God is good!

(Romans 3:11-12) “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.”

The Goodness of God who can fathom it? A rhetorical question and the answer lies deep within His majestic beauty, no one knows, no one understands. However, millions of people throughout the ages, has, at times, caught a marvellous glimpse of HIS GOODNESS. God is good! We don’t understand what it means to be good. We all have our perceived ideas of what “good” looks like, but in comparison to what is truly good, we are clueless. “No one does good, not even one.”  We are worthless regarding our aptitude to please God. This is a hard pill to swallow as it strips us to our core, which reminds us that we are sinners and in desperate need of a Saviour. I understand that the Apostle Paul is referring to individuals under the law and those who use the law to find justification for their lives, accusing other whilst excusing themselves. At times, even the Christian lives here, it is a default action that we need to weed out of our lives if we are to please our heavenly Father.

 

We have been saved apart from the law, the law of God could never save us or any who lived before us. All it did was condemn us, so, to live as if we can find justification for our lives in and through the law of God, is madness. Deception of the highest order at play in people's lives. A simple breach of any one of God’s laws and you are guilty, you will be indicted as a lawbreaker and the punishment of that charge is death. Not of the flesh, we have all broken God’s law along life journey and we still breathe the oxygen He has afforded us. This reference speaks about our eternal deaths. An eternal life without God as our ally and yet a never-ending life of pain and suffering. The Lake of Fire will be the law breakers eternal home. Who wants to end up there, it is a place prepare by God for the devil and his angels and Satan is looking to take as many human victims with him as he can. Why? His defiance toward God.

 

The first reflex retort is, “how can a GOOD God sent people to hell?” I assure you millions will end up there, the Bible is clear on this. The only real question we need to ask ourselves, will we be amongst that number? God has already concluded all under the curse of sin, law breakers and there is no exceptions apart from the God man Jesus Christ, He alone conquered death, a man who live in a flesh and blood body but never breached a single law of God. Thus only qualifying Him  to pay the penalty for mankind’s sin. So, unless we find forgiveness for our sins we will be herded into the cell of the lawbreakers and be judged accordingly; “For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.” (Ecclesiastes 12:14)  

 

Is this a thought fearful enough to drive us to our knees, crying out to Jesus and probing Him to save us from such a terrible destiny? Where does true wisdom begin? It’s not in education, degrees or diplomas; “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.” (Proverbs 9:10) – Wisdom rests on the degree of our fear for the Lord. Do you believe this? Or is that just a thought that you easily sweep to the side as if that will have no actual bearing on your life. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is foolishness to the Gentile and to the Jew a stumbling block. This is an overview of the world’s perception, but where do you fit in? Personally what do you believe?

 

If God is going to send so many to hell, why is He good? God is a righteous God, it’s who He is and he hates sin and loves all that is pure. It is impossible for Him to entertain any form of darkness. It is beyond Him, not to say that He never looked upon the human race with compassion, HE DID! In fact He was so move by our predicament that he sent His only begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ to earth, to live a life as a man and then die a death he didn’t deserves. Why? So that we could find forgiveness for our sins in and through His finished work. If that isn’t the greatness act of kindness, then I don’t know what it will take to echo a response, “that God is good!”

 

He sent his son to die for sinners and the Apostle Paul puts it like this; “For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 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 5:6-8) – If this reality doesn’t blow your mind, nothing of any eternal benefit ever will. GOD IS GOOD! We, the converted sinner, who through repentance has called on the name of Jesus and been saved from a devastating fate, now has the ability to please God, wow! However without this act of attrition from God it remains an impossible phenomena to please God and every effort will come up short.

 

I will leave you with encouragement and know this if you are reading this I have prayed for you; “For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”” (Romans 10:13)  

 

Signing off

 

Tyrone

If Only!

If only!

If only I had… And I will let you fill in the gaps. Life is full of regrets, hindsight the perfect science. And yet our mistakes often teach us so much. Not to say that we aren’t left with the regret “if only!” However if and when God’ affords us the opportunity to come to our senses, we are grateful for the lesson, but until then our lives are full of remorse. This only applies to us while we breathe the oxygen God has freely afforded us. However once that chemical element no long keeps us alive, it will be too late for another stab at getting it right. We have all heard the quote, “we only live once”. A declaration which allows us to be wild and free. However it is our perception to that quote that’s needs evaluating. Some may arrive at a conclusion that we live and then we die and that is the end of that. That is a lie!

