A serious consideration

Let’s face it we do things to help ourselves and yet we are taught to help others. We are self-centered individuals, do not be fooled into believing anything else, its God who has been merciful and often comes to our rescue and the rescue of others on the back of our prayers. But it always starts with our own well-being, strip it down and you will have to agree. Even those secret deeds done in the closest are not without “self” first, even if it is only seeking out God’s forgiveness for a particular sin that we struggle with, it’s about us; we are the ones that need work. If and when will give clothes or food to the poor, it’s only after we are taken care of ourselves; us first and then others. This is our human natures personified. Warren Buffet may have given away billions to charity, but he made sure he had a buffer of billions before acting out. The Lord Jesus on the other hand had this to say; “foxes have holes and birds have nest by I have nowhere to lay my head.” He had another agenda; He came to do the will of His Father, which was to offer a lifeline to sinner, opening an everlasting door for sinner, those who once opposed the will of God to bring about true repentance in Him; a perfect sacrifice! And until we learn this truth and it becomes our reality that Jesus died in my place, he died for me and paid the price for my sin, until then, God’s mercy will pass us by…

The further we move along into the future the more predominant “self” will become…

“But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power.” (2Timothy 3:1-5) - I suppose this circle of life has its part to play throughout history, study the history books and it will soon become apparent.

We must be aware of these truths and cry out unto God seeking out His will for our lives, as He ushers in the changes needed in our lives to be helpful to other bringing a proclamation that will glorify Him.

Have you ever contemplated why words such as these may have troubled you over time? “You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.” (James 4:2-3)

The more I study the authors intent, God’s intention throughout the Bible the clearer in becomes… Righteousness must be what drives us and not “food and raiment”, we must seek out God’s righteousness for our lives and the rest will be taken care of. Where we often make the mistake is when we get our priorities off beam, which the Apostle James pegs for us; “You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.”  I then ask myself the question does this apply to all; another subject for another day. However for the Christian it is imperative that the sooner we learn this lesson the quicker we will find the peace of God in our lives. Sure we have all experience His peace, you cannot be a Christian without the peace of God playing its part in your life, however I am looking for a constant rather than an exception, how about you?

It has and always will be about Gods righteousness, Jesus is the king of kings and His Father, our Father gave Him and instruction and this was His response to that order; “For when he received honour and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased."” (2Peter 1:17) – Do not for one minute think that our call has a different emphasis placed upon it, it may differ in stature, but we have all been asked to carry the flag of our God, which reads – “seek first the kingdom of God and HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS and all …” This I believe is one of the most important lessons of life and yet everything about our flesh drives us in the opposite direction and for some of us we have been called to a life of knocks and bruises; praise God for His endurance with us, I thank you Father God for your forbearance’s with me, continue, I pray, to lead me to the waters of righteousness which will in turn transform me into the image of your beloved son, my beloved Saviour, Amen and Amen!

Signing off

Tyrone

We should all have an Objective

My Objective

        

(Revelation 21:7) “The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son.”

Counting the cost to the Christian calling is something we all need to consider if we are to become effective for Christ. For us to become operational in the building of God’s Kingdom we must see our eternal reward as the ultimate goal of our existence. We must learn to appropriate this verse to our daily gaits; “Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ.” (Philippians 3:8)

The summons from the only true and living God must dictate the way we live from here on in. I realize that this will only ever become apparent when we understand that call; when we are persuaded that it is God who has called; regardless of our blunders throughout our lives, if and when God calls will we obediently respond to His voice. For when we understand that this is the reason we were born, then it will be well with our soul. Society teaches us to believe in ourselves but God commissions all to believe in Him; “For the Scripture says, "Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame." (Romans 10:11) – This obviously refers to eternity and not a life based on time, sadly death seems to be the end for so many and it is hard for them to think beyond the grave. This is high on Satan’s agenda, to get people to overlook eternity.   

