jesus said to him, "Recover your sight; your faith has made you well."”

To live on God’s Word who is invisible requires faith and heaps of it. It’s only a fool or a madman that would expect a result which was totally contrary to the laws governing a certain outcome. Who walks into a supermarket, fills a trolley and then proceeds to the till without a cent in their pockets to pay for the purchase? Faith requires this kind of reasoning from us, the Christian believes words penned into a book and then acts on them. “Faith the substance of things hoped for” – Because I believe God at His Word I end up living by faith, remove that persuasion and I will never be capable of manufacturing true faith. God said it so I believe it! We must never mistake misguided faith or superstition beliefs under the same heading. Sports Commentators often say “I don’t want to put the “mockers” on him”. What they imply by that is that they have the ability to influence the outcome of a certain situation just by what they say. They may say “he is tearing it up out there and batting beautifully” and then the very next ball the very same batsman is caught on the boundary and dismissed. They then claim that they had an influence on his outcome, really! They say “I didn’t mean to put the “mockers” on him”. This type of mentality is endemic amongst so many of us; we believe we have the power to influence so many differing outcomes, when in fact it has already been predetermined by God. Although this isn’t faith per say, it’s a form of the power some believe in beyond the hidden. What we must do is learn to walk by faith, trusting in His ability to protect us from harm and to pave the way and not the other way around. Faith in the voice of God is what must drive the Christian and nothing else.   

At times it would be easy to claim something as a given as we mouth off certain truths that we unpack in scripture, but quite another facet altogether to prove it by our example. To follow the Apostle Paul’s model, to imitate him in so much as he imitated Christ. The hearer is never vindicated but the doer shall be justified.

Faith will and must be tested, so that we may prove to ourselves what substance the faith we claim is made of. “The just shall live by faith”! There must be evidence to faith, or our claims are unfounded, an appearance of godliness with no power attached to it. God help us to understand the severity of it all. Grace is needed to apply faith into our lives, and grace is freely available. We have been instructed to come BOLDLY to the throne room of grace and seek out as much as is needed for each and every trying event in our lives. Praise God, there is more than enough grace to go around. This room cannot be seen, nor is it tangible and yet it is right before my eyes I can touch it, I have been strengthened from its source of supply more times than I can number. And yet sadly I have passed it by on occasion when I needed it most, my faith was now replaced by unbelief. But praise belongs to Jesus, Christ in us once again drives the Christian in faith as He picks us up from the dirt and we dust off our knees.

When the Lord Jesus patrolled the earth as a man, how often did he say “your faith”…? You see, faith is needed prior to victory and it will never be the other way around. If it was then I would be driven by sight, results in what I see prior to believing. Thomas believed God because he saw Jesus resurrected. There could be no uncertainty and there was no doubt in his mind. He had the proof and it equipped him for what was to come in his life and who knows the depths of what he actually had to endure, God knows! Today's Christian does not have the resurrected Jesus standing before us and audibly giving us instructions, but we certainly have the written Word of God to instruct our actions. FAITH MUST BE WORD BASED. The Bible and the Spirit of God (the Holy Spirit) drives our faith.

Faith in God’s Word is needed in order for us to believe and live in such a way that it turns the heads of those looking on, why do I fluctuate in my ability to walk by faith? The lure of my surrounding become bigger than my faith at any given time and I begin to suffocate from the burden set before me. Praise God that when I become aware of this, its a warning for me to take note and to cry out unto my God and Father in the magnificent name of Jesus Christ my Lord and Saviour and I am soon reminded to pick up the shield of faith, which will extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one.

Yes we serve an invisible God for now, faith demands this from us, but soon, very soon, we will see our God in person and what a day that shall be! Until then, may we continue to provoke one another to good works in the spirit of love with an even greater urgency as we see that day approaching and let us never forget to come together as Christians spurring each other on to the finish line in faith.

Signing off

Tyrone

Now

I am truly blessed to serve a God that works in the “NOW”!

