Dear Father

Time to regroup and focus on what really counts…

Seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, forgive me Father for the muddy waters in my life around this truth. The cares of this life are real and it would be dishonest of me if I did not confess that at times they wear me down. Faith demands loyalty, help me with my unbelief and forgive me for my sin.

We are all driven, dissect it and it will soon be obvious to all that we are determined individuals, even the sloth is driven to be lazy. Although some drives are detrimental to the end game, this does not equate to us being driver-less. In fact the opposite must be concluded, we are driven in another or opposite direction. The Christian has a new goal, “the kingdom of God and His righteousness”, period! We have been called "to put on the mind of Christ".

A beggar will do whatever he must to fill his stomach, but once it is full, no more need to rummage through the trash and such is the cycle of life irrespective of our differing arenas. This is my point as Christians we can no longer hang onto the trivia of this life and yet we find ourselves captivated by it. It’s for this type of mind-set that I pray for forgiveness. To be driven by complacency is unacceptable, especially when the majority of world is doomed for hell. Reignite a zeal that the canker-worm has feasted upon. I pray for even just a slither of the zeal that captivated my soul way back in 1987, be merciful Father, not because I deserve it but rather because you have it in your power to be merciful.

The more I analyse my predicament, the heavier I become, the cares of this life are real and yet they gain momentum outside the realm of faith. Unbelief is their playground. One of the greatest examples of faith playing out would have been Moses and the Red Sea. The enemy was bearing down with one thought in mind, to slaughter and yet Moses looked up towards the heavens and cried out to His God and the sea parted, walls of water defining the laws of gravity. Who would have believed it, Moses did! He understood and then he cried out to his God who intervened, praise God! This is the mentality we have been called to implement into our lives, anything short of it, is unbelief. Father God, Please forgive me for my unbelief!

God does not need our help in that sense but we must certainly learn to depend upon His. "Obedience is better than sacrifice". This is the objective of our existence. This is the lesson every Christian must learn if it is to be well with our souls.

Signing off

Tyrone

Prelims

God gives mankind a certain amount of time to live and we can average it out to around seventy years and yet for some a lot less time is afforded them. This morning I will be attending a funeral of one of our boys aged just seventeen that we ministered to on a Thursday night. Praise God for the opportunity He afforded Mark and me. As slight as it may have been, the privilege of playing our parts in his life may just have been the thrust he needed to respond to the glorious message of the Gospel. It is only God who saves but He has chosen the gospel message to spark individuals into action. I am confident that the Lord Jesus Christ had an influence on his life. At a tender age of seventeen he has move from this realm to the next, he is now in the spiritual realm and in one of two places, hell the holding cell awaiting his eternal judgment or heaven awaiting the Lord Jesus’ second return where he will receive his glorified body; a topic for another day. This is what the Bible teaches; there is no other in-between state; we will either died and open our eyes in heaven or hell, Period! Never assume that you will have another day to put things right, as it may never arrive. Today is the day of salvation and life is filled with ignorance, God has spoken; “The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.” (Act 17:30-31) – The Lord Jesus died for sinners and not the self-righteous and God the Father confirmed this to the world by raising Him from the dead. However without repentance heaven will allude the sinner. 

Regardless of our allotted time, it is imperative that we call upon the name of the Lord Jesus to save us from our sins and the looming horrific judgment that God has in store for those who reject his grace. As for the Christian this is our time and we have to learn the lessons God wants us to learn, no differently to a father training his son up to the best of his ability as he looks out for his well-being, which is driven by love. God’s love is far greater. The enemy on the other hand feeds us with alternatives, like qualifications, self-worth and power in whatever form that may come within our given circles and obviously gratification of our flesh, lures that promise satisfaction and yet they are so temporal and can never be totally quenched. Have you not lived long enough to understand this? It’s one thing to struggle with a particular sin but quite another thing altogether when you do not see it as such and excuse it away as the niceties’ or necessities of life.

As for Kobus I am confident as I can be, God knows! That he is now in heaven, he heard the gospel and responded favourably to it.

Let us not say tomorrow we will right our wrongs, for tomorrow may never arrive. “How shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?” (Hebrews 2:3)

Signing off

Tyrone

Sounds

The effects that sounds have on us is rather enthralling, even Hollywood worked this out some years ago. The right type of jingle can instil terror, joy or even sadness; music an extremely powerful tool in the hands of those you know how to work it.

Then we have the sounds of nature which have a calming effect on those who are fortunate enough to find themselves amongst an array of early morning bird calls. - The list is endless; God has given us an ability capable of helping us evaluate and then capture so much information through our ears. Just one of the five senses that we so often take for granted. However, these sense thrive within our earthly make up and we process everything through our human intellect and as great and brilliant as that is, it will always miss the voice of God because He is SPIRIT!

