Crystal

Crystal is a word often used to describe clarity, and last night was such a night for me as God revealed a truth to me and it became clear as Crystal.

Deception is on every corner and the war is fierce and we are under a continual barrage of topics to take our minds of the truth in every area of our lives. A world filled with a “victims mentally”, a diversion, any cause to take our minds of what really matters, which is the WILL OF GOD for our lives. After all nothing else will count for much. We live and then we die and then eternity starts, where time is no longer a factor. One may save a dolphin or two or stop eating meat and somehow feel important enough to voice your efforts whilst picketing through the streets, doing your bit to save the planet. At what expense? God is the finally authority and certainly not privy to mankind’s approval on any matter whatsoever. It’s not as if we “the clay” has power over the “Potter”. God was never created, HE IS! We are his creation. 

I trust your mind is beginning to soften and understand how blessed we are in Christ, I speak to the Christian. And where does the strength of God lie? I will not speculate, but only glean truth that we have been given. God’s power is in his VOICE. He speaks and it comes to pass. God says and it happens. How the mechanics behind that actually works, I cannot say, however what I do know is when God gives a command it happens, accept when his creation rebels, the apple of his eye, Adam and Eve on their own mission decided to do it their way. Every planet orbits whilst holding its correct position, God has command it so, and yet mankind his prize creation, those created in His image, freewill their own persuasions on others and don’t give a damn about the will of God! The day of judgement is just around the corner…    

Let us now use our imagination, slow down and try visualise creation prior to God’s intervention. All we are told is that “in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth”. This is how the Bible introduces God with its first line. A crucial point that so many have missed, no wonder there are so many off on a tangent looking to save the planet. Misdirected energies moving people away from God instead of toward Him. People have been so blinded by this, when stripped down they actually believe that they can outsmart God. A fruit of Satan. Did you know that God is going to destroy the earth and make a new one from scratch, there will be no patch work done and those who have bent the knee to His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ will be its benefactors housing a glorious eternal spiritual body.

Let me explain; if God’s power resonates with his instruction, then how foolish would it be to go against it? It would be something like a man trying to go toe to toe with superman. The outcome an obvious one, unless he himself was made from kryptonite. We are carnal and God is a Spirit, an eternal entity, the One who is without beginning or end. We have so much more to learn of Him. However we have certainly been given enough information about His existence that it’s only the fool who would turn a blind eye and yet this seems to be the very thing that set God off against His creation. Mankind worshiping the creation instead of giving Him, the creator of all things, due benevolence. Quotes like, “the planets have aligned” or “mother earth” and the like, what rot!

Here is the verse to prove my thought; “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.” (Romans 1:18) - men and women rebelling against God with their own agendas, whilst their sin fuels their passions. 

Nevertheless in spite of it all God has “SO LOVED” that he has given us an escape and it not taking the dairy farmer to task as we look to close them down but rather the Saviour of the world, Jesus Christ, God in the flesh is the way, the truth and the life. He is the only answer. Repentance from us is require, a confession of our sins to God and not to a priest who then resolves us of our sin that is just another diversion. Salvation is personal and it must be by faith, individuals calling out to God from their closets. We have been instructed by the same voice who spoke the creation into being to call out unto Him so that we may escape the prevalent judgement, as it is coming. No differently to the rising and the setting of the sun. 

The only question we need to ask ourselves is whose side are we on, as for me and my house we will serve the Lord, Amen!

Signing off

Tyrone

Counsel

Sitting under the counsel of God’s Word has a phenomenal influence upon one's understanding. The confirmation of the change on our perception is staggering, the work of God the Holy Spirit is miraculous, changing hardened selfish individuals to resolve to lay down their lives for others. Society always looking for magic formulas to stand out from amongst the crowd. The bestselling techniques for the salesperson, the most effective diet for the one looking to trim down and so on. But as for the Christian, faith comes from hearing the Word of God and in turn it’s our faith that feeds our hope and our hope which energies our love one for another. After all, that’s what it is all about, LOVE and yet so many miss it. Why? I believe it is linked to our selfishness, instead of giving we are always looking to take and it’s about our rights and the privileges of others matters just so long as we are not left out of the mix. This is where the love of God is magnified so beautifully.

