Re-position

On every corner there seems to be such a rally for position, this is driven by human nature and it is not the work of the Spirit of God. God never rallies, HE IS! We on the other hand are always striving for a station, we want recognition. Such misguided drive and yet very much part of our temperament. It’s only once we become alive to Christ, understanding what he has done for us and not on a “religious” or habitual practice but a personal one. 

With the administration of the Spirit we now have the ability to re-channel that drive. However we must count the cost to the best of our ability. It’s one thing to prepare but quite another to formulate into the realm of the unseen. The Word of God is so crucial for our lives, we cannot for a moment disregard its instruction, for when it is ignored we will suffer loss, both in this life and the one to come. I have said it before and will say it again, “do not be fool” there is life after death, which shall be eternal. So much off God’s instruction is non-negotiable. Yes we have been saved by grace, but we are not to mistake that for license, which can easily happen if we revert back to our old habits. It’s only when we walk in the Spirit that we put to death that man of old. This is a daily battle that will have to be faced and the more we yield the duller we become, I thank God for His Grace in my life. I know where I would be without the Comforters influence in my life. Here I stand but by the grace of God, thank you Jesus.

Here then is the instruction   

“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.” (Galatians 5:16) – Listen, I have certain not arrived, nor am I suggesting that my race is run, far from it, but I will press on by the grace of God to trim my sail and re-align the rudder to my life looking to Jesus the author and finisher of my faith. It when we blink and drop our guard that we end up asking ourselves, how did I end up here? But we know the answer to that, it’s in the quoted verse.

As Christians there is a very easy way for us to examine ourselves against the will of God. Methodically work through the prayer “Our Father”, personalizing it and we will soon see where our sail needs trimming. God has open my eyes to the importance of that brilliant insight that the Lord Jesus gave to his disciples and all those looking to pay careful consideration to his instruction.

We have our teaching, will we pay careful attention to it? Remembering this whatever I pen is as much an instruction to myself as well as the reader. I am being spoken too from within. The Spirit realigning my perceptions on a daily basis, helping me to cry out to Jesus.   

   

Position in Christ is crucial if it is to end well, nothing else we help in eternity. There is much to say on this, but let me leave that open ended for now. If we continue to insist on finding a posting in Christ we must be prepared to go the way of the Master or else we may find ourselves counterfeit. The trial of life we soon test if what we declare is real. It’s easy to talk, but what about the walk?  

Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life and our example, period! To find solace we must lose our lives. Every other proposition will eventually lead us down the wrong road. Here then is the model to find a position in God’s kingdom which will please our heavenly Father, we must learn to rely on the finished work of Calvary; looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith. It’s not about our abilities but rather His finished work. We must learn to walk circumspectly before a Holy God. We may still be working so many areas of our lives, we may have lost many battles, just so long as we don’t lose the war, once again CHRIST HAS OVERCOME! It’s when our eyes shift that we all revert back to the weakness of our flesh, it ort not to be, but sadly at times that is our reality.

God has provided a way for all to find His forgiveness and that is through the finished work of the cross. There can be no exception, in fact many believe that they will make it to heaven some other way and sadly they will be wrong. There is only ONE who has overcome and paved the way for all to rely on. He will get us home. One thing is for sure, it will never be about me and my position, the work is FINISHED, Jesus has conquered. He conquer through death. The Christian needs to arrive at a place of complete commitment, letting go and relying on our unseen Saviour through the eyes of faith, for the same power that rose Jesus from the dead will also raise us up. Do you believe this? Then let Jesus have his way and find grace in time of need, beyond the mirages of time nothing else will every over shadow the work of Calvary. Praise the mighty name of Jesus now and forever more, Amen and Amen!

Signing off

Tyrone

Justification

Justification is something we all yearn for, from a very early age we all look to be justified. We wanted to stand up and be recognised. The higher the office the greater the reward. This then brings me to God’s mercy, the uppermost office of all, no one above His authority, He has the final say on all things, period! 

He will determine where we will all end up and there is no skirting this truth, absolutely no wiggle room. But you better believe we will all end up somewhere and it will be eternal. You see, although we are made up of flesh, blood and bone we also have a hidden spirit within us, commonly known as our soul. It’s this part of us that is intertwined with our consciousness that will forever continue beyond the borders of time. However, it's the voices of the enemy of God that look to thwart that this idea is ludicrous. They know it to be true, they are spirit beings that cannot deny the fact, and they are already living out their existence within that realm. As for those who have gone on, they understand this truth. Paul Moore, James Small and now Johnny Clegg all seemed to die before their allotted time, all within two weeks of each other. Who truly knows when our allocated time will end?

