The will of God

It’s not about us Father God but about you, you are the creator and you have gone to great efforts to inform mankind of this truth. We have the written Word, the Holy Bible; we have the Word which dwelt amongst us, the Lord Jesus Christ. We have creation and all that entails… you have given us sight to appreciate your majestic works and yet so many worship the creature (creation) at the expense of acknowledging you as the only true originator.

We are not ignorant of the works of the devil, the one who opposes your will, but sadly we are so often sway by his influences, because of our weakness in this regard we seek out your forgiveness. If we were left to our own devises we would be far from you, we would be no different to the men in the days of Noah, with constant evilness plaguing our minds. Thankfully our thoughts are no longer constantly evil; although we surrender to evil thoughts the Spirit within us drives us towards you. Thank you Jesus for you selfless love.  

Life for the Christian is all about working out your good, acceptable and perfect will for our lives; “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)  

This in itself is not something that is a quick fix, but rather a lifetime of trial and error. Without your fortitude we would all be lost, so I thank you for your endurance and tenderness with us, praise the name of Jesus now and forever more, Amen! Without His commitment we would all be absent and doomed to an eternity without your intervention in our lives.

We have been subpoenaed to worship. Everything we do should always be about exalting the beloved name of your only begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. This is what we have all been called to work out. Help us to be diligent in this area of our lives I pray. Whether at work or play, Jesus must take pre-eminence in our indulged worlds; this I know is pleasing to you. He is the apple of your eye and because we are covered with His righteousness we find ourselves looked upon in the same expanse. Help us learn this lesson well I pray. It starts and ends with Him and not our own selfish agendas. This is an unrelenting war that we face each and every day. Holy Spirit teaches us this message well. Help the theory become actions in our lives. It is one things to understand a truth but quite another to apply it as part of our daily routine. We need your assistance, please hear my plea, thank you for hearing it and for your intervention in the Christians life.

Now that we have God on our side we have all been summoned to make daily decisions. We have been called to worship, which means a complete devotion to our God, a total surrender to his will. However with the call of life and the pressures that squeeze down on us, in particular, the gathering our daily bread, which we all are involved with, we must never let these two fundamental truths slip our minds; "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:19-21) – The obvious conclusion is a simple one, am I driven by worldly goals or am I storing up heavenly treasures? Don’t over analyse, keep it simple, the answer is staring us in the face all we need to do is be honest with ourselves.

I can almost see the Lord Jesus the man in Matthew chapter 6 standing before the masses unpacking his heart unlocking so many differing treasures, warnings, comfort and instruction; just some of the gems seeping from his heart engulfed with an abundance of concerned love and then rolling off his tongue pricking the hearts of so many; as he exposed the hypocrites and comforted the lowly; a direct message for those standing before him but no differently for us reading his Word.

How often do we pay serious attention to the words of those who can give us something? Some insights to make our life here on earth a little more comfortable; sadly for so many of us these lines have been severely smudged and we often tend to find ourselves erring on the side of storing up worldly treasures at the expense of eternity. Time will reveal all. However the beauty of God’s forgiveness allows all of His children to call out in repentance for our sin, whatever it may be. Once this has taken place we are called to forget yesterday, realign our rudder and trim our sails. We are to focus on today and not tomorrow; "Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” (Matthew 6:34)

Signing off

Tyrone

Christ in you...

(Colossians 1:27)  “Which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

This is a phenomenal statement and it is packed with unquenchable power. The trapping of this world and the pressures placed upon individuals to be better than the rest is a tangible driving force. Awards are presented to the top students or employees with the hope of driving others to be better in the differing fields of ones existence. Nevertheless when stripped down there is always someone with an ulterior motive behind it all. Satan drives us towards disobedience, to belittle God before those whom he is trying to impress, the fallen angels, with the fruit of rampant sin throughout the world proving that he exists. Creation on the other hand proves that God exists, two very opposite extremes and yet both are real as the other. Tangible proof that many have chosen to ignore! “Do-gooders” who deny their sin and animal lovers that denounce the creator.  

As true as these facts are, the Christian has been separated from the world and called out from among those who are driven by world domination. However without God’s intervention in our lives we would be no different. This is a truth that must never be missed. We are a people that fly a different flag, but how often do we forget the call of duty and disregard our responsibilities? The astute patriot will make a noise and let others identify where he stands. In like manner it’s up to the Christian to do the same, but thankfully we are not left to their own motivation. It’s the Spirit of God that prompts us into action. How often has a sudden urge befallen you to fall to your knees and thank God for His involvement in your life? Last night was such a night for me.