Our brains are most certainly capable of understanding that God exists, but who, how and where will always elude us. Creation proves HIS existence; but until we come face to face with our God or hear his small still voice whisper into our ear we will remain opinionated on so many different levels. To hear the voice of God we must be plugged into the source. No differently to the beginning of time when GOD spoke and creation sprung to life. Without God’s intervention in our lives we will never be saved; He is the ONE who initiates the process, without Him we will remain oblivious to His brilliance. With that established we must now seek out the truth and the Holy Bible is the platform from where He has chosen to speak. The words pen in this magnificent book is ink on paper, however it’s as good as if God’s voice penned the words. Obviously that thought is rather irrational when we view it through the eyes of common sense, but we are instructed to put on the mind of Christ, which is a spiritual discipline and then a miracle occurs, we are born again and a spiritual faculty is added to your senses. God gives us understanding, He opens our eyes and our ears to His World.

Examine those who now claim Christianity to be the whole truth and nothing but the truth, those whom you know on a personal level. How did they once view life, where they energized differently, and if the change is obvious, why? Could it just be that God has opened their eyes to His world and they now see it and because of it seem somewhat obsessed? Many who claim Christianity as a way of life have faulted in many areas of their lives, I know as I am amongst the chief of sinners, however because of my many mistakes should I now deny what I know to be true? Absolutely not! I have repented and I will by the grace of God press on to the high call of God in my life. I have understood the magnitude of the Lord Jesus’ sacrifice on my behalf. How far am I willing to take it, even death will not keep me from calling upon the name of Jesus, He is the love of my life.

Sadly there will always be the liar and the thief pretending to something they could never be, ministers of the light! Money preachers who pretend to be an ambassador for Christ, when in fact they are in it to win it, money, money and then more money. They will not escape, judgement is just over the horizon.

Obviously unless an individual is born again these wonderful truths that I am now privy too will elude the shunner. Those who consider this concept a fairy-tale will never understand what I am talking about, but for those who have stepped out in faith and called on the Lord Jesus Christ to open their spiritual eyes will understand.

What is it that keeps us from stepping out in faith, the most obvious of answers in my opinion would be that we gravitate towards a mentality that society on a whole does its utmost to keep alive in our lives, which is; “self-acceptance” a notion that we deserve so many things that in fact when examined without any emotion attached to it, I find that we live with a delusional mind-set as the norm. We live for the here and now, what will soon follow is ignored. Judgement is coming, but only for those who reject the Lord's mercy.

With a clear conscience I have voiced what I know to be truth, my prayer is that it will strike a nerve that will drive you towards repentance, calling upon the name of Jesus to quicken your understanding to these truths.

Signing off

Tyrone

Mighty to save...

As individuals we all have our crosses too bear and that in itself is no easy feat. So long as we can always remember these two points it will be well with our souls; “Jesus in my place” and “not my will but thine be done”. There is obviously a lot tied up into those two statements. However unpack them directly into your lives and you will remain in the light where no darkness will ever have total dominion over you. Sure there will be times where we will lose our way but the Spirit within us will bring us to a place of repentance, which thankfully is provided for us by the power of God the HOLY SPIRIT working in us. God has saved us in and through the perfect sacrifice of His beloved Son’s faultless sacrifice as He hung and died a brutal death upon a cruel Roman cross on the hill, Golgotha. HE is might to save…

"Mighty to save." (Isaiah 63; 1)

“By the words "to save" we understand the whole of the great work of salvation, from the first holy desire onward to complete sanctification. The words are multum in parro: indeed, here is all mercy in one word. Christ is not only "mighty to save" those who repent, but he is able to make men repent. He will carry those to heaven who believe; but he is, moreover, mighty to give men new hearts and to work faith in them. He is mighty to make the man who hates holiness love it, and to constrain the despiser of his name to bend the knee before him. Nay, this is not all the meaning, for the divine power is equally seen in the after-work. The life of a believer is a series of miracles wrought by "the Mighty God." The bush burns, but is not consumed. He is mighty to keep his people holy after he has made them so, and to preserve them in his fear and love until he consummates their spiritual existence in heaven. Christ's might doth not lie in making a believer and then leaving him to shift for himself; but he who begins the good work carries it on; he who imparts the first germ of life in the dead soul, prolongs the divine existence, and strengthens it until it bursts asunder every bond of sin, and the soul leaps from earth, perfected in glory. Believer, here is encouragement. Art thou praying for some beloved one? Oh, give not up thy prayers, for Christ is "mighty to save." You are powerless to reclaim the rebel, but your Lord is Almighty. Lay hold on that mighty arm, and rouse it to put forth its strength. Does your own case trouble you? Fear not, for his strength is sufficient for you. Whether to begin with others, or to carry on the work in you, Jesus is "mighty to save;" the best proof of which lies in the fact that he has saved you. What a thousand mercies that you have not found him mighty to destroy! (Charles Spurgeon)

Signing off

Tyrone

A loving Father

Another year has passed and the years continue to count down as the last of days begins to near. I wonder if part of my brain has released a reflection mechanism which most certain was inactive as a child growing up or at least not as noticeable.