It’s never the point whether we truly agree or disagree with the laws of the land, sure we can voice our disapproval, but breech that countries laws and see what happens. You will stand before a judge who will then pass on a sentence. You don’t need higher education to understand this. Break a law, get caught and pay the penalty. We are all guilty of sin and deserve to be punished in accordance with the breach of God’s laws.

How can I find justification in the eyes of God? I know who I am, I know what I have done and I confess that I am a sinner by nature. I am certainly not someone who can claim favour from God because of my behaviour and I am aware of that. This is where the brilliance of God blows my mind into orbit.

Its faith that now justifies me through Christ and brings with it the peace of God into my life. Can you claim that? If not you are just a cry away. Repent, turn to Jesus, call out to HIM, believe in His resurrection from the dead and then simply confess Him as Lord. 

Why is this important?

We are ungodly individuals by nature prior to salvation, call it our default if you like. But for some it’s the trickery of our own minds that subterfuges us into believing that we are not that tarnished, therefore our good will outweigh our bad and God will accept us into heaven, wrong! That is a lie and will never happen. If that is your persuasion you need to have it thwarted fast. For as long as that dominates your understanding it will keep you from true freedom in Christ.

This is what God did for mankind after being continuously stabbed in the back and the Apostle Paul breaks it down for us. Although its past tense, this door is still open, but for how long who can actually say?

“For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:7-8)

Here is the contention, some would possibly die if presented with the right scenario. A parent dying for their child, a soldier dying for their country, but let’s face it, who would ever put their life of the line for their enemy, make a conscious decision to die for them? This is exactly what God did for us; “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Now if that doesn’t blow our minds I am not sure what could. 

A sinner is really someone who opposes God’s authority and then acts out in defiance. For many it is never an actual conscious premeditated decision to vindictively defy God. However it ends up being our reality. It’s this very dilemma, because we are sinners and because of the trickery way back in the garden, that induced Gods love to act out and give mankind a lifeline; “ 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.” Who can actually speak on behalf of God and His thoughts, we all need to tread lightly, just read the book of Job and you will have your answers. All I know is God is full of love and wants all to repent everywhere. 

God sent His only begotten Son to die in our place, the only man to ever live without ever defying God. In his moments of weakness, he never crossed over and therefore because of his life and death on a cruel Roman cross he procured the ability to forgive sinners of their sin. But unless we see ourselves as such (sinners) we will never be saved.

You see the self-righteous do not believe they need a Savior, it’s only the sinner that looks for forgiveness. It’s only the sick that seeks out the doctor.

This then is the heart of the ONE who has it in HIS power to save; “And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” The call has gone out and it is crystal clear that the sinner has been called.

How does one then get saved? Acknowledge your state before God, do not cover up your sin, God sees all, confess you need to be saved and seek out God’s forgiveness for all of it. It’s up to you to find salvation for yourself in and through the finished work of the cross. What do I mean by that? It’s personal, forget what others tell you, you will know when you have been touched by the hand of God. It was the greatest day of my life.

Once it happens and after some wrestling this is where you will find yourself; “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 5:1)

Are you a sinner that needs a Saviour or not? 

Signing off

Tyrone

Reality

The brilliance of God who can fathom it; really! We are so far from even scratching the surface of God and His brilliance. He is perfect in every way and is full or divine power. Think about that… perfect in righteousness, both a heaven and a hell, which will have eternal inhabitants; those blessed and co heirs with Christ reaping and enjoying the benefits of God’s glory as sons of the living God, whilst others on the end of His wrath for all eternity. Just think about the way we reason things out. How often do we look to condemn the criminal and sentence them to the punishment we think they deserve and often conclude that their sentence is far too light. So why then do we arrive at a summation that if God is love He could never send someone to hell? The only and obvious answer is deception, for some the thought of hell is just too scary and if they ignore the truth behind its existence all will be well, they are wrong! Millions will end up there, but God has made a way for all to escape in and through his beloved son, the Lord Jesus Christ, it’s in HIM alone that we will forgo that looming judgment. The only way to find forgiveness is though repentance. “For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”” – The answer is obvious cry out to Jesus, call out unto HIM and once acquaintance has truly been established all those nagging question about life will aligned.

