Substance

(Hebrews 11:1) Faith the substance of things hoped for…

Faith has substance attached to it, it should never only ever draw strength from the mystical. Although the origin on faith is unseen to the naked eye it has evidence that proves its existence and true God given faith will be irrefutable! When God speaks opposition gets out of His way. In fact in the beginning He created the heavens and the earth; God said, “let there be light” and light appeared and it was good. He then separated the light from the darkness, hence the night and days we experience without any thought for it. Day and night a reality for all and we do not need faith to embrace that, but we do need faith to clinch God as the creator of the heavens and the earth. There are many other voices that claim another theory but regardless of how they try gain traction, it’s a time in history, which outside of the realm of faith will never be understood. Where any of us there? No but God was! Therefore we believe and trust what He has given us, the Word of God, Period! The Holy Bible is the final authority and although it is by far the most confirmed book in the world by confirmed manuscripts; to prove if the Bible is true, we don't need to look far. Hundreds of documents from different sources have proved its authenticity as well as historical, scientific, and archaeological data which also supports the Bible's credibility. Here is a verse which drive home the point; The Earth is round, not flat as once believed (Isaiah 40: 22) 

The studies for these truths are called apologetics. However without God given faith it will leave you on the wrong side of God’s teachings. As accurate as it may be without spiritual birth we will remain blind to the greater scheme of things.  

Faith is the mechanism that God has chosen to drive His truths into the minds of the created. Adam and Eve never needed faith, they walked and talked with God. It changed once they were banished from the Garden of Eden. Abel, Adam’s son was to first to make an offering on the basis of faith; “By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts…” (Hebrews 11:4)

Men and women alike will only ever call upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ if they find enough faith to do so. On reflection of my life and the pitiful mistake that have found me out, through it all, I thank God with all my heart that He has given me the faith to focus on what really counts, God’s existence and the plan He has for creation. Our hearts will and must be tested, our faith will be tried to see what it is made of. If God has given us a measure of His faith we will get through whatever we have too, praise God for that! As it is a reflection of His brilliance. The gainsayer will be silenced.     

Now true faith is not so easily found, however there are enemies of the cross, “money preachers” that form alliances with other charlatans who mislead the simple; those who gets paid to stand-up out of their rented wheelchairs, or those claiming various healing without any real evidence. The blind leading the blind and both will eventually fall into the ditch. When God moves it is undeniable! Although God’s voice cannot be distinctly heard by our natural ears, when He speaks it is irrefutable. Creation is evidence of His existence and yet faith is needed to believe. If and when God decides to move it will be mammoth; the parting of the Red Sea, the plagues in Egypt, a young boy named David slaying the mighty giant Goliath with a slingshot, Samson killing a thousand men in a single battle with a donkeys jawbone. And then what of the Lord Jesus’ miracles as he walked the earth, healing the lame, restoring sight to the blind and so on.  

Without faith our relationship with God is dead, this is an imperative truth that is underplayed in many lives. We see the imposter posing as a Christian with so many fake claims as he beguiles the naïve and therefore so many, as a rule, shy away from faith. Thankfully God is in the Christians corner and therefore without some measure of faith in our lives we would be totally undone, and yet we press on, thank you Father! However, I believe there is much more we could be enjoying if we only believed with greater intent. It starts in our closets, and then it will naturally be evident to those we come into contact with, our lives will be living proof of God’s existence and it will be irrefutable. We will be scorned by many, so what! The Christian has a hope that is so real and tangible and it is driven by faith that has eternal benefits.