 

Deception of the highest order at play in the minds of the simple. Why do I single out those who believe that as the simple? We all come from the same substance, not a similar material but exactly the same stuff, we all have the same makeup. The human race, consists of a flesh and blood body and we all have a hidden part that is often referred to as the soul. It is not hidden from the individual but most certainly from those around us. That part of us that looks for the deeper meaning of life, the voice that is always speaking, the expressions that only you can hear, whether we like to admit this reality it or not, it lives. That part of you that has a need to be connected to God. We all look for that connection, even the atheist has the same desire, apart from this fact, the sin in their lives have so seared that portion to them that they cry; “there is no God”. I believe it is a similar driving force that keeps the sinner from approaching the light and calling upon the name of Jesus to be saved. The Apostle John records some of the Lords insight on how this works; “And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”” (John 3:19-21)

 

It would be amiss of me not to be filled with compassion when it comes to the Christians hypocritical behaviour whilst travelling along the Christian road. I know that I have failed miserably in this area of my life, do I fly this flag alone? I think not! Without looking for justification or giving our sin a pass, our journeys are a marathon and not a sprint, most of us have been given a lifetime to work it out. Some learn the lessons the Word of God teaches faster than others. Thankfully God is faithful and extremely patient. Thank God for His longsuffering in a believer’s life. Without it I would already be in the pigs pens eating the husks of life. However, it’s the struggle that teaches us so many valuable lessons, praise God!

 

The soul is the part of us that constantly needs it desires met and so it needs scratching and until you come to your senses and cry out to Jesus to find forgiveness for your sin you will always be rubbing at that itch, and the more you scratch the itchier it gets. We have all been bitten by mosquitoes. It fascinates me how we almost always look for a substitute before we embrace the perfect remedy. I believe that it’s the sin in us that drives us there. That part of us that wants to keep us from the light. The Apostle Paul gives us insight into this in Romans chapter 7.

 

We have lived enough of life to understand that once we die, “if only” will ring out through the throes of eternity if we do not come to our senses. We need to find repentance for our sin and the God man Jesus Christ will save the sinner who repents and called out to HIM from the Lake of Fire. Sadly, millions will end up there, do you believe this? The Bible is clear on the matter. Whilst we have breathe we have hope, so I appeal to you to cry out to Jesus, plead your case to Him before it is too late and those words, “if only” remain glued to your lips for eternity.

 

Signing off

 

Tyrone

God rewards those...

God rewards those who diligently seek HIM! But before we get there I suppose it would be good understand “what it meant to the Holy One to bear away my sin.” You may be asking yourselves what on earth has to do with rewards. “Everything” is my retort. If we miss the wonder of what Christ the God man endured in the flesh, to take away our sin, we will always be chasing the wrong reward and hindering the perfect will of God for our lives. We know because the Word of God has taught us, that if we “walk in the Spirit we will not fulfil the lusts of the flesh.” A help to achieve this would be to focus on Christ’s sufferings. Without this knowledge dictating, we will always be half baked with our commitment. Like James says, "you say you have faith but I will show you my faith by my works". Faith without works remains dead. That type of faith tricks us into believing that all is well, when in fact we have miles to travel. I reiterate works can never save us, but because we have faith, workings will then complement our commitment to God our Father, bringing Him the glory in and through our pledge. Everything in life is the opposite way around, we set our sights on a goal and we then work toward it, through blood sweat and tears. We achieve results by our own efforts. This is why walking in the spirit can sometimes be rather challenging. We need to view our spiritual journey through a different lens. Although both the carnal and the spiritual belongs to the individual, they require different applications. Our minds need to be conditioned with this understanding; “That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” (John 3:6) – They both have their part to play in an individual’s life. Many have worked this out while others still grapple with the idea of “this spirit world”. For many it remains a mystery, even the man that Jesus addresses in this chapter, Nicodemus could not get his head around the idea of what it meant to be “born again” and it obvious to see why. He was thinking with a carnal mind and then trying to understand a spiritual truth with that type of balanced. It’s like trying to mix oil and water, it is impossible. The carnal or fleshy realm requires a logical explanation for us to settle. The spiritual realm is driven by faith and this is the definition of faith; “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1) - The only evidence we have been given by God to understand HE exists without being “born again” is creation. It’s the awe of creation that should drive us to question a little deeper when it comes to the spirit world and in turn gets us to ask the deeper question, “How do I fit in?” It’s now up to the preacher to point those individuals in the right direction. This is the way God, the Creator of the universe has fashioned it.

 

“How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?” (Romans 10:14) – And so the cycle continues, for over two thousand years this is how people have been save, born again! This is the way it shall continue right up until God shuts that door. Hopefully this will help you understand the need for those who have been saved to pass on the same information they received from someone else. We have been instructed by God; “freely ye have received, freely give.”  Salvation is a gift, it cannot be earned, nor can it be worked for. However, for us to receive sight into the spiritual world we need to believe before we will ever receive. Our carnal minds will never be able to process this truth. But once we realise that we need God to save us from ourselves and we cry out to Jesus with a contrite heart seeking out his forgiveness for our sin, that door is then opened and we are given eyes to see into the spiritual realm. Our spiritual journey begins and it’s such a marvellous revelation that it seems strange that others cannot see what you see. In fact it is rather mind boggling. However, because we now understand we need to be gracious with those yet on the fringe.