My mind then takes me on a journey, or is it the Spirit of God, I cannot say. When we consider life and in particular, our lives and the lessons we could and should be gleaning from to lead us in the direction of God and His brilliance, ending up on the side of His mercy and love is really all we need ever achieve in this life, the rest of our journey is but fill in. Let the truth resonate, picture your life from birth to death in the context of eternity and when plotted on a graph how much would acutely resonate, this is our reality. Has the penny dropped? As they say, the proof of the pudding is in the eating. Examine, explore and dissect your lives and see whether you are truly in the faith. Are we making every concerted effort to grab hold onto eternity? I know that I am lacking in this area of my life, but by the grace of God I will not become complacent. I will pay careful attention to those who have gone before me and glean from their understanding through the trial of life and in particular, those whom God chose to pen the bible, as they have by far the most to teach us. God give us the eyes to see and the ears to understand what the Spirit of God is teaching at any given time. It must cut through the strongholds of the mind, and it will if given its rightful place, praise God for His love. He has given us the ability to walk in the Spirit and to put on the mind of Christ, which is mammoth!  So where to from here? It’s Jacob who comes to mind, I have a limp, a car accident many years ago, part of a process, somewhat like having our ears syringed; you see I had become dull of hearing, thank God for his discipline. Jacob on the other hand had his limp form wrestling an angel, he was so determined that he did not let go until he received a blessing. It’s time to wrestle in a sense, make quality time to sit at the feet of Jesus without any distractions and make your requests known to God your Father, because He cares for you. Just don’t make the mistake of asking for the wrong things, mundane worldly trivia, but rather life giving strength to put the old man down.     

I resolve to look for reasons why I can instead of why I can’t.

To God be the glory now and forever more…

Signing off

Tyrone      

Chernobyl

Chernobyl was a city that faced disaster and still suffers the aftermath. They did not heed the danger signs and looked for short cuts when it came to safety. In 1978 one of their nuclear plants exploded and then it was too late the damage was done. What can the Christian learn from this encounter? We should constantly be on the lookout for the clues that teach us about God’s plan. There are hidden clues everywhere, even the Lord Jesus operated within the realm of parables. Precious gems for those eager to search out. So much truth hidden in plain sight. The purpose of a parable is to keep the truth from the charlatans (those who love darkness more than the light) but those with eyes to see always comprehend beyond the surface, they have the ability to unearth far deeper truths. If you are not amongst that number then cry out to Jesus, He has and wants to give sight to the blind, He has proved this beyond any shadow of doubt, he died for sinners, the One without sin paid the price for the sinner so that they could go free. I am forever thankful.  

What is the warning I see from Chernobyl, avoid the advices of scripture at your own peril, we are instructed to give particular attention to its detail, there are wolves that look to twist the word of God to suits their sinful desires, which we must not ignored. We are most certainly not exempt from ourselves. But someone must counterbalance the declarations that defy the voice of God. If I see something who am I to hold my peace, it’s not the enemy that concerns me but rather those in the fold that seemed to be taken by him. I will by the grace of God fight for them, we are in God’s army and marching to victory. There will come a day where we will breathe our last and our fight will be over, but until then, let us cling to this precious commodity, the Word of God, the Bible, with all we have, as it is most certainly an aid to get us home. It is filled with the Lord Jesus who is the Word and must never be ignored.

Here is the warning, just as it was in the days of Sodom and Gomorrah, so shall it be with the coming of the Son of man. There is a city that gives us insight and a look into many clues, deeper hidden truths about so many things, however I wish to highlight the fact that there is a day coming when the Christian will not taste death but be raptured, caught up in a moment, in a twinkling of and eye to be changed for corruptible to incorruptible. We will receive glorified bodies that will never age as we understand it, wow! Worth fighting for? That date has never been set in stone, but with regards to our acumen, that remains hidden deep within the heart of our Heavenly Father, It’s the ostrich that buries its head in the sand, we must pay careful attention to the sign of the times. They are warnings to help us prepare for that specific day. At least half of the proclaiming Christian population will be caught off guard. I pray with all my heart that we will not be amongst that number.

