The Spirit will lead us!

(1Timothy 6:6) “Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment.”

This morning is probably the first time or at least that I can remember when I have had to think about what to pen. I have been pondering the topic for about 20 minutes. Do I stop to listen to that small still voice; do I make time for His direction? My immediate answer would be yes. But then on second thought do I set a specific time aside to listen for it? I know each morning when I write I am mostly lead to pen on any given topic without much premeditated thought, it normally just flows. But do I stop and listen for God the Holy Spirit’s voice with earnest intent?

We could never manipulate our great God, as some suppose! As they chant with their particular formula’s hoping for some miracle, all that type of false reasoning is conceited and puffed up claiming a gift they have never received. Claiming to be healers and yet no one is truly miraculously healed. If one claims to have a healing gift will those he prays for be healed? Did the Lord Jesus ever heal? We know he did! Was it ever a mystery in that sense, no never! When God moves there will be no mistaking His presence and He will ensure that all know that He is behind it. No ifs and buts!

With that said I do not speak about vain imaginations, but do we put time aside to hear God’s voice? We must purpose to listen out for Him. How? “Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment.” The excellency of contentment but not as some account Christianity an advantageous profession for this world. Not as a means of material gain, yet it is undoubtedly true that, though Christianity is the worst trade, it is the best calling in the world. Those that make a trade of it, merely to serve their turn for this world, will be disappointed, and find it a sorry trade; but those that mind it as their calling, and make a business of it, will find it a gainful calling, for it has the promise of the life that now is, as well as of that which is to come.

It is with this mind-set that I now again asks the question, do we stop to listen for clear direction from God the Holy Spirit? Is He my guide, teacher, and am I always looking for truth from Him? I would have to conclude that God has ordained that God the Holy spirit will play this role and so it is happening, whether we are aware of it or not. If we have Christ’s Spirit God the Holy Spirit is at work in our lives, that is a given!

I am looking to explore this topic not only on the surface per say but let us take this thought a lot deeper. The prophets of old received their gifts from God, and yet they never took then for granted, they mostly seemed to be about God’s business. Do we use what God has truly given us as we should? They looked for an opportunity to glorify God’s name, power and supreme authority. Remember Elijah and how he mocked those who opposed his God. He was so certain of who he was and what God had given him, that it left no room for doubt. The Apostle James has this to say about him; “Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit. My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.” (James 5:17-20) 

I am amazed on how James concludes this chapter; he speaks of this mighty man of God as a prayer warrior and then he tells us to play our part in leading the wandering sinner from death to life. Not many may have received the true gift of healing, but we all have our part to play in reconciliation, preaching the message of hope, the gospel of Jesus Christ, Paul’s gospel, that is the true gospel and not a conversion, to turn a sinner from the error of his ways, and not to turn him from one party to another, or merely from one notion and way of thinking to another. “Let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.” This then must be our focus; this then is what our great God the Holy Spirit is now saying to us as believers; “And he said, "See that you are not led astray. For many will come in my name, saying, 'I am he!' and, 'The time is at hand!' Do not go after them.”” (Luke 21:8): - There will be a lot of what is false now making headway, but God will move amongst the chaos and He will pluck those out of the fire, those whom He has called and chosen from before the foundation of time. And we most certainly have our part to play; God help us to be more diligent as that day approaches.

Where then should we start? There must be many people you have come across in life that seem to be wandering in the wilderness who once walked with us, but now seemed to have lost sight our this great hope; Jesus is soon to return, praise His glorious name! Let us make a concerted effort to call out to them and with God’s help bring them home. What then is our first responsibility in this process? Look how James speaks about this man who prayed for something and it happened, that then is where we must start, we must pray earnestly! Take time to make a list, then set specific time aside and pray and then wait for opportunities to unfold as God grants us the prayers of our hearts.

I did set time aside this morning in listening to God’s direction in and through our great God the Holy Spirit and I truly believe He has spoken.

Although there is much warning about what is false in scripture we must not lose sight of this truth and I will let C.H.Spurgeon teach us…

“Grieve not the Holy Spirit.”