Age most certainly has begun to take its toll on me, not to say that I haven’t had my part to play with so many reckless decisions along life’s journey. Be that as it may, God is truly wonderful! I have certainly encountered my fair share of those who have questioned God’s love, as for me I will most certainly be forever thankful… “Jesus in my place” the sweetest statement to enthral my mind. Without Him I would be of all men most miserable. For many that statement is so beyond their reach that the mere thought of it would send their mind into cartwheels. However there are many that would proclaim AMEN to this beautiful expression; “Jesus in my place”! The love of God who can fathom it? Most things can be quantified, but never the love of God. Just when you believe you have a grip on it a fresh notion arrives and you once again realise how little you know. Nevertheless I know more than enough to confess that I will forever be beholden to God’s love. For those who have tasted of the sweet forgiveness of our heavenly Father in and through the Lord Jesus’ selfless sacrifice share my sentiments, of this I am persuade. Since his journey here on earth, millions of lives have been changed in one form or another and praise God that I am amongst that number. There is no other claim that I will broadcast with such vivacity bar this, that the love of God has rescued me. 

There is a day coming where those who arrive in heaven, whose number cannot be counted will praise our God and King for all eternity; “After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” (Revelation 7:9-10) - For all the saints out there, I beseech you to sing praises to our great loving heavenly Father. There is no other name under heaven or on earth where an individual will find salvation for their souls, save the name of Jesus, the only true Messiah. As for the Jews and their understanding of this the truth it will soon also arrive for them and they too will turn and repent and call upon the name of Jesus, the same Jesus that their forefather called on to be crucified; “Pilate said to them, “Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?” They all said, “Let him be crucified!” And he said, “Why? What evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Let him be crucified!” (Matthew 27:22-23) 

The Love of God will honour his covenant with their great grandfather, the father of faith, Abraham. As a nation they will be once again grated into the vine of Christ’s salvation and understand the meaning of what I hold so dear, “Jesus in my place”!

What father has ever entertained such tolerance from so many wayward children? The power of His grace is adept in turning the most rebellious individual, that it leaves no margin of doubt, so that their transformation is nothing short of miraculous. Within our own characters we would never find righteousness, however once we make our way through the hustle and bustle of life and push throw the crowed and touch the Lord’s garment we are instantly changed and will never view life and the purpose of it all in the same tone. God gifts us with the miracle of salvation and He gives us the mind of Christ. We receive His righteousness and even when we stray from the call placed on our lives. No differently to the parable of the Prodigal son we somehow and somewhere come to our senses and find the strength to dust the dirt from our knees as we once again find the fortitude to cry out to Jesus and seek out his forgiveness.

     

What child by default through their differing personalities does not somewhere within this beautiful relationship end up pushing the boundaries? I would have to conclude that all of us err in one form or another and God lovingly disciplines us where and when it is needed, praise His name for this! He knows what is best for us! We must learn to let go and let God… we will all learn this lesson well or at least be changed by it.

To all those out there who just can’t find the strength to push through the crowd and reach out and touch the Lord Jesus, I am even now praying for you and as Nike would say, “just do it”! Only then will these types of posts truly begin to make sense.

To one day to hear the voice of God call me his friend, how sweet that will be. How much dying I still have to endure, however, be that as it may, I know it will be worth it all.

Signing off

Tyrone

Christmas time

There is a relaxing beauty trapped within the South African bushveld that cannot be easily replaced. Even though the hum of the air conditioner does its best to break the tranquillity of the soothing bustle as the birds and insects converse across the grasslands, thankfully I am able to distant that droning interference and just take in the moment. Similarly just like a cool pool is able to relieve an individual from the baking sun, so too does the bushveld calm me from all anxiety. As Christian we have all been commanded to be anxious for nothing! Easier said than done! Nevertheless a post we must aim for in Christ.

I have lived enough to understand the power of substance abuse, all it really achieves is an escape from reality, and only for a time. It is the “silly season” the Christmas holidays that affords so many individuals an excuse to indulge in a pass to excuse the flesh of some of its captivating pleasure as acceptable. And sure, the older we get, the better we become at disguising what we know to be an abomination to our heavenly Father from others. King Solomon understood this well. If it wasn’t for the saving grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and his mind, “the mind of Christ” we would all be in serious danger of hell fire. But praise be to Him that although Christmas has been high jacked by Satan and his followers and many a Cristian has been taken by his plot to deviate from how we should conduct ourselves over this time and because we have His Spirit we are not totally fooled by the masses, praise God for this!