It is easy to be flounced away with the raging tides of the topical waves of our time. For now cryptocurrency is a pressing issue that demands my attention; a new opportunity to make hay whilst the sun shines. It is easy to be “lost in translation” and without God intervention in the believer’s life we would never be able to stand. For others it may be some other unrelenting nagging voice that drives you to be better than the rest. God is the One who reminds us of His existence in our lives, thank God for that! He trims our sails and guides us towards His truth. It’s the Spirit of God in us that reminds us of His intercession in our lives, this must never be missed and the only reason it isn’t is because of His enduring mercies. Thank you Father God for Jesus and His obedience to the call you placed upon His life. CHRIST IN US THE HOPE OF GLORY.

The Christian has a hope which is Christ in us; it’s His Spirit which is not driven by the will of men but rather by the will of God. Let us never forget this reality in our lives, blessed be the name of Jesus now and forever more, Amen and Amen!

Signing off

Tyrone        

An Invisible God

(Luke 18:42)  “And Jesus said to him, "Recover your sight; your faith has made you well."”

To live on God’s Word who is invisible requires faith and heaps of it. It’s only a fool or a madman that would expect a result which was totally contrary to the laws governing a certain outcome. Who walks into a supermarket, fills a trolley and then proceeds to the till without a cent in their pockets to pay for the purchase? Faith requires this kind of reasoning from us, the Christian believes words penned into a book and then acts on them. “Faith the substance of things hoped for” – Because I believe God at His Word I end up living by faith, remove that persuasion and I will never be capable of manufacturing true faith. God said it so I believe it! We must never mistake misguided faith or superstition beliefs under the same heading. Sports Commentators often say “I don’t want to put the “mockers” on him”. What they imply by that is that they have the ability to influence the outcome of a certain situation just by what they say. They may say “he is tearing it up out there and batting beautifully” and then the very next ball the very same batsman is caught on the boundary and dismissed. They then claim that they had an influence on his outcome, really! They say “I didn’t mean to put the “mockers” on him”. This type of mentality is endemic amongst so many of us; we believe we have the power to influence so many differing outcomes, when in fact it has already been predetermined by God. Although this isn’t faith per say, it’s a form of the power some believe in beyond the hidden. What we must do is learn to walk by faith, trusting in His ability to protect us from harm and to pave the way and not the other way around. Faith in the voice of God is what must drive the Christian and nothing else.   

At times it would be easy to claim something as a given as we mouth off certain truths that we unpack in scripture, but quite another facet altogether to prove it by our example. To follow the Apostle Paul’s model, to imitate him in so much as he imitated Christ. The hearer is never vindicated but the doer shall be justified.

Faith will and must be tested, so that we may prove to ourselves what substance the faith we claim is made of. “The just shall live by faith”! There must be evidence to faith, or our claims are unfounded, an appearance of godliness with no power attached to it. God help us to understand the severity of it all. Grace is needed to apply faith into our lives, and grace is freely available. We have been instructed to come BOLDLY to the throne room of grace and seek out as much as is needed for each and every trying event in our lives. Praise God, there is more than enough grace to go around. This room cannot be seen, nor is it tangible and yet it is right before my eyes I can touch it, I have been strengthened from its source of supply more times than I can number. And yet sadly I have passed it by on occasion when I needed it most, my faith was now replaced by unbelief. But praise belongs to Jesus, Christ in us once again drives the Christian in faith as He picks us up from the dirt and we dust off our knees.

When the Lord Jesus patrolled the earth as a man, how often did he say “your faith”…? You see, faith is needed prior to victory and it will never be the other way around. If it was then I would be driven by sight, results in what I see prior to believing. Thomas believed God because he saw Jesus resurrected. There could be no uncertainty and there was no doubt in his mind. He had the proof and it equipped him for what was to come in his life and who knows the depths of what he actually had to endure, God knows! Today's Christian does not have the resurrected Jesus standing before us and audibly giving us instructions, but we certainly have the written Word of God to instruct our actions. FAITH MUST BE WORD BASED. The Bible and the Spirit of God (the Holy Spirit) drives our faith.

Faith in God’s Word is needed in order for us to believe and live in such a way that it turns the heads of those looking on, why do I fluctuate in my ability to walk by faith? The lure of my surrounding become bigger than my faith at any given time and I begin to suffocate from the burden set before me. Praise God that when I become aware of this, its a warning for me to take note and to cry out unto my God and Father in the magnificent name of Jesus Christ my Lord and Saviour and I am soon reminded to pick up the shield of faith, which will extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one.

