A concern

(Matthew 6:21)  “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

There are many commodities in life that we take for granted, but Gold and precious stones is not one of them. That which is not easy to come by often has a higher value than the rest of the necessities needed to soldier on through life; in a parched land water jumps from the bottom of the “taken for granted” scale to the top. As Christians our values begin to change, it is the reforming work of the Spirit in our lives. However I have seen a powerful lure at play, which is not driven by the Spirit of God; the desire for so many wanting to be rich and sadly this reality that has motivated those with a similar mind-set will suffer loss in eternity. How do I know that? Anything that drives us from Christ and not towards Him will in the long run end up robbing the believer and when the books are opened our works shall be judged in righteousness. Both the believer and the heathen shall stand before the judgement seat of God. The unbeliever will be judge for their sin, whilst the believer will have their works judged. So the sooner the Christian learns to value this lesson the freer we shall be, for our lives depend upon it; “where our hearts are there I treasures will be also.” The more I am honest with my deliberation concerning this teaching, the clearer I am able to see; Am I content with food and raiment? If not I am still under the sway of the lure of “the love of money”. This may be a hard pill to swallow but needful if we are to move past this “giant” who enslaves so many; “where have all the good saints gone”, what of the puritan mentality? The pressures of life certain play their part in this church age of Laodicea; a comparison easily deduced when we examine the free world, it democracy and the voices of the so called Christian.

I cannot but be reminded about the ten virgins; five were wise whilst five were foolish, but they were both classified as virgin. Typology of the saved cries out from that analogy with the emphasis on “virgins”. The wise were ready to meet the bridegroom, whilst the unwise were late.

There is much to do about money and its ensnaring power penned in the Gospels and the Apostles Epistles and it would be wise for us to sit up and take note of their teachings. The Spirit has no need of monies entrapment, and to prove this point the Lord Jesus sent out His disciples in faith with no money; "And he said to them, "Take nothing for your journey, no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money; and do not have two tunics." (Luke 9:3) - But the flesh on the other hand craves what it has to offer. Here are just some of those warnings mentioned; "No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” (Matthew 6:24)  - “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.” (Timothy 6:10)

This is an unavoidable truth that needs to resonate with our understanding and we must find grace to live in accordance with God’s will in this area of our lives, if not it will cost us in eternity. – The next point we must observe is what we do with the money we have been given; I have squandered so much of this in my life but exceedingly grateful for the eye-salve God is now imparting to me to see where I have gone wrong and what I need to do to right my wrongs; We must use what has been specified to sustain our bodies and no more, the rest must be used to glorify our God and the furtherance of His Gospel.

Understanding faith equips us to be governed by this truth; “Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." So we can confidently say, "The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?"” (Hebrews 13:5-6)

How many of those who you know and have known over time, recipients who responded to God’s wonderful gospel message have been swayed by these truths? Sadly I can recall far too many even now as I type away at my keyboard. Money may be a necessary evil but far to much emphasis is placed upon it. God help us to see the wood from the trees in this area of our lives.

Signing off

Tyrone

"I AM"

(Exodus 3:14)  “God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM."”  

Light is a remarkable gift that God has afforded mankind. Without the light of God we remain constantly in the dark. We know that in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth; but when it comes to the origins of God our attentions are unable to venture into that domain and if explored it is impossible to produce any tangible evidence that satisfies our probing minds. It has not been revealed to us yet, all we have been told is that God is and will always be, he has had no beginning nor will He ever come to an end. When God was asked who he was by Moses, this was His reply, “I AM WHO I AM”!

We are only permitted to explore what we have been given and no more. For a man to waste his energies on things to great to ruminate would be a rather futile exercise. A place where the heathen’s unbelief is often rooted in doubt; Satan’s playground! Faith has an opposite influence which drives us towards God and His Word, the Lord Jesus Christ.

However there is a day coming in the not to distant future when we will see our God as He is and understand much deeper mysteries, but for now we see through that glass dimly, however we see enough to believe what is needed to get us home, praise God for that. It is faith in Christ which drives our hope which longs to be covered by the Love of God and is. It was the love of God that nailed Jesus to the cross and without that understanding as our consideration we will never truly be driven by the measure of faith needed to lay aside the sin that so easily besets or the cares of this life that that hampers our attentions. We must be governed by faith; we must be engulfed with the sacrifice of Jesus Christ our Lord and depending on how clearly we understand that will determine our conduct from day to day.

When this truth becomes the over-arching highlight of my day, my sight that is driven by faith will become a lot clearer and the things of this world will begin to grow strangely dim. Thank you God my Father for the love you have extended to me. Assist me in replicating a measure of that love, so that all men may truly know that I belong to you. There are many amongst us who claim salvation but in fact are no more than thieves looking for opportunities to pillage. There is a day coming when the books will be opened, praise God for that.