We must find out some historical facts about the state of Sodom and Gomorrah and learn from their mistakes. Is that not the point of any lesson to avoid destruction? This is what we do know, the judgment of God destroyed those cities, wiped them out and all those tipping their hats to the conduct of those towns behavioural patterns faced the wrath of God. No one escaped, save those rescued by the angels.

Our carnal instincts looks to thwart any difficult instruction, which is where the power of sin grains traction. A deviation from the truth is all that is needed to take us off track. It would appear that there was a warped sexual appetite driving their wickedness. It even may have gone beyond that, who’s to actually say, God knows. What is obvious, is that distortion was evident, sex was high on the agenda of many, and there were two angel that God had sent to save Lot and his family who had the form of men, the appetite of sin that drove the crowd pressed hard against the front door to lay hold of these men (angels) and force themselves upon them, despite the offer from Lot of his two virgin daughters, whom they refused. An unthinkable offer from a father who obviously loved his daughters very much, the circumstances had to be extremely dire, but once we are able to shift through all the static looking to rob us from the actual message, which is to follow and obey the voice of God in order to avoid destruction, period! There is no room for the song “I did it my way”, sorry that will have a disastrous outcome, hell will be ones final destination, and it would be amiss of me not to remind us about that sentence as it is eternal.

There is a storeroom of grace available to the Christian, all we need do is boldly approach and cry out to Jesus.

Signing off

Tyrone

Purpose

I find myself asking the question what it is that God wants from me. There are many correct retorts, but I believe to love His Son with all I have would be top of the pops. He first loved us by sending His son to pay the price for our sin, my sin. There is nothing that can and will hold more value to the guise of my mind. Therefore, whatever looks to rob me from attaining this goal must be rooted out, every effort needs to be made to achieve the result; to love the Lord you God with all our hearts, souls and minds. And we can only begin to achieve this because of His sacrifice, there must be a hunger for Christ in our lives, to be blessed by Him in the early hours of the morning is my prayer. This is possible only because He first loved us and now we love Him, yes we do, if we confess Him as Lord of our lives. But how much do we love Him? Whatever is in the way needs to move or at least aid me in embracing the grace available so that I may endure the hardship. What is the point of never learning, it’s like a child on a merry-go-round, getting dizzy and going nowhere. Every obstacle in life has its purpose and when used correctly it will help us achieve our ultimate goal, which is to love the Lord Jesus with the correct measure intended.

Here is a gem that I am often reminded about; “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12:2) – There was a man, a king that learnt this well, Solomon arrives at a conclusion; “The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.” (Ecclesiastes 12:13) – How many of us can actually claim we live our lives by that rule? Is it priority number 1 or is it just somewhere way down the list? 

I realise that this verse (Romans 12:2) has a large part to play in my life, In the book of Romans Paul spend meticulous time leading up to this truth, we must get the importance of the contest behind the instruction. Our lives are full of assessments nothing is random, per say. The brilliance of God is conforming us to the image of His beloved Son, our blessed Saviour. I am convinced that we haven’t even begun to understand the brilliance of our God. Sure we have embrace His mercy, been stroked by His love, placed our heads on the pillow of His peace. Moses came close, it’s only when we see Him for who He actually is, with all His glory that we will appreciate the magnitude of His wonder, I long for that day, even so come quickly Lord Jesus.

Just remember, that whatever you face throughout the day, whatever the outcome there is a far greater purpose behind it all, it’s to teach us all about the character of our great Saviour, we must affirm that there is nothing more importance in our lives than the great I AM! Did you know that suffering helps us conquer sin and leads us to a place of obedience? Just in case you have some doubt; “Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered.” (Hebrews 5:8) - Once we prove our worth through faith we are blessed by the peace of God that surpasses all understanding. One day soon we will be the sons of God for all eternity. A day where God will look us in the eye and say I am your God and you are my son. How I long for that day, how about you?

Signing off

Tyrone

True Wisdom

Definitions often come with what seems to be absolute brilliance, however everything falls short if its foundation is flawed and as appealing at it may seem it will never cut the mustard, it will always tickle the ears if it rings true to our carnal understanding. Like metal to a magnet we gravitate towards what we understand as wisdom; we are carnal sold under sin, God is spirit and the complete opposite of sin. We are literary worlds apart and governed by a completely different set of principles. Two completely different play books. Which one are you using?

What is the definition of wisdom? It is a noun; the quality of having experience, knowledge, and good judgement; the quality of being wise. Good, right? A little vague. Wise on whose merit of understanding? There are so many differing opinions on so many topics.

