My grace is Sufficient!

(2Corinthians 12:9) “But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."”

Most of us have a festering sore (a thorn in the flesh) that never seems to heal and the more we pay it mind the more it looks to live. Have you ever wonder why? I do constantly ponder the area I am weakest and long for the day when I will finally be rid of the way I seemed to be lured by the very thing I hate the most.

Even Paul had this to say about the boast to his life, but first let us think about this man’s achievements and how we should view him in our own minds because of what he achieved of Christ behalf. There was no man as committed to the cause of Christianity, no man as disciplined and no man as persecuted or so it would seem. We as fellow Christians can only look on in admiration when we look on his example; “Are they servants of Christ? I am a better one--I am talking like a madman--with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death. Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches.” (Corinthians 11:23-28) 

It would appear that Paul seemed to suffer from anxiety, he so fear for the lasting work of his ministry; I would suggest that this may have been his greatest distress. The thought of his hard work in Christ being hindered worried him tremendously. It was as if that type of thought would not leave him, “there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches.” I wonder could this have had anything to do with the “thorn in his flesh”. It no doubt it had its part to play.

“I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven--whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows. And I know that this man was caught up into paradise--whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows-- and he heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter. On behalf of this man I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except of my weaknesses. Though if I should wish to boast, I would not be a fool, for I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain from it, so that no one may think more of me than he sees in me or hears from me. 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 12:2-10)

It is imperative we pay heed to the warning I now put out there, whether I have consciously or sub-consciously looked for leeway with this portion of scripture as a license to excuse my sin, one thing I know for sure, grace is available to all of God’s children to help us handle weakness, insults, hardships, persecutions and calamities but not an excuse to reason away our sin, whatever it may be.

Grace is available to help us walk in the “good works” prepare for us before time began. What then are those good works and how do we recognise them? That is an easy answer; the fruit of the Spirit proves them, which are; “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” (Galatians 5:22-24)

Therefore it is reasonable to have hardship in our lives and this is God’s design to help us look to Him for all our needs, in fact it is often the hardship that helps us fall to our knees as we cry out to Him. Without them we become complacent, lukewarm and of no use to anybody let alone God. Some hardships in our lives will remain with us until we die, but let us not use grace as a licence to habitually sin. Let me give an example I once heard someone say; “It is not my fault I have a European temper I was born like that!” You alone must look into your own hearts and see where you lack; you stand alone as do I before God almighty as nothing is hidden from Him. Forgive me Father God as I have been guilty of this type of reasoning and I thank you for revealing it to me, help me put off the old and to put on the new, to walk in Christ’s victories, Amen!

Signing off

Tyrone

     

True power lies with true prayer!

(Judges 16:28) “Then Samson called to the LORD and said…”

Where and how does the power of God show its fruition in a believer’s life? What is the greatest of all our weapons? It may be tough to want to categorize the armour of God as if we could neglect the attention to any part of it as all is as needful and all have their specific domicile in battle. We are encouraged to put on the whole armour of God; “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.” (Ephesians 6:11-13)

But what if by our own neglect or by a unforeseen circumstance we find ourselves wounded in some trench somewhere with the enemy gaping as it where at our wounded body. Could we stand on own merits, absolutely not! We will never stand on our own accomplishments, but sometimes we need to be brought low in weakness so that we can once again gain strength in and through our great Redeemer, the Lord Jesus. “God resist the proud but give grace to the humble.” We will only ever understand the true power of God when we find ourselves in a state of humility. It is here where we have a “point of reference” that if found, will be a well of life giving water, enabling one to draw from it. It will be our “point of reference”, reminding us of a life changing experience.

Salvation was such an experience, the flood gate of my very own tears rolled down my cheeks and I realised that Christ had died for me. Some twenty-four years have passed and I am still able to call on that experience. My “point of reference”! There have been others special moments along the way, which I also draw from, but this I will say, every time, prayer was part and parcel of the experience. But always a prayer of sincerity and from the heart, not with mighty swelling words or doctrine that has pinpoint accuracy. A heartfelt cry without any pretence before my almighty Father, speaking to Him as a child would speak unto his father. Some may say, this type of prayer style is taboo, as I do not show enough reverence to God almighty. This I will then humbly say, I stand and fall before my Holy Father and it is not men that will judge me, but God! Do you have a “point of reference” to your Christian experience? Have you had tears rolling down your cheeks with the realisation that God has saved a wretched sinner like you? I thank God for those times in my life, as this morning is such a time.  

With that then understood we will only ever find true power in true prayer! The greatest of all our weapons must be prayer! Why do I make such a brash statement? Because there is only One who has the power and the keys to heaven as well as hell, He is God Almighty; the only true God whose name is Hallowed and all power belongs to Him. If He has decided the outcome of any particular event who can stand in His way? No one or nothing will ever be able to stand in the way of our great King the Lord Jesus. Many great men of faith understood this as their lives depended upon it. Do we view prayer in the same light? I have been guilty of my lack of faith, but I will now change this by the grace of God. I resolve from this day forth to be more diligent in prayer, believing God, believing that I am heard as I Know I am heard and all because of my Saviour accomplishments. Praise His name!