Yes we serve an invisible God for now, faith demands this from us, but soon, very soon, we will see our God in person and what a day that shall be! Until then, may we continue to provoke one another to good works in the spirit of love with an even greater urgency as we see that day approaching and let us never forget to come together as Christians spurring each other on to the finish line in faith.

Signing off

Tyrone

Now

I am truly blessed to serve a God that works in the “NOW”!

There are many facets to my statement, so let me explain. Firstly my amazing heavenly Father, the only true God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, The One who sent His only begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ to die in the place of sinners, the One who was without sin, the very same individual who was sentenced to die a cruel Roman death upon the hill of Golgotha, paying the price for my sin and the many other individuals whom God has and will still continue to bring into His glorious light; men and women who have been rescued from the wrath of God. Those who have their names is written in the Book of Life, and we should all know what that includes; freedom from the Lake of Fire! “And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” (Revelation 20:15) 

What have you done to deserve that privilege? I trust you have all landed in the same place I have when it comes to our understanding on the matter, THE MERCY OF GOD and nothing else!

Having spent time paging through the scriptures, the Holy Spirit has shown me many great truths that have sent my mind into orbit. “Jesus in my place” is most probably the greatest truth of all. However it would be difficult for me to measure the beauty of it all, but to say, God is truly WONDERFUL! God is slow to anger and quick to forgive the repentant sinner. It continues to amaze me as this truth finds its grounding in my life; although the wrath of God should never be overlooked as a light thing. God is privy to so much we are unaware of and yet He still chooses to save so many of us.

As Moe (my son) and me have been paging through the Bible in our daily readings I have a deeper understanding on what I now share; God works in the “now” in spite of what he is able to see in the future. Whether He flips that switch at will or not, I cannot with any certainty say, God knows! But what I will assert is that God has the ability to truly forgive and offer His love today even if tomorrow is filled with betrayal. No one else would behaviour with such splendour, not that I am implying that betrayal will go unpunished. The enemies of God will land up on the wrong side of His Wrath and yet there seems to be so much grace offered whilst we all work it out for ourselves. Mankind does not have this attribute in their arsenal. Children may understand this attribute better as they forgive with greater ease. Imagine we could see into the future witnessing the murder of a loved one and the person responsible. Would we treat them the same or would our judgements be influence by knowledge? I know I would be swayed by that insight. Our understanding of “The Knowledge of Good and Evil” has a perverted slant on it because our minds have been tainted by sin. God sees into the lives of his children but has the capacity to somehow block that from His mind and be merciful to us in the “now’, Wow! Just consider our journeys as Christians and it will soon become very apparent that what I say holds true. How often have his Children disappointed Him over time by the silly things we have done. I have failed far too often but forever grateful that my line of communication remains open and it reaches the portals of heaven and that it has the ear of God, and only because of Jesus Christ’s sacrifice on my behalf, praise His name! Even the model Christian cannot claim a perfect life of total obedience. When we look back over our lives there will be times of regret; a time of disappointment, a period where we have failed our God. Even David would concede to this truth and yet God determined him a man after His own heart. This is all I have ever wanted to hear from my heavenly Father but how often does my selfishness get in the way of it all, forgive me Lord!

Remember David’s sin with Bathsheba and how he had one of his faithful soldiers (Uriah) killed in battle as he tried to cover it up. Out of that union God chose to use Solomon to build His temple, even through He knew that Solomon would also fail later on in life when it came to the persistent nagging of his unbelieving wives and to ease his burden, he folded to some of their sinful requests. Or what of the time when God destroyed the earth with a flood, did Noah not find grace? Through the throws of His anger there is something that compels our God to be merciful and save. This is the God I serve, He is my Father and I proclaim it with pride in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ my beloved Saviour.

Although there is a looming judgment on its way, which will eventually runs its course. However in the mist of it all, interwoven, not part of but during it all reference to the “Book of Life” and all those found written in it will ring loud and clear to those being exasperated.

“Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” (Revelation 20:11-15)  

No matter how you have failed or whatever your disappointments may be, call upon the name of the Lord and you will find rescue. But call you must, do not delay! Our God and Father is filled to the brim with love for His children, bless His name now and forever more, Amen and Amen!

