The greatest weapon that the devil
wields is the ability to get people to believe his lies as truth. And my
beloved it doesn’t take much for us to chomp that baited hook, all he really
needs is something that is close to home, an itch that needs to be scratched.
It could be our religious upbringing, traditionally a no-go zone when it comes
to our reasoning. Tell a catholic not to worship saints and see their reaction.
Sainthood isn’t linked to our carnality although we must learn to walk in the
Spirit and it will obviously affect the way we live our lives, however, our
flesh has been tainted by sin and therefore a blemished vessel can never be
used as a vessel of honour and this is why we need a new beginning, we need to
be born of the Spirit, we need to be "born again". We are not reborn,
or reinvented, we do not repair our chinked armour, whilst revisiting of our
childhood handicapped lifestyle. Or the shrinks psychobabble that is spoken
into people’s lives, if it helps, is will only ever help you manage your sin.
It’s wicked because it allows you to live with sin as if there is no offence
towards God, nullifying the work of the cross in your mind over a particular
issue.
The beauty of salvation is the past is
forgiven and forgotten, it’s a brand new beginning. But we must understand our
sin and the part we played in it before we will ever find forgiveness. The way
this happens is to be covered by the blood of the Lamb, we need the Lords
sacrifice, which we receive through repentance and confession. Just like the
thief on the cross we need to acknowledge our sin, whilst looking for no wiggle
room because of it, accusing others while looking to excuse ourselves, “we
aren’t so bad”. It’s this type of mind-set that that is prone to entrapment. In
your own time have a look at the two thieves on the cross and see the different
responses they had towards the Lord Jesus and then look at HIS response. See
Luke 23; 39… Are you amongst the Christians that are
always looking for goodies from the Lord? Or do we understand, at least in part
what the Lord has saved us from, ourselves and our sinful natures. We must
learn to “put on the mind of Christ” all that simply means is to we must learn
to be about our Fathers will and not our carnal wants as we learn to suffer
whilst bringing Him glory. It’s through suffering that we learn to walk in
obedience and rely on the finished work of the cross. Satan despises this type
of mind-set and looks for any opportunity to thwart your progress. The
prosperity gospel, he is behind it, even though it is preached in churches. Do
not be fooled, he is the master of trickery, in fact he is the “father of
lies”. We must learn to walk in the Spirit. Simply put we need put on the full
armour of God, see Ephesians 6, which has nothing to do with prosperity, in fact it is the complete
opposite. It’s through suffering that we learn to crucify our flesh. Here is
irrefutable confirmation; “Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the
same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin;” (1Peter 4:1)
Let’s take this a little deeper and unpack Peters
exhortation on what we are to expect as obedient Christians, as this thought
continuously reverberates through my mind, “to the one that overcomes”, a
constant reminded that it is the faithful that will be blessed into eternity.
Sure we may have to struggle for a season, it is the call to Christianity; “to
suffer for a season”, it’s part of God’s design for all who believe in the
resurrection and confess Jesus as Lord of their lives. If we are not being challenged
by the trial of life, whilst claiming Christianity as our own, then we need to
examine where we stand. The idea of suffering enables us to look towards our
hope, our eternal reward; sons of the most high, we will be numbered amongst
all the faithful, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Job, Noah, Daniel, David, all the
apostles and what about; “Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even
chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they
were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats,
destitute, afflicted, mistreated— of whom
the world was not worthy—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and
in dens and caves of the earth.” (Hebrews 11:36-38) – Prosperity a lie and all those who preach it as our
right are liars and whatever they preach can not be trusted.
Many of us will not receive the
abundance of their rewards, those penned in scripture, but we will be home, praising
our God into eternity. If our struggle is to intensify, so be it! our God
is in our corner and we can approach the storerooms of grace to overcome
whatever we will soon face. Ever so come quickly Lord Jesus.
“Grace be with you
all”
Signing out
Tyrone
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