Prayer must never be view as our right if and when we walk in accordance to our own reckoning of self-righteousness. Prayer is a weapon that every child of God can call upon whenever the need arises. Sin in that sense does not disqualify us from calling out to God almighty, in fact it is sin that should help trigger prayer. Does a man eat if he is not hungry? Faith is an acknowledgement of our need to rely on the mercies of God and not our own abilities to somehow provide. Samson learnt this lesson, probably better than most, but it took many unfortunate circumstances to learn this lesson, but praise God he understood this for sure, the power of prayer!

A great man of God who from birth was chosen by God to deliver the children of Israel out of the hand of the enemy, a prodigious man of faith! And yet a man with so many disappointments to his life, I suppose this is why I am also able to relate. Not that I would dare to compare myself as a man with similar faith, but I have understand his mistakes as I too have made many along the way.

I would like to highlight some of his “points of references” that he obviously drew from when called upon. He was alone when he ripped apart the young lion with his own two hands; “Then Samson went down with his father and mother to Timnah, and they came to the vineyards of Timnah. And behold, a young lion came toward him roaring. Then the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon him, and although he had nothing in his hand, he tore the lion in pieces as one tears a young goat. But he did not tell his father or his mother what he had done.” (Judges 14:5-16): - No one witnessed this event, but do you think he could ever forget it? Never, as it was his experience! What about the time when the Philistines plotted against him and they locked the city gates in order to trap him? “But Samson lay till midnight, and at midnight he arose and took hold of the doors of the gate of the city and the two posts, and pulled them up, bar and all, and put them on his shoulders and carried them to the top of the hill that is in front of Hebron.” (Judges 16:3): - Again another “point of reference”. Then there was the time of his great victory, one man against an entire squadron of soldiers; “And he found a fresh jawbone of a donkey, and put out his hand and took it, and with it he struck 1,000 men.” (Judges 15:15)

You see we must all have our own personal experience with God in and through His beloved Son, our great Saviour the Lord Jesus Christ to be able to draw from our own “point of reference” when the chips are down and we are finding that the pressures of life are beginning to choke the life out of us.

Listen to this parable; “"Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil. And when the sun rose, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away. Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. And other seeds fell into good soil and produced grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold." And he said, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."” (Mark 4:3-9)

If the cares of life choke and our bad decisions leave us for dead will we throw in the towel, I suggest if we have no “point of reference”, we may well do exactly that! But look at the end of Samson’s life and learn from it remembering that he had been captured by the enemy and he had lost his eyesight. They had put out his eyes! But because he was able to draw from his “points of reference” in life, look at his glorious end, but please take note it was only accomplished through prayer…

“Then Samson called to the LORD and said, "O Lord GOD, please remember me and please strengthen me only this once, O God, that I may be avenged on the Philistines for my two eyes." And Samson grasped the two middle pillars on which the house rested, and he leaned his weight against them, his right hand on the one and his left hand on the other. And Samson said, "Let me die with the Philistines." Then he bowed with all his strength, and the house fell upon the lords and upon all the people who were in it. So the dead whom he killed at his death were more than those whom he had killed during his life.” (Judges 16:28-30)   

  

I beseech you, wherever you may find yourself to call out in prayer to our heavenly Father with sincerity not with mighty swelling words, but just simply to bear your hearts to Him, for He cares for you and He most certainly hears the cries of His beloved children, praise honour and glory belongs to Him now and forever more, Amen!

Signing off

Tyrone  

    

Becoming a curse for us...

(Galatians 3:13) “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us…”

Why do so many things in life that should be blessings end up a curse, if not a curse at the very least a struggle? The dimension to both the blessing and the curse is well worth a thought! A curse has its place just like a blessing. I am rather intrigued as I begin to understand the importance of both the blessing and the curse with a clearer mind, just another small glimpse into God’s brilliance.

Because of our sin, mankind’s sin through Adam, we have had our eyes open to both that which is good as well as evil. One tree, however the fruit of it when eaten meant that both avenues would then be explored, an awakening to good and evil, part of the experience. It is not as if we are able to use some sort of food processor and separate the fruit’s contents, good in one glass and the evil in the other.

In order to understand the blessing we must understand the curse. In order to understand forgiveness we must understand punishment and finally if we are to embrace and enjoy life we must understand death.

It was the Lord Jesus who taught that the same tree cannot produce both good and bad fruit; “So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” (Matthew 7:17-19): - And yet this tree had both or did it?

Let us hold that thought! In creation was God unhappy with anything He had created? The answer is absolutely not! “And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.” (Genesis 1:31): - Would that not have included the tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil? It most definitely did!