 

Signing off

 

Tyrone       

The Gospel

(Romans 1:16) “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”

 

The Gospel and the beauty that lies within, there is such beauty there and if only we would dare to enter in. Sadly with the brilliance of God on display, there must also be evil intent that looks to thwart. When mankind ate from the forbidden tree, it unlocked the door to both the knowledge of good and evil. Equally competing to gain victory and it is no different with the Gospel of God. As great and as liberating as the Gospel can be, so too can its message be frustrated to the extent of falsehood. A message that is full of half-truths, tricking someone into a false sense of God’s intervention into their lives when in fact their experience remains superficial. They may even believe that they are born of the Spirit, born again, when in fact nothing truly changes in their lives. They see Christianity as a help to benefit them in this life. A means to lighten their load. True salvation brings with it an abundance of peace but a struggle through life that would be impossible to endure without a daily measure of Gods grace in our lives. Therefore it is crucial to address the Gospel with the merit it deserves.

 

God in His brilliance has place this burden on some who have understood their responsibility to tackle this subject head-on. Its iron that sharpen iron. Take an iron rasp, stroke it across an iron blade and observe. It’s obvious that although the pressure is fierce, they work in harmony to achieve the required result; a sharper blade. We sometimes need the hard truth without the frills of a vacillating love to set us free and bring us to our senses. Please pay careful attention to what is penned, we need to be sure of our understanding of the gospel and how it fits into our lives.

 

Unequivocally Paul Washer is a man whom God has burdened with a deeper understanding on this subject, so I will look to examine some of his findings and then share what I find appropriate. Although the sinners prayer is often prayed by many. Those who have responded to an alter call seems to be extremely encouraging for the rest of those attending the meeting. However, if the message is a dispatch that God will fix your finical woes, those who have responded have the wrong idea of the gospel. And so there are many other reasons why people may respond and come forward. These types of messages are evil because they promise what is good, when in fact it is a lie. A false gospel message has lured them to answer the preachers call.

 

Let us look at what the gospel is and then hopefully you will be able to appropriate it into your lives accordingly. That old adage, if the shoe fits, wear it. If a knife is dull take an iron rasp to it.

 

The gospel means good news and it is a message accomplished by  the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob for a fallen people through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ the Son of God. Jesus who is equal with the Father and the exact representation of His Father willingly left the glory of heaven. Conceived by the Holy Spirit into the womb of a virgin and then was born the God man, Jesus of Nazareth. He walk this earth in perfect obedience to the law of God. Eventually he was rejected by man and they crucified him. On the cross of Calvary he bore man’s sin, suffered God’s wrath, in other words was punished for our sin and then died in man’s place. On the third day God raised him from the dead, this is the proof that God the Father accepted His Son’s sacrifice as an atonement for mankind’s sin. Jesus paid the penalty for our disobedience, satisfied the demands of justice and pacified the anger of God. Forty days after the resurrection the son of God ascended into the heavens and sat down at the right hand of God the Father and was given glory, honour and dominion over all.

It is therefore imperative that theses truths be highlighted when presenting the gospel message. There is no wiggly room when it comes to our sin. Our sin has offended God, we need to own it and repent, seeking out God’s forgiveness. It’s not an altar call that invites us to try it out as if we are in a fitting room trying on a pair of slacks. How dare we venture down that road, the liberty found in the gospel came with great cost, the death of God’s only begotten Son. It’s only those that acknowledge their sinful state before a Holy God that God will pardon and then declare righteous, not because of what we have done but because of what HE has done. But we must own our sin as the offence that drove Christ to the cross.

 

Paul washer highlights a point that he refers to as one of the greatest crimes committed by this Christian generation is its neglect of the Gospel. “It’s not that the world is gospel hardened but rather gospel ignorant.” On reflection, how true that is. Money preaches and the like spewing out filth and the masses eating it up. Religious organisations accommodating sin as progressive application to entice new membership. GOSPEL IGNORANT! We will all stand before the judgment seat of God and just like the laws of the land, ignorance will not excuse us.

 

The work of God in an individual’s life is miraculous. He causes the blind to see, the deaf to hear and the lame to walk. If you have not had a similar experience, I wonder how real the encounter. I’m not talking about the mistakes we may make along the way, as I know I am chief of blunders. However, I will not cling to the grace of God so that His grace may abound, accommodating my sin, living in a breach to God’s Word and expecting his grace to cover me. Jesus died for it. Do we have a burning desire to find grace to rid ourselves of every offence that nailed Jesus to the cross? If not, have we responded to the correct Gospel message?