Choose this day whom you will serve, for I have made up my mind, as for me and my household we will serve the Lord Jesus Christ, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  

Signing off

Tyrone

The cogwheel of grace

Common grace is a marvellous reality for all those who have been covered by it, the entire world’s population. Believer or unbeliever alike both have been covered by God’s common graces. Both the righteous and the sinner breathe the same air, live under the same sun and are governed by the same calendar. We all benefit from these types of common blessings. It is a truth that should drive everybody to apply this principle to their lives; because we have freely received we should also make giving to those in need a common practice. But do we? Sadly as a rule the opposite is true. We are originally all cut from the same cloth. It’s not as if a particular individual is born in a palace and another in a shack that will make any difference, we all come from the textile called “sin”, and we all have the same blood pumping through our veins, period! We all arrive in a similar place, "the land of self-reflection" as we eventually understanding our weaknesses and then we have to combat our own sin, whatever that may be. Hence the reason for the law. Have you ever heard or seen of a town or country that is governed without any laws? Why? My point exactly! It’s all about taking responsibility for our part in the chaos we find ourselves in, but do not be fooled, although the voices of society cry “save the planet”, there is a far more pressing issue and that is that we all call upon the name of Jesus to save ourselves. This planet as we know it will be folded up like a garment but our spirit or soul will live or die on eternally. How we respond to the information I now give you will effect that conclusion.

Thankfully there are those that find the strength to repent and call upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ somewhere on their journey and this now moves those individual into what I would call “specific grace”, they find special favour with God and move from being viewed as a sinner into the camp of sainthood and it’s not because they now earn their own place in that regiment, known as the “called of God”, its most certainly not because we become better in ourselves and many make this mistake, thinking that is they apply resolutions to their lives God will except them. But when we find the fortitude to acknowledge our state before a holy God, owning up to our sin and crying out unto Jesus and seeking out his forgiveness. It’s at this time in a person’s life that we are “born again”, our brains now have another door opened within our understanding as God mercifully unlocks that part of our minds and everything about the unseen now becomes visible, even if we are only looking through a tinted window. This is the time in an individual’s life where we cry out, “I CAN SEE!” It is the most beautiful event in a person life. I can vouch for that. To understand the meaning of life, or rather to be awakened to the BIGGER PICTURE! The sight of heaven just over the horizon at times may become somewhat blurry as the fog of life sets in and yet it will only last for its season, Jesus is coming to fetch his bride and his second coming is just over the vista. Some may ask, why the delay? It may just be for you, as God mercifully delays that day. Once he shuts that door it will be shut for eternity. While there is still time, will you cry out unto Him as you ask Him to open your eyes so that you may see?

Signing off

Tyrone

Have you been born again?

(John 3-7) "Ye must be born again."

“Regeneration is a subject which lies at the very basis of salvation, and we should be very diligent to take heed that we really are "born again," for there are many who fancy they are, who are not. Be assured that the name of a Christian is not the nature of a Christian; and that being born in a Christian land, and being recognized as professing the Christian religion is of no avail whatever, unless there be something more added to it-the being "born again," is a matter so mysterious, that human words cannot describe it. "The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit." Nevertheless, it is a change which is known and felt: known by works of holiness, and felt by a gracious experience. This great work is supernatural. It is not an operation which a man performs for himself: a new principle is infused, which works in the heart, renews the soul, and affects the entire man. It is not a change of my name, but a renewal of my nature, so that I am not the man I used to be, but a new man in Christ Jesus. To wash and dress a corpse is a far different thing from making it alive: man can do the one, God alone can do the other. If you have then, been "born again," your acknowledgment will be, "O Lord Jesus, the everlasting Father, thou art my spiritual Parent; unless thy Spirit had breathed into me the breath of a new, holy, and spiritual life, I had been to this day 'dead in trespasses and sins.' My heavenly life is wholly derived from thee, to thee I ascribe it. 'My life is hid with Christ in God.' It is no longer I who live, but Christ who liveth in me." May the Lord enable us to be well assured on this vital point, for to be unregenerate is to be unsaved, unpardoned, without God, and without hope.” (Charles Spurgeon)

How does the gospel gain momentum? Well, obviously due to the fact that God decides to drive it as He is the One in control, He decided to save; and yet He has chosen to use individuals as instruments for that exact purpose. Gods could appear and declare that HE is unequivocally the One who created the Universe, without any questions being asked but has chosen through the "foolishness of preaching" to save the sinner; to give sight to those who realise their need for HIM. It is not the self-righteous who find favour with God but the repenting sinner will be justified by the blood of the Lamb. The thrust of the Gospel message is this that Christ bled and died so that sinners might find repentance and call upon Him, relying on His finished work to fuel their existence. This is the ultimate strategy we all need to partake in and for those who have been called we have our part to play and this is what I would like to consider today.