   

Let us explore this a little deeper; an awareness of both good and evil is then very good and needful for all of God’s subjects to understand. Not an understanding of one or the other but both clearly understood as God would understand. It takes a curse to be recognized before a blessing may be realized.

Let me explain…

This tree (knowledge of good and evil) was forbidden by God in the beginning, every other tree in the garden was permitted food, even the tree of life. But why did they not eat from the tree of life? The answer obvious, death had not yet been realized! We (mankind) are well aware of death that is why so many parameters are put into place to prolong death; we are taught to eat healthily, we exercise to keep illness away and we look at all cost and by any means to retain our youth and yet we all know death is imminent. The Egyptians mummified their bodies in hope of preservation that a cure for death would eventually be realized and that they could even after death be restored to life, or so it seemed. Why else go to such lengths to preserve dead flesh? What then instilled this passion for life into mankind; it was the knowledge of good and evil. Can I prove this thought? I believe I can, shortly after Adam and Eve had eaten and they now knew that they were naked and were now ashamed, what did God do? He now kept them from the tree of life; “He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.” (Genesis 3:24)

Punishment for the knowledge of Evil (disobeying Gods commandment) was to be kept from the tree of life. Because of their action even the earth was curse and would ultimately be destroyed, but until then it would no longer be very good as it was when created, but it would now bring forth thorns and thistles as well as edible fruit. Both alive and both now needful; “And to Adam he said, "Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, 'You shall not eat of it,' cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return." (Genesis 3:17-19)

However because of the curse man now had something to look forward to and that was God’s blessing, the tree of life even though it had now been forbidden. What is the definition of hope? To wish for something with expectation of its fulfilment. What was man to do? When Adam was allowed to eat from the tree of life he chose not to. Why? Because he had not understood death or any curse. Something or rather someone good would have to break the shackles of the curse. God alone could undo the curse. Because of the awareness of the curse man now longed for a blessing, eternal life, and the hope we all have. Even the atheist does no run out into oncoming traffic. Was mankind now doomed for eternity? We know this is not the case. Praise the name of Jesus! However with that now understood, we realise that it would take another curse to set mankind free. What and who was then that curse?

“Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us--for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree--.” (Galatians 3:13)

It was the Lord Jesus, God in the flesh that now became a curse as He hung on that cruel Roman cross so that every believing saint would now find life, eternal life. But He would need to be perfect in righteousness to break that curse, which He was. Even in His perfection He needed to be cursed so that we would go free. Mindboggling! How great is our God? It was God the Fathers will to curse His own Son in order to break the shackles of the curse He had inflicted on Adam in the Garden of Eden. If we do not see that as the zenith of love we have not understood true love. God institutes a curse through Adam’s sin but with it makes away of escape in and through His Son. Praise the glorious name of Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour. He was obedient even unto death! This act of love and mercy was instituted while we were yet sinners; “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.” (Romans 5:8-10)

I trust we see the importance of curses and how they lead us to a place of repentance as they help us to see our need to call out to God to be saved from them. Therefore curses are as much a part of our lives as blessings and this is why Paul is able to make such a profound statement in the book of Romans; “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.” (Romans 8:28-29)

It is then through both curses and blessings that God is preparing those who will inherit eternal life and one day we will face to face be able to call the only true God our Father. How I long for that day! The Lord Jesus the “firstborn among many brothers.”

Signing off

Tyrone   

    

 

  

Our God has prospered!

(Isaiah 54:17) “No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper.”

Do things formed against us prosper? What I mean is do we let certain habits slip? I know I am guilty as charged, but is that enough to rob me of my faith in Christ? No never, by God’s grace! Wherever our minds look to take us we must always remember to focus on the Lord Jesus Christ and His victory. He has conquered, He bled, died and it was Him who rose from the dead. The last of the enemies He destroyed was death. He had complete victory, from beginning to end and it is already finished. Mission accomplished! This is hard for us to process as we still breathe and live in the natural realm. We have yet to open our eyes on the other side of the veil. Nevertheless the “book of life” has already been penned and all whom will make it to heaven in God’s reckoning are there already. What a mind blowing thought! This is a help, it should encourage us to shake the dust from our knees if need be and to understand this, that our God and Father is in perfect control and we have proof; Jesus has risen from the dead! Just as He rose from the dead, so too will all who have His Spirit also be resurrected to eternal life.

Some history…   

“No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper.”

- Isa_54:17

This day is notable in English history for two great deliverances wrought by God for us. On this day the plot of the Papists to destroy our Houses of Parliament was discovered, 1605.

“While for our princes they prepare

In caverns deep a burning snare,

He shot from heaven a piercing ray,

And the dark treachery brought to day.”

And secondly-to-day is the anniversary of the landing of King William III, at Torbay, by which the hope of Popish ascendancy was quashed, and religious liberty was secured, 1688.