 

There is much more to be said on this topic but time does not permit.

 

It’s crucial that you examine where you sand in relation to the correct Gospel message. Why did you respond to the altar call? Are you activity driven of Christ centred? If your blade need sharpening pull out the iron rasp of the correct gospel, fall to your knees, repent and ask for forgiveness and if God steps in, your life will change. You will begin to cry, I can see and begin to seek out God’s grace to right those areas in your life that offend. You will have a desire for Christ.

 

Signing off

 

Tyrone

Cruelty

There is so much cruelty out there. We are inherently cruel by nature. How many of us instinctively turn the other cheek when offended. It’s not our go to action. The itch of payback must get attention if we are to survive the onslaught from others. Most of us don’t really worry much about what others do with their lives just as long as they keep their distance when it comes to encroachment. We have an invisible space they belongs to us, this is the “no-go zone”. As long as that cosmos isn’t invaded we are typically tolerant. But breach that universe, an individual’s domain and drama arises. At times it can be the slighted infringement that triggers, push the wrong button at the wrong time and anything can happen. Look at what is happening in the US, an African American was mistreated so severely that he died, police brutality once again highlighted against a minority group. People have stood up and cried “enough”, and pandemonium has followed. Riots and even deaths all in the name of payback. It is easy to point a finger and accuse others, it’s rather comforting, and it leaves us with a self-centred glow that comes from excusing ourselves. Just another decoy, like a magician and their ability to deceive, it leaves us ignoring an eternal dilemma, which is this “what about our eternal destiny?” Satan has fashioned everything is this world to distract you from finding salvation in and through the finished work of the cross. As real and as effected as he is, I take great joy in this fact, that God is building His church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. The elect will respond to HIS CALL!     

We must learn to self-diagnose before we start to repair others. Salvation must start with me. I recall growing up as a young boy with the need to fight my way out of a corner. Punch first and speak later. I make mention of this in my autobiography “Destroy and Deliver” which is available on Amazon in the form of an electronic book. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08733YKZ8  

No one taught me to behave in such a manner, it was instinctive. Years later, in hindsight and with much reflection I understand why I behaved like that. The psychologist would like to notch it up to an up-bringing that was hard on me, my parents getting a divorce when I was ten. That must have played its part… Consequences to our lives most certain have their role to play, however, when we go deeper, it frees us up to correctly analyse our actualities. Regardless of where we have been or what has happened to us, unless we acknowledge that we are the problem and we are sinners by nature. We need to be saved from ourselves; we must destroy the victim card that only we have the power to relinquish. It belongs to each individual and unless we deal with it correctly and throw it into the fire, we will always be looking to get payback and it will always be someone else’s fault.

Without salvation, without accepting what we have freely received, we will never be willing to freely give, giving will always be conditional. Repentance is the very first cornerstone that needs to be laid into our lives if we are to succeed. And the fascinating part behind it all, it is impossible to achieve this without God’s involvement in our lives. And it all started with Jesus Christ becoming a man and living a life of sinless perfection. I want to spend some time here to help us understand what this actually means.

What is “sinless perfection”? It simply means that the will of God the Father, the creator of the universe, demands a specific type of behaviour if we are to find favour from Him. Hence the Law of God through Moses and that is known as the First Covenant. A set of laws that dictated how the Israelites had to live their lives. You can read all about it in the book of Leviticus. However, over time, this Covenant proved that it was an impossible task. In fact the Apostle Paul goes as far to say that one of the greatest lessons to come out of the law is that we are sinners by nature and that if left to ourselves we will always fall short of the law’s requirements. It was a tutor to teach us that we needed a Saviour. Miss this and you will always be groping around in the dark, with miniscule glimmers of hope thinking that some new methods may get you there, only to disappoint.

God has made a way, he has punished His Son for our sin, and we don’t have time to unpack this now, which is a post all in itself. Save to say that we have all been given a lifeline. Jesus paid the price for man’s sin. On the cross He suffered God’s wrath and died in mankinds place. On the third day God raised Him from the dead, proof that God accepted His sons sacrifice for sin. Jesus paid the penalty for our breach and satisfied the demands of righteousness, which settled the wrath of God. Jesus is now in heaven with a resurrected body, a glorified spiritual body; my mind goes into overload when I begin to image what that looks like, how it functions and what it is capable of. This body also awaits the faithful believer,wow! He is seated at God the Fathers right hand and He rules the universe, which we are all part of and the sooner you come to your senses on this the better. 