Let us explore…

I speak now to the Christian, please do not overlook the magnitude of God’s love, take a moment and consider some facts. Positionally, God is at the top, there is no one higher than Him. No one has the ability to teach him anything. The first Covenant, the law of God, although perfect in requirement what it lacked was an ability to set the captive free. It held the sinner in bondage to a law that was impossible to keep. Not that the law of God isn’t perfect in letter, it is. It exemplifies the character of God and the requirement He expects from his creation. Sadly sin had disqualified mankind of ever achieving that objective, save a few men that over time pleased God. Job and Daniel are two men that come to mind. Men who lived prior to the achievements of Christs victory on the cross and yet they seemed to be totally committed to the will of God for their lives. Men you silenced Satan. What an outstanding achievement. However, although we are able to glean from the Bible how they please God though their commitment to Him, these where isolated accounts through history, until the Lord Jesus Christ conquered death on that cruel Roman cross, freeing up a multitude of people to cry “Abba Father”. The second covenant proofing that the greatest of these three, “faith, hope and love” is LOVE! "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whoever believes on him would not perish but inherit eternal life." Put another way, it the love of God that actioned him into giving sinners a lifeline, but it came at a heavy price, His son, God in the flesh, had to die, be buried and then be raised from the dead to make a way for mankind to get back into a rightful relationship with our creator. What truly amazes me it the driving force behind God’s decision, it wasn’t guilt or pity, NO! It was the love of God that actioned Him into sending us a lifeline. This is why if you reject the work of the cross as your own personal lifeline and you do not embrace it with all you have, the Love of God will elude you. The outcome on the other side of death will be his wrath, the opposite extreme of his love. Imagine if God went to such lengths to highlight his love for us, having his own son crucified so that we could find freedom from the law of sin and death. The opposite must also be true, how severe will the wrath of God be? But today the love of God is on offer, praise the name of Jesus. "Whoever calls upon the name of Lord will be saved", but call you must.

I implore you, today is the day of salvation and do not harden your hearts as in the day of provocation. Their distrust of the voice of God on display for all to witness, with an undertone of what is God doing? We do not have the right to challenge God, ever! However we do now have the right to cry Abba Father, thank you Jesus.

Signing off

Tyrone

Victory

There is no other name where by a soul can be saved, save the name of Jesus Christ the Lord and any weapon fashion against the Christian will not prosper, it cannot for God has so willed it, Jesus has conquered all of our enemies and He did it in a body like ours. Think on that and be still. Give thanks with a grateful heart remembering the love of God and the extent of it. There are many religions propagating many different solutions but they are all noise looking for betterment. Religion depends on us but Christianity depends of Christ, praise His name now and forever more, get on the bus or you shall be doomed for eternity. It is a simple solution, however we must agree with the psalmist if we are to find rescue…

(Psalm 51:5)  Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. 