This day ought to be celebrated, not by the saturnalia of striplings, but by the songs of saints. Our Puritan forefathers most devoutly made it a special time of thanksgiving. There is extant a record of the annual sermons preached by Matthew Henry on this day. Our Protestant feeling, and our love of liberty, should make us regard its anniversary with holy gratitude. Let our hearts and lips exclaim, “We have heard with our ears, and our fathers have told us the wondrous things which thou didst in their day, and in the old time before them.” Thou hast made this nation the home of the gospel; and when the foe has risen against her, thou hast shielded her. Help us to offer repeated songs for repeated deliverances. Grant us more and more a hatred of Antichrist, and hasten on the day of her entire extinction. Till then and ever, we believe the promise, “No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper.” Should it not be laid upon the heart of every lover of the gospel of Jesus on this day to plead for the overturning of false doctrines and the extension of divine truth? Would it not be well to search our own hearts, and turn out any of the Popish lumber of self-righteousness which may lie concealed therein? (C.H.Spurgeon)

Help us focus on our great God and King Father as He was the One that pleased you. Less of us and more of Him!

Signing off

Tyrone

True reflections!

(Galatians 5:19) “Now the works of the flesh are evident:”

In order for us to qualify as those fit for the masters use, as those who wish to serve God with any amount of success, those who will work well and triumphantly must all hinge on the sense of our own weakness. There is a new tainted voice that speaks like this, “I” always hinging on our own abilities and not acknowledging things for what they actual are and it is a lie; a sense of false security the order of the day or should I say the lie of the day. Pretending all is well, when in fact some are blind and in need of eye salve. We often need to be reminded by a stern warning, which helps us take note of our current situation. It is true we have no need to fear if we walk circumspectly before our Holy Father. But if we say all is well with my soul, I shall not fear when I eat and drink with the drunkards, woe would be the warning. It is better to acknowledge our faults before our Heavenly Father than to pretend we have none.

Do what you want, when you want if it allows us a license to sin is a lot of garbage, it is a snare from Satan himself. Our attitude must be one of humility and not arrogance; for a man to pretend that he is no longer a liar, if all he does is tells lies proves the point, who’s fooling who? We have been summoned to be honest and real before God and with ourselves.

Here then is the stern warning; But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. (Galatians 5:16): - But if I say I walk by the Spirit and I practise things such as these; “Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. (Galatians 5:19-21)

Therefore if I excuse any of the above as acceptable I fool myself and should therefore fear. Fear what? That my efforts of making it to heaven would have been in vain; “An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. It is the hard-working farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops. Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.” (2Timothy 2:5-7)   

 

It is true we have not been given a spirit of fear but if all we do is use our liberty in Christ as a license to live like we once did, as slaves, we fool ourselves and not another; “For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, "Abba! Father!" The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs--heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. (Romans 8:15-17)

How do we suffer with Him? We no longer live the way we once did! “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.” (Colossians 3:1-10)

We are at war, we have not entered into our rest, not yet anyway, as that day is still coming and how I long for it. But until then we must acknowledge our need of our High Priest, the Lord Jesus and constantly look to Him to overcome and not to live like we once did.

“When God’s warrior marches forth to battle, strong in his own might, when he boasts, “I know that I shall conquer, my own right arm and my conquering sword shall get unto me the victory,” defeat is not far distant. God will not go forth with that man who marches in his own strength. He who reckoneth on victory thus has reckoned wrongly, for “it is not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.” They who go forth to fight, boasting of their prowess, shall return with their gay banners trailed in the dust, and their armour stained with disgrace. Those who serve God must serve him in his own way, and in his strength, or he will never accept their service. That which man doth, unaided by divine strength, God can never own. The mere fruits of the earth he casteth away; he will only reap that corn, the seed of which was sown from heaven, watered by grace, and ripened by the sun of divine love. God will empty out all that thou hast before he will put his own into thee; he will first clean out thy granaries before he will fill them with the finest of the wheat. The river of God is full of water; but not one drop of it flows from earthly springs. God will have no strength used in his battles but the strength which he himself imparts. Are you mourning over your own weakness? Take courage, for there must be a consciousness of weakness before the Lord will give thee victory. Your emptiness is but the preparation for your being filled, and your casting down is but the making ready for your lifting up.” (C.H.Spurgeon)

“When I am weak then am I strong, Grace is my shield and Christ my song.”

That then is my pray for all, but we must see the “wood form the trees” or “the chaff from the wheat” and be honest with ourselves. God give us strength to be opened faced before you as you see and know all things.

Signing off

Tyrone

   

Who shall live?

(Numbers 21:8) “…everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live."