As my mind now travels to my hope in you I am pointed to the love of Jesus and how he has chosen us, loved us, bought us, cleansed us, robed us, kept us and soon will glorify us. He is the light of the universe and we see such beauty there. Without light we learn that no radiance flashes from the emerald, just like all the beauty of the saints stem from Jesus. Just as planets reflect the light of the sun our Saviour is the reflection of our righteousness and if His glory were veiled our glory must expire. There is a day coming when our knowledge will be perfect but there will be an unchanging truth that thankfully will never die as the Lord Jesus is the fountain of it all, praise His name now and forever more, Amen!

Signing off

Tyrone 

A reminder

(Romans 8:28) “We know that all things work together for good to them that love God.”

It’s a wonderful thing to have ones destination set; a sure thing is something we all desire and it is delightful to be reminded by other brothers in Christ about these and similar truths even if they have moved from this life into the next. 

“Upon some points a believer is absolutely sure. He knows, for instance, that God sits in the stern-sheets of the vessel when it rocks most. He believes that an invisible hand is always on the world’s tiller, and that wherever providence may drift, Jehovah steers it. That re-assuring knowledge prepares him for everything. He looks over the raging waters and sees the spirit of Jesus treading the billows, and he hears a voice saying, “It is I, be not afraid.” He knows too that God is always wise, and, knowing this, he is confident that there can be no accidents, no mistakes; that nothing can occur which ought not to arise. He can say, “If I should lose all I have, it is better that I should lose than have, if God so wills: the worst calamity is the wisest and the kindest thing that could befall to me if God ordains it.” “We know that all things work together for good to them that love God.” The Christian does not merely hold this as a theory, but he knows it as a matter of fact. Everything has worked for good as yet; the poisonous drugs mixed in fit proportions have worked the cure; the sharp cuts of the lancet have cleansed out the proud flesh and facilitated the healing. Every event as yet has worked out the most divinely blessed results; and so, believing that God rules all, that he governs wisely, that he brings good out of evil, the believer’s heart is assured, and he is enabled calmly to meet each trial as it comes. The believer can in the spirit of true resignation pray, “Send me what thou wilt, my God, so long as it comes from thee; never came there an ill portion from thy table to any of thy children.” (Charles Spurgeon)

“Say not my soul, ‘From whence can God relieve my care?’

Remember that Omnipotence has servants everywhere.

His method is sublime, his heart profoundly kind,

God never is before his time, and never is behind.”

Signing off

Tyrone

Another year

A year has passed since I posted a blog entitled “Trimming the sail”, so the time of reflection is once again upon me. Time to compare where I stand today in light of where I stood one year ago; from a financial point of view I am worse of than I was back then, but from a Spiritual growth point of view I am “to blessed to be stressed” and I have not been called upon to beg bread. So a verse that by experience has become more of a reality to me today than it was a year ago is this; “But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.” (1Timothy 6:8) – There was a time when I was driven by money, I can honestly say today it is not so; God has been merciful to my understanding. Nevertheless in order for me now to make such a pronouncement learning this vital lesson in life did not come inexpensively. I also understand that I have only begun to scratch the surface with what it means to be content with food and clothing, but by the grace of God that door has been cracked, praise God! I trust I will be total delivered from that vice that once captivated my life. I too with Paul want to be able to echo these word with a clear conscience before God and men; “Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.” (Philippians 4:11)

Putting on the mind of Christ will bring us to the places in our lives that we once held dear to our hearts, but now we realise that so much of it is in fact nothing more than craziness. Once driven by the lust and desires of our heart, always striving but never achieving, with the flip side of that condition, a place of contentment with what God gives us. The irony of the opposite extremes, chasing money and always on the edge of panic, as opposed to having just enough to survive and living a life filled with peace. I have made up my mind on where I want to live from here on in concerning money. As I trim the sail in this area of my life, I am thankful to my heavenly Father for the valuable and yet very costly lessons he has taught me along the way. Thank you Father God for the discipline you instil in my life, I am truly grateful for it.

Another concern I had was not finding forgiveness for the blunders in my life where I lost it all together and lived a life of debauchery. A man troubled by so much, filled with a restless spirit, rebelling and looking to shirk the responsibilities place on the Christian. Although I had turned that corner and the grace of God had forgiven me, I found it hard to accept His forgiveness. The account of the prodigal son, repeated over and over again in my life. But God has tarried with me; today is a day where I have been freed from all guilt and condemnation, even though I was guilty as charged, praise the work of my glorious Saviour, sweet Jesus. The burden of guilt has been lifted by my God, He has renewed a right Spirit in me and I am also thankful for this.

God is not a God only to those who seem to have it all together; His brilliance is reveal in and through the change of heart in those people whom others often right off. He is willing and able to renew a right spirit within their hearts, only cry out to him, and take the blame for you sin, own it and watch our great God bring about an everlasting change to the once weak and feeble believer. We must all learn to wear this encouragement upon our hearts; “admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all.” Just as God has been patient with so many of us let us remember from where we have fallen.