Here we see a true understanding of our station before a Holy God and how we compare. We have been hewn from a rock of sin and not from a sheet of innocence as the world loves to project. Even now as I pen these words I sense the resistance. There is no doubt that a baby’s mind is uncorrupted by the completeness of sin and yet they are beings just waiting to find their form as sinful creatures. It is impossible for it to turn out any other way and as much as our children are the apple of our eyes, they teach us the most about this truth. It doesn’t take long to witness sin beginning to forcibly mould their characters. The first tantrum when things do not go their way or how they learn to squirm into position to win their parents over so that they end up having their way. And then we catch them red handed in their first lie, really the list is endless. However, there is no doubt to what we see, but we knew that already, all we needed to do was have a long hard look in the mirror. Sin is the archenemy of God and Satan is the father of it all. This is where the ultimate battle begun and where is will end; we will be in either of the camps, of this I am certain, sin will always look to disguise its true colours as acceptable. It will always play itself off others; “I am not as bad as her” as it looks to justify its actions. But above all, it will always challenge the WORD OF GOD. We will never find true deliverance until we come to the same place David did and for some it may take a catastrophic disaster to come to our senses. I thank my Heavenly Father and my glorious Saviour for the hard knocks in my life as futile as most have been, they have shaped me into a position of weakness, seeking out God’s mercy and His grace. True strength is found in Him and once we truly see ourselves for who we are and accept our realities will we then be able to cry out unto the One who has it in His Power to save, Jesus the man who died and then was raised from the dead, the son of God, the God of Abraham. Isaac and Jacob!

Stop that “strawman” in its tracks, we are all sinners and rotten to our core, we need the grace of God to save us from ourselves and until we see ourselves as such we will have a hard time falling to our knees and seeking our God’s forgiveness for our sins. Remember the two thieves on the cross as they conversed with the Lord Jesus, how do you see yourself? Where do you fit in and what will you do about it? I have made up my mind, as for me and my household we shall bow the knee to Jesus.

    

Thank you Lord Jesus; just as you have been merciful to me I ask that you be merciful to all who now find themselves sharing my thoughts.

Signing off

Tyrone

Hope!

Hope! We all have it, in one form or another, but as for the Christian we feed our hope as our character is formed through the trial of life, without it we would be like water tossed to and fro as the wind skims the surface and the undertow tugs away at our resolve. Without hope we would be of all people most miserable. However, it’s through the difficult times in life that highlights the hope we have in Christ, if not we haven’t really understood the purpose of the “trial of life”. It’s the struggle that builds our hope, which is; “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality.” (1Co 15:52-53)

Death will come to some, but not to all, immortality our crown, but more than that we shall be like Him, individuals free from sin and co heirs with Christ. Sons of the living God, God will call us his sons, He will personally declare us as such to the angels and the unbelievers, those would thought they knew better than Him, wow! When I begin to ponder on these things my mind jumps for joy, how could it not? The hope we have in Christ and HIS perfect FINISHED work is like marrow to the bones, a comfort to the heart and it bring a song to my lips.

Remember this Christian, there is a day not too far away where we will see our Saviour as He is, not a physically marred weak man hanging on a cruel Roman cross, but the RISEN CHRIST IN ALL HIS GLORY! And know this, we too will have a body similar to His, praise God for the hope we have in Him. Without the love of God none of this would be ours, WOW!

So let me leave you with this thought, its character which produces hope, so before we ask why is this happening? Let us peel back a layer of the brilliance of God and then we will bless Him for His genius, knowing that it’s the “trial of life” which produces hope. Can an olive release its goodness without being crushed?

Thank you Father for including the Christian in your master plan, I love you and just to be allowed to see a snipped of your brilliance puts a skip in my step and warms my soul, to God be the glory now and forever more, Amen!

Signing off

Tyrone

Call out!

Being stranded at sea on a flimsy raft must be rather daunting, no matter where you gaze you see nothing but water. At the mercy of the currents, similarly to us and our lives, adrift and far from God, our creator. The damage is so server that our worlds are exclusively self-regulating, or so we would like to believe. Everyone opinionated on what they believe their perception to be on their very own existence. But only for as long as we breathe oxygenated air and then we shall all see the truth for what it is. Sorry to say, for some, then it will be far too late.