All I ask is that we be honest with ourselves and to all the Christian parents that still engage it the Christmas spirit with Santa Claus as a big part of the festivities, please refrain from the trickery of it all. It really helps no one in the bigger scheme of things. Especially ones children, all it achieves is to confuse them. It’s a unique idea that takes their eyes of Christ and places it onto someone else and promotes lies as acceptable.

The reason the Christian lives is to worship our glorious king, this concept may well be foreign to the masses, however, the Christian is well aware of the truth of this statement or at least should be. Jesus died so that we could be set free, there is no greater thought above or beyond the universe. Jesus paid the price for my sin, WOW! So why would I ever want to allow the decay of the Christmas festivities to deviate from that truth, I have made up my mind and I will stand firm on my persuasion. 

Although there may be many things we do that are barely acceptable to our heavenly Father and the idea of chopping down trees (mentioned in the book of Jeremiah) and decorating then with shiny things in the name of Christ could well be amongst that list, however doing it in the name of father Christmas is certainly not one of them. That in itself falls under an abomination before God. It is obvious that God is a jealous God and He will not share His glory with another, especially when his arch rival the devil is behind it all. Just so long as peoples attentions deviate from God’s intervention in sending a Saviour into the world so that individuals would recognize their sin and understand that they need to be saved from themselves and that God has afforded us all a chance to repent and call upon the name of His beloved Son our glorious Saviour to find forgiveness and be ushered into the fold of the only true God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

We must make up our minds, is Christmas a day to be celebrated as the birth of Christ, which is obviously not accurate if we had to study the actual times and seasons of Christs birth. A day introduced by the Catholic Church many years ago; it is a day that appeared in our calendar somewhere along the path of history as it was smuggled into our timetables and given its place. Then interestingly enough Santa Claus appeared on the same day and not another, just to throw in another “straw-man” so that the world could shift their attention to an alternative with great success. As Christians it is up to us to set the tone, especially when it comes to our families, without the hard conversations we may never be faithful in sharing the gospel effectively with those who have shunned Christ’s sacrifice.

Make a stand for our great King, the One who bled and died so that could have our names penned into the book of life, so what if you take a little heat in the kitchen standing over a steaming pot as your sister-in-law is force to address the issues of Christmas for the sake of the gospel and the sake of her families souls.

Many years ago and after just a little study I was convince about the truth of Christmas and by the grace of God have stood my ground. Whatever your conclusion, be firm on it but above all use this time to point people to Christ!

  

May the strength of Christs Spirit persuade all of this certainty and may it help turn the corner for the fence sitters.

Signing off

Tyrone

Water

Understanding the significance of washing throughout biblical history is very relevant for us today and there is much we can glean from when examining it a little closer. Washing of old dealt with various aspect and deeper underlying principles in the lives of the elect.

From the very beginning of time travelers would be afforded small amounts of water set aside to wash their feet. A spiritual analogy we can draw from; the closer we are to the dirt as we move across the plains of life, the dusty environment, the dirtier our feet become and a greater work is needed to renew our minds with the will of God for our lives. The tighter we cling to God’s direction in our lives the fuller we will be with the peace of God as it overshadows our aura. This is why so many outside of the will of God need to be helped by "shrinks" no wonder they can charge exceptional rates and still have people flocking to their doors. Everything that does not have roots in the equation of eternity, particularly to our roles in fulfilling the will of God as we use the BIBLE, HIS WORD and nothing else as our barometers will leave us wanting.

In order for us to understand the deeper meanings of life we must lay the correct foundation to our understanding, obviously we need eyes wide open and not wide shut to apprehend and this will only ever happen if God grants us the ability to see into His realm, the spiritual world. However the application remains true for all, which is this, we must understand the correlation between the world of carnality and that of the spirit and how they should both drive us towards a position of correction as we travel through life. King Solomon, David son, teaches us much with regard to trying to gratify our flesh as a means to an end. He sums it up like this; “and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it. Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher; all is vanity.” (Ecclesiastes 12:7-8) – In other words, no matter what you strive for in this life if you miss the call of God it will be catastrophic.

Water and the use of it is a great clue to get us there.

Water and the Word of God correlates with one another, dirty feet need to be washed to remove the filth from them, studying the Word of God aligns our minds with Gods will for our lives and in turn renews our minds and equips us to put on the mind of Christ. Therefore, let us all be diligent when it comes to this area of our lives, for it will then result with great benefit and prepare us for the life to come which obviously has eternal concerns.

My prayer is this, Father God give us all the fortitude to be far more diligent in this area of our lives, Amen and Amen!

Signing off

Tyrone

Nicodemus

(John 3:9)  Nicodemus answered and said unto him, how can these things be? 

