Why, born again!

The will to survive, we all have it! For as long as I can remember our DNA is designed to instinctively keep us breathing. Why then do we not all have the same drive when it comes to eternity? The answer is rather a simple one; “Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”” (John 3:3) – We have all been born blind, bar the Lord Jesus Christ and maybe John the Baptist. The infant Jesus had God the Holy Spirit's DNA and Elizabeth John’s mother had an encounter whilst pregnant with the Spirit of God.

We (the human population) all carry the DNA of our parents. Most have eyes to see. From a very young age we begin to perceive colours and shapes. Eyes are a beautiful thing, it’s very hard to conceal something you have seen from our minds. Whether it be a fabulous sunset or a vicious calamity. What we see is instilled into our thoughts. Hence the power of the forbidden. John puts it like this; “For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.” (1John 2:16-17)

There are a couple of points we need to extrapolate, surely its God who has given us eyes to see? This is an undeniable truth, God created mankind. In fact; “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” We see a similarity between God and mankind, we both have eyes. We are carnal but God is spiritual. It’s the natural that is undeniable, even a mad man would not be able to denounce his existence in the flesh. We are all privy to the reality of our natural surroundings. However it is the imagining of heaven, that of the spiritual realm that we need help with. Hence the Lord Jesus’ teaching to the man Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews; “unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” We need a spiritual set of eyes to see into the heavens, period! How does an individual receive spiritual eyes? It’s in the text, they need to be “born again”.

None of us can deny being born of water, if we exist we have all come into the world in the same fashion, developing inside our mother’s womb protected by water and nurtured by an umbilical cord. Now that we have grown and come to an age of understanding, distinguishing right from wrong, understanding sin, it’s at this stage in our lives that we will be afforded an opportunity to inquire after the spiritual realm. Where we end up differs on a personal level. By the grace of God I have been "born again", my spirit has been quickened, I have received eyes to see into heaven. Do not make Nicodemus’ mistake and start reasoning with a natural notion. However without spiritual eyes our minds will default to reckoning with a natural mind. It will be impossible to arrive at a different conclusion; how often have we heard that we need to visualise our goals before we will ever conquer them?

“Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.”” (John 3:4-6) 

There are two obvious facts that need considering. In order to see the kingdom of God we need a spiritual birth and do not be fooled into believing that a babies christening will do the trick, that’s all that is, a trick. Test the waters for yourselves, where you christened? I was and yet as blind as a bat growing up when it came to looking into the kingdom of God. I always believed within the capacity I was able to believe, if that makes any sense at all. However  I now have the ability to see heaven, and it is a reality that I want more than anything else. I can see, I can see! Spiritual eyes work in the spiritual realm and faith is needed to active sight. The flesh and the spirit biospheres are worlds apart; “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.”

Once we reason this through with a sound mind, it should be a rather simple exercise, but only for those with eyes from both worlds. The question many of us should now be asking ourselves is how do I receive sight to see into the spiritual jurisdiction?

I will simplify it for you, repentance is needed. Acknowledge your sin, take ownership of it, and repent by calling upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. “Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9) - You will receive sight (eyes of faith) to gaze heavenward. It is a marvellous mystery that becomes our reality, we now receive a drive to make heaven our ultimate goal. We now have a new found hope that we were once blind too and just as the wind blows and we do not understand how it got there or when it is going, so too is everyone born of the Spirit.

I hope that gives some clarity on why we need to be born again…

Signing off

Tyrone

Finding release

It is easy to become despondent with our lot in life but that is often linked to self-infliction, not always, but more times than not. However it’s really more challenging on a spiritual level, but why wouldn’t it be? It is much easier to get our heads around what we can see than that which we can’t. The natural and spiritual worlds are galaxies apart and only the one is visible to the naked eye.

The majority of people know that the spirit world exists and that it plays its part in our lives, obviously! If this was not true, religion would be non-existent. Sadly deception plays its part in a way that has eternal consequences for all those who do not find the truth. What's the point finding an apparent truth that we latch onto as our truth if it has no eternal benefit? Decoys are deployed to deceive. Religion may serve its purpose in this life, but what about eternity. It is imperative that we find God’s truth and latch onto to Him (I AM) with all we have. Which will stand us in good stead for eternity. Lose your job, partner, and even children but do not get religion wrong as it will have dire consequences. Worship the wrong God and the “Lake of Fire” will be your final destination. Sometimes straight talk is needed to jolt an individual into action. The easy way out is often the one filled with calamitous penalties.