Signing off

Tyrone

Splish-splash

When I turn on the radio all I hear is crackle, a squelch of garbage as it pollutes and populates the listener’s brain. Climbing into my car I turn the key and then I scan through the various channels waiting for something to catch my attention and only then will I lock in the receiver station. Over time my desired needs have certainly shifted in regards to what I will and won’t listen to. I no longer am draw to the music channels that once drove me as I am now far more interested with the intentions and drives of those around me. Talk radio is where I normally land. God created us with a desire to communicate. In the beginning, whenever that was in relation to our understanding of the calendar, on the “sixth day”, approximately roundabout six thousand years ago God created man with a coherent desire to interact; this was such an obvious consideration that God acted on His observation; “The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him.” (Genesis 2:20)  

The Bibles genealogy gives us an understanding of mankind’s history. However there are those that insist that we (mankind) were around much longer than that. Whose voice will you believe? This is the root of where we will all land in eternity. Depending on what source we look to draw from, either way, it will drive us towards a certain end. Regardless of the opinionated voices out there, myself included, God will have the final say and you better believe it! Regardless of peoples assumption pertaining to God’s eternal plan, those persuasion will never influence the final outcome, heaven or the Lake of Fire! So very little thought is given for the will of God and His purpose that it’s beginning to sicken me deep within the recesses of my soul with a nauseating thought of the blind leading the blind and both then falling into the ditch.

In the “beginning”, God instituted His brilliance through creation with an accompanying command; “go forth and multiply” under the banner of marriage. However not only is marriage becoming a thing of the past but the way in which God’s command has been negated as the world now allows same sex marriages and the like; men with men and woman with woman, with Hollywood shaping our minds and perceptions on the matter as normality. I see the similarities of Sodom and Gomorrah now becoming a way of life for so many. And we all know what happened to that city and its inhabitants, the wrath of God found them out! Although I have highlighted a particular topic and only because it is current, there are others exclusion that are ignore across the board when it comes to the will of God. It is obvious that mankind professing to be wise have in fact shown themselves as fools. It would also be foolish of me to exalt myself above others when in fact I too have made countless mistakes throughout my lifetime; however the key to our blunders and how to handle them is confession and seeking out God’s forgiveness for our folly and not to turn a blind eye to the error of our ways. Repentance is to turn from sin and towards a merciful Father. God is merciful, “for all those who cry out unto the Lord will be saved”, but there will come a day when that door will be shut and then all havoc will unfold, as God’s wrath and His judgement is poured out upon all of His enemies; history has given us an indication of God's wrath, just look at what happened to the Egyptians, those who opposed God and Moses. The final outcome will eventually result in the earth destruction. Another typical clue that should be easy for the Christian to understand, the world trying to save the planet to the exclusion of God purposes in their lives; serving the creature (planet and all that God has created) but denying its creator.        

There is a lot of negativity I have honed in on, or so it may seem for some, but only for those who do not treasure the Bible, however every thought which I have penned is true in accordance with the written Word. The only decision you have to make is whose voice will you obey; God the creator of the universe or those who oppose Him, the created. We will all make our decisions; I have made mine and through this blog have recorded what I believe and where I stand. We all make judgments through our lifetimes on every facet in our lives. Some good while others are appalling and yet if we turn to the Lord Jesus Christ it will end well for us. From kinder garden to a retirement home we will be drawn into factions that complement our particular persuasions. Birds of a feather flock together and yet at times we often see differing species habituating the same area. Heaven will only be habituated with believers in Christ! The unbeliever will spend perpetuity in a smouldering blaze of torment for eternity.

Everyone has their own agenda’s and only those whom we find with like minds will be drawn to us. Cliques and splits throughout society is a very common scenario. Nevertheless I am still drawn to so much of the opinionated trifle that is aired over the radio and I find myself eating with both hands. This is where politics draws its strength from, parties find like minded people with promise of change attached to their voices and this draws in their supporters, like a fish to a baited hook. Sadly many parties are more talk than action and this leaves their supporters with complaints and hence the talk radio stations are kept alive.

And then I read and spend time in the written Word of God, the Bible and I am settled and reminded of the hope I have in Christ, praise His name now and forever more, Amen and Amen!

Signing off

Tyrone

Under threat

(Matthew 7:15)  "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.”

Livestock is often under threat from predators and so it’s up to the gatekeeper or their enclosure to keep them safe. But the hunter has their own objective and this is to hunt and destroy. Not all predator kill to survive, they eradicate because it’s who they are.  