Pay very careful attention, forget what you have been taught, regardless of experience or age… Here is the true understanding of wisdom; “And he said to man, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding.’” (Job 28:28) – true wisdom is all about having the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the forefront of our minds with as many decisions as possible and the more we begin to apply this rule to our lives the wiser we become. Now just like Christian met Mr Worldly Wiseman on his pilgrimage so too will we have similar encounters, their counter will be full of “Carnal Policy” and his counsel was this; “I would advise thee then, that thou with all speed get rid of thy Burden; for thou wilt never be settled in thy mind till then: Nor canst thou enjoy the Benefits of the Blessings which God hath bestowed upon thee, till then.” What is true blessing, prosperity and living life in the lap of luxury or finding forgiveness for our sins? The one is temporal the other eternal. Why can’t we have both? Sadly they tend to draw supply from different pools.

God is merciful and will always look to bless those who truly seek Him out. “It is Finished” the gap from the Carnal to the Spirit World is bridged and the key to unlocking its gate is Jesus Christ; there is no other way to find favour, period! It’s our association with Him that strengthens our relationship with God. There are many other voices out there that cry foul, but they only make noise to deceive. If you looking for the truth, or the way and the meaning of life, penned in plain sight so many years ago; And Jesus said; “I am the way the truth and the life and no man comes to the Father but by me.” (John 14:6)

With that established, it’s through repentance that we find forgiveness, regardless of you crime, truth repentance will find forgiveness, thankfully God is merciful and not turn one away. He is the great I AM, what’s to say He couldn’t have been an unmerciful entity, then what chance would we ever have? This in itself is an astonishing truth, religion teaches us that we need to earn salvation, which is a lie, and there is only one sacrifice that God has accepted, the ransom of His only begotten Son the Lord Jesus Christ, we all need HIS covering and not our feeble attempts to earn points as we look to buy our way into heaven. The belvederes continue to voice God’s offer to all, but it’s often only the wounded sinner that truly responds. The one in need of a Saviour, it’s only the sick that ever seek out the physician.

You have a decision to make, we do it all the time, and some of you have climbed the ladder of success and have acted from a platform of power when called upon. What will you do? I have made up my mind, as for me and my household we will serve the Lord.

Signing off

Tyrone

Perceptions

Perceptions can often be an allusion; we perceive something to be true when in fact it is simply a lie. And yet there is nothing meek about any lie, its purpose, to deceive! All deception comes from the father of lies, the devil. He is the mystery of deceit, we know that he was created by God perfect in beauty and full of wisdom, but it was his wisdom that somehow puffed him up to challenge God’s authority. We see a lot of that in society, people challenging the authority of God. Whenever we challenge His Word we prove but one thing, “the apple doesn't fall far from the tree”. The devil challenged God and was banished from heaven. Doomed for a time that will eventually arrive, the Lake of Fire will be his final destination.

Those who challenge God’s authority, despise the Word of God, and the ones who claim to know so much, in fact really know so little about the Bible. Prior to salvation, we all carried the guises of our father the devil. That may be hard pill to swallow, but it must be digested if we are to find freedom in Christ. And yet it is impossible to understand our predicament prior to deliverance, it’s the goodness of God that leads a person towards repentance; the mysteries of God, who can know then.

We all see through a misted pane of glass, we comprehend shapes and colours but sometimes the distinct details of our surroundings are hard to distinguish. Without God’s intervention in our lives it would be impossible to come into a position of understanding, where we can with full assurance cry out “I can see”! Thank God for His mercy and grace, because of it, we see enough to press on toward the high calling of God in Christ Jesus our Lord, bless His name now and forever more, Amen and Amen!

The reality of our predicament is this, believe God and reject the counsel from the kingdom on Satan and all those who support his theories or suffer the demise, an eternity in the Lake of Fire. The reality of his destiny is as good as set in stone but the sad part of it all is those whom he will take with him and we must ask ourselves are we amongst that number? Pay careful attention; “And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” (Revelation 20:15)  

Run with the masses at your own peril, twist the word of God to suit your lifestyle again at your specific liability. God does not change, He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow, period! He is perfect and perfection needs no adjustment.