It is through these changes in our lives that we witness the Spirit of God working in and through us, ultimately glorifying our heavenly Father. When we see no change it is obvious that our lives are dominated by our flesh and we need a radical shift in our understanding, my prayer is that God would discipline all those in need of His discipline as I have understood in part the benefits to that discipline. Father God begin to shake is my prayer and send our beloved Saviour to fetch your children, Amen and Amen!

Signing off

Tyrone

Blood of bulls and goats

(Hebrews 10:4)  “For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.”

The laws of sacrificial offering were introduced by God through Moses way back in the early stages of Judaism. And yet with such a detailed account given to the children of Israel in which they needed to religiously follow, the conclusion that the writer of Hebrews arrives at is this; “For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.” So many years of habitual practice and yet the very thing that it was designed for, to help the children of Israel find forgiveness for a particular trespass was only ever a temporal solution, but with an over-arching truth that many so called Christian organisations of today have adopted similar practices. A religion that is driven by the flesh and its repetitions; with a similar outcome that just like the blood of bulls and goats could never take away sin; religious organisation that look to approach God in the flesh can never free those in their congregation in finding true forgiveness. A tickling of the conscience, which is in fact a total waste of time when it comes to finding the will of God for their lives.

Why did God spend some much time on the sacrificial ordinances throughout history? There are obviously many facets to this question that we can explore but for me the greatest truth that springs to life is simply this; God was proving over time that because we are fallen beings, born into sin and that we are naturally anti-God, the law was a teacher to demonstrate that we needed a Saviour. It proves how helpless we are within ourselves and how futile our own efforts are.

Satan on the other hand looks to hone in on the efforts of particular individuals like mother Teresa, a person that is hard to fault when we compare her efforts to the worlds; this was on of her quotes “If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.”  A contradiction to the Lord Jesus instruction on how we will find peace; “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you.” (John 14:27) – True peace has nothing to do with us being linked to one another but rather an understanding that our sins have been forgiven in and through the finished work of the cross. One train of thought derives from an understanding that comes from the flesh whilst the other through the Spirit of God. We must start right in order to end correctly; Simple mathematics.

Who will resist the point I raise, will it not be those who are driven by their flesh? There have been many other great examples that lure us always from the truth of God’s Word. Gandhi or Nelson Mandela, great example of the revolts of their times, but how often did you ever see them point you to Christ and the finished work of the cross? Peace was the message that drove their intentions. They were driven by their own efforts which glorified themselves and not the Lord Jesus Christ.    

The said that drives is what I have been contemplating over the past week or so, which is; the flesh and the Spirit and how they cannot be mixed in the same bowl in order to be favoured by God. We have already established that those who live in the flesh cannot please God, and no matter how we slice it, our attempts in the flesh are futile, with an outcome that never changes; “Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” (Romans 8:8) - An impossible quandary to avoid if we remain in that mind-set and we must learn to live here; “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.” (Galatians 2:20-21)  

The opposite of walking in the flesh is someone who understands what it means to walk in the Spirit, as they find victory in the finished work of the cross in their lives; this is a fundamental that Christ has established for every believer; those who are sanctified by His blood; all those whose names are written in the “Book of Life”.

It is becoming very obvious to me what is meant by these words; “you shall know a tree by its fruit”. Regardless of the season that trees needs to endure, it has to have seasons of palatable fruit. Its fruit must glorify God and it will never achieve this from a platform of the flesh (our own efforts). The root of that tree, Jesus Christ must be the one nourishing the individual and the way this is achieved is through the Spirit. Even the Lord Jesus, God in the flesh, taught us this principle; “And Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone.” (Mark 10:18) – Any effort done whilst walking in the Spirit will glorify God and not the other way around, with our own efforts bringing praise to ourselves.     

Signing off

Tyrone

With thankfulness

It is with thankfulness that I approach the throne room of grace this morning. I thank God for the eye salve he gives to those who seek it out. There are various verses that spring to life because of it; in my case a verse like this is now coherent; “You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.” (James 4:3) – We are so tainted by sin that even after salvation our mind need to be completely rewired. When we pray in our closets are we still so self-centered that we remain the centre of our universe or have we learnt “to let go and let God”? If not our lives will remain with a constant variable, we will always clutching for straws. When we learn to put on the mind of Christ within the measure that God affords each of His children the shift in our understanding is enlightened and new doors are opened, never before considered and it is refreshingly quenching. Words penned in a book, the Bible springs to life and they beginning to mould our understanding with the mind of Christ, praise God for this marvellous miracle.

I prayed for God to take me deeper with my understanding in segregating the war that rages between the Spirit and my flesh and He obliged. I did not pray for a new house of a new car or the like. How would a new car aid me in my plight for holiness and the call that God has place on every believer to seek out His righteousness in our lives.