How should we contribute with such responsibility place upon us, what are the rules, how can we get the best mileage out of our life here on earth and finally how is this achieved? We will all have to come to our own conclusions on these points, but they are questions that need to be asked.      

The call of God on a person’s life is often underplayed and once God flips the swift in our mind to understand that He is alive and the creator of the universe, that we are His subjects and that we must take care not to squander this very high calling as there can be no higher calling; the creator of the universe singling out an individual and introducing Himself to them. When this is realised it tosses a person on their head and the unsaved onlookers cry, “Jesus freak” or something derogatory; praise God for these types of transformations it is exactly Spurgeons point. Look at John Newton a slave trader that live in the 1700’s, he sold Africans off into slavery, snuffing out a person’s freedom, why? Because they had the power to do it. Could there be any crime worse than that? Well at the very least it is certainly up there with the worst of them. But it is with these types of radical transformations that God’s voice reverberates the loudest; he was unmistakably “born again”, God singled him out, and Newton became a new man in Christ. Picture him before and after; a man filled with very little compassion to a man that penned the words to one of the greatest recorded hymns of our times “Amazing Grace”, WOW! God is truly wonderful! But even within this hymn it is clear to see the difference between Spurgeons point and that is how many sing it because they are of Christian decent, traditionally that is. Especially at funerals, when it is obvious at times that a “dead man has been dressed”.  

I suppose this is why there is so little within this world of ours that motivates me, so much of it opposes the will of God. It’s rather scary how easily parents point their children in a direction that when stripped to its core is a road that promises hope when in fact it is no more than another decoy which keeps them from God. How many of you have concluded with Solomon that all is but vanity and that the sole purpose of mankind is to fear God and to keep His commandments? How many has made this their priority to instil as a truth into their children’s awareness?

There is much more to be said on this topic, but I have gone on long enough, to those who have been born of the Spirit be sure to stand out from the crowd, we have a hope that the dead dressed man could never truly understand.

Thank you Father God for saving so many of us, for your abundant mercy, grace, love and please continue to transform our minds to work out what it is we should be doing to bring you glory. For this can be extremely confusing at times. We all will have to give an account to God with what we have done with the measure of faith He has given us.

Signing off

Tyrone

Consideration

Considering the brilliance of God

How would one explain the brilliance of God and get their point across. The Bible does it best, however I would like to throw out a considerations that when captured will blow our minds into orbit.

Think about prayer; a person praying to God, a Spirit conversing with an individual, no big deal, regardless of one’s faith or roots especially, just so long as they believe in a higher power. But now begin to keep adding to that equation at the same time, ten people across the globe praying simultaneously and then twenty and so on until we have millions all confronting God at the same time bearing their hearts to Him. It’s not like the classroom where Johnny asks a question and George tries to be heard over him, with the teachers scolding him and telling him to wait his turn. No God the almighty has the capacity to absorb every persons request at the same time with undivided detail attached to it, WOW! It’s this God who has a tender affection for His children, the only true one God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. “And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” (John 17:3)  

  

Why do I get excited about such things, well it should be obvious, “if God is for me who can be against me?” This does not mean that I will not have opposition. On the contrary, however my enemies are no match for my God, period! He is the undisputed heavy-weight champion of the universe. However, for me to have any assertion with this truth, I must be walking in the light, God’s light and not some other man made light or the counterfeit light that the devil and his workers present to the masses. Simply put I must apply God’s Word as best I can to mould me into a reflection of His beloved Son, Christ Jesus my Lord. I must believe His Word and then trust it, for our eternal lives most certainly depend upon it. Do not be swayed by those who claim Christianity but twist the Word to accommodate their own sin.

A good way to examine our hearts is to take the difficult instructions from scripture and see how we stack up against its direction. This is where the rubber hits the tar, but thank God it is truly liberating when we our hearts are exposed. Thank you Father!   