How often do we find ourselves flabbergasted by the varying degrees of filth which impregnates our planet and our lives? Then there is the confusion of it all that leaves us asking questions like, “how can these things be?” The longer God affords me the opportunity to have breath and life here on earth, the more I begin to understand the short sightedness of mankind. Sadly we are all taken by our own agendas and live according to our rules and not the voice of the ONE who is actually in control of all things. We believe, because we are capable of choosing today, that tomorrow will be no different and so life continues until that too is taken from us, what then? Will we cry out “how can these things be?” Sadly for some with that cry will come terrible torment, however that can be avoided; you do not need to have all the answers to all your questions, all that is required, cry out unto Jesus and seek out his forgiveness for your own sin. It is really as simple as that and then you will cry out, “wow, I never realised that before. It is only then that our journeys begin and we then struggle with other issues when we see our reflection against God's brilliance. We begin to notice the gulf between our characters and yet through the Lord Jesus Christ we can now have fellowship with the creator of the universe, mind boggling, whilst being impressively beautiful. God forgiving mankind for their rebellion against him, his will and his authority. 

God has open a way for us all, He send his only beloved Son the Lord Jesus Christ to bleed and die on a cruel Roman cross to set the sinner free. However, do not be fooled, reject Christ and you will suffer the consequences. Do not believe the lie that God will still love you in spite of your rejection for His Son’s sacrifice, which is a false gospel. God’s love is encapsulated in the Lord Jesus Christ and outside of that covering, the love of God will elude you.

Where do you stand?

I believe that this man Nicodemus worked it out, God opened his eyes to the truth of it all and he no longer asked questions like “how can these things be?”

Signing off

Tyrone

The Magician

Endurance training is a means which helps us understand our limitations on a natural level. Temptation is a tool which is use to drive us towards sin and the more attractive the lure the easier the entrapment. However the greatest of all dangers in my opinion would have to be deception. A deceit that is so dangerous that it will have eternal consequence for all taken by it; the ultimate objective of our enemy, to defeat his/our creator and take as many with him as possible to an eternity of torment. Why would Satan look do this? I wouldn’t be foolish enough to say I have all the answers to that question; however I will state what I know to be an obvious observation. His objective is to belittle the great God of the universe, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, my Father! He wants to appear greater than Him in stature. His pride did not spring from a root of righteousness but sin entered in and therefore the rivalry began way before the creation of mankind. In a nutshell the devil wants to defeat God and all He stands for and for us to believe that he has no power would be an error of grave magnitudes. 

Did you know that when he was found out and banished from heaven that he was able to persuade one third of the angels in heaven to side with him. It boggles the mind, to think that angels that witness God brilliance still chose Satan over God! He was able to deceive them in plain sight, how much greater his ability to deceive those that are under his influence and are not truly aware of his presence, nor are they able to see him...

Who then is influenced by the sway of the devil? All of creation! Nevertheless it is all by permission from God. Without God’s consent his hands are tied. How do I know this? The book of Job makes this very clear; God gives Satan permission to inflict his servant. Why? To eventually glorify God in Job’s life, exalt his name and then Job is eventually rewarded for his faithful obedience.

Those who do not confess Jesus as Lord are automatically under the devils influence, why? Because he is the father of sin and we are sinners by nature. You do not have to teach a child to sin; they all learn to work that out for themselves. As I look back on my childhood, it didn’t take me long to realise that lying could keep the belt away from my buttocks, if I could be convincing enough, all I needed to learn to do was be convincing enough so that my deceit was believed as fact.

This will help you understand or not, depending on which side of the fence you sit; “Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me. Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word. You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” (John 8:42-44)

1.     All those who do not love the Lord Jesus does not have the Fathers protection, in that sense... obviously the world and God’s creation is covered by His "communal grace" that effects all. Satan does not have total free reign, he only works within the parameters that God has afforded him, for now! But its only God’s children that have His loving affections.

2.    It is also obvious that those who reject God’s counsel, those who refuse to believe in the only true Messiah, the One and only Lord Jesus Christ belong to their father the DEVIL and they wish to fulfill his desires which are a string of lies that only carries with it intent to deceive.

Now no one likes to find out that they have been duped, but it is one thing to be tricked and then realign your radar to learn from your mistake and avoid it happening again.

Whilst we still have breath God affords us opportunity to find repentance. However, this now is very important please pay very careful attention to it; once we breathe our last, judgment waits, therefore there are no more second chances. It’s only in this lifetime, our lives on earth that God has afforded us time to find repentance for our sin in and through the Lord Jesus’ sacrifice, the rest of the voices you hear wafting through society is nothing more than trickery. The greatest magician of all times working under the cloak of invisibility.   

Therefore Satan’s ultimate goal must be to deceive as many as he possibly can and take them to their graves under a drape of deceit.