Unlock a certain truth and see how so many of God’s instructions begin to spring to life. To walk in the Spirit means we will have victory over our old natures, fact! How do I walk in the Spirit? I put on the mind of Christ. How do I put on the mind of Christ? I dress for battle. What do I wear? The amour of God; how often should I dress for battle? I need to put on the amour of God with this intent, to seek out God’s righteousness and I do this daily. Why do I need to follow this instruction with intent? “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.” (Ephesians 6:10-11) - (also see versus 12-18) – He (the devil) is the one that will throw a thought of a new car into your minds and once swallowed, it will be pursued with great intent and we will lose out, not unlocking the simplicity, but depths to a particular truth. This has been the way he has waged war from the beginning, looking to twist the true intent of the teaching of scripture. We can spend so much time asking for things that will have no bearing at all in changing us into the likeness of our glorious Saviour, so James lets us have it straight from the hip; “You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.” Ask for something that will aid in our plight for holiness and the furtherance of the gospel in faith and buckle up as our beloved Heavenly Father graciously gives to those who ask Him for the right ingredient that glorifies His name.

The Lord Jesus taught us this; “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.” (John 15:7-8) – Will a new car or house prove that I am a true disciple of Christ? Or will a life which is saturated with the mind of Christ speak louder?  

      

A man once blind and rebellious to the call of God on his life finding forgiveness as the reality of these words ringing true, “who saved a wretch like me”, but to venture even further and after once being saved to make so many blunders along the way, which was still not enough to keep him from the mercy of God, wow! How I love you my heavenly Father, thank you Lord Jesus for your intercession in my life and for your work Holy Spirit as you have brought me through so many trials and enlightened my understanding, your work has refined so many misaligned thoughts. And I owe it all to Jesus and His perfect work, bless your name my glorious Saviour, Amen!

Signing off

Tyrone

Understandings conclusion

(Hebrews 6:3) “And this we will do if God permits.”

In conclusion we must seek out an understanding which isolates the difference between our action in the flesh and the spirit. It will help when we understand the workings of that transformation in our lives. I suppose this in itself is a basic fundamental that we should all come to grips with from an early Christian age. Sadly I am not convinced that this is the case. No wonder the Apostle James had this to say; “Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.” (James 3:1) – Anyone can babble on about something just to be heard and I Know that I have been guilty of that over time; however the reality of what is penned in this blog I will have to give an account for to God. So with the unpacking of the working of the Spirit and the flesh in our lives and by the grace of God I do believe I have finally understood a measure of the difference between the two and I have endeavoured to relay that to you. I haven’t taken lightly what has been inscribed as I do understand I will have to give an account of what I have taught. Nevertheless if understood correctly it could very well change your life. Christianity is a walk over time and our journeys are filled with varying emotions, a life of highs and lows, but we must not let our natural emotions darken the skies of faith; we walk by faith and we MUST trust God’s Word above any of our secular reasoning; this then is the key to walking in the Spirit.

The Apostle Paul taught us this truth which is pivotal for our success; “Do not be conformed to this world, (unlearn what you have learnt though secular teachings) but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12:2) – We must all work it out, but remember to test the reason for any action we initiate; may God put a resolve in our hearts for this to become an arrangement to our daily lives.

The preceding verse gives us a foundational instruction to help us end up as victors in this area of our lives; “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, (a sacrifice means to die) holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” (Romans 12:1) –And then a marvellous balance to it all in verse three; “For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.” (Romans 12:3) – Faith is required to arrive in the place of God’s design, but we have been give a measure of it by Him, a reminder that we have nothing to boast about, we are all covered by God’s grace. When we walk in the Spirit there will be no room for boasting, so if and when we find that we begin to want to tap ourselves on the back, remember Jesus Christ is the only true victor and we are all covered by His blood. God has excluded boasting from all who have learn to the walk in the Spirit and James confirms this; “As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.” (James 4:16) – The only thing we are permitted to boast in is our hope in Christ; “but Christ is faithful over God's house as a son. And we are his house if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope.

Thank you Father God for taking me a little deeper with what it means to put on the mind of Christ, I prayed a prayer a week or so ago to you Father God and you have faithfully answered it, thank you Jehovah, the triune God working perfectly in tandem to help me see and understand. And just like a particular man in the past was asked to strike the arrows and it is captured for your children in your glorious Word, the Bible, may I continue to strike them with vigour and not stop until my mind has been totally arrested on what it means to put on the mind of Christ. Bless your holy name now and forever more, Amen and Amen!