What is it about a man’s ego, pride and makeup that tend to drive us to swelling thoughts that puffs us up with pride? I am not making reference to the pride that is obviously obnoxious and blatant for all to see. It is that inner pride that we hold within our own hearts which is possible to keep from other, but not from God. How often do I allow myself to get away with the obvious even when I know it is wrong, thinking that I will not be seen? Excusing myself, time and time again; then on the other hand I find I tend to beat myself up, as I constantly accuse. I am so self-absorbed, forgive me Lord!

What an amazing achievement the Lord Jesus achieved on Calvary. He was lifted up on a hill called Golgotha, its pinnacle higher than all its surroundings and there was a reason for that, so that all around could focus on Him. Even the blasphemer could not avoid His presence, this is why even those who reject the message of the Gospel still use His name in vain, have you ever thought about that? How many reject Christ’s accomplishment and yet they chose His name and not another when cursing, go figure! Just another confirmation that He lives!

Up on that hill and on a wooden cross He was in plain sight for all to see Him. He must always remain in plain sight; we must resolve to keep Him in the forefront of our minds and that above everything else. As soon as we begin to lose sight of Him, our focus shifts onto another and normally onto ourselves, a very dangerous place to be!

Do you remember when the children of Israel where in the wilderness and they had acknowledged their sin and were surrounded by venomous snakes, dead just waiting to lunge! Why were they in this position and then what was their instruction if bitten? They were unthankful but some realized their mistake…

“And the people spoke against God and against Moses, "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this worthless food." Then the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died. And the people came to Moses and said, "We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD and against you. Pray to the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us." So Moses prayed for the people. And the LORD said to Moses, "Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole, and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live." (Numbers 21:5-8)

What would save them? They needed to take their eyes off the serpent and their current dilemma and focus on another; they had to look at that which was in plain sight, that which was higher than them, in “type” they were instructed to look to Jesus. We too have been given the same instruction; repentance where and when needed but always looking to our Saviour the Lord Jesus to find it and not to ourselves as we so often tend to do. This is why we often hear about calamities in life, the death of a child or some other traumatic experience, for me it was HIV, to bring us to a place that we realise we are in desperate need, only when broken and without any other answer do some of us look at the “fiery serpent that was set on the pole”. There is no other way by which a man may be saved, nothing else will do! “Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”” (John 14:6): - And just like those in the Wilderness who had been bitten anxiously awaited death, but where thrown a life line, they acted on it. We too have been thrown a life line as sin has taken its toll on all. Jesus Christ the Lord beckons you to come, what will you do I wonder? Do not delay, make haste and look to Him as the cares of this life will begin to grow strangely dim. Struggles we will continue to have, but with the hope which now burns bright and clear, they will dwindle into the background as we focus on the brilliance of our magnificent Saviour and all His accomplishments.

Very, very soon we are going to see our King, how I long for that day, to finally be rid of this body of death. So many look to live as they look to prolong the inevitable by any means possible, life support, medication, chemotherapy and even anti-aging creams the common practice of today’s society. Should I share their sentiments? I suppose I have something built in that drives me to live, as we all do, but true life will and can only ever be found in the Lord Jesus. I say come Lord Jesus! But if you decide to prolong that day for the sake of some, then it is the Father will. Nevertheless, I am reaching a point in my life where the thought of death is rather inviting. That is the death of my flesh; a new door will open as my eyes will then see the spiritual realm once and for all. No more any hindrances, no more aching bones or operations. But above all things, forever to be with God almighty and to see my glorious Saviour in person is a day I long for. But while we live in our current states let us remember to always look to Him who has been high and lifted up, Jesus Christ our Lord, bless His name now and forever more, Amen!

Signing off

Tyrone

Fastening???

(Acts 13:2) “While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said…”

The power of words has undoubtedly been proved over time. We understand the wonders of God even if we do not acknowledge Him as the only true Creator. I am yet to find a hater of nature, someone that curses a beautiful sunset. Prayer is a tool used especially when in need; it is often a very selfish tool. Think about how often we pray for something that would benefit us directly and we are clearly taught our prayers are not answered only when our prayers are misguided; “You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.” (James 4:3): - I love the way the Bible has an answer for so many daily applications to one’s life, “seek and you shall find” its underlying formula. Why we tend to look to it last instead of our first point of reference is proof that we are in desperate need of our Saviours helping hand alone the way. All hail King Jesus!

There is another facet to the bible that we often tend to acknowledge but give it very little thought, let alone any participation and that is fasting. I would like to explore this a little further.

Fasting is often linked to repentance, it seems a perfect match. Fastening is about conquering a stronghold, whatever that may be! Look at the pattern through the Old Testament and it is obvious that one would fast to get God’s attention or at least use it as a tool to get noticed. However, some made the mistake of looking to people to be noticed whilst fasting and this we shouldn’t do. If we are too fast and there is no doubt a place for it in the lives of the New Testament believer, it must be done silently and secretly before God and Him alone.