- Eph_4:30

“All that the believer has must come from Christ, but it comes solely through the channel of the Spirit of grace. Moreover, as all blessings thus flow to you through the Holy Spirit, so also no good thing can come out of you in holy thought, devout worship, or gracious act, apart from the sanctifying operation of the same Spirit. Even if the good seed be sown in you, yet it lies dormant except he worketh in you to will and to do of his own good pleasure. Do you desire to speak for Jesus-how can you unless the Holy Ghost touch your tongue? Do you desire to pray? Alas! what dull work it is unless the Spirit maketh intercession for you! Do you desire to subdue sin? Would you be holy? Would you imitate your Master? Do you desire to rise to superlative heights of spirituality? Are you wanting to be made like the angels of God, full of zeal and ardour for the Master’s cause? You cannot without the Spirit-”Without me ye can do nothing.” O branch of the vine, thou canst have no fruit without the sap! O child of God, thou hast no life within thee apart from the life which God gives thee through his Spirit! Then let us not grieve him or provoke him to anger by our sin. Let us not quench him in one of his faintest motions in our soul; let us foster every suggestion, and be ready to obey every prompting. If the Holy Spirit be indeed so mighty, let us attempt nothing without him; let us begin no project, and carry on no enterprise, and conclude no transaction, without imploring his blessing. Let us do him the due homage of feeling our entire weakness apart from him, and then depending alone upon him, having this for our prayer, “Open thou my heart and my whole being to thine incoming, and uphold me with thy free Spirit when I shall have received that Spirit in my inward parts.” (C.H.Spurgeon)

Signing off

Tyrone

Christ an amazing Saviour!

So then if Christ has put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself once and for all, why do we so easily fall into the traps of sin? The short answer to that is we are carnally sold under sin, but we must understand that the old man has been put to death, according to God’s reckoning, we are no longer alive in the flesh (sinful creatures); we are new creatures in Christ! Where this gets a little hazy is when we try to rationalize our actions, and we find justification at either accusing ourselves as failures or excusing ourselves as children of God. Life is like a yo-yo and some days better than others. But where the mistake can be made is we base it on what we do instead of what Christ has already done. It seems such an easy, peaceable walk when we do not condemn our own actions. Yet if we act as we once did in any areas of our life prior to salvation we automatically want to question our salvation. It is back to what we achieve instead of what Christ achieved on Calvary. We do not only reason like this with ourselves but with others also. In fact, especially with others when we see them falling!

What I have now just said may be somewhat contentious so let us look for confirmation from God’s Word, otherwise what I have had to say is just another opinion not worth the cost of the ink used to pen it.

From what understanding do we start and from where should we launch? I believe a good place to start would be; “What if some were unfaithful? Does their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God? By no means! Let God be true though every one were a liar, as it is written, "That you may be justified in your words, and prevail when you are judged." (Romans 3:3-4)

God then is the only one who always speaks the truth and men no matter how honest their intentions may be, if what they say does not confirm God’s Word they are but liars. If I look for justification while I sin as acceptable then I will be barking up the wrong tree, sin will never be acceptable as practise in our lives, that type of reasoning is a lie. We must endeavour to find repentance in every area of our lives where needed; “Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things. We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things. 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? Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?” (Romans 2:1-4)   

    

Having established that truth we must always be striving to put away sin in our lives, I have not arrived, and no matter how often I struggle in any particular area of my life I will by God’s grace strive to get there.

But for God to accept His children as they approach the throne of grace, we must be covered by the blood of the Lamb. He chose to make a way through His Son; we must then be covered by His righteousness. We must have His Spirit to belong to God’s family, if not we cannot approach the throne of grace, we do not qualify! Here is what Paul teachers; “Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness.” (Romans 8:8-10)

Therefore on God’s reckoning although we still live in our earthly bodies, we eat, sleep and live life, our bodies are “dead because of sin”. We are now alive because of what Christ achieved on our behalf, “the Spirit is life because of righteousness.” This must then be the spring-board we approach life from. Will we make mistakes alone the way, I most certainly have and at time still do, but it is the only hope I have to cling too. It is not about my achievement but Christ’s! If we choose to reason any differently we then make the work of the cross but a small thing, and that it was not! It was the most glorious event of all time! Without it all would be lost to sin!

God has such an interest in our lives if we belong to Him that He will bless and discipline where and when it is needed for us to walk in the Spirit.

“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)

Our confidence then must lie in God our Father and our Saviour’s finished work and not our own accomplishments. We must remember that He is at the helm!

Why do some seem to be more diligent than others to God’s call upon their lives? I look around me and at times want to say what chance do I have when I see so many living as better examples? Woe is me I sometimes cry! But then I am reminded that He who has begun a good work will complete it on that day, even when I so often get in the way. Thank you Father for your mercy and how I long to finally put off this body of death that so often looks to oppose your will in my life, forgive me Lord!