Please help all those who belong to you and still struggle to understand the difference between what it means to walk in the flesh and the Spirit. Do not let the enemy twist their reason is my prayer. It would be impossible for any of us to go onto maturity if you do not permit it; “And this we will do if God permits.” (Hebrews 6:3)   

  

Signing off

Tyrone

Understanding - part 3 of 3

The next point we must get is that without God’s Spirit changing us from the inside out we would be useless to Him. Those bent to a Calvinistic way of thinking may want to shelve the work of the Holy Spirit in their lives because there has been so much abuse of late concerning His work amongst the churches of God; “throw the bathwater out with the baby” type of mentality, which would be a grave miscalculation.

We need the Holy Spirit in our lives far more than some have begun to understand. Praise God His work continues in spite of the lack of some believers understanding. God is at work and the gates of hell shall not prevail. As individuals of the body of Christ we need God to help us understand the work of His Spirit and get ourselves out of the way to allow the change to happen in our lives. We need faith for this to be actualised. “For without faith it is impossible to please God”.   

We understand from a scientific point of view that we have opposite and opposing forces that work in tandem and yet change a dynamic and they repel one another. A magnet attracts another magnet when the opposing poles face one another, in other word north and south will attract each other whilst two south poles will repeal and that is why when a magnet is flipped it repeals what it once attracted. A common law that we can most certain learn from and use it as a baseline to get ahead with our understanding.

The Lord Jesus’ often used parables to highlighted a truth, for example you couldn’t put new wine into old wines skin for the old skins would burst, nor can you mend a worn garment with new fabric for the opposing strengths in the material would cause more damage, the new would cause the old to tear; like for like is needed to arrive at the perfect fit. In the case of the magnet opposites are needed to attract; our flesh and sin fits perfectly, but walk in the Spirit and we will repeal sin in our lives. The Apostle Paul establishes this base line for us; “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.” (Galatians 5:16-17) – This is not a suggestion but rather a common fact concerning the mechanisms of the Spirit versus the flesh, there will always be conflict between the two and it cannot be any other way, no matter how much psycho-jargon is thrown into the mix.

We cannot expect to put on the mind of Christ and use it to its full potential if we muddle those thoughts; Christs actions against our normal engagements. When the two are mixed it will result in a catastrophic concoction of mismatched thoughts that cause more conflict that enlightenment. Here is some more doctrinal evidence to prove this point; “For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 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 8:5-8)  

  

If we go back to the beginning of time, the time of creation and the birth of mankind, I notice something of great value that is easily overlook, which is; “the KNOWLEDGE of good and evil”. We have a skewed perception on what is “good and evil” and therefore our natural reasoning will always lack the knowledge required to arrive at a God saturated conclusion. Our minds are naturally sinful and to put “new wine” into an old “wine skins” will result in a failed attempt every time.

This is why we all needed a new beginning, Christians are born again and given the Spirit of God, which now also affords the ability to put on the mind of Christ. However in order for Christ’s mind to dominate our existence we need to “unlearn what has been learnt”. Without this intent in a believers mind and heart, we will always fail to reach the heights that our beloved Father affords those whom He loves, His children; the sons of God!

We must all learn to walk in the Spirit. It rather simple to understand, but quite another thing to implement; obey the words of God regardless of the cost is the instruction, follow in the footsteps of the Lord Jesus, for God knows what He is doing; bless and do not curse when reviled; the opposite reaction to our natural instinct. Turn the other cheek when it receives a harmful blow; go without so that someone else may have and in so doing we will be realigning the radar of our minds eye when it comes to putting on the mind of Christ; However, when we look for justification to find justice when we have faced injustice we have not understood what it means to put on the mind of Christ. We are endeavouring to put old wine into new wineskins and it will always end with the same result, a miss-match.

God help us and may He give us the eye salve needed to see these truths for what they are and may we be quick in running to Him when grace is needed to overcome our old natures.

Grace and peace to all who confess Jesus as Lord.

Signing off

Tyrone

Understanding - part 2 of 3

It is also obvious that everyone alive is thriving in their flesh. Christians still have a raging war that needs to be dealt with on a daily basis; we have already established that once we get saved we do not totally die to self because we are still alive in our bodies with the same mind driving us. However we do now have the mind of Christ which was given to us at salvation, we have the Holy Spirit who guides and leads us into all truth. Without the Spirit of God governing our lives as Christians we would never be able to change in character and our old natures would continue to dominate our actions; tricking us at times making us believe that "we are good" within ourselves; the war cry of today’s world!

We know that even our best attempts to please God, if motivated by the flesh is as filthy rags in His sight: why? Because our flesh has been tainted by sin and mix fresh drinking water with enough oil and it will be rendered useless. Paul makes this point very clear in Romans chapter 8; take what I say or what anyone says pertaining to any truth in scripture and test in against other quotes out of the bible and see if it fits, if not, something is off and needs to be readdressed.