The truth has been designed to set us free. If you serious seek it out, you will have an extremely high percentage of finding a lasting truth that will bring amazing relief. But until then life will be filled with guess work, especially in the spiritual arena of your life. I could go on trying to convince you about the Way, the Truth and the Life which we all must find, the buried treasure that when cracked is filled with peace and many other wondrous spiritual treats. Fruits of the Spirit to be enjoyed by believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. Find Him, call out His name with an urgency and then buckle up as that radical transformation encapsulates your comprehension. Here is the encouragement; “For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”” (Romans 10:13)

   

Therefore comments like the “higher power” whoever they may be in your mind’s eye is simply not good enough. It the Son of God the Lord Jesus Christ that paid the price for mankind sin, He must be acknowledged in your lives and then called upon; “For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him.”" (Romans 10:11-12) – There is only one true God that we must find pivotal in our lives, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, period! Every other so called God with bow the knee to Jesus and so too will the entire human race, from start to finish, there will be no exceptions. We all need to face the reality of it all, kneel as an ally or an enemy, but bend you will. The Lord Jesus will be paid the homage he so richly deserves, praise God, Amen and Amen! How I long for the day when I will see him face to face and I will personally be able to thank him for his rescue. Or when I pay homage to my Father with a bursting heart of thanks for his amazing patience with me. What a day that will be…

I have received this knowledge, the truth of our existence and the purpose behind it all, I do not profess to have all the answers, but the answers I have, I have freely received, it was a gift from God. Having freely received I have been instructed to freely give, to pass on this knowledge to those now reading this post. Test the waters, see if what I say has any hidden agenda, all I ask is that you seriously seek out the truth. Do whatever is needed to find yourself calling upon the name of Jesus, denouncing any other foreign God in your life and the eyes of faith will give you sight and peace will flood your soul.

To the true Christian I leave you with this encouragement and it’s important we wrap our heads around Paul's teaching; “For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.” (Romans 8:13) – Carnality must be rooted from our lives, it will be painful but worth it all, praise God now and forever more. Amen and Amen!

Signing off

Tyrone

Walk in the Spirit

Once again I sit at my desk in the early hours of the morning traveling my thoughts under the direction of my morning prayer, which went something like this; hallowed be thy name Father, there is no One like you, praise your glorious name. As I draw close to you, please draw nigh unto me and help me be sensitive to the doors which you may open throughout the day, may I bring you honour within those given situations… I prayed for my son, mother and family and the Christians across the globe that you would help all of them walk in the spirit. What is the point of feeding the flesh with so much time an effort as it will end sooner than we can image? And as James says, we “are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.” Making reference to our lives in the flesh. 

All I long for is to be trained up in righteousness and yet there are obstacles in my path that do not want to move. However, there is most certainly a truth that is becoming very clear to me, “walk in the spirit and we will not fulfil the lusts of our flesh.” Did you know it is impossible for the Spirit of God to sin? The Christian has the Spirit of God living within them. And so the war rages on; a perfect influence that always pleases God and another which continuously looks to serve sin, in fact a slave to it. Both housed in the same vessel. However, Paul's encouragement is to look belong; “You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.” (Romans 8:9) - This then is the battle, are we aware of this truth and the way we ort to be. Knowledge is very useful if used correctly. We have the mind of Christ but we still have our carnalities looking to pull us in the opposite direction. 

Let me leave us with this thought, be brave and take courage, for the One we serve, the Lord Jesus Christ has overcome the world. If we call upon Him looking for help, comfort, or just sweet intimate fellowship what happens? - “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you…” (James 4:8) – Double mindedness will always be like water, unstable in all its ways. Which wears an individual down, it may just be the time to dust down, forgetting the past, time to truly pick up your cross and serve God with your whole heart. To make a conscious effort, making it a priority to please God in our lives above all else.  

Paul gives us this gem to find release and to examine our hearts; “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.” (Romans 8; 14)

Now the only obvious question we need ask ourselves, can we truly confess that our lives are a manifestation of being led by the Spirit of God?

Priority number 1 is to do whatever it takes in our lives to ensure that we are numbered amongst the sons of God.