The war is raging and the battles are fierce and only those who do not treasure the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the Word of God as their most valuable asset will see their hope dwindle. We must use it as a benchmark to examine the declarations out there. If this becomes our practice and with the help of God the Holy Spirit it will become easy to identify the false voices out there. However we must start with our own hearts, men and women alike and then to understand the differing roles we have been called to preform, to act out under God's direction, for His names sake.

Once we have examine our own hearts against some of the tougher parts of scripture pertaining to us on an individual level and as soon as we recognising our weakness, its only then that we will find the stamina to cry out to Jesus with true purpose as we look to mirror his image. It doesn’t help when we lie to ourselves. Sex outside of marriage, same sex marriages, double-dealing, woman looking to be men and men imitating women, explaining scripture away under a historical banner and therefore imply that it is no longer relevant for today. All this type of mentality does, is it looks to accommodate our sin in some shape or form and all these types of passes will eventually catch up with us.

Our Father which art in heaven give your children eyes to see what needs to be seen in our lives, so that we may confess and repent where needed, so that we can bring you glory and eventually be part of rescuing some of the lost sheep that now find themselves without a shepherd.

We are our brother’s keepers…

Signing off

Tyrone

A lesson learnt

The brain is like a sponge they both absorb whatever they encounter. A simple task like cleaning my stove top after a messy cook illustrates my point rather nicely.

Every morning I habitually make espresso and the pot I use has seen better days and because the seals are not what they once were, the overflow can be rather messy; black coffee spill out on a chrome oven top. If I then decide to instantly wipe it down, it is a simple task, but if I leave it to dry then more effort is require to remove the spillage. Similarly our brains are like sponges, the newer the turpitude, the easier it is to clean it out. However ignore sin like coffee on an oven top and before long steel wool is needed to work it free.

When the disciples and the Lord Jesus travelled the countryside their feet gathered dust and therefore needed cleaning, traditionally on arrival their host would present them with a bowl filled with water to remove the dust and the grime they had gathered on their journey. No water no relief!

Please don’t miss the lesson, God first and then appropriate action can be applied. Even the Lord Jesus washed his disciple’s feet, the danger we often face within ourselves because of our makeups is this; “Peter said to him, “You shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.”” Therapy outside of prayer or contact with the Lord Jesus is not the answer; that will only ever continue to mislead an individual away from God and not toward him. It is obvious that we cannot converse with Jesus the way Peter did on a physical level that sense is unavailable to us and yet my relationship on a spiritual level with my Saviour at times feels complete, as if all my senses have been engaged at once, such peace! Without that kind of relationship, we are no more that banging cymbals that clatter without any rhythmic beat. When that penny drops, when God opens our eyes to this particular truth, it is marvellously refreshing and this will be our response; “Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!”” (John 13:9) – At salvation we, or at least I was filled with zeal without a great amount of knowledge, but through the trial of life comes awareness and many scars, which sadly at times attacks our zeal. All that is needed is a slight tweak to our understanding and we will by God’s grace find ourselves with washed feet or a clean oven top. No repentance no relief! Ignore the lessons of life no matter how mundane they may appear at your own peril, God speaks to us in the details with the WORD (Bible) as the anchor to it all. This is where I have been afforded a glance into His brilliance. God’s genius blows my mind.

How serious are we? Will we wrestle with sin so that our relationship with God may flourish or will we turn a blind eye to the detail that is obviously before us, whatever that may be?

I thank God for his answers to prayer, sin continuous looks to trip up the Christian, the battle may be fierce, but must never be ignore. It is rather daunting how far apart we are from who God is and obviously without His intervention I (we) would never give these types of thoughts much attention.           

The Bible and its authors have great insight not only for the scholar but for all and they often pose questions that need to be answered by all; here is such a question; The Apostle Paul concludes in this statement that he has learn through the trial of his life to be content with his current predicament; "I have learned, in whatever state I am, therewith to be content." (Philippians 4:11) – The obvious retort should be, “and so have I.” But how often can we truly say amen to similar lessons throughout scripture? This is a typical principle that can be applied to life, although this particular point is mainly about money, it’s the thrust behind it that I seek out, contentment with God and who He is and where I find myself within that equation, continuing to grow in the good graces and knowledge of the only true God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. This is the ultimate lesson for all to work out.