Some people claim to be Christian through the traditions of men, but deny that a person needs to be born again; does that type of reasoning fit with the Bibles teachings? No! Here is the proof; Jesus answered him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." (John 3:3) To claim a relationship with God, the One who is Spiritual cannot be seen with the naked eye, and to try and enter into his presences without spiritual eyes is foolish, and yet so many have been duped into believing that it is possible, the traditions of men, a trap that Satan has lured millions into. So to approach God in that way results with a truth which is unavoidable; it is impossible for us to please Him in our flesh. We need eyes in order to see His kingdom and His brilliance will always allude us if we are not given sight to see, simple put, we must be “born again”. Our natural minds will always resist this thought as it is way out there; “Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.” (Romans 8:7) 

How do I test whether I am being driven by my flesh or by the Spirit of God? It is once again rather simple; the “fruit of repentance” is a perfect test to help us examine where we stand; “For see what earnestness this godly grief has produced in you, but also what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what longing, what zeal, what punishment! At every point you have proved yourselves innocent in the matter.” (2Corinthians 7:11) – How have we responded to Christ’s sacrifice and the finished work of the cross? Does religion remain a nice idea or has it changed our lives?

As Christians we will now be driven by the Spirit of God; “For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. God has called us to life in and through the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 8:2)

We were once dead in out trespasses and our sins but now we have been made alive to serve our God; we have been born again; without this miraculous event taking place in our lives it would be impossible to approach the throne room of God, impossible to methodology God. Nevertheless for us to pretend that the tension between the Spirit and our flesh should not be prevalent in our lives is in fact false. This tension remains for a reason; for it helps build us up in Christ’s character; contesting against our old natures produces endurance and brings with it peace but only if we are governed by the Spirit of God.              

The Bible is full of many valuable instructions that will benefit the ones obedient to them. In order for that to become our reality we need to understand what is being taught. We must recognize the voice of our God and His instruction under any given circumstance; simply put we need to “put on the mind of Christ”. And the only way we will ever achieve this in the right measure is if we are lead by the Holy Spirit. He must now govern our thoughts. But in order for that to happen we must “unlearn all that we has been learnt” which come from another source altogether. To be carnally minded is to simply align ourselves with the enemy’s arsenals which wars against the Spirit. Me, self and my worth all comes from our carnal natures and with this mind-set in play it is impossible to please God. We cannot please Him, please get the point for if it is missed, our entire lives would have been wasted. However as Christians we have now been given spiritual ears and eyes to make head and tails of the difference, but sometimes we give far too much of what we allow into our lives a pass. It can be the very things we sanction that rob us of our victory in Christ. Remember to put this prefix into every action we carry out and we will live a peaceable life; anything we do or any intent we may have minus God equals the flesh and if the flesh dominates our lifestyles it simply proves that we are still carnally minded.

We must examine ourselves in the mirror and if this is our lot in life, it is then time to cry out unto our God and Father and plead with Him “to renew a right spirit within us”. The plea of David, a man after God’s own heart, do you not want to be tarred with the same brush, I know I do. Pleasing my heavenly Father and to live a life sold out to Him driven by the Spirit of God.

Signing off

Tyrone

Understanding - part 1 of 3

(Romans 8:8) “Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.”

When we are newly saved many questions arise that we need to find answers for and without the correct teaching the possibilities of our lives spiralling out of control is very real. We need sound teaching in order to be established correctly upon the Word of God. 

For many years I ask myself and others a question; if I am a new creature in Christ why do I still have so many rebellious inclinations against God’s Law? Why did my lust not disappear altogether? Some of my habitual tendencies left me for a while without any effort on my part. It was miraculous in its nature, God had stepped in and given me a new heart, a mind bent on his character. Obvious sinful habits that once dominated my life had miraculously left me with no effort on my behalf. But as I began to grow up as a Christian I found some of those lures once again beginning to sparkle and my understanding on certain truths concerning scripture was now being tested. Hence the fight between the flesh and the Spirit became an obsession; the struggle between my lusts as a young man and the call of God’s holiness upon my life. I was confused by the conflict and looked for answers but I never seemed to find contentment with what I was being sold concerning my obvious struggle. If I was a new creature in Christ and old things had all become new like I had experienced as a new born again believer why was I now not finding the same success? Through much toil and struggle I have looked for the answer and can now state that I finally understand the workings of that struggle a lot clearer.