Let me try and find association that we all might understand the urgency. A con man looks for his next con and yet in order to succeed he must initiates a plan of deception believed by the one whom he cons, right? Once the con is embraced it is too late, the damage is done. The secret is to expose the scam prior to the signature. And in this case prior to our deaths. We must come to our senses before we breathe our last breath here on earth. Miss out and eternity will not be escaped, but rather a world of hurt awaits.  Now the conmen who spin you this story, there is no hell don’t worry about it. Many of us do not come to the light because we have such sinful hearts and we are scared that the light of God will expose us for who we are. The conman says all will be well, forget about it. But God says “whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved”.

Now we are left with a choice, who will you believe and what will be your response?

I know this, it is the blind who lead the blind and both will fall into the ditch.

Thank you Father God for opening my eyes to your truth.

Signing off

Tyrone

Walk in the Spirit

Clear the mechanism, in other words put on the mind of Christ! Today is a new day, yesterday has passed never to return; if we walk in the Spirit we will put to death the deeds of our flesh. The Word is clear on the subject, it does not say; walk in the Spirit and you will get better at Christianity, IT SAYS; “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.” (Galatians 5:16) – Its only once we begin to water down the Word that we miss the author’s intention behind its meaning. This is a statement without any wiggle room attached to it. It’s as good as if it was set in stone, locked into position for saints to feed and draw strength off. A beautiful statement of fact! The question we need to ask ourselves is do we unequivocally believe it to be true? It’s not enough to believe the idea behind the statement; what I mean by that is if we settle on this verse as a partial aid to get me through the day, a sort of a quick fix to magically get me through the trial of life, which will never cut it. Abraham is the father of faith, why? HE BELIEVE GOD, period! We too must look to start applying the Word of God with that same mind-set, anything less will leave us wanting. We must be on the lookout and avoid gleaning only what appeals to our carnality.

Ok, so with that established, what must I do to help me walk in the Spirit? This is now the process of Christianity at its core. I must not now begin to mimic walking in the Spirit under the drive of the flesh, when put to the test this application will be found wanting and proved to be counterfeit. I must be driven by faith, I must believe God, and I must learn to put all my trust in Christ’s finished work. I must be stripped of my independence, which is probably the hardest lesson of all.

Leaving that which is behind me, I must run this race with my total dependency upon what God has done for me, opened my eyes to the spirit world and with the Holy Spirit ushering me towards the finish line. We will stumble at times and many of us have scars to prove it, be that as it may, we know in whom we have believe, all hail King Jesus, bless and praise his name now and forever more, Amen and Amen!

Today is a new day filled with a multitude of potential blessing, so let us be mindful of those who have gone before us as we consider their struggles and feed off the hope that is ours in Christ; one day we shall be like HIM and what a day that shall be. I long for that day when my flesh shall be swallowed up and where the eyes of faith are no longer needed. The day when I see my God in person and as He is, Wow! even now that is an exciting thought which motivates,

Signing off

Tyrone

"Position"

“Position, position and position” is what I am after; think about it aren’t we all? My mind has been stretched and my imagination is running riot all because of the vivid dream I had last night. It is fresh in my mind, cats looking to take me out, lions leopards and even jaguars’ all looking for a piece of me. Up a tree I went with only a small blade in my hand and then it got chaotic. First a lioness intrepidly gliding up the tree trunk with her piercing eyes locked on her prize, me! She clawed eagerly into position and then she made her move with a lung she went in for the kill but met my blade instead, it was just enough of a distraction to throw her off guard and she tumbled to her death. Others had now elevated themselves above and to the side of me, I remain locked in position ready to parry off the next bout. Before I knew, somehow I had fended off all my pursuers and they had all plummeted to their deaths. It’s not the first time I have dreamed about lions trying to take me out, normally I am always running or hiding from them, but not last night, I took up a position and faced them head on.

Why would I even bother to mention all of this? There is a great lesson in it for me and maybe you too could learn from it as you project the principle gleaned from my experience and appropriate it into your lives. It may help some.

The very first thing I think about when I have these episodes is this; “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” (1Peter 5:8) – And then men that come to mind Peter, James and John the generals being targeted by the devil. But it’s Peter that gives me the encouragement, even the struggling saints have their bridges to cross. The ones whom are dismissed by the wicked world as a joke, those who never seem to learn and make the same mistakes over and over. I tell you this, that while we have breath we have hope, victory is just a prayer away and then once acknowledged the wherewithal to commit to our great God. There are those that seem to always be learning but never coming to the knowledge of the truth. Understanding our weakness, owning up to them and then vehemently seeking God’s face to have them addresses in righteousness.