The world has been duped into believing so many lies that we think, to be smart is to be covered for retirement at the expense of eternity. Life cover and policies for our loved ones that we leave behind, how does that help us when we all get our chance to stand before the Almighty Creator and have to give an account of what we did for Him with the forgiveness we received in Christ? The essence of this example was the only man to never concede to the pressure of sin in his life, that man Jesus, died on a cruel Roman cross, he was put to open shame. But now, he has a place in heaven which will stretch throughout eternity and his position secure because of his obedience, his seat reserved at the right of the Father, Amen! Praise his glorious name

When an athlete trains it is a painful process but they endure their training so that they may be crowned champion. Their goal is very specific and it is no different for the Christian we must learn to lay our lives down so that we too may one day reap our reward, which is to hear Gods approval when we enter the gates of the New Jerusalem. There is a grand event coming known to us in scripture as the “marriage feast of the Lamb”, a wedding ceremony. It is very dress specific and only those adorned with the correct garments will be allowed to partake. It is a celebration reserved for the bride of Christ and only those who have their names written in the Book of Life will be allowed to attend. The invitations have been carefully selected and have not been penned with ink but with a quill dipped in the blood of the Lamb. Those selected for this great event must make Him their prized possession. In order for this to happen we must learn to walk by faith and place all our dependency upon the Words of God, THE BIBLE! As it is the treasure map to that beautiful occasion in a glorious land. Study and then study some more. Be sure of that which has been charted out and leave nothing to chance. If you have doubts to whether you will eventually arrive in that magnificent land, do not rest until you hear the voice of God speaking clearly to you! It is one thing to know that God exists but quite another to be personally known by Him. Are you convinced that you are on that guest register? Are you at liberty to converse with Him? Are you sure that you have been invited? These are questions that you need to be answered with total assurance.

Examine your own hearts…   

What is it that drives you? Money, lust, the pride of life, power; the list is endless or is it the hope that one day you will hear God speak these words directly to you? “The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son.” If this is not your motivation to life then I would suggest that you rally around those who have that as their ultimate goal and spend as much time with them as humanly possible. This is where we will be able to buy the oil for our lanterns that will be needed when our bridegroom returns to take us home. Without oil in our lanterns we will miss out and that is something we can all ill afford for it will have eternal consequences. After now establishing that as imperatively important; what must ring the loudest is that we’ve been saved from a place of total devastation, we were doomed for destruction from the time we took our first breath. “BUT GOD”!

Signing off

Tyrone

Renew a right spirit in me...

(Psalm 51:10) “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.”

Is it possible to hope beyond the point of no return? The obvious answer would have to be, “while we have breath we have hope.” But once that door closes we will have no more play with the outcome of our souls. Judgment awaits all those who have passed on, some will be promoted to an everlasting bliss with the only ONE TRUE GOD, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob as their Father. Whilst the rest will stand before the judgement seat of God; For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.” (Ecclesiastes 12:14)  - And that judgment will find them wanting, with their final sentence, the Lake of Fire! This is the truth in accordance with the Holy Scriptures; it’s not a figment of my imagination and unseen forces are doing their utmost to keep this truth from you. As strong as that denial is from the unbeliever, I will stand up with a voice and be counted and announce that there is no escape outside the finished work of the cross.  

There is only one possible escape from an eternity of torment, bend the knee to Jesus Christ and confess Him as Lord. Repent of your denial toward Him; ask for forgiveness with your whole heart and it will be given to you; “For "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."” (Romans 10:13)  

The further we move along in history the more predominant “self” will become…

“But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power.” (2Timothy 3:1-5)

We must be aware of these truths examining ourselves in that mirror and if found wanting to seek out forgiveness, restoration and His will for our lives as He ushers in the changes needed. At the end of the day it’s all about decreasing so that our great Saviour may increase, bringing about a proclamation that will glorify His Father and our God.

Signing off

Tyrone

Destroy and deliver

Preface

                                        

Not for a minute did I ever dream that I would be penning the words of my story.  However, by the grace of God and by the unction of the Holy Spirit I will endeavour to do it justice. Like I stated in the past, this is not the first stab but my third, the last and final attempt I will to hopefully help some glean from repeated mistakes that always leave a person deprived in a particular area of their lives, until true repentance is achieved.

Having tasted of the Lord's mercy and His wonderful grace I find myself in a place where what the Lord has completed in my life is miraculous. Soon after the very run on this first edition was done and dusted I thought that my journey had run its course in specific areas of my life. I had hoped that the lessons I needed to learn had worked their way into my life to bring about perpetual change, I was sadly mistaken! Allocations of much more pruning was required. With a lot more destruction on the cards! All those who have come to know and experience the power of God through the gospel have their own story. This is mine over a thirty year period…

"My Story"... bears witness to the wonderful manifestation of grace which has been and is still being applied to me by the mercy of God my Father, through Jesus Christ, His Son, who is my Saviour and cementing His position as the love of my life. I would love to claim my position in this regard as completely settled, but the Lord is clear; “if we say we love Him then we will keep His commandments”. How His love still covers me is a marvellous thing and I will be forever thankful for his endurance in my life and continuously undergo to love Him with my whole heart. 