How not to do it -- “Behold, you fast only to quarrel and to fight and to hit with a wicked fist. Fasting like yours this day will not make your voice to be heard on high.” (Isaiah 58:4): - there is an implication that fastening is obviously a tool we can use to be notice by our heavenly Father in and through our great Saviour. Obviously we can never be justified outside the finished work of Calvary; we can add nothing or take away anything from His finished work, praise His name! Yet we are nevertheless given instruction on how we should live as new creatures in Christ. We are taught to put on the mind of Christ; we need to follow His example and learn from Him. I ask the question, did He ever fast and if so why?

Fasting obviously deprives the body of something it needs or craves. It is all about denying the flesh. We are taught that the natural and the spiritual are enemies; “For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 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 8:5-8): - I speak in principle and I do not use this text to proof the need for fasting, it is a mind-set I look for us to understand. It is the mind of Christ we seek to understand.

What was the Lord busy doing prior to His first recorded encounter with Satan and why then should be our next question?

“Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.” (Matthew 4:1-2)

Let us unpack this; firstly Jesus was led by the Spirit (God the Holy Spirit) away from any home comforts, into the wilderness, in other words away from the norm whatever that may be. And it was for a specific purpose, which was to be tempted of the devil. But before this account actually took place, the Lord fasted for forty days and forty nights, leaving Him hungry, His physical body in need of food. It was in this state that the Lord Jesus was now ready to confront Satan; “And the tempter came and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread." But he answered, "It is written, "'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.'" (Matthew 4:3-4)   

The necessity to give place to God’s Word over and above our carnal needs even to the point of denying oneself the necessity of food, which the body needs in order to survive, is clearly seen in this example. Faith has much to do with fasting, it means we need to step beyond our comfort zone and try something new. Not as some new fade but as a help, aiding us with our walk if we look to be victorious.

It is there as a help to build our relationship with God our Father: if our reasoning for doing it is wrong then we have misunderstood the purpose of fastening, which is to help us find strength to overcome in time of need. If we do it as a custom and make everyone aware of what we are doing, then it has no benefit as God will not recognise us; "And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” (Matthew 6:16-18)

What reward do I seek? Is it an easier life? that it is! But not through wealth and prosperity, but rather seeking out victory over any bondage to my life that hinders my relationship with my heavenly Father, if it be sin that so easily besets then fastening and prayer may be exactly what I need to find strength to overcome.

In the bigger scheme of things, this topic is very seldom mentioned and yet the Lord chooses to deal with this exact topic in conjunction with His instruction on how one should pray and I find that very interesting. But always remember that fastening has a sister and that is prayer and they are inseparable. If we fast lets us also remember to pray.

Signing off

Tyrone 

    

  

  

   

There is still time!

(Isaiah 55:6)  "Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he is near;”

It is God who calls but will we respond to that call? I thank God for calling a wretched man like me. I once was blind but now I see, nothing short of a miracle. Who is it I have to thank for my sight, none other than the Lord Jesus Christ, the only true Saviour given by God to mankind, which enables the individual to enlist in God’s army. Praise, bless, exalt and magnify the name of Jesus! So many look at that name as a hoax, many add it to their vocabulary as a common part of speech and yet it is used to curse and not bless. Do they not know that for every word every spoken they will be judged?

Do you know what one of my most intriguing thoughts I have as a man when considering God and His Character? I stand in awe; I am gob smacked when I see Him for who He really is. There is no one above Him, neither in title or ability and whatever He wills comes to pass and yet He has chosen to extend this hand and not withhold it. Knowing the heartache He would have to endure and the bursts of anger that would need reeling in at times, with destruction executed where needed; considerer the flood! And to think it was God himself who from the dust of the earth created Adam. I wonder what emotion He felt as He saw so many grasp for air; obviously He is righteous so every decision is just and right. I understand that without question, but I wonder, was there any sadness attached to that account, I think there might have been. Mankind has been created in His likeness and image. But I would dare not make any suppositions as fact.

What then do we know? God is love! He could have been the opposite, but that is not the fact; He is love! And instead of withholding his hand He has extended it to all who would call upon the name of the Lord.

This was the state of mankind; as it is written: "None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one." (Romans 3:10-12): - We all were either in this state of mind prior to salvation or we still live in here as we go about our business with God as an afterthought. Forgive us Father and thank you for your patience with mankind.  