The solution is simple, take what I have penned, and acknowledge that you need help and that you are weary of trying to do it your way; repent and call upon the name of Jesus and you shall be saved. And I leave you with this life changing and extremely encouraging verse; “For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”” (Romans 10:13)

Signing off

Tyrone

Discipline!

(1Corinthians 11:32) “But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world.” 

 

The Christian is truly blessed beyond measure. This verse needs to be unpacked and understood correctly, it is such an amazing reality it should never be overlooked, but sadly I think it is.

 

Firstly we need to understand the context of the chapter, which addresses possibly the most important of all our meeting, well at least the one that is dearest to my heart, the “breaking of bread” or “communion”. A meeting centred around the Lord Jesus Christ and His accomplishments on Calvary. A time and a place where it all began for the Christian and without HIS perfect work the Christians faith would be irrelevant. A time when He was judged for the sins of others, crucified and punished as a guilty man when in fact he was innocent. A time when he bore the brunt of His Fathers wrath, the burden intended for all of mankind. I hope we understand the significance of the meet. A time when believes gathering in remembrance of what Christ achieved for us, Wow! “Lest I forget gethsemane”. Praise the name of Jesus. A time in a believer’s life where we can remember and be judged. A time of reflection, a stint to examine our lives and the example we are setting as believers. Not collectively but rather as individuals. An ephod of self-reflection in the mirror of Christ. To be open faced about ourselves with the Lord and above all things to praise and remember the Lord by verbally thanking Him for willingly embracing our punishment. It’s an accomplishment that seems too good to be true, however it is true indeed, wow! This reality must resonant deep within the recesses of our hearts and be locked and immovable, in spite of the trial of life. “Jesus in my place” rings true, as tears role down my cheeks with jubilation. Jesus judged on behalf of my sin; past, present and future sins all covered by the blood of the Lamb. Does this really vibrate throughout the core of our being the way it should? In most cases I think not. If that isn’t enough, let’s go deeper. When we take communion, which signifies that we are believers and if we engage in our beloveds sacrifice glibly we are then judged by the Lord. He intervenes and disciplines us accordingly. Mercy and grace never ending, thank you Father God. I pray you see the depths of God’s love in the discipline, because without it we would be condemned with all the unbelievers in the world. Their judgment is coming and the Lake of Fire awaits.

 

I recall many years ago, claiming to understand the merits we have as Christians but living a life like I did before I was saved, old habits resurfaced, a time when I allowed my cravings to have free reign but was not willing to relinquish what Christ achieved on my behalf. A life of practised hypocrisy, there is a difference between succumbing to sin and living in it. It is one thing to be taken by sin because of our weakness but something altogether when we ignore it and wilfully live in it, excusing ourselves whilst living under the Christian banner.

 

I can vividly recall standing up and publicly declaring that if I was out of line I wanted the Lord to thrash me. And guess what, He did! I will be forever grateful to my God for his mercy. Sure, for now I live with a virus that dictates, HIV is part of my life. On reflection if given the choice I wouldn’t want it any other way; “But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world.” The flip side of this is if we live a life of gross disobedience and we are without God’s intervention in our live, in other words Gods discipline is not part of our lives, then we need to check our birth certificate, they may just be fake. The book of Hebrews make my point very clear; “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives. It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons." (Hebrews 12:6-8) 

 

The beauty of the grace of God is this, whilst we have breath we have hope, if in doubt find a secluded spot and bear you heart to God, repent and seek His intervention in your lives.   

 

It’s often our own selfish wants that need to be destroy so that we may find deliverance and the sooner we let go and let God the happier we will be. I will boast in the finished work of Calvary, bless your name now and forever more my precious beloved Saviour, thank you.

 

“Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee: 
let such as love thy salvation say continually, The Lord be magnified.  But I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinketh upon me: thou art my help and my deliverer; make no tarrying, O my God.” (Psalms 40:16-17)

 

Signing off

 

Tyrone

Conquer

(Judges 18:9) “…be not slothful to go, and to enter to possess the land.”

Be not slothful to conquer the land was the instruction to the Israelites when God had voice his opinion on the matter. How have we responded to the exact same instruction when it come to our relationship with the Lord Jesus? I do not want us to glibly brush this question aside. STOP! Let us reflect and take this enquiry to a place where it will become fruitful. Complacency in any relationship is damaging. To be like Jesus is all I ask Father God. And yet there can be no greater request. But ask we must, if we ever want to please our Father and what child isn’t always pushing to be the apple in their Fathers eye. I unashamedly openly confess, I want nothing more, and yet how far I have to travel. Then I am reminded that it isn’t my sacrifice that was the turning point in my life, but rather that of the Lord Jesus’ ransom that enabled me to cry out to God for help. Praise His name now and forever more, Amen! 