As some of you may already know that I used to breed chickens as I was doing whatever I could to put food on the table, selling off the eggs. I build pens that allow the chickens to free range. About a month into my venture I started loosing chickens to a predator, at first I thought it was domestic cats causing the damage, I was wrong and later found out that it was a predator know mas a Genet; a species on the extinction list. Firstly why would such a beautiful wild animal be close to extension? The answer is an obvious one; farmers of old would make it their business to exterminate them as they viewed them as vermin. The reason for this was the destruction a single Genet would cause was unprecedented. In a single night I could lose up to twelve hens. I would not have minded if I lost a chicken or two in a fortnight. But because they just killed for the sake of it, without eating the chickens, this then became a serious problem. Jackals cause a similar problem, when speaking to a farmer friend of mine, he informed me that when a jackal got into a sheep’s pen it would kill a number lambs and only eat a small portion of the animal and then move onto the next. A Genet is worse it would only eat the brain of some of the hens leaving a trajectory of devastation. This then forced me to fully enclose the coops; it was for their protection as I was their protector. The Genet is such a sleigh animal that it took me weeks to keep it out of their enclosure. By this time I had lost close to 50 chickens and none of my chicks survived.

In like manner the Christian has many enemies that look to break down their faith. They will attack the Word of God with the intention of uprooting the babes in Christ. Therefore the point I stressed yesterday was that it is our responsibility to study the Word of God and be equip to handle the rot. How will we achieve this? Read, read and read! When the Bible is understood correctly it will equip us to handle the fiery darts of the evil one. However if we do not know our Bibles we will be ill equipped to defend what is precious to us as Christians.

Sure we have men that have been skilled in God’s Word that will help guard against the onslaught. But as mankind is the most intellect of all of God’s creation many will dress up in sheep’s clothing pretending to be sheep when in fact they are wolves. We must make it our business to study the Word of God (the Bible) to quench the twaddle. The more we read and study the Bible the better off we will be.

Read, read and read!

Signing off

Tyrone

Seeking out rescue!

(Jeremiah 29:13)  You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.

There is an up side to being in exile, it gives an individual an opportunity to turn the corner and cry out unto the Lord from the bottom of their hearts. But until then their journey with God we remain in the doldrums. The beauty of our heavenly Fathers corrections in our lives brings us to the point of repentance. Disciple is often what we need to turn the corner. But we must pay attention to God’s instruction when it is implemented and if ignored it will be at our own peril. We will remain in the “slough of despond” for as long as it is needed for us to come to our senses.

“God’s people can never by any possibility be punished for their sins. God has punished them already in the person of Christ, their substitute. But yet, while the Christian cannot be condemned, he can be chastised. Punishment is laid on a man in anger, God strikes him in wrath. But when he afflicts his child, chastisement is applied in love. The rod has been baptised in deep affection before it is laid on the believers back.” (Charles Spurgeon)    

When Israel did not please the Lord this was their state; “because they have done an outrageous thing in Israel, they have committed adultery with their neighbours’ wives, and they have spoken in my name lying words that I did not command them. I am the one who knows, and I am witness, declares the LORD.'"” (Jeremiah 29:23) – Up and until they hit the wall, just as we have to hit the divider in our lives to realise that the way we have been living our lives has not please our God. Sin is the thing that keeps our relationship away from the mercies of God. Repent turn that corner, cry unto God with your whole heart and He will come to your rescue. Once we rectify our wrongs, we will soar up on the wings of eagles. It is important for all to realise the requirement needed in our lives to turn the bend. In order for the Christian to crack their lives around we must acknowledge our sin before a Holy God. We cannot accept God to come to our aid if we continue to ignore this reality in our lives. Adultery in any form will never please our Father.

We cannot live like the world and expect rescue without His rod of correction in our lives. I have never learnt as much without the rod of God's love in my life.

God is for his children and once we grasp the error of our ways it will be a very sweet victory. Repent and call upon the name of the Lord and it will be well with your soul, but until then do not expect rescue and only the constant crack of the whip ringing in our ears. 

Signing off

Tyrone

But we have the mind of Christ

(1Corinthians 2:16)  "For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?" But we have the mind of Christ.”