The reason for a further refurbish to this original copy is that I felt that only half “My Story” had been told and I wanted to highlight the stamina of my great God and His commitment to the work He does in even the most stuborn individuals whom He has chosen to lavish with His grace. Many make shake their heads in dismay as this account unfolds, with questions like, will he never learn? Even though your summations may be well founded the purpose for this final edition is to highlight the unmeasurable forgiveness of this God of such immense love. If I am capable in portraying that regardless of the blows I need to receive on my chin from those who would choose to write me off as a complete failure, if only it would bring liberation to one individual who would repent and call on the name of Jesus then I have achieved my objective. God alone is the one capable of turning disastrous situations into something of beauty. Eternity will reveal this in amazement!    

Because of His wonderful mercy and grace, God brought me to a place where my flesh (my will) needed to go through a process of destruction, and only by that process was I able to experience deliverance. It is not enough to will something into ones life, we must cross the raging river to get to the other side, and there is no shortcut!  It is a phenomenal reflection that I find myself facing, even now as I put pen to paper. God is in the business of eternity and not the now we so often get caught up with, nevertheless we must come to our senses whilst we still breathe, if not we will end up on the wrong side of heaven. He is not looking for sprinters but marathon runners. All our flesh needs destroying, that which is carnal will always be carnal and the sooner we learn to understand this is no more than a tool used to see the wood from the trees; “For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot.

Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” (Romans 8:7-8)  - The subtle nuances often lead us to believe that we need only destroy the obvious. My flesh needed to be destroyed and continues to require it to make way for the will of God in my life but do not be fooled, it is the same for all and the sooner we learn this, the better. As this book unfolds you will realise that often the choices I made in my life, and certain incidences, had and are still having severe consequences. However, God has the whole world in the palm of His hand and nothing can happen or will happen without Him allowing it to happen. Even Satan operates by the permission of God. Therefore, without destruction in my life there could be no deliverance and it is the same for all whether they are aware of it or not. However it is important not to blur the line in the sand when it comes to consequence as opposed to forgiveness. God’s forgiveness is immediate, Christ offered a once and for all time sacrifice. It is done and dusted; God has accepted His sacrifice and all those who call upon the name of Jesus will be saved.  

To those who find themselves being a part of this account... "MY STORY", the message is this; things are not always the way they seem. There is a deeper underlying truth that we need to uncover which many will sadly miss. 

"But God hath chosen the foolish things of this world to confound the wise; and God has chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And the base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and the things which are not, to bring to nought the things that are:"

(1 Corinthians 1:27- 28)

Signing off

Tyrone

Introduction

Introduction

This is a travel story, highlighting many twist and turns along the way. It’s about the struggle of a particular individual making his way to the Celestial city. His main objective, to learn the lessons that will equip him to reach his final destination, heaven! It will expose many of his weaknesses along the way, but this is not the thrust and detailed accounts will not be indulged. It is not an allegory and I will bear a brunt of my folly unto this end, that I have a hope in my God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Whilst many individuals may have a tendency to disregard the weak or the stubborn child, God is not of this World.

It is the year 2017 and I have decided to put pen to paper in a final attempt to analyse my life and its journey over the last thirty years. It is a reflection on “MY STORY” and how I have dull of hearing in so many areas of my life. Having realised some of the lessons to come out of it all is the motivation behind it entirely. I cannot claim to have arrived, antiquity has found me out. But what I will attempt is to highlight the lessons learnt in the hope that it may free some who have had similar struggles in their Christian walks. There are model Christians and I am not one of them, and yet my great Saviour has not cast me to the wolves, and here I now sit by the grace of God, proclaiming that Jesus is Lord. Not for one second will I condone sin as acceptable before a Holy God. Sin cost the Lord Jesus a cruel death on a Roman cross and it is the vice used to disqualify the Christian by so many. However, it can bring about an adverse effect when the pomp and the filth of sin is stripped clean, when the satisfaction that sin promises is exposed for what it is, a misguiding lie that can never be quenched. It’s our sin which originally directed us to Christ, helping us understand that we needed a Saviour and as Christian’s repentance is part of who we have become, praise His name! Confession is a way of life for the Christian.  