He is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. It started with Him and it will also end with Him. There is a very specific reason for this; God in His brilliance has exalted His Son in perfect righteousness and nothing will ever change, even in the ages to come. For eternity, we, those whom God has called, and those who have been saved by the blood of the Lamb will be the trophies of HIS GRACE! We must be very careful not to make it about ourselves. Satan tried that and look what happened to him, there is a Lake of Fire waiting for him and for all those who has elected to follow him.

The danger I have seen with the believer is this, complacency with the way in which we choose to live our lives under the Christian banner can be frightening, a reality that seems at times to be pushed aside. We have a responsibility to respect the voice of our heavenly Father and to wrestle for grace in our lives so that we can bring Him glory. This ad hoc type of mentality which allows us to live lives however we choose, contrary to the instruction found in the Word of God is unacceptable. We are consciously lying to ourselves or we have been deceived into believing lies.

I believe it is important to look to Jesus in a prayerful state and with a contrite heart to ask God the Holy Spirit to lead us into a place of honest reflection, concerning our roles in this relationship. “Self” loves to interfere with our perceptions.

I cannot stress how crucial this is as the time of God’s judgment is at hand and the shaking has started; those not grounded upon the ROCK - JESUS CHRIST will fall. We need to make every effort to align ourselves with true believes in order to have our faith strengthen, we are going to need it. If someone isn’t for God, then you best believe that they are against Him and when the pressure is on they will sell you out before you can blink, even family member will turn on each other to save themselves. It’s time to remove the dross, all the clutter of life we have picked up along the way, if we are to have any chance in hearing the trump of God. The wax of life must be removed for this to happen.

It may appear that I have shifted in bearing from Christ’s accomplishments to our works, but I need to remind you that we cannot have one without the other. James is very clear on this, “faith without works is dead.” His encouragement was this, “I will show you my faith by my works”. And remember faith come by hearing the words of God. Just like we need food to nourish our bodies, so too do we need to come under the sound of the Word of God to strengthen our faith. Its faith that feeds our hope and hope that enables us to love correctly.

It’s the grace of God, when applied correctly, that will help us conquer whatever needs to be subjugated. 

Signing off

Tyrone

The Law

We are all governed by the law, it’s our default. So much of our time is spent by laws governed by the country which in turn governs us. It’s just the way it is. Far be it from us to write our own laws, although we most certainly do that within the laws which rule. We all look to do it our way, a tailor-made lifestyle which suits each individual. And when the pressure is on and we need an itch scratched we do that in secret, hoping to get away with the breech. The thief steals hoping not to get caught. The adultery beds another man’s wife in secret, captivated by his own desire. And the list is endless. It’s like what the scientist refer to in space as a black hole, "don’t let the name fool you: a black hole is anything but empty space. Rather, it is a great amount of matter packed into a very small area." Secret sin is like that, the truth be told, all will be expose by the light on Judgment Day. There is no such thing as a secret sin that is just another lure the world has swallowed hook, line and sinker. We may even get away with the deceit for a time, but it will catch up with all of us, repent and be saved is the solution. God has afforded all the opportunity to cry out unto HIM. I cannot be straighter with you, to all of my friends. Which covers childhood, through puberty and all the way up into adulthood. I have declared a truth to you, what will you do with it? That old adage, you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink. "If only" will be the cry of many.

 

So we are bound by the law for as long as we live, it manages us with impunity and yet we are anything but free. The Apostle Paul puts it like this; “For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. “ (Romans 7:19) - In a way it's not our fault, the sin of Eve has tainted us. We instinctively err on the side of sin when an opportunity presents itself. But because we have been given a way out, we will all be held accountable if we decline God's offer.  

 

When we understand this correctly, it becomes obvious that we need to be saved from ourselves, sin, Satan and the wrath of GOD! It is God who has extended the life line, praise His name. Bless the name of Jesus the One who took my punishment, why? Obedience to the will of His Father. Why did God require such a sacrifice? Sadly, because of our to sin. However, because God is love, He has extended all a lifeline. I hope you get it! Miss this eternal opportunity and the penalty will be so serious that none of us like to speak about it. Have you ever been to a funeral where they speak of the departed now on hell? And yet so many will end up there. I will not be one of those friends who lies to you, so not to offend. I have made that mistake in the past, and not spoken up and someone has died, that is on me. However now you breathe and your hope is alive, the solution is simple, cry out to Jesus and ask Him to save you. You must mean it, and believe that you need salvation. “For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”” (Romans 10:13)

 

Signing off

 

Tyrone

Be Vigilant

What is rather obvious is how God has chosen the natural world to teach us so many valuable lessons that we must apply to our spiritual lives. It is also palpable that we cannot take those lessons and then live them out in the flesh to find favour from God. Here is the truth behind that type pf reasoning: “For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.”  (Romans 8:7-8) – We must make this truth our own, if not we will always be living in a bowl of oil and water trying to mix the two into a single liquid, which is impossible.