That is all

Signing off

Tyrone

Objectives

Objectives! We all have them, but the key is to attain, to conquer, to win. To overcome is the ultimate goal, wouldn’t you agree? Take the simplest of examples in our everyday lives, pick an experience that belongs to you, a memory we call upon to find motivation, hope, joy and the will to push on. There could be numerous recollections to draw from…

On occasion I am taken to my military training and the lessons I learnt there, not about becoming a soldier per say but the heights I reach on a mental and physical level that I once believed to be impossible, I was wrong. Although we are fallen creatures and tainted by sin God has designed the human body with phenomenal ability. We are capable of so much more than we could ever imagine, it's only when we are put to the test that we really understand this valuable lesson. When the pressure is on we always look for the easy way out. Our default is to tap out far too soon. The Lord Jesus stayed the course, he drank a full cup of every permutation possible to man and even though the anguish at times was so severe that his sweat glands bled blood, he never tapped out. His objective to overcome sin in a human body, he was victorious. His aim, to please his heavenly Father, which he achieved in spades. As Christians surely this then needs to become our overarching objective in life, to please our heavenly Father and the only way to actually achieve this is too, as Paul puts it; “For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son.” But why the emphasis on “my spirit”? This is the nitty-gritty of it all, we have to learn the difference between walking in the flesh (our natural ability) as opposed to the spirit. Faith is needed to accomplish this. This is my observation, if we serve in the spirit, if we truly have consciously “put on the mind of Christ” we are in a different zone and we begin to process information differently. The cares of this world are not so monstrous and we find a strength (grace) to endure, come what may. We believe that we are exactly where God wants us to be. We must fly this flag with confidence; our God is in control of all things. However when the flesh dominates our mind-set is one of panic when the pressure us on.

I do not professed to have mastered it, far from it, but I am able to call on memories when I was happiest and a peace surpassed all rational understanding. Why?  My conclusion, I was walking in the spirit. The man Jesus always walked in the spirit although he was a man with a blood and bone body who accomplished so much. Why? He saw way beyond the grave. It would be almost impossible for a man to forgive someone killing them when it is actually happening. Stephen did it! A man filled with the Spirit of God and dressed with the whole armour of God. I am convinced this is the lesson. Our flesh will suffer when we are walking in the spirit, it has to give way for a better approach and it’s the only way we will ever truly please our heavenly Father. 

If you are still not convince, the Lord is our ultimate example. Peter understood this well and this is his instruction;  “Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God.” (1Peter 4:1-2) – All three points tied up in the same verse, arming our mind with Christ’s mind, the flesh suffering to stop its wicked behaviour and finally to be about the will of God.

The clear water behind this instruction can become muddy if stirred incorrectly. There are two sets of rules, or at least that is what I wish to explore when it comes to application from the instinct of an individual prior to salvation and after the switch is flip. I do not wish to spend time debating the actualities of this truth, salvation, when does it happen? But the realisation of our own understanding when our lives are turned on their heads for the first time, when people look at you as if you are mad, etc. That beautiful day when tears of joy flooded your soul and you cried out I can see, I can see. And then we begin to grow, as time ticks by we begin to become weary, there are many questions that need answering, not that salvation and the truth behind it is every question, NEVER! But in hindsight, muddling the flesh and the spirit into one pot becomes a world of pain. I know and yet I really knew very little, if I was wiser, folly would not have encapsulated so much of my life. However He who is in us is greater that he who runs the world and thankfully we are transported to our senses. God continue to have mercy on the struggling pilgrim’s souls, not because we deserve it but because you have it in your power to be merciful.

What is the conclusion? Our objective; we must learn to walk in the spirit, put on the mind of Christ, dress for battle, putting on the whole armour of God (see Ephesians 6). When these application are in place, we will be walking in the spirit and therefore never be tripped up by the lusts of our flesh. So it’s easy to gauge; lustful behaviour of any sort and acting upon it proves but one thing that we have the flesh dominating, we are walking in the natural, our behaviour is that of the individual prior to salvation. The old man/woman dictating. When we walk in the spirit, with God’s Spirit directing our paths we radiate a Shekinah glory and through the trial of life the light of Christ shines in us, which will obviously affect the onlookers for the sake of the gospel. Either way people will be affected. I suppose the actual proof for me would be a tranquillity, the peace of God. It’s when baffled onlookers see the apparent hardships that accompany that peace. This is where God is glorified, the peace of God in a believer’s life is impossible to fabricate, because it comes from the Spirit and not the natural.