                                                                                                 

A moon suit is needed to explore the moon, a heat shield when re-entering the earths orbit and a decompression chamber for deep sea divers once they surface. Just one of many scientific proves that we have been locked into, regulations that govern us. Its easy to relate to the obvious, not much thought is needed for us to remedy whatever is needed at any given time. We have instincts build into us that are rather remarkable, reflexes; adrenaline and the like spring into action where and when it is needed to get us out of a pickle. What about light and darkness in relation to what is good or evil, all the opposites in our lives that we instinctively act upon; parading the good and hiding the evil. How often have you found yourself saying, “I never thought it would be him?” Be that as it may, our perception of what is good is thwarted in comparison to God’s goodness and until this penny drops into our lives we will never grasp the magnitude of HIS GOODNESS.

Our natural understanding of what is actually good started wrong and therefore will always end on the incorrect side of that which is holy. We do not like to see our judgments like that, who would? It all goes back to the beginning to the tree of “the KNOWLEDGE of GOOD and EVIL”. Sin hijacked our minds into a skewed perception of being able to differentiate correctly and because of it we have so many differing opinions on various matters. USA has different by-laws in differing States on the same laws, why? This proves my point! God is never double minded on anything; He is holy and perfect and will never change His mind on a matter. He has no need too. Perfection never needs tweaking.

This is why it is imperative for us to understand our need for the Word of God to mould our lives. But for something to shape us we must understand it. Are you reading your Bible? If not my encouragement would be for you to start, books can be good but the Bible is way better. It’s only the Christian who has been given the mind of Christ and His awareness is found between the pages of scripture. Read, read and read!

Signing off

Tyrone

As sleep eludes

As sleep eludes I am once again excited with the quite time the Lord has afforded me. It is with anticipation that I pensively sit at my desk in the still of the night waiting to hear from the love of my life, even Jesus the one who died and set me free from so much folly. It has been a long and tiresome journey, with innumerable mistakes along the way and yet He was always had my back, Wow! We all have a tendency to find someone to share our lives with, I will look no further, I have arrived, and my mind is settled and found its rest. He is sweeter than honey; Jesus is the love of my life! I can with assurance say that I love Him and yet when I consider how I got here; the conclusion is obvious; I love HIM because he first loved me. He died for me knowing the beginning from the end; this is a thought that blows my mind into orbit. He accepted my cry of repentance some thirty years ago knowing that I would stray so far from His light, and yet there was no reservation to His embrace. Who acts like that? Who has that type of heart? Jesus Christ my LORD is the love of my life.

With that thought now settled and a tear trickling down my cheek, with my mind gently muddling over some others thoughts as they pass through my reasoning. Faith and the measure of my application to it, has now caught my attention. Can faith be measured? I think it can be, and not with hocus-pocus blind faith by turning to a tree and crying out, “die tree” as we test our gifting of faith. It’s far simpler than that, what value do we place upon the Word of God in our lives is the question that needs answering. Are we constant worriers even when we have been given clear instruction with an assurance attached to it? - "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. "Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” (Matthew 6:25-34)   

Does the worry of daily concern overshadow the voice of God?

Finally what equips us to walk by faith, as it is a gift from God? When will God add to the measure of our faith, it only ever happens when I (we) pay special attention to His voice, the written Word of God! We must not miss the finer detail and the thrust behind the instruction. We can’t take some of the message which twinsets our carnalities and ignore the rest hoping to be truly blessed. This is what I am learning; faith goes hand in hand with righteousness; God’s righteousness! His will and not our wants must be what drive our resolves.

Signing off

Tyrone

Persistence

Persistence is a quality we all desire in our lives; we need to have that box ticked, but only if our determination lands on the right side of God’s righteousness, otherwise what we once considered as a plus to our lives, in fact, is extremely negative and a trait which will continue to breakdown and destroy our goal of walking in our Saviours footsteps. If we put other gods before our great God, it is a form of idolatry that gets in the way and destruction will be our lot in life. It’s not as if I bow before a golden calf. But it’s the underlying idolizations of our lives that rob us of so much peace. "Whoever sacrifices to any god, other than the LORD alone, shall be devoted to destruction.” (Exodus 22:20) – Our Father is a jealous God; He most certainly will not share us with another. Where the believer, or in their case the Jew saved out of slavery began to neglect God’s commands it resulted in punishment. This was obviously a consequence to any neglect to the voice of GOD in a person’s life and in this particular instruction they were commanded not to make a sacrifice to any other gods. We know longer live a life of physical sacrifice for the second covenant which now covers the Christians is grander than the first. “Jesus in my place”! However this does not exclude the principles of the law in our lives. The entirety of the law is a teacher to lead us to Christ. The Law of God is filled with grand enlightenment as it gives us insight into the character of God. It shows us His love as well as His wrath.   