Paul categorically states that he has learnt to be content, complete peace with no hidden agenda, devoid of pride and yet a simple statement pointing the Christian toward the road of peace. I want that type of harmony, complete trust in God my Father as I absolutely relinquish all that keeps me from that type of application in my life. 

I pray for fortitude in these areas of our lives Father God, help us all be more like our great Redeemer, your beloved Son, Christ Jesus our Lord.

Signing off

Tyrone

Hope

Hope has the potential to drive an individual to heights beyond belief. It when hope nose-dives that an individual begins to wither away with the depletion of his motivation disdainfully diminishing. When hope is alive and thriving it allows us to find the fortitude to press on, through the trial of life, come what may, why? Because the hope we have far outweighs whatever struggle we face. Heaven is my home, I believe it and therefore press toward the mark of the high calling in Christ Jesus my Lord and therefore find myself calling out to my Saviour when the pressure is on.

How should we nurture the hope we have be afforded. The measure will vary for all, no differently to the measure of faith we receive, but the application is the same for all and sadly as the rule of thumb we have got this so wrong. The world and our lives is all about control, we plan every aspect of our lives as if we own the destiny to our own futures. However when a curve ball is introduced into the mix, the loss of a child, loss of our job, terminal illness and the like, what then? How do we handle the initial intrusion? Anger, self-pity, resentment to mention but a few emotion that would rage. We are easily derailed, even if only for a time. HOPE gives us the wherewithal to push through any given circumstance, as long as the hope we cherish outweighs the affliction we face.

How do we stay above the curve of the trial of life, ONE DAY AT A TIME!

This is key to our struggle if we want to please our heavenly Father and keep fueling our hope; “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) – We obviously cannot insert any verse into our lives out of context, this is where so many professing Christians err. However here the Lord Jesus has already addressed the masses and concludes by singling out their worries. This chapter starts by addressing the need to have a giving heart, to help the needy. It then goes into the Lord’s Prayer, it addresses fasting and how we should go about applying ourselves correctly to that discipline. It then moves onto our drive which feeds our hope, money or heaven, is singled out and we are called to choose one or the other, but never both or we will become lopsided. Then finally once we have got to grips with the Lords teachings on this chapter, we are told not to be anxious because God is in our corner and it concludes with facing one day at a time.

It only when we handle chunks of our lives at a time that it then become unbearable. Small portions is the key, one day at a time and as the song goes;

”one day at a time sweet Jesus. is all

I’m asking of you, show

me the way just for today,

One day at a time.”

This is how we will keep our hope alive and it gives us the best chance to remain focused on that which truly counts, God’s will for our lives without having to endure too much unnecessary pain along the way. Obviously we need God’s grace to get through each day and therefore we need to daily dress for battle. Whatever the concern for the day, cry out to Jesus, He is in the Christians corner. Praise God now and forever more, Amen! Even so come quickly Lord Jesus and take us home.

Signing

Tyrone

Words come easily

Words come so easily, it rolls off the tongue without any conscious thought and it’s only when we challenge ourselves that we are taken deeper. “Sincerely” is word I often use but questionable when the layers of my actions are stripped away. Our prayers all filled with intent and yet how often are they supported by our actions?

I believe we need compassion. It must be a priority, however this does not imply that we glibly pass our sin by as acceptable, it does not give us license to accept blatant sin as conventional due to our differing makeups, we are all sinners and we all need to find repentance and there is no exception to that rule, save the Lord Jesus Christ. Society would love us to believe that we should be less ridged in our thinking, which must never take root as okay, nevertheless we must learn to be as gentle as doves and as wise as serpents; “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” (Proverbs 15:1) 

The Apostle James seemed to be a harsh man, but I see him as a man of action and nothing more, he proved his words by his actions. He directed his council to professing Christians, he was on their side and wanted to correct their error. Never forget the purpose of God’s Word, it provides light to a dark and rebellious world, it gives the Christian direction and always points to true north. Are we men of action? We all apply ourselves to our own level of comfort as we see fit and it is often conditional. James obviously learnt to channel his considerations when it opposed the will of God, so that his thoughts would not be acted upon when they tested God’s will. We have been instructed to follow his example; to walk in the spirit so that we will put to death the deeds of the flesh and there is no exception to that truth, no sin that will get a pass. 