Why did God create mankind? For himself; "this people have I formed for myself, they shall show forth my praise". Sadly how far is that from the truth? Save a handful of individuals along the way whom God chose to single out, individuals hard pressed and who confronted fierce opposition from the enemy, the hates of God. The more I explore this thought the more I am floored about God’s goodness and His tolerance, such patience on display. Remembering this, He has it in His power to destroy. Supremacy to snuff out life just like that, and yet He allows people to mock, blaspheme and belittle His authority. Why, I know that type of resolve is far from mankind. However, the love of God who can fathom it? “For God so LOVED the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whoever would believe in Him would not perish but have eternal life.” It’s the Love of God that drives Him into action. And just like seasons have their time so too will the window of the Love of God come to an end for those dull of hearing, Today is the day of salvation, harden not you hearts but repent call upon the name of Jesus and you shall be saved. And as Solomon would said; “The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.” (Ecclesiastes 12:13-4) - So let me add to that for clarity, the Lord Jesus has paid the price for the repentant believer’s sin but make no mistake God has spoken and it will come to pass, judgement awaits the haters of God. The most important decision we will ever make in our lifetimes is this; will we bend the knee to Jesus Christ or will we turn our back on him? Will we be amongst the number of those who have their sins covered or not?

Be vigilant and pay careful attention to this message, sincerely seek out God’s forgiveness for your sins and you will escape the judgement of God. Be wise in your own opinionated ideas at the expense of a lost eternity. A thought far too dire to consider and yet millions already full of regret on the other side of eternity.

The solution is a simple one; “Call upon the name of the Lord and ye shall be saved.”

Signing off

Tyrone

That nagging question

I am not sure how many of you would remember a hit by Steve Winwood, “Higher Love”, it was a song I listen to in my teens. But I want us to focus on the message behind the voice…

Things look so bad everywhere
in this whole world, what is fair?
We walk blind and we try to see
Falling behind in what could be

Bring me a higher love
Bring me a higher love (oh oh)
Bring me a higher love
Where's that higher love I keep thinking of?

Mr Winwood, his name is Jesus Christ the Lord and He has been offered to all, which was motivated by the LOVE of God. “For God so LOVED the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whoever would believe in HIM would not perish but inherit eternal life.” So that is the “higher love you keep thinking of”. Jesus Christ the sacrificial Lamb of God, the provision of finding that higher love you keep thinking of. Our inner voice gnawing away at our conscience, a probing to find the answer to life, that continuous silent conversation we have with ourselves, but only until the penny finally drops and everything aligns itself and we are set free, we now know who we are thinking of, praise the name of Jesus, Amen!

Think about the love of God for just a moment. That deep seated passion at the centre of the heart of the Creator of all things. The overwhelming drive of love moves God into action, sacrificing His Son to save millions doomed to hell. The children of those whom their forefathers once knew, a people so self-centred and motivated by ego at the expense of God an obvious conclusion. Rebellious to our core with no thought for the will of God, and yet, for God so LOVED, Wow! Reject God’s provision, the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God will forever elude you, it’s as simple as that. There he is Steve; “Where's that higher love I keep thinking of?” An invitation has gone out to all, it does not discriminate against colour or creed, however you must come as you are, acknowledging your sin and then confessing it before a holy God, seeking forgiveness for it and just like that, that nagging inward voice is silenced and tears will flood your soul, well that was my experience at least. The Love of God who can fathom it? The day I realised that my sin was forgiven, but not that I had only been forgiven, someone else had to pay the price for my sin, the LOVE of God! “Jesus in my place”.

Did you know love can be measured? It can be weighed in the balance of action. There are references referring to this; the Lord Jesus asks Simon Bar-Jonah, “Do you love me”? There is irritation evident in Peter response, it’s almost as if he is asking himself, why the question, Lord you know all things, surely that is an obvious realisation, of course I love you; the Lord doesn’t disagree with Peters reply, he just simple stresses the idea, then “feed my sheep”. Implying love can be measured by commitment, your action proves the argument. Love is most certainly linked to sacrifice. The Lord Jesus died on a cross, the love of God personified.  