Paul brings a balance to help us understand the mechanics of how we differ one from another; “Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand. One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.” (Romans 14:4-5)   

    

May we never excuse our sin as acceptable and may we always look to find repentance where and when needed. Although we are dead because of sin and we are saints because of Christ’s victory, let us remember Paul’s stern warning; “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? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.” (Romans 6:1-4)

Signing off

Tyrone   

     

To put away sin by the sacrifice of himself!

(Hebrews 9:26) “…to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself…”

It is only God who can give us true repentance and all that relates to sincerity. I have sadness upon my heart this morning, I don’t believe I could conjure it up from my own emotions; it must be God the Holy Spirit who leads the way and prompts me to such cheerlessness. It is not a hopeless sorrow but rather a concern, why? I am troubled for the faces that I see flash before me; my memory has kicked into gear with concerns, without any premeditated planning I see faces from my past that once “were amongst the number” and are no longer fighting the good fight of faith, or so it would appear. But God knows what goes on in the heart of a man, nevertheless I am concern for the well-being of people that somewhere crossed my path and now seem to have forgotten that they once confessed Jesus as Lord. It will never be enough to believe one thing in our hearts and then to act on that which is contrary to what we say our hearts believe. We must believe in our hearts that our Saviour the Lord Jesus was raised from the dead, this is only half of the equation, we must also confess (speak, act, and prove) that Jesus is Lord not only as lip-service but it must be obvious to our lives. Those around us must be able to witness this as a fact and not with others as our voice. Salvation is personal and it must begin with the individual! It is up to each individual to confess Jesus as Lord!

I will not be ignorant whilst considering the enemy and his ploys to trip up the believer. He is a roaring lion on the prowl looking to devourer. But my Jesus is far greater, in fact it is no longer a contest, if it ever was one, as Jesus conquered him once and for all, mission accomplished! It was such a brilliant victory that Satan didn’t see it coming for if he had of he would not have crucified Christ on Calvary. God our Father the greatest of all strategists and His brilliance on display, praise His name! And I am able to call Him my Father, which tickles my soul and brings a smile to my face; all because of Christ’s obedience!

One may say the Roman ruler Pontius Pilate and the leaders of the Jews were the catalysts who had Christ crucified. They did play their part, but there was much influence from Satan and his demonic forces. The unseen driving force behind Christ crucifixion was so fierce that the Psalmist David explains it like this; “Many bulls encompass me; strong bulls of Bashan surround me; they open wide their mouths at me, like a ravening and roaring lion. I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax; it is melted within my breast; my strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to my jaws; you lay me in the dust of death. For dogs encompass me; a company of evildoers encircles me; they have pierced my hands and feet-- I can count all my bones-- they stare and gloat over me;” (Psalms 22:12-17)

Thank you Lord Jesus for your selfless act on Calvary, there was much you endure on our behalf, on my behalf and for this I am thankful. I will publicly acknowledge you for your sacrifice and recognize that you laid down your life for me, someone who most certainly deserved death and hell as my final destination. While I was yet a sinner you paid the price for my sin, a wretch like me, who would make so many mistakes along the way, and you knew it and yet you were still willing to die for me. Amazing! Having understood this, I will now confess you as Lord, my Lord! Thank you for this opportunity! My prayer would be that forgetting those things that are now behind, may I press forward with vigour and end well, bringing glory to God my Father.

Having said that; be certain of this fact that in effect Satan’s hands are tied. What do I mean by this? Not that he is already chained in the bottomless pit as some may suggest, but that he has been defeated. Christ had this to say while He still hung upon that cruel Roman cross; “When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, "It is finished," and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.” (John 19:30): - the writer of Hebrews teachers us this; “For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own, for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.” (Hebrews 9:24-28)

Why will sin not have to be dealt with for a second time? All who believe on Him, and confess Him as Lord is free from sins judgment. There was a time where Satan could accuse sinners of sin, but now if a man was to sin as a believer he no longer in that sense can be accused of sin, because Christ has paid the price for sin, once and for all. Satan’s accusations no longer holds any merit, even though he may have cause to accuse a saint who sins, Jesus is able to turn to him and say I have already paid his debt on Calvary. Past, present and futures sins all taken care of, praise the glorious name of Jesus. We all stand on the mercies of God; “But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world.” (1Corinthians 11:32): - We are place into a new family with new rules; God our Father now personally pulls the reins on our lives. He blesses and disciplines us as He chooses and it has nothing to do with Satan’s bind.