It was God who decided to initiate His plan, which was and still is on offer, for now anyway; “For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it-- the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. (Romans 3:20-22)

God has extended a life line to his enemies, those who once opposed Him in every area of their lives. It was when Christ’s accuses hated him the most, that God began to show His character; which one of you would open your arms to someone furiously beating you little boy? “I would suggest, never! Not even one could act in such a manner, but it was not so with God; “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)

His Son, my Saviour, beaten to the point of death and humiliated as if He was the chief of sinners and yet He was without sin. Nailed to cruel Roman cross, where He was spat upon and mocked with a crown of thorns as headgear. Being God He could of called legions of angels from heaven to smite the accuses, but it was His Father’s will that He should suffer for a crime He never committed, why? Because God is Love! How so? Without Christ’s sacrifice every single human ever born would end up in hell, because of their own sin. But because God so loved the world in that deprived state, not that He would every tolerate sin, for He never has and never will. But because of the deception and cunningness of the serpent; the deceiver, Satan himself, God willed to bruise his head with the heels of the woman’s offspring. If the devil had known what it meant when Jesus was crucified, he would have never unleashed the Bulls of Bashan to gape so fiercely at our great Saviour; Our God is ever wise and His wisdom is past finding out; Paul has this to say; “For the wisdom of this world is folly with God. For it is written, "He catches the wise in their craftiness," (1Corinthians 3:19): - Even Satan will all His pomp and glory no match for our God! All hail King Jesus!

We must all stand alone before God as we will be accountable with what we did with this message whilst still alive on earth; “that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 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. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.” (John 3:15-18)

It is important to understand that God could have done what He please, as He has done what He has pleased, and that was to send His Son to die for sinners, or rather repentant sinners. He is no longer dead but well and alive, as God raised Him from the dead. Now those are the facts, but God being God could have cursed mankind because of their sin and been done with us, but this was not His choice, thank you loving Father for remembering such a wretched man like me and choosing to send you perfect Son to die in my place. If that isn’t the greatest manifestation of love available to mankind, if we cannot see it, we are still blind and grope in the dark, may God have mercy upon our souls. Brett and Richard I pray you find God’s mercy and experience His love in and through my great Saviour even Jesus Christ the Lord, my Lord.

Call out to Him, but it must be on His terms and not your own agenda’s and you will find life.

If we reject so great an act of love, hell will be our final destination. I thank you Father God for who you are; you could have been wicked and evil (NEVER! God can never change) or Satan could have the helm and what a disaster that would be. Nevertheless the truth is told, the offer still stands, which is; “the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day. And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’” (Act 2:20-21)   

Seek the Lord while He may be found.

Signing off

Tyrone

God the ultimate authority!

(Romans 9:14) “What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God's part? By no means!”

“For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 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 8:6-8) 

Therefore we must reason with “the mind of Christ” and not with human intellect, get this wrong and we will be left clutching at straws. We must believe what Paul teachers and resist all that opposes God’s Word.

We ended yesterday’s blog with an example on Judas. Let us now unpack some of the objections Paul received on the sovereignty and will of God. It is tiring to have to contend over this matter, but the word is very clear and Paul does not mince his words, so neither will I!

We all have choices that need to be made on a daily basis, we brush our teeth, comb our hair and eat breakfast, or we chose not too! The choice is the individuals, I speak to adults. Billions of decisions happening on earth throughout the day, this is where so many become unstuck. For a long time I battled to see and accept that I was not in control but God is in complete control and yet it was me making the choices and therefore guilty as charged.

Although men and woman throughout the ages have been called to follow Christ, we understand that the book of life was written before creation. Some would like to suggest that it was by chance and our actions play their part. With God there is no chance but only certainty. Everything in life is for this one purpose to glorify God for who He is. Sin depicts who He is not and yet without understanding sin how would we comprehend the enormity of who God actual is? Opposite extremes, one good and the other evil; God is good but Satan is evil! And yet both part of His eternal script magnifying His brilliance and glory.

Paul’s wisdom is delightful to unravel as he anticipates the objections of his readers before they have time to object…

“This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring. For this is what the promise said: "About this time next year I will return, and Sarah shall have a son." And not only so, but also when Rebekah had conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac,” (Romans 9:8-10): - Now here comes the curve ball for some, automatically resisted by the natural mind; “though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad— (why?) in order that God's purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls-- she was told, "The older will serve the younger." As it is written, "Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.” - With that said men throw up their arms, even amongst the Christian, but Paul anticipates every objection; “What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God's part? By no means! For he says to Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion." So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.” (Romans 9:14-16)

It is the natural mind that now looks to go into overdrive with their objections, but who do we think we are?

“For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, "For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth."

So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills. (Romans 9:17-18)   

When we are settled on that understanding we move to this conclusion; “You will say to me then, "Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?" (Romans 9:19): - surely I am no longer to blame if that be true. We are nevertheless responsible for all our actions, God has so willed it! “But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, "Why have you made me like this?" Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? (It is not as if God needs to explain himself to man but here then is one of the reasons) What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory—“ (Romans 9:20-23)

My conclusion then; God in perfect control of both the save and unsaved alike. He has selected those whom will be vessels unto honour and well as vessels of dishonour. Nevertheless we are all responsible for our actions and will be judged accordingly. And if we do not like Paul’s teaching, tough! These are the facts; all we now need do is wrestle with all our might’s in and through the Lord Jesus Christ to end up as vessels of honour. Although it has already been written, we in that sense do not know whose names have been written where. We all have an obligation to call upon the name of the Lord and find salvation. I encourage you to call with vigour! The Lord Jesus Christ is the apple of God’s eye find Him and we find life.