Our mind naturally defects towards self preservation as it looks for all sorts of reasons to satisfy our quandaries when things are not going so well. We love to find solutions that will aid in our struggle. The conclusion is simple, we must learn to put the Word of God first in our lives and then seek out grace to have our minds renewed to avoid the damage we so often face.

Some may conclude that their lives are blissful with very little destruction attached to it, if that be the case, I would be worried. If your life is blessed and it excludes God direction in it (it has no regard for His righteousness) and you claim Christianity as your own but see no apparent discipline attached to you life, you may name to be amongst the Christian number when in fact there could be nothing further from the truth. God fathers his children like no other, of this I am persuaded. God’s character never changes; He is the same yesterday, today, as He will be tomorrow and into eternity. Righteousness will always accompany the Christian. And when it is lacking in our lives, destruction will be evident. Apart from me having to be taught the lesson time and again; who’s to say that my experience entitles me to this assumption. It doesn’t! If I cannot back it up by the Word of God, it has no real bearing and it will not change our lives, it’s as simple as that! Experience can never overshadow the Word of God, but when experience is highlighted by the Word of God then we must pay attention to the whispering voice behind it all. – Here is the proof; “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) - Without our Fathers discipline in our lives we will never share in His holiness; “Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” (Hebrews 12:9-11) 

Our natural tenacity will never land on the right side of God’s righteousness; as our flesh is naturally tainted by sin. It’s like trying to put a shoe on the wrong foot, at first glance it may be missed by the onlooker but as soon as any attention is given to that particular area, it becomes an obvious conclusion.

Just as mathematics of physics has certain binding laws attached to their formulations, so is this principle relevant to the flesh and the spirit. Although the flesh houses the Spirit of God, it can never influence it. That which is flesh is flesh and that which is spirit remains spirit. However the mind is the link between the two. Therefore as Christians we must understand the different roles both play in our lives to become effective in righteousness.

This is the Apostle Paul's conclusion on the matter when it comes to the different influences our mind and our flesh has on our lives; “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.” (Romans 7:25) – At salvation we where given a new heart. The Christian now has the capacity to apply their minds to the will of God. Prior to salvation this was impossible. However this is a process, we must learn to let go of our independence which the flesh demands from us. It is a natural default. We must put on the mind of Christ, putting the Word of God first in our lives if we are to learn this lesson well. Even the Lord Jesus had to fight the urges of His flesh, even though his flesh was never tainted by sin. This is the account recorded for us in the Garden of Gethsemane. A time when his flesh looked to shirk the call place on His life by His Father; His will (flesh) looked for and out but his mind was conditioned to go the way of God. – “And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, "My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will."” (Matthew 26:39) – Our flesh will always look for the easy out; it is its default position. The Spirit will always pursue God’s righteousness and as Christians we have been given the mind of Christ, we now understand God’s command opposed to the pull of our natures, if not then we will be surrounding by destruction until this is learnt. We must learn to apply “not my will but thine be done” to our lives. This will take a lifetime but it will be worth it all as it will stand us in good stead for eternity.  

Destruction is a necessary tool needed to change a rebellious Christian’s mind-set. Thank God for the love He has for his children. He does what ever is needed to teach and help us turn that corner; praise His name, Amen and Amen!

“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)

Signing off

Tyrone

Re-evaluating where we stand

(1John 4:1) “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.”

The question so many ask is how can I be sure that this thought is from God or not simply a vain imagination? Far too many people within Christian circles claim that the voice of God speaks through them and babes in Christ are often influenced by those voices. Whilst the unbeliever slates the Gospel message because of the madness witnessed. Do not be fooled, the gospel is rejected only because men love darkness more than light, and they avoid coming to the light so that their sin is not exposed.

It is imperative that we base everything we do on the instructions found in the Bible; if and when we are prompted to act let its always be in accordance with the Word of God and make sure it is always done decently and in order and without reigning down confusion. God is most certainly not a God of misunderstanding and the spirit of misconception reigns outside of His kingdom. Sanity must always ride on the back of the fruits of the Spirit, even when we are laughed at.

The Word of God must always come first; then we must remember to exegete (interpret) correctly. We cannot open a bible and point at a verse and then claim it as if God has spoken directly to us. This would be a foolish way to conduct our lives.

If I am struggling financially and times are tough I cannot claim a portion of a verse and then apply faith to it expecting results or claim someone else’s providence as my own. If we take a verse out of context, we must be careful not to fall into this trap.