Now this is a topic that has been so badly tainted in our day and age; in the mind’s eye of many professing Christians, as long as it walks and looks like a duck it must then be a duck type of mentality can often be more damaging than obvious sin. How do I know this to be true? Jesus himself proves it by singling out the religion leaders of the times, those leading the flock, whom he calls workers of the devil. It is far more dangerous to see yourselves as a righteous person than allowing the word of God to expose your sin so that repentance may follow. I am convinced that God seeks out those who have heart conversations with Him. A private unspoken conversation that is constantly ongoing, a reverent banter between God and ourselves with no hidden agenda. We are human and therefore tainted by sin so we will always to some degree be looking out for ourselves, however as we grow in grace and the longer we sit at the feet of Jesus the better off we will become in so many area of our lives.

I heard someone say that our eventful lives leads us towards defining moments. The struggle, failure and heartache is all intertwined to get us to a point where we have the ability to act in accordance with the will of God. It mind blowing, the brilliance of God! He has the aptitude to take a disastrous situation and turn it into absolute beauty. However it’s about getting us to a place where we will be a blessing to others. It’s like a polished arrow of the archer, in his quiver he hides it away, until that moment arrives.  

The Lord Jesus found himself in the Garden of Gethsemane, an event pre-orchestrated from before the foundation of the world by God. It was a trial of mammoth proportion and it had obviously been discussed, nevertheless because of the Lord Jesus’ humanity he found himself looking for an alternative. This was his prayer, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” (Matthew 26:39). Without this event happening, we would all be doomed for hell, wow! That is hard to swallow and yet accurate. We must understand this!

How blind is blind, I find myself pondering, it is a thought that nags away at me. The deception of today’s day and age is cloaked with such refinements that all, male and female alike are gobbling it up. It is a topic that we dare not uncover less we be tarred with the brush of bigotry and for the Christian to expose their views on it would be like casting pearls before swine. All I will say on the matter is trust the WORD OF GOD and do not be swayed by the voices of today. God is the same, yesterday, today and tomorrow and no opinionated ideas will sway who He is and what he stands for. Boycotts and the like against the Word of God ultimately will never. He is Righteous and will never bend to any whim contrary to His character. GOD is the creator of all things and every knee will bend to the Lord Jesus Christ and confess Him as Lord. Whether that be willingly or with a rod of iron, and again I will remind all that day will arrive.

Signing off

Tyrone

Dear Father

Time to regroup and focus on what really counts…

Seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, forgive me Father for the muddy waters in my life around this truth. The cares of this life are real and it would be dishonest of me if I did not confess that at times they wear me down. Faith demands loyalty, help me with my unbelief and forgive me for my sin.

We are all driven, dissect it and it will soon be obvious to all that we are determined individuals, even the sloth is driven to be lazy. Although some drives are detrimental to the end game, this does not equate to us being driver-less. In fact the opposite must be concluded, we are driven in another or opposite direction. The Christian has a new goal, “the kingdom of God and His righteousness”, period! We have been called "to put on the mind of Christ".

A beggar will do whatever he must to fill his stomach, but once it is full, no more need to rummage through the trash and such is the cycle of life irrespective of our differing arenas. This is my point as Christians we can no longer hang onto the trivia of this life and yet we find ourselves captivated by it. It’s for this type of mind-set that I pray for forgiveness. To be driven by complacency is unacceptable, especially when the majority of world is doomed for hell. Reignite a zeal that the canker-worm has feasted upon. I pray for even just a slither of the zeal that captivated my soul way back in 1987, be merciful Father, not because I deserve it but rather because you have it in your power to be merciful.

The more I analyse my predicament, the heavier I become, the cares of this life are real and yet they gain momentum outside the realm of faith. Unbelief is their playground. One of the greatest examples of faith playing out would have been Moses and the Red Sea. The enemy was bearing down with one thought in mind, to slaughter and yet Moses looked up towards the heavens and cried out to His God and the sea parted, walls of water defining the laws of gravity. Who would have believed it, Moses did! He understood and then he cried out to his God who intervened, praise God! This is the mentality we have been called to implement into our lives, anything short of it, is unbelief. Father God, Please forgive me for my unbelief!