There are many facets to my statement, so let me explain. Firstly my amazing heavenly Father, the only true God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, The One who sent His only begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ to die in the place of sinners, the One who was without sin, the very same individual who was sentenced to die a cruel Roman death upon the hill of Golgotha, paying the price for my sin and the many other individuals whom God has and will still continue to bring into His glorious light; men and women who have been rescued from the wrath of God. Those who have their names is written in the Book of Life, and we should all know what that includes; freedom from the Lake of Fire! “And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” (Revelation 20:15) 

What have you done to deserve that privilege? I trust you have all landed in the same place I have when it comes to our understanding on the matter, THE MERCY OF GOD and nothing else!

Having spent time paging through the scriptures, the Holy Spirit has shown me many great truths that have sent my mind into orbit. “Jesus in my place” is most probably the greatest truth of all. However it would be difficult for me to measure the beauty of it all, but to say, God is truly WONDERFUL! God is slow to anger and quick to forgive the repentant sinner. It continues to amaze me as this truth finds its grounding in my life; although the wrath of God should never be overlooked as a light thing. God is privy to so much we are unaware of and yet He still chooses to save so many of us.

As Moe (my son) and me have been paging through the Bible in our daily readings I have a deeper understanding on what I now share; God works in the “now” in spite of what he is able to see in the future. Whether He flips that switch at will or not, I cannot with any certainty say, God knows! But what I will assert is that God has the ability to truly forgive and offer His love today even if tomorrow is filled with betrayal. No one else would behaviour with such splendour, not that I am implying that betrayal will go unpunished. The enemies of God will land up on the wrong side of His Wrath and yet there seems to be so much grace offered whilst we all work it out for ourselves. Mankind does not have this attribute in their arsenal. Children may understand this attribute better as they forgive with greater ease. Imagine we could see into the future witnessing the murder of a loved one and the person responsible. Would we treat them the same or would our judgements be influence by knowledge? I know I would be swayed by that insight. Our understanding of “The Knowledge of Good and Evil” has a perverted slant on it because our minds have been tainted by sin. God sees into the lives of his children but has the capacity to somehow block that from His mind and be merciful to us in the “now’, Wow! Just consider our journeys as Christians and it will soon become very apparent that what I say holds true. How often have his Children disappointed Him over time by the silly things we have done. I have failed far too often but forever grateful that my line of communication remains open and it reaches the portals of heaven and that it has the ear of God, and only because of Jesus Christ’s sacrifice on my behalf, praise His name! Even the model Christian cannot claim a perfect life of total obedience. When we look back over our lives there will be times of regret; a time of disappointment, a period where we have failed our God. Even David would concede to this truth and yet God determined him a man after His own heart. This is all I have ever wanted to hear from my heavenly Father but how often does my selfishness get in the way of it all, forgive me Lord!

Remember David’s sin with Bathsheba and how he had one of his faithful soldiers (Uriah) killed in battle as he tried to cover it up. Out of that union God chose to use Solomon to build His temple, even through He knew that Solomon would also fail later on in life when it came to the persistent nagging of his unbelieving wives and to ease his burden, he folded to some of their sinful requests. Or what of the time when God destroyed the earth with a flood, did Noah not find grace? Through the throws of His anger there is something that compels our God to be merciful and save. This is the God I serve, He is my Father and I proclaim it with pride in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ my beloved Saviour.

Although there is a looming judgment on its way, which will eventually runs its course. However in the mist of it all, interwoven, not part of but during it all reference to the “Book of Life” and all those found written in it will ring loud and clear to those being exasperated.

“Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” (Revelation 20:11-15)  

No matter how you have failed or whatever your disappointments may be, call upon the name of the Lord and you will find rescue. But call you must, do not delay! Our God and Father is filled to the brim with love for His children, bless His name now and forever more, Amen and Amen!