Where do you stand and who will you side with? I have made up my mind, as for me and my household we will serve the God of creation; bless the name of Jesus now and forever more, Amen and Amen!

Signing off

Tyrone

Honesty!

Honesty is a luxury that not many of us are privy too. Sure, we all experience honesty when it suits and it is comfortable for all to stomach, but what of so many brutal truths that are easily overlook until it is to late to make amends. Hindsight is what they call a perfect science; it is easy to speak after the fact. But what if time had no effect on your being? In other words you were an eternal being and not subject to time; you operated outside the limits of time. Life teaches us that we all have a lifespan and then we die, which is obviously true, that fact is undeniable. However, we all have an eternal part to our being; it is known as our soul. Our spirits will live or die forever, this is a fact that so many overlook, hoping that all will turn out tolerable, regardless of the way we live here on earth. Talk about the foolishness of an ostrich, how it hides its face from predators with its body in full view with the mentality that because it can’t see the hunter, it will be safe, have you ever heard the expression; “bury your head in the sand like an ostrich?” There is no doubt that society has been programmed by the enemies of the cross to avoid this topic at all costs. One of the most powerful of all reason is to get people to avoid diving into the subject of judgement and eternal life. None of us by default have any excellence in us, God is good, He is brilliant and He alone is righteous within Himself. He always does the right thing. Can we say the same? I know that some of you may now be looking for “straw men” (objections to override my point) to prove me wrong. Things like rape, hunger and brutal murders cannot be allowed by a God of love. To you I say, you obviously have not read much of the Bible. God will always rally in commitment for a people that love him, with faith an overarching ally, but disregard his voice at your own peril. People that turn their backs on God will face His judgement, whether living on earth or in eternity, this fact remains true.

Why did Abraham’s seed, the son of promise, eventually end up in slavery? In a nutshell they began to serve other gods and disregarded His law. For every action there is an opposite reaction, bow the knee to Jesus and you will be saved, refuse and suffer the consequences, the Lake of Fire will be your eternal home.

The Jews have always been God’s chosen people and it started with Abraham. However, as a nation they rejected their Messiah and this is what they cried out when Pontius Pilate gave them a choice to free Jesus; Pilate said to them, "Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?" They all said, "Let him be crucified!" And he said, "Why, what evil has he done?" But they shouted all the more, "Let him be crucified!" So when Pilate saw that he was gaining nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, "I am innocent of this man's blood; see to it yourselves." And all the people answered, "His blood be on us and on our children!" (Matthew 27:22-25) – How much misery have the Jews been put through as a people after the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus? The account is endless! Thankfully God has showed mercy to many Jews and some have also been saved and confess Jesus Christ as their true Messiah.   

  

This is a brutal truth that needs to be proclaimed from the rooftops and yet so few are willing to put themselves out for the sake of others. The Lord Jesus is a perfect example, a man who knew no sin, he live a life of sinless perfection and yet was moved with such compassion that he was willing to bleed and die on a cruel Roman cross, he gave up his own life, no man took it from him. The reason was so that some may be saved from themselves and escape God’s eternal judgment. But this compassion will only ever be realised once we bend the knee.

How often have you heard people at funerals say that the parted are in a better place, when all they ever did, whilst on earth, was slam the gospel and blasphemed the name of Jesus? Really, they are in a better place, hell a place of torment! Let us not be like the ostrich but be wise in our understanding and call on the name of Jesus and find forgiveness from Him for our sins, only then will we understand the deeper truths of life. Only then will we have eyes to truly see...

Signing off

Tyrone

Commitment!

I could look to many forerunners through the ages to draw on as a model example to follow, I suppose this is one of the reasons the Bible has been penned, to help the Christian through their first transition stage; a life on earth and having to contend with a flesh and blood body that by default has been riddled with a sinful nature. Sadly our own deceit often wins the day as it looks for justification and places us in the category of “the good person”. This is why it is easier for a wicket man to find repentance that a self-righteous individual. It’s only the sick that seek out medical aid. This is what the Lord Jesus had to say on the topic; “I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance." (Luke 5:32)  

With that now clearly understood and as I have journeyed through life with rebellion as a companion, it is easy for me to understand my need for a Saviour and even with Him mercifully saving my soul 30 years ago, I have been somewhat of a troubled child, but praise God for His commitment as I can honestly confess that transformation has and is still a process that by the good graces of God my Father keeps me focused. Sure there are still some battles that I end up losing, however although the independent skirmish may be lost the war has already been won. God accepted the Lord Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice when he hung and died on that cruel Roman cross two thousand years ago. The door to heaven is now open to all those who cry out to Jesus asking for His forgiveness for their sins, it really is as simple as that! Heaven is my eternal home and once I breathe my last here on earth my eyes to the spiritual world will be opened and I will see my Father and Saviour face to face, praise their names. How a part of me longs for that day, even so come quickly Lord Jesus, Amen and Amen!