Satan’s objective is to get us to forget this truth; this is all he is now able to do, as he has been defeated. He looks to get us to walk in unbelief or to disobeyed God, His Son and His Word. He will do his utmost to darken our hope, but if we believe God and His Word he is rendered useless. God help us to write this truth upon our hearts and inspire us to embrace Christ and His promises with all our might. May we learn to have the faith of Joshua and Caleb come what may!

Signing off

Tyrone   

   

 

       

Understanding Salvation!

(Luke 23:43) “And he said to him, "Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise."”

A very common question amongst the unbeliever is this; ”so are you telling me that a man can be a terrible person all his life, a thief, murderer or worst and before death if He confesses Jesus as Lord he will go to heaven? And then someone who lays down his life for someone else, let’s say, they purposefully jumps in front of a bullet and lose their life for a stranger but they do not confess Jesus as Lord, won’t go to heaven?” That is exactly what will happen in principle. Obviously it is only God who sees into the hearts of every man, nothing is hidden from him, and all will soon be revealed! But the message of the gospel is a simple one and you will stand in one of two courts, but you must choose and if you remain undecided then you have already chosen and do not believe.

Let us simplify the gospel as it is a very simple message with pronounced magnitude. It differs from any other religion, how so? Religion is all about self-worth and our own ability to better ourselves, we earn the right to make it to heaven is the thinking.

We (mankind) were in such desperate trouble that no matter how much we tried and still try within ourselves with all the self-help seminars you may want to attend, the problem we have is that the “Knowledge of Good and Evil” and it was unlocked to man’s understanding prematurely. This took place in the beginning, in the Garden of Eden, resulting with sin entering through one man, Adam. The curse was now alive and that curse was sin! It would not only affect Adam and Eve but all of mankind would be affected by its curse, which is separation from God. This is the reason we run from God in principle instead of to Him. We lie and cover up sin wherever possible; no one needs to teach a child to lie when he is caught out for doing something he shouldn’t of.

What then constitutes a sinner, someone who breaks God’s law? Let’s say a group of people attend some institution and the pass mark is 85%. Anything below that mark is a fail with no diploma. One student is so bad that he ends up with 3% and then another scores 84%. Where does that leave them? There is no degree of failure in that sense. They will both have to re-write in order to qualify. I think back on the world cup rugby where by all rights we should have beaten Australia, and yet we didn’t! The record reflects a defeat and so it will be recorded through time. The difference is that with sin no one qualifies, no matter how hard one may try, except the one exception, the Lord Jesus Christ! He lived as a man without ever transgressing one of God’s commandments. This then is what has qualified Him as an acceptable sacrifice. In other words He alone could pay the price for sin, He alone could unlock the door to heaven and until we understand that, we will be blind men leading the blind with many suppositions and opinions but all will fall into the ditch. A bottomless pit that will forever engulf those who reject this wonderful offer of salvation, hell will be their destination with no possibility of a re-write!     

“For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, as it is written: "None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one." "Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive." "The venom of asps is under their lips." "Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness." "Their feet are swift to shed blood; in their paths are ruin and misery, and the way of peace they have not known." "There is no fear of God before their eyes." (Romans 3:10-18)

No matter what you may have done in life, regardless of your own self-opinionated deduction on how good you may be, the truth be told in God’s eyes you are a sinner and in need of a Saviour. Repentance is the catalyst required to find grace and only then will one find forgiveness in and through the Lord Jesus Christ. No other religion or false god will be recognized by the only true God, Jehovah God the Father; this then is what you will have to consider and decide where you stand on this deliberation; “But the righteousness based on faith says, "Do not say in your heart, 'Who will ascend into heaven?'" (that is, to bring Christ down) or "'Who will descend into the abyss?'" (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say? "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart" (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, "Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame." (Romans 10:6-11)

I will leave you with an actual account of two dying men and how they were guilty of the same crime and yet one went to heaven whilst the other was doomed for all eternity to hell, why and what was the difference in their attitudes? They both deserved hell; in fact we all deserve it because of our sin, BUT GOD!

“There was also an inscription over him, "This is the King of the Jews." One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, "Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!" But the other rebuked him, saying, "Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong." And he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." And he said to him, "Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise."” (Luke 23:38-43)

(1.) Here was one of these malefactors that was hardened to the last. Near to the cross of Christ, he railed on him, as others did (Luk_23:39): he said, If thou be the Christ, as they say thou art, save thyself and us. Though he was now in pain and agony, and in the valley of the shadow of death, yet this did not humble his proud spirit, nor teach him to give good language, no, not to his fellow-sufferer. Though thou bray a fool in a mortar, yet will not his foolishness depart from him. No troubles will of themselves work a change in a wicked heart, but sometimes they irritate the corruption which one would think they should mortify. He challenges Christ to save both himself and them. Note, There are some that have the impudence to rail at Christ, and yet the confidence to expect to be saved by him; nay, and to conclude that, if he do not save them, he is not to be looked upon as the Saviour.