If you love me you will keep my commandments is another instruction the Lord gives us, and this is not meant to look like the work of a yo-yo and how many of us would describe ourselves like that. How easy is the default switch triggered, where the door for the old man is allowed to surface, when a trigger allows us to lose our tempter and instead of a gentle word we lash out? The list is endless.  

“As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.” (John 15:9-10)  

Simply summed up, we are called to lay down our lives for our friends, we are to place the needs of others before our own, and we are to do it with a willing heart. The evidence is then evident, and the doubt surrounding any leading questions of our love for God abated.

HE SO LOVED it’s now our turn to respond. An impossible task without the aid of the Spirit of God, but we have His help, we now need to resolve to walk in a way worthy of our calling and find the grace to overcome.

Thank you Father God for so loving me, help me I pray love you in return in a way which pleases you, Amen!

Signing off

Tyrone

Grace and Faith

The Christian has been afforded the privilege of tapping into heavens bank. Yes bank! Did you know heaven has a bank? The storeroom of Grace is filled with an unlimited supply of what we need to get through each day. There is no need for the pensioners’ mentality, we needn’t save for tomorrow, and the supply will never run dry, so long as we approach it with boldness, in faith and driven by heaps of hope. This is a hard lesson to learn seeing that most of us have been conditioned to store up reserves for our pensions. We have been conditioned to take care of tomorrow, which is the opposite of faith. “Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof”, and we know who taught us that truth. True Christianity must bring about a change in our thinking. Thank God for the instant shift, however once we move through that phase it’s all about conditioning and so our beloved brother Paul appeals to us; “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 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 12:1-2) 

  

It’s frightening how carnally minded we are, but who can blame us? It’s the way of the world. And yet we are at fault, its no point passing the blame, we need to get on with it. True faith demands that we play by a different set of rules; it depends on God’s promises and not our ability. Faith is distributed amongst individuals within the body of Christ (the Church) according To the will of God. He gives us a measure of faith, it’s a gift from God. We can’t fabricate something we haven’t been given, that’s what the pretender does. But once we receive our spiritual gifts it's ours to use at will. We now play our part, like a cog in a wheel, we need to BELIEVE! Believe God at His Word and I am persuaded that it will be well with our souls. Once God give us a gift we take ownership and I think this is where the lines get muddled. It’s up to the individual to believe and then once we commit we need to let go and let God. It the opposite extreme of independence. “But without faith it is impossible to please God.” Faith takes us far deeper than looking to have our carnal needs taken care of, that is but a microscopic part of it. A faith that believes God when it seems impossible, is the realm we must all shoot for. We must learn from our father Abraham. This can only truly have its origin in the spiritual world. An unseen dimension that is as real as the seen, and it is guided by the WORD OF GOD. Faith defies carnal logic. It’s Christ in us the hope of Glory that must dictate. Our attitude needs to switch, the trial of life is a daily occurrences and we are to tackle each day as it happens, a hundred percent committed to the finished work of Calvary. It’s the realisation of who we are and what power we wield in HIM that we need to objectify. Do we believe that our Heavenly Father is in control? Then just maybe it’s time to start living as if we truly believe it. But do we believe it when it comes to our lives, or do we hedge our bets just in case? That is the opposite of faith which believes in the unseen, and the hope that drives our faith is also unseen but must be as real as the rising of the sun if we are to embrace the gifts of God. Triggering them has a totally different set of rules and its testing’s that figures us out, it adds so much to our makeups in Christ, praise God for His wisdom. Faith, hope and love is all beautifully intertwined, I do not see how they are to be separated if we are to truly please our heavenly Father.

What was the very first instruction given to the disciples, prior to them being sent out to share the gospel? This in itself speaks volumes if only we would see the importance of the instruction; “He charged them to take nothing for their journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in their belts.” Why? It’s not as if bread would fall from the sky to feed them, but rather people along the way would come to their aid without any coaxing on their behalf. The evidence of faith unfolding before their very eyes. God’s brilliance is wonderful to behold even if like Moses we only get glimpses of his “back”. Our sister Faith guides us through life presenting us with opportunities to depend on our God.