After some time I stray from the call of a life of holiness towards my old nature with depravity once again ruling my life and in hindsight all that type of behaviour produces is outright rebellion against God? If we find ourselves in a similar place, we must take the blame and we must own it. It is not something that we are entitled to explain away, excusing ourselves. I was told I must change but as far as walking in the flesh I was right, it is impossible to change with the wrong application attached to our efforts. We are naturally bent towards sin because we are born as sinners. Can a leopard change its spots? Obviously not! I was right as far as the old man goes. But there where those who propagated that a man could change; hear me clearly, as men in the flesh it is impossible to change. We will only ever change when we understand what it means to walk in the Spirit. Let me be precise with what I am saying, as new born believers we change but do not understand the workings behind that change and often make the mistake of accrediting ourselves with a pat on the back. It is a tendency that a babe in Christ is afforded, but when we mature as Christians we need to understand the work of the Spirit in our lives to remain humble, for we know that “God resist the proud and gives grace to the humble”. To believe that as new creatures in Christ we should never have to war against our old sinful natures is false. We are new creatures in Christ but the old still lives and looks to trip us up. Our flesh still needs to be suppressed; it hasn’t totally been put to death. On the truth of what Christ did for me on Calvary I am now perfect in God’s eyes because of His salvation work and nothing else; “Jesus in my place”. Without God establishing that truth in a believer’s life we wouldn’t be able to approach Him because we have been tainted by our own sin. However our spirits are house in fleshly bodies that instinctively rebel against God. We now have the Spirit of God living within us. After salvation our flesh remains the same but we have the Spirit as a help to combat our natural tendencies. Once that connection is made it will help us understand the called placed upon our lives. Here is a verse that should help cement my point; “Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.” (Philippians 3:12) – This verse needs more time and space which I am not afforded in this post; suffice to say that we have our old natures that are at war with our new minds, the mind of Christ, the Spirit of God which now guides the believer and we should not be surprized by the conflict. When something is understood it helps us with our intent and our application to the call placed upon that demand.   

The reason for me straying as a Christian is simple but it wasn’t always easy to answer and the reason for it was that I was not taught correctly to begin with, or I simply had ears dull of hearing. Satan approached Eve and all he needed to do was twist what God had commanded. He succeeded!  But he also tried it with the Lord Jesus and failed. Praise God for that! To understand sound doctrine correctly is the pivot of putting on the mind of Christ. When we put on old armour; when we are driven by our human natures, we will always be bent towards sin. Every time, even when we believe we are doing a charitable deed like giving to the poor. It is all about what I am doing to make myself feel good about myself. I am fulfilling a need that needs to be appreciated which lies within my own soul. A theologian put it like this which will help us understand my point with clarity; anything we do or any intent we may have minus God equals the flesh. Not will God be happy with my sacrifice but rather is my understanding of what and why I am doing something triggered by the Spirit or by my flesh. If it is the latter it will always remain dead before God and it won’t be accredited to my account as a good work.

When I act in a way that does not put the will of God first, I am then walking in the flesh and when I am driven by that ordinance it proves that I am still acting out with my carnal nature; which results in this truth without any wiggle room so forget trying to look for it; “those who are in the flesh cannot please God.”

Signing off

Tyrone

To keep the faith

To keep the faith, to run the race and to finish well must be all of our intentions. This must be on top of the priority list or our goal in life list if you prefer. Not a fancy car or a mansion or a holiday in Tibet and to echo the words of Paul we would need this mind-set to constantly actively renew our minds; “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified. (1Corinthians 9:24-27)  

God the Holy Spirit please continue to help me live, breathe and sleep the words of God; for they nourish my soul, and gives me a spring in my step. It’s the mundane things of life that looks to draw the life out of me. And yet it is the “mundane” which covers part of the call that God has place on my life.

Faithfulness is often tested in the “mundane”. We all crave differing things but always with a similar intent, what can I get out of it? The deeper I go on the subject of God’s will in my life and of the universe in general, I’ve observed this fact; God directs all in accordance with His will; it is His purposes that will come to fruition. Satan, sin and all that aligns itself with darkness looks to derail His plan; it is an obvious conclusion that God’s resolve shall be accomplished, so much so that every “t” shall be crossed and every “i” dotted, of this I am certain; and yet so much of my life pulls me in a different direction. Please forgive me my Lord and King; please continue to renew a right spirit within me, is my cry.

Faithfulness has its rewards, and for the Christian to play the self-righteous card is misaligned if not viewed correctly. The danger on either side of this reasoning is that when we say it’s all about the will of God, which it obviously is, the faithful shall have their reward when found to be authentic. There will be a vetting on the day of reckoning; “Judgement Day” shall reveal all the hidden deceit that has not been covered by the mercy of God. In other words those who are found faithful shall receive their rewards; “But, as it is written, "What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him"--” (1Corinthians 2:9)

From the beginning of time the covenant God made with men always had blessings attached to them, Abraham was singled out and a covenant was established and this was the promise; see-(Genesis 17) – a covenant always has a benefit attached to it, for if it didn’t, why on earth would we enter into one? It’s alright to want something out of Christianity so long as it is all about us upholding the will of God in that agreement; its not about money per say but the forgiveness of our sins, our once rebellious mind-set against God, which has now been mended in and through repentance. If we can get that right our lives will change, of this I am confident. And yet so few get it correct because there is so much of ourselves which still looks for dominance within this beautiful covenant of Christianity.  