However the brilliance of God has allowed us to learn many valuable teachings as we live out our lives in the natural. But unless there is a shift into the spiritual realm we will remain babes in Christ; that is if we have been truly saved. Just like a baby putting everything into their mouths, unable to differentiate the good from the bad. How do we apply ourselves with prudence? We examine those trainings against the voice of God and see how we are able to carry those lessons into our spiritual walks with God. It’s always good to have the intent of finding the acceptable, good and perfect will of God in and through the experience. How do we accurately measure what we believe we are being taught, how do we know whether our understanding is accurate or not? We examine it against the Word of God and not the opinions of others. God has afforded His children that privilege. With that said, I am heavy hearted this morning, so many of us believe because someone claims to be a Christian, it must be so. It is imperative that we mark out those who are truly invested in the will of God and expel those who are all about their own agendas. Sadly there are many who fall into the latter category. Mark out those amongst you and be astute whilst examining what they have to say, is it in accordance with the will of God, or more accurately are they vessels unto honour or not? Not that we need to knit pick on the different persuasions Christians have on certain fundamentals. I believe we will all be squared away when we get to heaven. But blatant violations cannot be overlooked, that will end in devastation. I trust God the Holy Spirit will lead you into all truth concerning this. “Let God be true and every man a liar”. So whether a women covers her head or not as Paul teaches, that wouldn’t be a hill to die on. However when he teaches on how or who should be teaching God’s Word and the reason for it, it must be taken very seriously if we are to stay on track.

When the focus of the author or the preacher becomes about themselves more than the finished work of the cross, be warned! Paul Tripp in his book "Awe" puts it like this; “When we put ourselves in the center of the story, not only do we become rebels against God, we become a danger to ourselves and others. And since we are our greatest problem, we are left powerless to help ourselves.” How do we change our application to the problem of self-getting in the way? “The law can reveal how much you have put yourself in the center of the story, but it has no power to put God back in his rightful place in your heart. We are confronted with the utter foolishness of repeatedly asking the law to do what only grace can accomplish.”

It’s the grace of God that has saved us and it’s the grace of God that will get us home. But we must always be mindful of this truth, it’s not as if we now repeatedly look to abuse the grace of God in our lives, a license to live a life of habitual sin.

​“What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?” (Romans 6:1-2) – The war rages on, but the Christian must be brought to their senses if they have been truly saved. It may take some serve disciple to bring them round, however I am persuaded because God has begun the work HE will see it through unto the end. We are not all the same per se, sure we are all tainted by sin, but some are dull of hearing and just like the rebellious lamb that always wanders away from the protection of the flock and eventually needs the shepherd to intervene. Historically we are taught that a shepherd used to go as far as breaking the lamb’s leg and then carrying it on his shoulders to keep it save. What a glorious metaphor.

The Holy Spirit of God will bring the Christian to their senses, let us make every effort to hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

Signing off

Tyrone

God First

As a father, what is it we seek from our children? Obedience is most certain high up on the list. But what I would place even higher is to witness a true blossoming relationship with God come to fruition in their lives. As I take that thought deeper I realise that obedience will come out of that relationship. And just like that my thoughts align and I am reminded of this verse; “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”  (Matthew 6:33) – God first and everything else falls into place. I am not suggesting that life becomes a bed of roses, often the opposite is true. But of this I am certain, the peace of God through the struggle will be our portion. It’s about transporting our rational into a position so that we instinctively place God first in our lives.

When we open our eyes after a night’s sleep do we reach for the glass of water first to address our parched mouths or do we praise God and tell him we love him and then reach for the glass? That may seem trivial, but is it? I know that my heavenly Father wants me to love him with every iota I have and because we apply ourselves by faith this has nothing to do with the natural. It’s all about learning to walk in the spirit. What I am looking for, is for that to become inherent. For this to happen I need to align scriptures instruction into my understanding. I am taught that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. What this teaches me is that if I want my life to echo faith I must be feeding my mind with scripture. Without that application I will obviously not strengthen my faith.