(2.) Here was the other of them that was softened at the last. It as said in Matthew and Mark that the thieves, even they that were crucified with him, reviled him, which some think is by a figure put for one of them, but others think that they both reviled him at first, till the heart of one of them was wonderfully changed, and with it his language on a sudden. This malefactor, when just ready to fall into the hands of Satan, was snatched as a brand out of the burning, and made a monument of divine mercy and grace, and Satan was left to roar as a lion disappointed of his prey. This gives no encouragement to any to put off their repentance to their death-bed, or to hope that then they shall find mercy; for, though it is certain that true repentance is never too late, it is as certain that late repentance is seldom true. None can be sure that they shall have time to repent at death, but every man may be sure that he cannot have the advantages that this penitent thief had, whose case was altogether extraordinary. He never had any offer of Christ, nor day of grace, before how: he was designed to be made a singular instance of the power of Christ's grace now at a time when he was crucified in weakness. Christ, having conquered Satan in the destruction of Judas and the preservation of Peter, erects this further trophy of his victory over him in the conversion of this malefactor, as a specimen of what he would do.” (Matthew Henry)

Signing off

Tyrone

   

Because of our Hope!

(Colossians 1:5)  “Because of the hope laid up for you in heaven.”

Our Father; “Hallowed be thy name” and great is thy faithfulness. I want to slow down this morning and think on the hallowedness of God in conjunction to His merciful love and how it affects all His children. It is not as if only the top of the class receives the apple from their teacher, He cares for all His children and He is not slack when it comes to His promises; “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 1:6): - If your cry this morning is my Saviour lives and you believe that with all your heart and you confess Jesus Christ as Lord I am also convinced with Paul that our great God will get you home.

Be of good cheer and do not get “lost in translation” with the cares of this life, it is but a small consideration if we reason soberly. To forever be with our “Hallowed” Father. Think on this, but not only that, He is also willing to address us as His sons and in eternity to come He will address us as such. The Lord Jesus the firstborn amongst many brethren. Now if that that doesn’t blow your mind, I am worried for you, as chares of this life would begin to look to choke the life out of you. Stop! Are you amongst that number? How many will actually make it, one may ask? The beloved disciple John witness the number; “After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, "Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!" And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, "Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen." (Revelation 7:9-12)

God is faithful and will only ever be true to His promises; all we need do is to believe them with sincerity. Hallowed be His name! The universe quakes when it hears His voice and there is a day coming when heaven and earth as we know it will flee from His presence with a single voice command, hallowed be His name! And yet the very same God is willing to call us His sons, almost unbelievable! But believe it we must! “God’s got an army and in this army I’ve got a part”. We all have a part to play in God’s army if we belong to Him and we have His Sons Spirit, praise the glorious name of Jesus!

It is good to slow down and get perspective, so here it is; “because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, "Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame." For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." (Romans 10:9-13)

If this is our standing, all we now need do is hold onto to our Saviour with all our might, believing God’s Word and come what may, confessing Jesus as Lord, with this as our persuasion, that He will get us home, not only the top of the class will make it but even the laggards, so be of good cheer. “The bruised reed He will not break and the smoking flax He will not quench”.

With that said, times of trail must come, it is only through the trial that will prove our allegiance to Him. If our conversion is false and we come to Christ for self-gain as it were, it won’t take long before we fall by the wayside. But if God has called us, and then elected us, be sure of this He will get us home; believe it we must!

Why did they wonder around in the wilderness destitute, in sheep skins seeking a city whose builder and make was God? They understood God’s promise! Do we?

I heard someone once explain eternity like this; “think on a bird that once a week flies to the biggest mountain on earth to sharpen its beak and only once that mountain is no more, then will eternity still be in embryo. Perpetuity, eternal life that has no end, what a thought in itself, but with God as our Father and the Lord Jesus as our brother, what can top that hope. No wonder people were willing to be burnt at the stake. Praise the name of Jesus! I hope you have just got a slight glimpse of what is still to come, so if you head hangs somewhat and your knees feel somewhat wobbly, be of good cheer, our God is for us and not against us and He will get us home, come what may!

Signing off

Tyrone         

    

Triggers!