If we do not understand the reason for the contract this is what often trips the person’s involved; the parable of the seed on rocky ground comes to mind; if it is only ever one-sided it will be found wanting and soon it shall be breached. Selfish gain will be the driving force that governs, a disaster waiting to unfold; salvation in Christ offers the once doomed and opportunity to escape the judgement that the devil and his fallen angels will receive; the Lake of Fire awaits all those who oppose God’s order. Christ came to die in the place of sinners, those blinded by their sin and the offer still stands; Christ died for the ungodly, you and me and the only way we will escape that pending judgement is to find forgiveness in and through the finished work of Lord Jesus Christ; God has offered us mercy, Jesus suffered on our behalf so that the now repentant believer may go free. But free to get it right, no longer about selfish gain but rather a laying down of our lives for one another, our side of the contract needs to be upheld, which in turn verifies our commitment to it. Salvation is a gift from God, but how will others understand this beautiful gift if we lock it up in the cloak "selfishness"?

Many will look to be covered by God’s forgiveness but in fact will be found wanting on that day, those who didn’t quite understand the contact we signed at salvation and the way we where are taught though scripture on what that truly means. It’s not enough to say we believe if in fact our lives are filled with hypocrisy. I know that at times I am guilty as charged, but as long as I have breathe and the storerooms of grace are opened to me, I will by the grace of God continue to seek it out regardless of the many mistakes that still befall me. Grumblings are not a favourable trait to have as a child of God, please forgive me Lord and continue to renew a right spirit in me.

Signing off

Tyrone

blessings and curses

(Galatians 3:13) “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us--for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree"—“

I have been traveling back and forth this morning with differing thoughts, words that have jumped through my minds eyes with the arguments of “curse and Blessing” dominating my attention.

Why do some achieve in certain areas of their lives while other fail? Or so it would seem when view on the surface of things. Mankind measures accomplishment on the evidences we witness. Naturally we measure success as blessing and we contemplate the amount of it by what material value we equate to the individual in question. Let’s face it we have all applied for some form of credit throughout our lifetimes. The same scales are always used by the banks; the greater your value the larger the loan; the opposite naturally applies, the less you are valued the greater the liability or “curse” for the sake of our argument, with an alarm bell that goes off in their heads “avoid at all costs”. We all think the same way, whether we are aware of it or not. Test if what I say fits. “Birds of a feather flock together”, you will very seldom see the beggar feasting with the nobility.  

The greatest of all examples has been depicted in and through the life of the man Jesus Christ; whilst he was helping the needy with their needs, feeding the poor, healing the sick and the like, he was the greatest of all blessing to those around him. The multitudes swamped him at every opportunity. Mankind’s natural tendencies at play with this thought alive and well in our hearts, “what can I get out of it”?

The question I need answered is how does God view this topic? I understand that there is a season for all things in a person’s life; it is the way of the world and the pressures place upon its inhabitants, God has so fashioned it; varying trials for differing individuals with many unpredictable times throughout our lives with the unknown at work. However, that is obviously only applicable with mankind and our limited understanding of the bigger picture. God has his plans and they will come into fruition whether some believe this to be true or not is totally irrelevant. God will have his way, He always does, praise His name. His plans cannot be thwarted.  

Out of the greatest curse of all times has come the greatest blessing; the Lord Jesus Christ became a curse so that I could go free; “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us--for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree"—“ (Galatians 3:13)

The trial of life tests us with our understanding of this principle; are we willing to become a curse so that other may go free? This is what was required of God, the Lord Jesus Christ who became a man and died for the sins of the world. He became a curse so that many could be set free from the pending judgement that Jehovah God will bring upon those in breach of His laws. Those who disregard His offer of salvation in and through the darling of heaven, the Lord Jesus Christ, who first had to became a curse in order to conquer sin before He received his elevated position and is now seated at the right hand of God. What about other examples? Joseph lived in a prison prior to ruling Egypt, Job lost all he had and had to suffer severely before he too was elevated and received a greater blessing. What of Daniel, Noah, David and even Samson, the man who lost his eyes? The Apostle Paul was beaten and stoned, left for dead, shipwrecked and imprisoned. The list is long if we would only dare to examine the scriptures.

It would appear that all the great men of God had their fill of curses prior to receiving their blessings; and at times both seemed to be interwoven through the trials of life. As I see it, simply known as the test of faith; its one thing to believe God when the fig tree blossoms but quite another altogether when there is no fruit on the vine.

The testing of this reality in our lives is verified through endurance and not sprint races even though they too have their place in a believer’s life.

The world may look upon its individuals through the eyes of their rules, but God views His plan in a totally different light. He is "the Way, the Truth and the Life", therefore we are obviously wrong when we think like the masses and He is right.

God help us, help me, put on the mind of Christ is my cry this morning.

       

Signing off

Tyrone