Signing off

Tyrone

Beloved sisters

Why is the order of God so important? Apart from the obvious, God is God and His will stands, period! That’s the way it is and the sooner we align our thinking along those lines the freer we become in loving Him. The Apostle Paul put it like this, “who are you o man to question God”. The power always resided with the potter and not the clay. Freewill clouds our judgement and until we understand that it’s God, our creator, who designed us with the ability to choose. Sure it is confined to certain parameters, but that is another topic for another day. Choice stands and that's why the cry went out so many years ago; “choose this day whom you will serve but as for me and my household we will serve the Lord.”

Our God is brilliant and there is nothing random about his plans. I believe everything has been meticulously plotted out even when those involve are oblivious to it all. The day will arrive for all to bow the knee and understand the brilliance of my heavenly Father and we daren’t miss the opportunities afforded on a daily basis to do our tiny part in bringing him glory. My prayer goes out for my beloved sisters in Christ, the pressure is on and just like in was in the garden you are the target; Hollywood and the like are driving the idea of woman rule. It’s not that the brilliance of woman isn’t am obvious quality to recognize, the order of God is being challenged. Defiance looking for any opportunity to conquer. This skirmish will be won by the enemy, just as Satan deceived Eve and enticed her to eat the forbidden fruit. What is the phrase he used? He said, “Did God actually say”. The truth of the matter is, it doesn’t matter what we think about any topic if it opposes the will of God. Our opinion is irrelevant, we only ever please our Father if and when we work out His will in our lives, that must be our motivation and we need to stand on the truth whenever the opportunity arrives; “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) - Why am I not hearing a cry go out from the pulpits, do those in power not care for the sheep? Surely our sisters are very dear to us and we must arm them with the correct information. 

Sisters finding God’s order is the perfect will of God and people are resisting that just like it was resisted way back in the beginning, “did God actually say?” the answer is the Word of God is true and we need to hang on to it with all we have. We must look to please our God and bring Him glory. We have to stand out and be ridiculed if and when necessary as it doesn’t go unnoticed, God is well please when we in faith make a declaration and stand upon His truth. So here it is; “But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God.” (1Corinthians 11:3) - There is a lot more on the topic. The prayer for all who stand upon the finished work of Calvary is to “defend with the shield of faith” whilst wearing the “breastplate of righteousness”. The resistance against the voice of our Heavenly Father is fierce and will become deafening as time progresses. The roles are reversing and the order of God is being laughed at as woman look to dominate.    

  

The Apostle Paul stresses the importance of God’s order and it would be good for all to sit up and play careful attention to the instruction. Look carefully, think about it and then decide if you are wiser than God and then act upon your decision. I have made up my mind, to the best of my ability I will align my resolve to His will and instruction whatever that may entail. And as that thought crosses my mind I realise how volatile I am. Everyone loves the downhill rides in life, those time when we sit back and relax as the wind blows through our hair without any effort. However those bursts seems to be diminutive and short lived. The older I get the harder it becomes. Nevertheless there can only ever be one option for mankind that will have everlasting rewards, which is, to find the will of God in our lives on a daily basis, nothing else really counts. We easily admire others who have endured hardships for Christ, but throw our lives into the mix and it’s another ball game altogether. Some areas of my life remain a little foggy, but I am working them out as I find direction in the Word of God and then look for grace to find victory. That’s what I like to believe, but how much do I actually give? Father God help me give more I pray, as it is only a fraction of my self-centeredness, forgive me.  

Whenever we put our hands up to be counted, how do we fair? Right! This then must be my conclusion, through the grind of life and the continuous dusting off of one's knees let the truth be told; Jesus the One who died in our place has paid the price for our sins, and let us cling to the WORD OF GOD with all we have, bless His name now and forevermore. Amen!