God does not need our help in that sense but we must certainly learn to depend upon His. "Obedience is better than sacrifice". This is the objective of our existence. This is the lesson every Christian must learn if it is to be well with our souls.

Signing off

Tyrone

Prelims

God gives mankind a certain amount of time to live and we can average it out to around seventy years and yet for some a lot less time is afforded them. This morning I will be attending a funeral of one of our boys aged just seventeen that we ministered to on a Thursday night. Praise God for the opportunity He afforded Mark and me. As slight as it may have been, the privilege of playing our parts in his life may just have been the thrust he needed to respond to the glorious message of the Gospel. It is only God who saves but He has chosen the gospel message to spark individuals into action. I am confident that the Lord Jesus Christ had an influence on his life. At a tender age of seventeen he has move from this realm to the next, he is now in the spiritual realm and in one of two places, hell the holding cell awaiting his eternal judgment or heaven awaiting the Lord Jesus’ second return where he will receive his glorified body; a topic for another day. This is what the Bible teaches; there is no other in-between state; we will either died and open our eyes in heaven or hell, Period! Never assume that you will have another day to put things right, as it may never arrive. Today is the day of salvation and life is filled with ignorance, God has spoken; “The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.” (Act 17:30-31) – The Lord Jesus died for sinners and not the self-righteous and God the Father confirmed this to the world by raising Him from the dead. However without repentance heaven will allude the sinner. 

Regardless of our allotted time, it is imperative that we call upon the name of the Lord Jesus to save us from our sins and the looming horrific judgment that God has in store for those who reject his grace. As for the Christian this is our time and we have to learn the lessons God wants us to learn, no differently to a father training his son up to the best of his ability as he looks out for his well-being, which is driven by love. God’s love is far greater. The enemy on the other hand feeds us with alternatives, like qualifications, self-worth and power in whatever form that may come within our given circles and obviously gratification of our flesh, lures that promise satisfaction and yet they are so temporal and can never be totally quenched. Have you not lived long enough to understand this? It’s one thing to struggle with a particular sin but quite another thing altogether when you do not see it as such and excuse it away as the niceties’ or necessities of life.

As for Kobus I am confident as I can be, God knows! That he is now in heaven, he heard the gospel and responded favourably to it.

Let us not say tomorrow we will right our wrongs, for tomorrow may never arrive. “How shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?” (Hebrews 2:3)

Signing off

Tyrone

Sounds

The effects that sounds have on us is rather enthralling, even Hollywood worked this out some years ago. The right type of jingle can instil terror, joy or even sadness; music an extremely powerful tool in the hands of those you know how to work it.

Then we have the sounds of nature which have a calming effect on those who are fortunate enough to find themselves amongst an array of early morning bird calls. - The list is endless; God has given us an ability capable of helping us evaluate and then capture so much information through our ears. Just one of the five senses that we so often take for granted. However, these sense thrive within our earthly make up and we process everything through our human intellect and as great and brilliant as that is, it will always miss the voice of God because He is SPIRIT!

Our brains are most certainly capable of understanding that God exists, but who, how and where will always elude us. Creation proves HIS existence; but until we come face to face with our God or hear his small still voice whisper into our ear we will remain opinionated on so many different levels. To hear the voice of God we must be plugged into the source. No differently to the beginning of time when GOD spoke and creation sprung to life. Without God’s intervention in our lives we will never be saved; He is the ONE who initiates the process, without Him we will remain oblivious to His brilliance. With that established we must now seek out the truth and the Holy Bible is the platform from where He has chosen to speak. The words pen in this magnificent book is ink on paper, however it’s as good as if God’s voice penned the words. Obviously that thought is rather irrational when we view it through the eyes of common sense, but we are instructed to put on the mind of Christ, which is a spiritual discipline and then a miracle occurs, we are born again and a spiritual faculty is added to your senses. God gives us understanding, He opens our eyes and our ears to His World.