 “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (Romans 10:17) – Although it is clear that the train of thought behind this verse is referring to preaching the gospel and people responding to it, receiving the faith to believe. However, it would be good for us to carry that thought into our Christian growth. We need to constantly embrace the WORD of God, our lives do depend upon it. Sound doctrine is key to our growth and has an effect on our ability to love God. It is easy to be swept up by the hype of an experience as we are naturally inclined to feed that high. However because the Christian has now received the Spirit of God and He coexist with you, the spirit is always willing to align with God’s will, it’s the flesh that pulls us in the opposite direction. Have you understood the correlation between the two and has it settled? If not, you need to seek out God’s grace to arrive. Without a clear understanding of ourselves and the war within, we will never change. It will always be us first and God second. I am not suggesting that once we resolve on our responsibility to put God first in our lives that we have arrived. NO! The war has just truly started. It becomes a daily battle, but we are now aware of what our responsibility is. We need to put on God to shed all that resists God’s order in our lives. We begin to prove God’s will for our lives and our application to daily living changes. Obviously this is evident in a believer’s life when they are newly saved. The change we witness is radical. However as we grow we often make mistakes or become complacent, that is simply not good enough, I realise the work that still needs to be done in my life. But the days of acceptance is a thing of the past, all I want now is to truly love my heavenly Father not only in word but with my actions and for that to happen I need FAITH.

I need to constantly put myself into a position that will feed that part of my life. Reading the Bible, fellowship with other believers, listening to ministry, but be careful with this as sound doctrine is crucial. For many will come in Christ's name with their own agendas. A good place to start if you truly believe that God has saved you, is to allocate an allotted time slot to reading the Bible and praying, pencil it into your diary and do not put it off. The cares of this life will look to get in the way, but be vigilant.

I will leave you with this encouragement; “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.” (James 4:8)

Signing off

Tyrone

Tyrone Crux profile

Finding Favour

The beauty of God’s favour in our lives must sting at times. “Oh wretched man that I am who will deliver me from the body of death?” Even as self-proclaimed Christians we must understand that this war is fierce.  In any time of crisis there is much to do about helping those in need with people standing up and looking to be recognized, so that they can say they have contributed to the cause feeling better about themselves, and praise from others is always welcomed. This is an inherited trait alive in all of us. We single out the good and look to stand with them. We are quick to put up our hands just as long as the cost is bearable. I need you to mull over that for a minute or so and arrive at you own synopsis…

Ok, let’s move on…

I know it is much easier to align my purpose with like-minded individuals. “Birds of a feather flock together”. But how far are we willing to go if and when the cost is unbearable? When the odds are stacked against us to the extent that it becomes impossible to complete. Breaching the gates into heaven is an impossible quest when we look to ourselves to somehow achieve the objective. I really need us to spend some time here as we reflect on our own efforts to find favour with God. What is your go to action that makes you feel better about yourself? Is it an action that you know others will notice or do you really just get on with it, regardless of the opinion of others? I am convinced not many fall into the latter category. We all need our egos stroked in one form or another, it’s who we are.

But until we learn the better way, we will continually hit a wall, a dead end to the quest of heaven with all its glory will remain a figment of our imaginations. We must stop trying to window dress our lives for the sake of others; that approach is nothing more than a decoy looking to deceive. The sooner we are truthful about the pride of our sin, whatever that maybe, the freer we will find our walks in Christ to be. Justification is one of the vilest of sins. Whenever we find reason to excuse our behaviour whilst accusing others we will remain trapped and of this I am persuaded. Deception is a way of life and we are taught to feed it from a young age. Makeup hides the blemishes on ones face. Why is it a billion dollar industry? Our hearts are desperately wicked and until we see them for what they are we will miss the ultimate goal; finding adoption into the household of God. It’s only the faithful that will enter in.

Just like the words of Jacob, when he said “my brothers meant it for evil but God meant it for good” so too although Satan meant sin for evil God has turned it for good in the sense that it’s our sin that gets us to the place that we understand the gravity of it and therefore call out to be saved, but call we must. Have you ever seen someone call out for help when they believed they haven’t needed it? But put someone in a place where death knocks and then see their rapid response to call out. Although sin is the enemy it should bring an individual to their senses. This is where the sinner calls out to Jesus to be saved. This is what is known as the born again experience.

That is all good and well, like Malcolm Harris recently reminded me, it is one thing to be touched by Christ and to receive partial sight, like the blind man that saw men like trees walking. We must be honest with our retort when asked, “What do you see?” This man had been touched by the Lord, he was no longer blind, per se, he could partially see. When we hide our sin, we only ever deceive ourselves and even others for a time, but never the Lord. The sooner we come to grips and see ourselves for who we are the more proactive we will become in looking to Jesus to find grace in time of need to glorify our Father in heaven and be about His will in every area of our lives. Until then we will look for greater truths behind God’s curtain and only ever see shapes instead of precision.

Father God bring all of your children to their senses is my prayer and help us understand the gravity of our sin, however obscure it has become. Repair that which the cankerworm has eaten, renew a right spirit in us so that we can all be about your will and not our wants. The hot iron that has deadened our consciences need to be switched off.  

Signing off

Tyrone