In the throes of my dream I am filled with fear and it is as real as me sipping away at my coffee. I must confess it was not a very pleasant experience. However, through process it has taught me a very valuable lesson, “position, position and position” was the key to my success, and it gave me the victory. Whilst running and hiding over the years in my dreams I was always filled with anxiety, it was a terrible experience and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone. Not to say that my dream last night didn’t carry with it an element of fear, it did! However once force into a corner and with only one feasible out, I instinctively sprang into action and positioned myself as best I could. Against all odds I survived. Whatever attack formation these gnarly beast conjured up, their attacks all failed, plummeting them to their deaths. In hindsight and on reflection strategic brilliance surrounded me as these cats moved in for their kill. Now process this thought, how will the created ever be a match for the creator?

  

We must not now make the mistake of locking this experience into the natural domain but rather use it to explore the spiritual. We must face our fears, whatever bothers us the most in our lives must eventually be tackled head on. But for us to find victory we need to stop running and POSITION ourselves correctly; “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:1-2) – We must be convinced about the hope which one day shall be ours. We must learn to lock onto the Lord Jesus’ victory, He has overcome and we must believe with all our hearts that we stand in HIS finished work. Carnality is our worst enemy, it always drives us from God. But it’s within our minds that we need to command our bodies into action, we need to position ourselves, and we must do it! It is not as if we will be arrested from an external source and have no say in the matter, we must do it! We must POSITION ourselves correctly and then all we need to do is STAND! In other words believe God, finished! We often want the easy way out, walking in the Spirit is not the easy way out but the only way we will please our heavenly Father and the only way we will ever conquer those doubts in our lives.

Here is the instruction, remember to dress for battle, we must put on the whole armour of God. And once we are satisfied with the fit we must remember to STAND, regardless of the onslaught. “Resist the devil and he will flee from you”, it certainly doesn’t say fight him. We are no match for him, but one day that will all change when we receive our glorified bodies, but until then let us remember to stand in Christ’s victory.

Signing off

Tyrone

Thank you!

Blessed be the name of the man who was put to shame for me, all hail King Jesus! The only king, who was every shamed for the sins of so many. How many kings have paid the penalty for the perpetrated? Can you name any? Let me tell you that the Lord Jesus Christ, the king of the Jews, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob paid a penalty that he never had to pay as he chose through an abundance of love to rescue so many trapped by iniquity and paid the price for their sins, my sins! A man who lived a life of sinless perfection, took the punishment of the very thing he had conquered and was tried as a sinner, where he bled and died on Calvary.

We have had people tried and sentenced for crimes they didn’t commit, a flaw of our judicial system. But never with the magnitude of the Lord Jesus’ sacrifice. Accused of breaching the law of God by those who instituted the law of God, the religious rulers of the Jews, what a joke! Hear we have an example which would be good for us to slow down and consider; one of the greatest traps that have mankind fooled into believing their lie, we need an epiphany to see the wood from the trees; “Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God?” (Romans 2:3) – It is absolutely phenomenal how blind we can be at times, we believe we deserve so much more, we really believe it, but do we deserve it? Ok, I own the truth that I have blundered more than most, and so maybe this makes it somewhat easier to own, all I ask is that you gawk out into the crowd and scan the faces of all those who accuse others but excuse themselves, are you amongst the number? The judges of the Lord Jesus certainly where. Be that as it may, the brilliance of God the Father’s plan unfolding in accordance with His will. Yes his son to pay the penalty for a breach he never committed. Genius personified! God’s mastermind at play with so many clueless to the brilliance behind it all. The so called wisdom of the world and all its inhabitants running around like chickens without heads, and then we have the spiritual world who were also outsmarted by the only true God, Satan playing into the hands of God.

THANK YOU JESUS FOR DYING FOR ME…

Where is boasting? Have we learnt the lesson yet? It has been excluded, all honour praise and glory belongs to my king, King Jesus. There is nothing we can add to that equation to give it more power, it is a work complete in totality and it is finished. All that now matters is our sin covered by the blood of the Lamb? Are our sins forgiven? We must be absolutely persuaded. If so, we now must learn to walk in the light and it’s when we keep step with the light that teaches us this lesson well. It’s only when we walk in the Spirit that we will have the capacity to put to death the draw and influence of the sin that so easily besets. When I slip and fall what does this prove? The answer is an obvious one, I am not keeping in step with the light. Thank God that through His glorious Word, the Bible’s teachings and the experiences of life when mirrored through the eyes of the Spirit it teaches us about the Way, the Truth and the Life! The brilliance of God! Who can fathom it? But we have the mind of Christ, let’s put it to use.