As for the self righteous individual, the one who is better that the rest, the one who believes they deserves more than their neighbour, they are in trouble, they do not see their sin for what it is and sadly have no need to be saved. We are all on the same journey, birth, life, death and then eternity where time will liquefy as we have come to understand it and no one will escape that reality, the only question we need to ask ourselves, “is where do we fit in?” It is only repentance and a cry out to the Lord Jesus Christ that opens our eyes to the truth of it all. Even a sincere cry to help our unbelief is better than no cry at all.

I have heard testimony of individuals who have been at their wits ends and believed that their destiny was hell, behind closed doors they confessed their particular dilemma hoping to be heard but unsure of it all, and today I personally know some of these people who confidently confess Jesus as Lord, God mercifully took pity on their souls and open their eyes to a reality of heaven and His rule, praise God for His compassion. There are others I know who once confessed believing in the gospel but the pressures of life and the “now” has left them in a very dangerous place with eternity a very distant after thought. Father God, even now, I pray for these individuals, if it pleases you and the plea I have for them, please bring them to their senses.

Jacob is a man that teaches us many things about the blessings of life and that they can never be without their own struggles. It is God who allows these difficulties to befall us so that we may appreciate Him. His ingenious characteristics working beyond the reason of our limited understanding as He works out all things for our good. And yes, even the atrocities of life and all the terror we witness that we cannot quite reconcile with a loving God, he is in control of it all. Its only when we believe that we are on His level that we find difficulty with it all.   

Jacob was a help for his uncle Laban, he was a shepherd and he toiled night and day to win his wife. It took twenty years of what must have been years filled with its own challenges. Imagine the frostbite at night or the wild beasts looking to ravage his flock. What of the thieves, the serve sun beating down on him and the lack of water affecting his parched throat. Did he ever throw in the towel? We have the answer, he was eventually rewarded with the love of his life and Rachel became his wife. The ends will always justify the means when we remain faithful to that holy call God has place upon the believer’s life. Just like Jacob who was given a new name, Israel fed and toiled for his sheep, so too does our Saviour the Lord Jesus Christ intercede for His flock, He does not rest and all who rely on His finished work will reap their reward. We too will receive our new names when we get home and what a day that shall be!

Signing off

Tyrone

Why Faith?

Historically we know that in the beginning God created Adam and Eve, they fell from His grace and were banished from the Garden of Eden; Eve had two sons, Cain and Abel and we also know that Cain killed Abel. God then witnesses the constant sinful nature of mankind begin to spiral out of control as they put the creator on the back-burner and so God eventually decides to destroys his creation and all inhabiting it, and only eight souls are saved. Noah builds an Ark which in turn saves his family and the animals selected by God He wanted saving. Once Noah completes the task at hand God commands the heavens to open their bellies and they drop rain. The great flood ensures what God commissions it to do, destruction of all outside the Ark. All of creation obeys the voice of God except the rebellious. 

We then move down the genealogy of mankind and we will pick it up with Abram, who God gives a new name, Abraham, known and recorded as the father of faith. God singles out a man to begin a relationship built on a completely different fundamental that Adam and Eve faced, faith and not sight was now the playing field for mankind, Wow! I hope that thought grips you as much as it has me. Not to say that visually the heavens where open to them, but they certainly understood that God was real. Adam interacted with God and there can be no doubt that that was a completely different time and somewhat foreign to the world thereafter.   

Adam and Eve walked in the cool of the day and interacted with God, there was no questioning His existence. Today everyone is opinionated about God and what that is for them on an independent level, simple put they place him into a box that suits their sins and their desires. However a new precept was introduced down the line, faith the glue for true believers to engage with the creator of the universe. Lucifer and a third of the fallen angels never needed faith to believe. They once cohabited heaven with God, Abraham on the other hand wrestled with the concept of Idols (dead gods) which his father and the land he lived in at the time where obsessed with. Historically we learn that he smashed all his fathers’ idols and was hunted to be killed (the book of Jasher). God then sends him to a far away land and he packs up and leaves without hesitation; ABRAHAM THE FATHER OF FAITH! Noah was also a man of faith and he came before Abraham, but it was only with Abraham that God makes a covenant with a sect of people, the Jews and promises him to look out for them. Throughout the ages many of his descendants also disappoint the great I AM. Thankfully God’s promises are not dependent on our ability to uphold our part of the deal, where we are found wanting God remains faithful, He cannot deny himself.