Signing off

Tyrone

The war must rage on

The grace of God is not there to hide our sin but rather to destroy it and until we settle upon this truth we will always be looking for a way to mask it. God is omnipresent, he is ever-present and regardless of all the feeble attempts we may have made through our lifetimes looking to cover the darkness that separates us from true fellowship with our heavenly Father, that annoying voice condemning our actions and the other, thankful that no one else is privy to our behaviour, or so we would like to believe.

However there is only one way forward for a Christian soldier and that is to confront the darkness head-on, it’s time to face our fears and seek out the grace needed to overcome. We needn’t stand on our strength that would be an impossible task, we stand upon the finished work of Calvary. But we also do not act as if all is well, if in fact that is far from the truth. Yes a Christian will always have his sins covered, past, present and future. The Lord Jesus Christ our beloved brother has taken care of that. But where the fox looks to destroy the vine in our minds is the sin that so easily besets.

I have witnessed the reaction we have to this chink in our armour; we look for justification to continue, a justification to excuse our behaviour, normally looking to pass the buck. A hot-headed European man would say, it’s not my fault I was born Italian, I can’t help it that I lose my temper. Wrong! A Christian is a new creature in Christ, we have armour to push on through the clash, but unless we dress for battle we will always fall. Shoot a bullet at a man’s chest and what happens? He will probably die. But slip on a bulletproof vest and he will live. We have been commissioned to put on the breastplate of righteousness. It’s only the born again Christian that has this arsenal in his closet. But we all have it, whether we wear it or not is up to us. A masochist loves pain, the drug addict loves the high, an alcoholic loves the escape, a sex addict loves the chase, a madman loves to vent, and a rich man loves the power. The list is endless, but these actions are linked to darkness and are fruits of the flesh, initiated by sin. The very thing that caused a cruel death for our beloved Saviour. How then can we as Christians continue down this path as if it is our right, God forbid! For such a long time I could never get my head around this truth, but God who is rich in mercy is able to bring his children around, praise His name, Amen! He is not only able, He will bring you around.

The next question that springs to mind would be why do I struggle so? Although we are righteous because of what Jesus has done we will never be perfect while we are in our earthen vessels. Yes we have been justified, but the war rages on. It’s how we view the war that is critical. A good soldiers must not entangle themselves with the sin that so easily besets. But to pretend that it isn’t real would be a mistake. What now? We must confront our sin, whatever they may be, although there be many, we press on to the mark of the high calling in Christ Jesus our Lord. Although we will continuously slip and fall is some area of our lives, we never excuse our actions but are quick to confess our faults and to seek our forgiveness. This is the day in the life of a Christian. However when we get to heaven this will all change and we will be like our glorious Saviour. We will receive a body like His. But until then the warfare must rage and it will persist until we breathe our last.

“If a person were free from all tendency to sin, he would not be liable to temptation any longer. He would not need to guard against it. There is an evil inside us that makes us exclaim from day to day, “O wretched man that I am who will deliver me from this body of death?”” Romans 7; 24.  (Charles Spurgeon)

To those who believe and stand upon the doctrine that this verse refers to us prior to salvation I echo Charles Spurgeon’s sentiment, which is; “If a person were free from all tendency to sin. He would not need to guard against it.” Does an unbeliever guard against sin as the Christian does? The answer is an obvious one, No! How could he? He does not have God the Holy Spirit living within him.

What are we to do with this information on a practical level? We are to use the grace of God available to every believer, to squash any sin that looks to rob us of the peace of God that is our privilege to enjoy. We will never be totally free from this conflict until we are changed, the day we receive our new bodies, but fight we must and we know what is expected of us, so we are without excuse. To God be the glory now and forever more.

I am convinced that God will bring all those around who has not yet made this their own, He is capable, able and He will do it. His desire for all His children is for us to find a liberty to serve Him without distraction. This is where the His brilliance comes into play, the trial of life working together for the good of all those called according to His plan and purposes. Without it we would never learn much.   