Signing off

Tyrone

And the war rages on...

And the war rages on… what is your weapon of war?

Do don’t be fooled the battle is fierce and you are in the heat of that mêlée, slap bang in the middle of it, you are the centrepiece, the king which the enemy needs conquered, we may all be pawns in the global game of life, but certainly not in our own worlds, we are the king and everything revolves around us. But through the haze of it all we must focus on the prize, heaven and all it glory. Everyone plays here, no one is exempt, we didn’t chose to play, but that is irrelevant, we are here and the game has begun. Our birth made sure of that. Game on! The result can only ever have one of two outcomes, fail and eternal damnation will be your end, win and an eternity of bliss in the presence of God, but more than that you will be number amongst the sons of God forever and ever. That is what I want more than anything this world has to offer me. But like I said the battle is fierce…

We are our own worst enemies, and no one is exempt from the equation. Time to look to the Word of God for the eye salve needed to focus on the bigger picture…

Its all about the end game, but how the game is played will determine our outcome. We learn this principal from a very young age, but it’s where we place our attention that is critical. Sadly it’s all about the natural, be the best of the best in whatever we do and all will end well, WRONG! We must look to Jesus and not depend upon our ability. This is such an unnatural phenomena that we need the Spirit’s intervention in our lives or else it would be an impossible task. This must be done with a natural body, it’s what we have. Everything around us is designed to entice us to walk in the flesh, it’s only the unseen that will give us the direction that we need to overcome. We must look through the eyes of faith, which in itself is a gift from God. Plead for the gift of faith if your conviction wains, ask your heavenly Father to supply all your need and He will be quick to come to your aid, but ask you must.

Heaven and earth both dominated by two different underlying realities, the spirit (the unseen) and the natural (everything we are privy too). God has ordained that for us, first the natural and then the spiritual, for the angels a different set of rules. That doesn’t concern us for now, it’s about our game and not theirs, per say. It’s crucial that we get ours worked out and then we need to commit. However there is so much “static” about, our lives are filled with so much “noise” that we often loose our bearing, but only for a time, when we come to our senses and we look to Jesus and the Word of God our rudders are realigned and we can once again commit with zeal. So where are you, what are you doing with your life and is your time spent committed to the natural or are you walking in the spirit? These are the question that need answering.

Here are some facts that need serious consideration…

I want us to look a little deeper than the surface, and it will then become clear, ask The Holy Spirit to enlighten your understanding and touch the areas in your lives that need to be addressed.

We have been tricked into believing that we can get ourselves to heaven even if our mouths say something different. Sure there isn’t a Christian alive that will not acclaim salvation to the Lord Jesus Christ. But how many having begun in the Spirit now look to the flesh to earn their salvation? All they really start doing is depending upon their natural abilities once again. Whilst others look to excuse away the sin and use grace as a licence to get away with it. Both will have disastrous outcomes. Why? They are both driven by the natural. Anything driven by the natural will always look to oppose the will of God because the core of it has been tainted by sin, which is the enemy of God. You get it?

I realise I am only scraping the surface with this subject. I could write a book on the topic and there would still be much left unexplored. All I am looking to do is plant the seed, which God has planted in my understanding so that it may germinate in your mind and then play out into your game. Whether a managing director, widow, orphan, mother, father, school goer, breadwinner or wherever you fit, the rules are the same for all, walk in the Spirit and you will put to death the lust of the flesh; “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.” (Galatians 5:16) 

If we do not learn to apply this truth to our lives, we will suffer a world of hurt and if we never end up where we should, this is to depressing to even consider, so I will leave it at that; “For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 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 5:17-21) – Why will those not inherit the kingdom of God? They haven’t learnt the importance of looking to Jesus and walking in the Spirit. If and when we get this right, what bliss; “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. If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.” (Galatians 5:22-26) 

If we call ourselves Christians we then claim to LIVE BY THE SPIRIT we must also WALK IN THE SPIRIT.

Signing off

Tyrone