Signing off

Tyrone

Splish-splash

When I turn on the radio all I hear is crackle, a squelch of garbage as it pollutes and populates the listener’s brain. Climbing into my car I turn the key and then I scan through the various channels waiting for something to catch my attention and only then will I lock in the receiver station. Over time my desired needs have certainly shifted in regards to what I will and won’t listen to. I no longer am draw to the music channels that once drove me as I am now far more interested with the intentions and drives of those around me. Talk radio is where I normally land. God created us with a desire to communicate. In the beginning, whenever that was in relation to our understanding of the calendar, on the “sixth day”, approximately roundabout six thousand years ago God created man with a coherent desire to interact; this was such an obvious consideration that God acted on His observation; “The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him.” (Genesis 2:20)  

The Bibles genealogy gives us an understanding of mankind’s history. However there are those that insist that we (mankind) were around much longer than that. Whose voice will you believe? This is the root of where we will all land in eternity. Depending on what source we look to draw from, either way, it will drive us towards a certain end. Regardless of the opinionated voices out there, myself included, God will have the final say and you better believe it! Regardless of peoples assumption pertaining to God’s eternal plan, those persuasion will never influence the final outcome, heaven or the Lake of Fire! So very little thought is given for the will of God and His purpose that it’s beginning to sicken me deep within the recesses of my soul with a nauseating thought of the blind leading the blind and both then falling into the ditch.

In the “beginning”, God instituted His brilliance through creation with an accompanying command; “go forth and multiply” under the banner of marriage. However not only is marriage becoming a thing of the past but the way in which God’s command has been negated as the world now allows same sex marriages and the like; men with men and woman with woman, with Hollywood shaping our minds and perceptions on the matter as normality. I see the similarities of Sodom and Gomorrah now becoming a way of life for so many. And we all know what happened to that city and its inhabitants, the wrath of God found them out! Although I have highlighted a particular topic and only because it is current, there are others exclusion that are ignore across the board when it comes to the will of God. It is obvious that mankind professing to be wise have in fact shown themselves as fools. It would also be foolish of me to exalt myself above others when in fact I too have made countless mistakes throughout my lifetime; however the key to our blunders and how to handle them is confession and seeking out God’s forgiveness for our folly and not to turn a blind eye to the error of our ways. Repentance is to turn from sin and towards a merciful Father. God is merciful, “for all those who cry out unto the Lord will be saved”, but there will come a day when that door will be shut and then all havoc will unfold, as God’s wrath and His judgement is poured out upon all of His enemies; history has given us an indication of God's wrath, just look at what happened to the Egyptians, those who opposed God and Moses. The final outcome will eventually result in the earth destruction. Another typical clue that should be easy for the Christian to understand, the world trying to save the planet to the exclusion of God purposes in their lives; serving the creature (planet and all that God has created) but denying its creator.        

There is a lot of negativity I have honed in on, or so it may seem for some, but only for those who do not treasure the Bible, however every thought which I have penned is true in accordance with the written Word. The only decision you have to make is whose voice will you obey; God the creator of the universe or those who oppose Him, the created. We will all make our decisions; I have made mine and through this blog have recorded what I believe and where I stand. We all make judgments through our lifetimes on every facet in our lives. Some good while others are appalling and yet if we turn to the Lord Jesus Christ it will end well for us. From kinder garden to a retirement home we will be drawn into factions that complement our particular persuasions. Birds of a feather flock together and yet at times we often see differing species habituating the same area. Heaven will only be habituated with believers in Christ! The unbeliever will spend perpetuity in a smouldering blaze of torment for eternity.

Everyone has their own agenda’s and only those whom we find with like minds will be drawn to us. Cliques and splits throughout society is a very common scenario. Nevertheless I am still drawn to so much of the opinionated trifle that is aired over the radio and I find myself eating with both hands. This is where politics draws its strength from, parties find like minded people with promise of change attached to their voices and this draws in their supporters, like a fish to a baited hook. Sadly many parties are more talk than action and this leaves their supporters with complaints and hence the talk radio stations are kept alive.

And then I read and spend time in the written Word of God, the Bible and I am settled and reminded of the hope I have in Christ, praise His name now and forever more, Amen and Amen!

Signing off

Tyrone