If this is my reality there must be others who have also struggled in their Christian walks and therefore I have a responsibility to put pen to paper. When soldiers go into battle, all are not numbered amongst the heroes but all must fight and as a coalition we have a responsibility to one another. The biggest battle of all is just around the corner and we must ready ourselves. Some of us may be those singled out and made an example of by the enemy, God Knows! It is imperative that we know where we stand with our Saviour, for He will always have our backs, praise His name! However once we are grovelling in the dirt because of our sin, we tend to make it about ourselves and not Him as we indulged in the lies of sin, to escape what it is we have been called to face, we all have our crosses to bare and the sooner we learn this lesson well, the earlier we will begin to glorify our Father in heaven. However whilst we are undergoing this transformation, He is just a plea away, call upon the name of Jesus and you shall be saved, Amen and Amen!

I was saved (converted) in the year of 1987, and prior to that event it was a year filled with its fill of debauchery and then an awe inspiring awakening to a far deeper understanding of life and the purpose of it all; this is when my Christian journey began. Initially I was the one full of zeal, the first to open and close in prayer whenever I got the chance. Sharing the gospel with others was high on my agenda and then when it really counted as the lure of sin came a knocking, I was dull of hearing with my old nature screaming to be heard; sin is a very crafty infiltrator and if not check it will result in destruction. This may happen repeatedly as in my case, until the lesson is learnt and even then it looks for other avenues to infiltrate. Thankfully we have a high priest who is touched with our weaknesses and my hearing wasn’t completely removed. I started my journey sprinting out of the blocks, but little did I know that the life of a Christian is a marathon race and not a sprint; initially I fond myself way ahead of the pack but before long I was being overtaken. Therefore I must be classed as a straggler. Although my folly is often highlighted, that is not why I am writing this autobiography I trust the grace of God will become evident to all and His name will ultimately be glorified. I accept that some may not see it as such, however some will be freed from their slavery to serve the living God of this I am persuaded.

Confession must be in the forefront of all who understand their weaknesses, without it there can be no change in character. It is the key to finding God’s grace in our lives. Regardless of the amount of times you may have fallen, “God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble”, praise His name! Endurance in Christ must be our banner for life. Why do some who are called live model Christian lives while other struggle immensely? God knows! My appeal to all is that in reading this account, “MY STORY” I may help you see some of yourselves in me and spring you into action for Jesus’ sake.

Signing off

Tyrone

One last push to get it right

Who of you do not carry regrets? I certainly have too many to count and I am in the process of working a few things out. Life is a journey and the truth of it all is that we only get one stab at it, we must make it count. Some may achieve great heights in the business arena, which is not what I refer too as a good score; the hidden treasures that will never rot or perish and carry us through eternity is the ultimate goal for humanity, nothing more and nothing less will suffice and stand the trial of fire that is coming for all. Do not be deceived; “For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw-- 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.” (1Corinthians 3:11-15)   

I’m tired of the hero being praised, especially if and when they mislead the pilgrim into believing so many lies. I once believed myself to be amongst that number as subtle as that deception may have been it was the truth in my own cognizance, only to be placed on a pedestal to come tumbling down. Sin taking it’s strangle hold on my life and disqualifying me throughout my lifetime. There where times of great rejoicing, where God, my heavenly Father took me to some amazing height that are hard to articulate. But even with these experiences close to my heart I sadly stumbled time and again. Thankfully it’s not about my achievements per say but rather its all about my glorious Saviours achievements and the shackles he has broken for the believer. It is up to the individual to work this great mystery out for themselves. This is what I am endeavouring to do with the grace of God as my comrade.   

Reincarnation is just one of the many lies that teach the world that we better ourselves and come back as someone or something else in our next life. God could have done it this way, but He hasn’t. This is the truth! “And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.” (Hebrews 9:27-28)

With that in mind I have decided or rather feel a strong urge to put pen to paper as I revisit my life and flip through the pages as I analyse the folly of so much wasted time and endeavour with one last push to set the record straight pleasing my heavenly Father. My prayer is to end well and help other to do the same.

Signing off

Tyrone