Here is an example…

“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” (Matthew 6:33-34)

   

“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” (Matthew 6:33-34)

I trust you see the difference…

With this in mind let us understand a deeper truth…  

(Matthew 19:30) “But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”

To understand this there must be a shift in our reckoning; our minds must shift gears, moving from the natural into spiritual overdrive and without that transformation there will be no revolution in a believer’s life. A revolt for the WORD OF GOD should begin to dictate. If not we must examine if we be in the faith? Its one thing to say we believe but quite another to live as one who truly believes. When we examine our lives, which I am in the throes of doing and as I look through the looking glass of time; 30 years to be exact! And I see snippets of positive influence, the time when my ministry had a constructive affect on others, I realise that those were the times in my life where my mind was in SPIRITUAL OVERDRIVE. It’s God in us that equips the believer to bring about this change, that is a given, but we have been instruction as children of God to put on the mind of Christ, in others words; we must purposely learn how to do this. Some will be better at it than others, why? God knows! However this does not free me to find an excuse for my rebellion when it rears its head.

The Apostle Paul was very clear on this; “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)

For the slow learner like me, it does not excuse the many mistakes I have made along the way. But praise the name of Jesus and the fortitude of my heavenly Father for His endurance in my life. The times where I had lost my way is simple to understand, it was always a shift from the spiritual back to the natural. What is the lesson then? We must always remain in the Spirit, trusting the Word of God above the whole enchilada of everything else to be fruitful. We must learn to surrender to God; this is how we lay a good foundation in our lives. If we have lost our way, pruning will be required, it will be painful and have its effect on our lives, we will be under strain no differently to a tree that is clipped, but is will bring forth fruit in its season, praise God!

If the required trimming is ignored do not expect any change. Please do not mistake financial gain for blessings from God if we are not chasing His righteousness in our lives as it is probably just another lure distracting us from His truth.  

Signing off

Tyrone

Is the alarm set?

(Jeremiah 16:20) “Can man make for himself gods? Such are not gods!”

One great troubling sin of ancient Israel was idolatry, and the spiritual Israel of today is vexed with a predisposition to the same foolishness. Personalities of the day struggle in various forms to keep idolatry at bay with our carnal natures setting up altars wherever it can find space for them. Our favourite pass times are often the cause of much sin in our lives and we are not exempt from the folly of it all. The Lord is saddened when He sees our affection to them above measure; they will and do hinder our growth in Him. If Christians desire to grow spikes to stuff their sleepless pillows, let them be taken by their desires. If this is our pattern then we must all be willing to except the fate of our folly, are we? Or do we hastily mutter when things do not plan out to our liking? May God help me (us) to recognise the filth of it all and then to act in accordance with His good pleasure. 

A little leaven leavens the entire lump, so as soon as we allow just a little idolatry into our lives, we may just as well swallow it all, our lusts (the natural offspring of a carnal and corrupt mind) feeding fuel to the fire. It only takes a minuscule amount of yeast to empower bread to rise.    

It is truly said that they are harmless and yet objects of our foolish love are often taken by them, the solace which they yield us now is dangerous, and the help which they can give us in the hour of trouble is fruitless. When the chips are down our cry goes out to our God and not some lifeless entity that can only ever tickle our selfish pleasures. There is no enduring substance to idolization of any kind, even nature with all of its creatures fall into the box marked “temporal”. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but the WORD OF GOD will endure forever, Amen and Amen! Why, then, are we so absorbed with vanities? “We pity the poor heathen who adore a god of stone, and yet worship our gods of gold. Where is the gigantic superiority between a god of flesh and one of wood?" The principle, the sin, the folly is the same in either case, only that in ours the crime is more intensified because we have more light, and sin in the face of it. The heathen bows to a false deity, but the true God he has never known; we commit two evils, inasmuch as we forsake the living God and turn unto idols. Lord purge us all from fruitlessness is my prayer.

It is time to stand up and be counter, the hour is near and the trump of God is about to sound, are our ears tuned for the trump of God or will we try and play catch up like the five foolish virgins?

The instruction is simple; all those who confess Jesus as Lord, dress for battle, put off the rags of the feeble empty promises of this world, get into line for our Commander is about to cry out, “forward march”. It may even result in death or imprisonment, so be it! The faithful we will reign and rule with Him for all eternity, all glory belongs to our King, bless His name and may our heavenly Father give us the resolve to see things for what they are and to act accordingly.

Signing off

Tyrone