It’s all about understanding a truth and them making it our own. “For whenever we encounter truth, it is both our duty and our privilege to lay hold of it.” (Spurgeon) 

Signing off

Tyrone

My Light

“The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?” David could claim this with utmost assurance, can we? It’s one thing to say something but quite another altogether to stand when tested. David stood toe to toe with Goliath and therefore has earned the right to wear the T-shirt; “The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?”

Stop what you are doing and think about where we stand, then wrestle and toil with the notion of it all and before long you should understand. Deception may look to conquer but I trust the mirror will win. Faith towards God and the finished work of Calvary is the invisible tattoo the child of God has engraved on his chest and just like ultraviolet light brings hidden matter into the light so too does the trial of life achieve the same result. We have been commissioned to strap on the breastplate of righteousness. He is the great shepherd who rules by the force of love and his shoulders bare the marks of commitment where he has carried our burdens. A God who is always for his people and never against them. It’s the love of discipline that sometimes muddies the waters of our understanding. It’s the lack of knowledge that confuses. The wandering sheep is never left to their own devices, it is part of the flock and at times a shepherd would go as far as breaking a leg so that the lamb would be unable to wonder beyond the borders of his protection. Even through this act of tough love, when it was time to move, the lamb would find a resting place upon the shoulders of the great shepherd, the safest place to be. The love of God who can fathom it?

Ask yourself this question, what is my ultimate goal? I know we have been instructed to walk and live one day at a time, but why? The answer should always revolve around heaven and all its glory. A single days struggle is hard enough and we often place so much energy on the anticipated cares of tomorrow that never arrives. All that worry for nought. Today is the day for change, the day to stand up and be counted, make haste, the trumpet in near, how much wasted time has been a part of our lives. The rule of sin over us has played its part and it still looks for any gap it can find, but the truth be told Jesus has conquered sin and we stand upon his finished work. We need to be aware of who we are in Christ. Not who we are in ourselves, as people look to pass their judgments based upon our worldly standings and success. Sure, there are many benefits for the wealthy in this life, and then what? The judgment of God is coming and how thankful I am for it. We, the Christian has already been judged and our great Saviour has paid the price in full for our sin, it cost him his life, it’s time we starting talking our responsibilities seriously. It is impossible to gain muscle mass without the correct diet and intense training. Although the one takes care of the carnal, without spiritual commitment to the Spirit of God that lives within the Christian, spiritual training if you like, we will stagnate and become ineffective in a dying world. Although we cannot mix oil and water, just like that which is flesh remains carnal and that which is of the spirit remains spiritual, the principle for both world applies. We need to sit at the feet of Jesus, and yes make time in the mornings to make it happen. Get up earlier if need be, it will be beneficial, not only for yourselves but those around you.

We all have our crosses to bare and it's time we started welcoming them instead of begrudging our lot in life. They have been designed to conform us into the image of Christ, and who doesn’t want to be more like HIM? But unless we walk in the Spirit how will this ever be our reality? It may just be time to truly shift our attention onto the ONE who has the power to save. Do not be fooled for there is great power beyond the realised, behind the curtain of the natural that influence so many of us. In fact it is far worse, we depend upon it. The time for repentance is at hand. It’s time to stand upon the Rock of Ages who has been cleft for me, WOW! “Jesus in my place” at salvation and no differently when death knocks. But what about the in-between? Why do we drop the ball here? Mostly because of the sin that so easily besets and the weightiness of the cares of life.

It is time to dress for battle, yesterday has gone, in fact what has passed has passed and the only voice that needs to ring true is the voice of our God for HE is our sword and shield and he has a path mapped out for us, we need to listen for his voice as we sit at the feet of Jesus and with our ears unfabled with the clutter of this world, to then move when called upon.  

Signing off

Tyrone