“Triggers”, we all understand their purpose. But what is the first thing that comes to mind when the word “trigger” appears? Is it a .44 Magnum, a Henry rifle, a starter pistol at an athletic meet, the green button on your cell phone, or have we begun to understand the importance of the "triggers" in our lives on a daily basis? Those impulse decisions we make with split second reflexes. How many times do we second guess the bad choices made, but then it is too late the damage is done.

Our life now as Christians is a call to walk in the Spirit and by the Spirit; simply put we must learn to apply God’s counsel to our lives throughout the day and not only on a Sunday when we put on our church hats. Not only when we are in the mood to focus on spiritual matters. What I mean by this; I put time aside each morning and through that I am afforded the opportunity to focus on biblical truths when writing a daily blog, I also read and pray during this allotted time, I am forced to think on spiritual matters.

These times are a lot easier for the “triggers” in my mind to seek out thoughts that look to transform me into Christ’s image. No differently to someone praying or reading the bible, their mind honed in on spiritual thought. But what about later throughout the day when I am doing something that seems to have no relation to the “mind of Christ”? Or worse still, when I am facing a decision that I needn’t have faced, if I had not pulled the wrong trigger. A sharp word when a gentle word was needed, just proving to myself how far from the mark of the “mind of Christ” I really am.

“But no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so.” (James 3:8-10)

As a rule I do not find myself erring with my tongue when penning my blog, but three hours later when my computer hangs of things do not go my way for any given reason, do I pull the cursing’s trigger? If so, then I have just proved that I have now moved from walking as I have been called to walk as a new creature in Christ, in His Spirit. I once again walk with a carnal understanding as my old man fights to live although he is dead. I have just pulled the wrong trigger!

Is this type of reality “pie in the sky” or is it real? Very real and common to most if not all, but James is not pleased with what he sees; “from the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so.”

I have but highlighted the tongue as it is common to all, it could well be that we have some other vices and the principle would also apply to all common practical Christianity. How then will we address this issue and bring about a change? We must begin to take every decision in our lives seriously, even the ones we thing to be harmless at first glance. If we begin to minimize some of the more excusable thoughts and we let them slip before long we will be climbing out of some dark ditch saying to ourselves, “how did I end up there?” And yet on some thought, we know exactly why we ended up there, it was the first “trigger” we pulled that caused our slippery demise.

This is how the bible teachers us to avoid the ditch; but first let us ask ourselves this question am I reasoning correctly; “When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways.” (1Corinthians 13:11)

Back to the ditch and how do we stay out? This is the Apostle Pauls instruction; “For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.” (2Corinthians 10:3-6)

This then is my on-going experience on how I have victory in the Spirit and when I fall by way of the flesh. Both have played their part in my life, I have many scars to prove how trigger happy I’ve been in the past as I’ve erred on the wrong side of many bad choices. But this is what it has taught me; it is the very first initial thought that enters my mind on any given subject, as an example; a rugby match at an unsaved friend’s house. These then some of my thoughts, they may be invited but not always. Who will be there, what will be the mood and will alcohol flow? I then have to act on these considerations, “to do or not to do”! Does acting on this thought help me obey Christ or not should be the question? The obvious answer to this example would be to stay away, stop the first trigger from firing and then there will be no other decisions to act upon, like should I have a beer, should I, should I and should I to many other possibilities with the ditch looming! Thoughts are a way of life and they often come along uninvited; it is when they become actions acted upon, that then is often the trap (sin) we fall into. Stop the very first thought and we stop the “trigger” effect that leads to the ditch. It is when my sinful thought becomes intent that I need to then seek out God’s face and find forgiveness. It can be avoided!

The only way this will ever be possible is if we walk as new creatures in Christ, we must remember to follow Paul’s instruction; “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)

How will we ever know the deep things of God if we live any differently, we won’t! We must then remain content to be children and never grow up into manhood. Our hope is to enter into God’s rest as He too entered His own rest. The only way we will ever do that is to walk in the Spirit, to put on the mind of Christ.  

May we remember this in the forefront of our minds; “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12)

May God help us to be more like His glorious Son, our majestic Saviour, even Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen!

Signing off

Tyrone   

   

   

Hard is the way that leads to life!

(Matthew 7:13-14) “For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.”

It is one thing to always encourage one another and we must always look to err on the side of encouragement but there must be a time and a place for serious self-evaluation, especially when there are obvious considerations to consider.

It is one thing to understand doctrine in conjunction to what the bible teachers but to be free of being a hypocrite seems almost impossible. How many times have I purposed to do something and then gone and done the complete opposite? More times than I wish to remember! Why, why and why?