Examine those who now claim Christianity to be the whole truth and nothing but the truth, those whom you know on a personal level. How did they once view life, where they energized differently, and if the change is obvious, why? Could it just be that God has opened their eyes to His world and they now see it and because of it seem somewhat obsessed? Many who claim Christianity as a way of life have faulted in many areas of their lives, I know as I am amongst the chief of sinners, however because of my many mistakes should I now deny what I know to be true? Absolutely not! I have repented and I will by the grace of God press on to the high call of God in my life. I have understood the magnitude of the Lord Jesus’ sacrifice on my behalf. How far am I willing to take it, even death will not keep me from calling upon the name of Jesus, He is the love of my life.

Sadly there will always be the liar and the thief pretending to something they could never be, ministers of the light! Money preachers who pretend to be an ambassador for Christ, when in fact they are in it to win it, money, money and then more money. They will not escape, judgement is just over the horizon.

Obviously unless an individual is born again these wonderful truths that I am now privy too will elude the shunner. Those who consider this concept a fairy-tale will never understand what I am talking about, but for those who have stepped out in faith and called on the Lord Jesus Christ to open their spiritual eyes will understand.

What is it that keeps us from stepping out in faith, the most obvious of answers in my opinion would be that we gravitate towards a mentality that society on a whole does its utmost to keep alive in our lives, which is; “self-acceptance” a notion that we deserve so many things that in fact when examined without any emotion attached to it, I find that we live with a delusional mind-set as the norm. We live for the here and now, what will soon follow is ignored. Judgement is coming, but only for those who reject the Lord's mercy.

With a clear conscience I have voiced what I know to be truth, my prayer is that it will strike a nerve that will drive you towards repentance, calling upon the name of Jesus to quicken your understanding to these truths.

Signing off

Tyrone

Mighty to save...

As individuals we all have our crosses too bear and that in itself is no easy feat. So long as we can always remember these two points it will be well with our souls; “Jesus in my place” and “not my will but thine be done”. There is obviously a lot tied up into those two statements. However unpack them directly into your lives and you will remain in the light where no darkness will ever have total dominion over you. Sure there will be times where we will lose our way but the Spirit within us will bring us to a place of repentance, which thankfully is provided for us by the power of God the HOLY SPIRIT working in us. God has saved us in and through the perfect sacrifice of His beloved Son’s faultless sacrifice as He hung and died a brutal death upon a cruel Roman cross on the hill, Golgotha. HE is might to save…

"Mighty to save." (Isaiah 63; 1)

“By the words "to save" we understand the whole of the great work of salvation, from the first holy desire onward to complete sanctification. The words are multum in parro: indeed, here is all mercy in one word. Christ is not only "mighty to save" those who repent, but he is able to make men repent. He will carry those to heaven who believe; but he is, moreover, mighty to give men new hearts and to work faith in them. He is mighty to make the man who hates holiness love it, and to constrain the despiser of his name to bend the knee before him. Nay, this is not all the meaning, for the divine power is equally seen in the after-work. The life of a believer is a series of miracles wrought by "the Mighty God." The bush burns, but is not consumed. He is mighty to keep his people holy after he has made them so, and to preserve them in his fear and love until he consummates their spiritual existence in heaven. Christ's might doth not lie in making a believer and then leaving him to shift for himself; but he who begins the good work carries it on; he who imparts the first germ of life in the dead soul, prolongs the divine existence, and strengthens it until it bursts asunder every bond of sin, and the soul leaps from earth, perfected in glory. Believer, here is encouragement. Art thou praying for some beloved one? Oh, give not up thy prayers, for Christ is "mighty to save." You are powerless to reclaim the rebel, but your Lord is Almighty. Lay hold on that mighty arm, and rouse it to put forth its strength. Does your own case trouble you? Fear not, for his strength is sufficient for you. Whether to begin with others, or to carry on the work in you, Jesus is "mighty to save;" the best proof of which lies in the fact that he has saved you. What a thousand mercies that you have not found him mighty to destroy! (Charles Spurgeon)

Signing off

Tyrone