Signing off

Tyrone      

     

Who is my brother?

(Mark 3:35) “For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother."

I thank God for His gentle rebuke in the way a loving father gently correct a misguided child. This privilege afforded his children is looked upon in the heaven realm, with if it were possible, this thought travelling through the minds of many heavenly hosts; “what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?” (Psalms 8:4): - And yet even with all our weakness as men and women, it still pleased the Lord to send His Son to die in our place, thank you Father God! I do not make reference to us prior to salvation, those who were once dead in their trespasses and sins; I make mention to those who live.

Having said that we also know that God is a consuming fire; “For our God is a consuming fire.” (Hebrews 12:29)

I wonder throughout life how many times I have stretched the grace of God to accommodate some selfish act, mostly relating to sin of some sort. In other words if and when I place myself before God or a brother then I am guilty as charged. We are clearly taught that if we love our neighbor as ourselves we prove that we love God. If not then John has this to say; “Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness. Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling. But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes. I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven for his name's sake.” (1John 2:9-12)

Why is it that we stumble at times? I would suggest that if we love our brother we will not stumble as we abide in the light. "Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when there is the log in your own eye? (Matthew 7:1-4)

Who was the Lord Jesus addressing in this text? Was it not those who opposed Him, those who thought they knew better, and those who used the law to find justification? Nevertheless these men were spiritually dead; “how then can a dead man be judged?” is where I finished yesterday.

It is obvious that even the dead will be judged and they will be responsible for every one of their actions; we are clearly taught that at the “White Throne Judgment” every knee will bow and confess Jesus as Lord, praise His name! “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.” (Revelation 20:11-12)

The greatest of all biblical expositors is undoubtedly the Apostle Paul. In fact he even stresses this point, making it clear to his readers that what he penned is his gospel and not another’s; “on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus. (Romans 2:16)

Therefore although the dead never find salvation in and through the blood of the Lamb, they will never escape judgment. I trust this is clearly understood.

Let us now consider the sovereignty of God with that thought in mind. Why then do some find life and others not? There are many opinions on this topic, but let us not focus on the minds of men if in fact that is all it is, men’s carnal reasoning.

Paul knew he would receive various objections pertaining to this question and so in his brilliance, he deals with it concisely and with precision. Lets us therefore unpack and follow some of his calculation…

Let us firstly lay a platform to build upon. We understand that God created the heavens and the earth before we were created. Now if we who are simple in comparison wish to build a house, do we not first get a draftsman or architect to design and draw up the plans? God in his mastery has mapped His plan out from beginning to end, that then must involve every fascist to His plan. If the builder miscalculated any of his measurement by millimeters, how then would the finished house be perfect? It wouldn’t be! And we know that God is perfect, in other words nothing can be added to His person or character, if something could be added this would mean He has flaws, which He obviously hasn’t! Therefore everything he does will ultimately end in perfection!

We may say if God is perfect, how can this world be in such a mess, sin on every corner. Murders, starvation, crime, rape and child abuse the order of the day. Obviously far from a perfect world! This is where we start to enter into the brilliance of His domain and I will not suppose to speak on His behalf as if I had all the answers, but this I will say, God is in perfect control and it will be understood by all at the appointed time. He has written His script and every “t” will be crossed with every “i” doted. There will be no exception! Praise the name of Jesus as He is the pivot of this perfect plan.

Some will respond to the gospel and some won’t, some will respond for their bellies sake while others learn to lay down their lives for Him. Some will need to be physically broken in order to learn obedience and for this I am truly thankful, “God chastens those whom He loves”. Some will be imprisoned and martyred while others not and so forth. And then their will be those who are the enemy of the cross, those who oppose the gospel with everything they have and yet that is also part of His plan, it was preordained. Here is a specific example that clearly spells it out; “Then Satan entered into Judas called Iscariot, who was of the number of the twelve. He went away and conferred with the chief priests and officers how he might betray him to them. And they were glad, and agreed to give him money. So he consented and sought an opportunity to betray him to them in the absence of a crowd.” (Luke 22:3-6): - Was this Judas’ decision or was it part of God preordained plan? The answer is clearly understood if we stick to the teaching of scripture and we remove our carnal rational. Here is what it teachers; “The Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born." Judas, who would betray him, answered, "Is it I, Rabbi?" He said to him, "You have said so." (Matthew 26:24-25): - We see a clear warning from the Lord directed at Judas and yet he did not repent, why not? It had been written, it was part of the script! And yet we are taught; “but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born."   

 Nevertheless still responsible for his actions! Time is up, Lord willing we will conclude this topic in tomorrow’s blog and hopefully we will have a clearer understanding on God’s Sovereignty and how His plan plays out in the lives of all.

Signing off

Tyrone