It would be easier to sit back, not make a stand and remain silent in some corner minding my own business. This ongoing disqualification that eats away at my soul is a great hindrance. But to now justify my actions as acceptable is unacceptable and by God’s grace I will not afford myself this lying luxury. I will consider none other than myself, myself I judge and I long for more resolve in these areas of my life. There are many areas where I lack but there is one that specifically hinders my prayer life.

Hypocrites God will judge! I would much sooner be expose here whilst on earth than when it is too late and the doors of repentance have been shut.

Having said that it would be wonderful to be more consistent as a Christian, Paul a very good example to what we should look like as believers. Can you say what he said about himself? I can’t but I will continue to strive toward his example by the grace of God. This then is what he had to say; “For I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me.” (1Corinthians 4:4)

Where I have been taken this morning is once again a place of self-examination with soberness to it. I am once again reminded on this verse; “How can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,' when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother's eye.” (Luke 6:42)

Yet having openly confessed my heart on this matter, I am not without hope and neither should you be if you have similar sentiments. Our great Saviour has overcome and He will get us home. We may stumble at times, far more often than we would like, at least more than I would like, so it would seem. Nevertheless our faith is in our Kings achievements and not our own failures. If we stay focused on our miscarriages we will be overcome with the “slough of despond”.

This then is the instruction wherever we find ourselves, whether it be in song, trial, tribulation, sorrow, depression or a need to find forgiveness. The cry must always be the same; Jesus, Jesus! He alone has overcome, He alone has risen from the dead with a glorified body and He alone has the power to forgive as well as condemn. The Lord Jesus Christ, the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end, not only to the universe but in our lives and on a personal level. May we never forget it! It must begin with Him as it shall surely end with Him. We must always find refuge in Him. It would do us no good when we trip to remain moping in the dirt, cast our eyes heavenward and call upon the name of the Lord and before long we will be dusting the dirt from our knees with new hope and vigour, with these word on our lips; “our God reigns”! It may even take us a life time of constant repentance, in fact I am certain it will and must, but to whom else can we go? “For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day." (John 6:40): - Therefore wherever we find ourselves along the celestial road we must will all diligence seek out our Saviour's face.   

It is our hope that must fuel our failures, we have a great hope and one day we shall be like Him in reality. With new glorified bodies as our reward, to ever be with God the Father addressing Him as such, eyeball to eyeball. If we lose sight of our hope, the chance of us perishing along the way is a real one. But when we remain fixed on our Saviour’s complete work, wherever we find ourselves there will be a place of rescue.

But let us not be hypocrites in practice without seeking out forgiveness if and when we fall; hypocrites God will judge!

Here is a sobering reminder; "Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” (Matthew 7:13-14)   

 1. The account that is given of the bad way of sin, and the good way of holiness. There are but two ways, right and wrong, good and evil; the way to heaven, and the way to hell; in the one of which we are all of us walking: no middle place hereafter, no middle way now: the distinction of the children of men into saints and sinners, godly and ungodly, will swallow up all to eternity.

Here is, (1.) An account given us of the way of sin and sinners; both what is the best, and what is the worst of it.

[1.] That which allures multitudes into it, and keeps them in it; the gate is wide, and the way broad, and there are many travellers in that way. First, “You will have abundance of liberty in that way; the gate is wide, and stands wide open to tempt those that go right on their way. You may go in at this gate with all your lusts about you; it gives no check to your appetites, to your passions: you may walk in the way of your heart, and in the sight of your eyes; that gives room enough.” It is a broad way, for there is nothing to hedge in those that walk in it, but they wander endlessly; a broad way, for there are many paths in it; there is choice of sinful ways, contrary to each other, but all paths in this broad way. Secondly, “You will have abundance of company in that way: many there be that go in at this gate, and walk in this way.” If we follow the multitude, it will be to do evil: if we go with the crowd, it will be the wrong way. It is natural for us to incline to go down the stream, and do as the most do; but it is too great a compliment, to be willing to be damned for company, and to go to hell with them, because they will not go to heaven with us: if many perish, we should be the more cautious.

[2.] That which should affright us all from it is, that it leads to destruction. Death, eternal death, is at the end of it (and the way of sin tends to it), - everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord. Whether it be the high way of open profaneness, or the back way of close hypocrisy, if it be a way of sin, it will be our ruin, if we repent not. (Matthew Henry)

God help us we pray to take sin seriously, whatever it may be that seems to want to lead us astray. We call out unto you our great redeeming King, save us from it, Amen!