An individual cannot realise salvation without faith. However, untried faith may be true faith, but it is sure to be little faith, and it is likely to remain weak so long as it is without trials. Who else was tested like Abraham, there are no doubt many men and woman of faith penned throughout the scriptures, but none of them where asked to sacrifice their son, the son of promise. Abraham the father of faith! Do not think for a single iota that if we want to prove our love to our Father, the God of the universe that we will be without trials and the deeper we look to take that relationship the harder the trial. Can the olive produce its oil without the pressure of two stones grinding down on it?

Faith does not require logical reason as some may imply, all it is, is a dependency on God’s ability to steer the ship and be content with the His ability to keep us safe, especially through the storms of life. As the beating waves smash into the hull of our lives, with the creaking mask under the pressure of the torrid wind tearing into our main sail, the quandary of life and death tugging away at our minds; do we cry, “drop the sail” of do we push through to safety trusting in our God? It’s only the trials of life that proves who we all are when it comes to faith.

If even the winds and the seas obey the voice of our great Saviour, why do we worry? Sadly we have a fallen fleshy body that always looks to pull us towards independence. The greater our faith the harder it must be tested so that we may be sure of its substance; the louder the call, the greater the need for a fuller measure of faith.

“Let not this, however, discourage those who are young in faith. You will have trials enough without seeking them: the full portion will be measured out to you in due season. Meanwhile, if you cannot yet claim the result of long experience, thank God for what grace you have; praise him for that degree of holy confidence whereunto you have attained: walk according to that rule, and you shall yet have more and more of the blessing of God, till your faith shall remove mountains and conquer impossibilities.” (Charles Spurgeon)

Signing off

Tyrone

Realignment

Regardless of the arena where our voices are heard and where we stand up to be counted; to be fashionably “current” is important. Imagine a businessman in the eighteen hundreds dressed to the hilt with his fancy attire looking to strike up an agreement with a computer geek of the twenty first century, a casually dressed millionaire in his slops and t-shirt. The deal would have had immense strain placed upon it before negotiations even began. Perceptions and preconceived ideological conditions establish who we are as individuals. As diverse as we all are, God remains the same yesterday, today and forever, He is constant, praise His name!

For us to handle scripture in a day like today we too must look for the clues that are relevant. The Word of God is not bound by time, whereas style is linked to time. Fashion must never dictate, the Word (Bible) must always take pre-eminence if we are to survive and end up on the right side of God’s judgments. Let me be clear, scripture in its entirety is relevant if we dissect the words within the verses that are on the pages with precision no differently to a homicide detective searching out clues within a crime scene; carefully paying attention to the obvious as well as the hidden detail. Some will be better than others in reading and interpreting scripture, no differently to the varying measures of talents across every other area of our lives. It is also obvious that we will play different roles within the body of Christ (the church, and on a local and universal scale). Therefore it would be impossible to continuously walk on our hands as feet where given to us by God for walking and yet hands are also crucial for our realities. The Apostle James says it like this; “let not many of your become teachers as you will receive a stricter judgement.” All where never meant to be teachers, but all are capable of an intermit relationship with God, that is, if we are born again and new creatures in Christ. Then and only then will we have eyes to see spiritual truths.

The voice of reasoning, which on the surface is exactly that, reasonable. Logic and common sense teach us to live in a certain manner. However when we strip it down it is the opposite of faith, which God requires from His children; “but my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him." (Hebrew 10:38)  - “reasoning” in that sense is in direct opposition to the voice of God and is driven by the devil and his followers. When the Lord Jesus sent out his disciples to proclaim the gospel what was his instruction in spite of their initial obvious understanding of planning for their trip? Thoughts like; food, a weapon for self defence, a change of clothing and money for the trip…

This was the instruction; “These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them, “Acquire no gold nor silver nor copper for your belts, no bag for your journey, nor two tunics nor sandals nor a staff, for the laborer deserves his food.”” In that sense God does not need help from men to do His bidding , He is the great “I AM”, this is were I believe so many of us get it wrong, we bring God down to our level instead of the other way around. True faith allows us to operate in the correct realm, GODS DOMAIN!

It is imperative to trim our sails and to check our bearing if we are to make it to our final destination, heaven with all its glory!

Let us all remember that if we believe in our hearts that God raised Jesus from the dead and confess with our mouths that Jesus is Lord of our lives, we most certainly belong to the household of God and we shall be saved on that day, and yet when we flip the coin we see that God is not happy with those who draw back…

”Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised. For, "Yet a little while, and the coming one will come and will not delay; but my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him. But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.” (Hebrews 10:35-39)

Are we numbered amongst the latter or have we fallen asleep? Is it time to trim your sails, I have made up my mind, my sails need constant trimming. Give me strength Father God in the mighty name of Jesus Christ my Lord and Saviour to see the wood from the trees and to discern your will for my life and not to over emphasis the carnal wants in my life. Teach me to live by faith, Amen and Amen!

Signing off

Tyrone