Signing off

Tyrone

Great Power!

(James 5:16) “The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.”

If prayer is such a precious weapon for the Christian, what must the enemy achieve to hinder its progress? This is then today consideration and it is crucial we explore this with some accuracy and then peel away hopefully with a clearer understanding equipping us with a freedom to march forth with even more power than before.

A group of men that meet on a Saturday morning with the intention of being equals and encouraging one another in the faith have now decided to lock hands in prayer as they begin to consider their brother’s needs. At 5am on most mornings of the week they phone one another to remind each other of their commitment. Prayer is often a very selfish endeavor, but as soon as we put some structure to our prayers it helps us find strength through prayer. Let me explain; it is a good thing to put time aside, to prioritize and then to stick to that resolution come what may. Why is this necessary? It is a tool, by which we are trained up in the ways of righteousness, it teachers us to be self-controlled (longsuffering - to stick with something even when it would be a lot easier to throw in the towel), which is a fruit of the Spirit.

How, for so many years I resisted this type of structure, thinking that I must be Spirit lead, not allowing any man-made programs to influence my thinking. If we remain faithful to our God even in the smallest of things, He will always honour that and will never deny Himself, He will always bless faithfulness! He longs as a Father to bless His children, but we must apply ourselves to the pattern He has left us and prayer is a vital part of that design.

We must be Spirit lead and it is often through prayer that we are lead spiritually, look at what Paul teachers; “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.” (Romans 8:26-27): - Pray we must!

I then suggest that you put time aside, habitually if you like for prayer, set a specific time aside for prayer and then come what may by the grace of God stick to it. The baby may cry, the earth may move and life may seem to fall apart around us, but only for a time. We all have hectic lives, some more hectic than others but this I will say we have all been given the same amount of time in any one day, 24 hours for all, not only some and it is what we do with it that will count in eternity.

Our late brother Charles Haddon Spurgeon was a man that was undoubtedly Spirit lead and yet he was the most structured man if we examine his example and lifestyle. It is not a program that we must be faithful too, but our commitment and relationship to God. All we need do is set time aside and the let the greatest of teachers lead us; Gods the Holy Spirit will guide us. Nevertheless we must be clay that is pliable in God’s hands. It is imperative that we present ourselves to Him as willing vessels so that He may mould us into the image intended for us from before the beginning of time.

Who then will want to stop this process in our lives? Satan and his ministering spirits! Sin that so easily besets and the lust of our very own flesh; “For all that is in the world--the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions--is not from the Father but is from the world.” (John 2:16)

We must see the truth for what it is and not pretend that these enemies are not real, it is only the ostrich that look to bury its head in the sand when looking to elude obvious danger. Let us be sober when considering these truths…

“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” (Ephesians 6:12)   

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.” (1Peter 5:6-10): - This portion of scripture ends with a promise from God; “will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.”

“For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.” (2Corinthians 10:3-4)   

The Lord Jesus set aside specific times to pray! How much more should we do exactly the same?

What will hinder our progress when we commit to a time of prayer? Sin is one of the great destroyers; “Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.” (1Peter 2:11): - But it is through prayer that we are able to call out to God and to seek forgiveness. How are we able to buy eye salve for our eyes if we remain silent? God help us to constantly cry out to Him and let us remember that there is no locked door to the throne room of grace. Our great Saviour the Lord Jesus Christ has opened that door. All of God’s children have been afforded the opportunity to approach it with boldness and to seek out its grace and therefore obtain mercy in time of need.

My conclusion then, remember that prayer is a great weapon, let us therefore learn to use it skilfully, resolve to put time aside. Out of it will flow rivers of living water!

Lastly let us remember to be open and honest with one another, why? So that we may pray for one another with purpose; “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.” (James 5:16): - But in order to do that we need to be committed to other believers, if you are out there somewhere and you feel you stand alone, you are not alone, drop me a prayer request and I will be sure by the grace of God to pray for you.

Signing off

Tyrone   

    

   

My grace is Sufficient!

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

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

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

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

“I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven--whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows. And I know that this man was caught up into paradise--whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows-- and he heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter. On behalf of this man I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except of my weaknesses. Though if I should wish to boast, I would not be a fool, for I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain from it, so that no one may think more of me than he sees in me or hears from me. So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2Corinthians 12:2-10)

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

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

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

Signing off

Tyrone

     

True power lies with true prayer!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  

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

Signing off

Tyrone