Understanding the theory is one thing, but application to it is the actual test. God give us the strength to put off childish things and to dress for battle. How can we be of any use to others if we cannot master our own lives?

Signing off

Tyrone

Origins of God

What is the most pressing question we are all after? Peel back the layers of our existence and the questions we always seem to be searching for, even if we are unaware of it at the time becomes very obvious. The Oracles of God is the answer. We want to know what lies beyond the grave. And until we come face to face with our own realities we will be duped into believing so many lies. The biggest one of them all is just so long as I believe something to be right and I apply faith to it all will be well, wrong!

The truth is we need to get on God’s bus if we are to understand the essence of life, any other form of transport will lead us down the same road but with a different emphasis place upon our drive, trickery to keep us from the knowledge of the truth is the enemy’s main objective. The final stop for all is death and then the judgement, period! We must find favour from the One with the power to execute our eternal sentences. With so many voices out there who’s to know which opinion is right? Well I suppose this is where the mercy of God burns ever so bright and without His light illuminating a person’s understanding, finding true peace would become impossible. It’s the goodness of God that leads a man unto repentance, period! He gives us the knowledge to understand our sin and then He points us in a direction of repentance. Without His intervention in our lives repentance would become an impossible task.

When history is studied it enlightens our understanding, it broadens our knowledge on any given subject, and this is why God gives us the Bible to understand His origin and how we all fit into His plan. A factual record endorsed by God Himself. Yes, indeed written by men, but guided by the hand of God. Now anyone worth their salt when it comes to studying or trying to disprove the bible as fact, ends up pleasantly surprised and realise that their quest was somewhat futile. There are even those who have been saved by God undertaking such a process. Lee Strobel was an atheist journalist with a machete to grind. He needed to disprove that his wife was wrong and therefore his personal quest was to disprove the existence of God. He failed! He became a devout believer in the finished work of Calvary, so much so that he vigilantly defends the gospel of truth. He did a complete 180 degree turn. What would have such an effect on this type of man? The mercy of God and understanding the origins of God. Sadly too many are driven by the here and now, having no clue that this life in fact is the test for our eternities. We all only get one crack of finding true repentance and calling upon the name of Jesus Christ the Lord to be saved from the looming destruction that will eventually arrive.  

Understanding the oracles of God is mankind’s number one priority. Get this wrong and doom and destruction awaits your eternal devastation. I am really not concerned about people’s opinions if it drives me from God’s truth. There is far too much at stake to entertain fools on this subject. This then is my motto; “Let God be true though everyone were a liar”. The question we all need to ask ourselves, do we look to please men or God? You choose… I have made up my mind. “Let God be true though everyone were a liar”. What now becomes the difficult process is walking in the Spirit and putting on the mind of Christ. Not that it is difficult to walk in the Spirit, there are storerooms of grace available to the Christian, but the war rages on and the battle is fierce. Be that as it may so long as God gives me breathe and as useless as my life may seem to some I will by the grace of God press toward that high call. Christianity is not for the faint hearted and let us remember that the armour of God is available to each and every believer.

Signing off

Tyrone

Discernment

(1 Corinthians 2:14) “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.” 

It’s a new day, a new year and the call of God remains the same for all, repent and be saved. Why does the call repentance elude so many? To most it is foolish behaviour and the truth of Spiritual things elude them. Simple put they cannot understand what they cannot see. But for the Christian we see and understand through the eyes of faith, which is a gift of God and we are never to forget that. Be patient with family and friends but never buckle on the message of repentance. Pre adventure God may just give them sight.

Although the voices out there are doing their best to try and accommodate tolerance as the Christian thing to do, which it is, so long as acceptance does not become a reason to excuse our sin? The expression behind the wave is driving mankind into a lull of false security, with a flag hoisted high, which clearly reads “acceptance for all”. However the small print is overlooked by so many. How many of you actually read the terms and conditions of any given contract from start to finish? But even if your intention was to uncover any trickery it would be impossible, as the ink use here is invisible, unseen to the naked eye and foolishness to believe we are being duped. The singlehanded way to uncover the trickery, is to put on the “mind of Christ”. The only way to have access to the “mind of Christ” is to cry out to Jesus Christ the Lord and ask Him to save you from the looming destruction that is just over the horizon.

Once you are forgiven and that spiritual miracle takes place, you are then given spiritual eyes, all this simple means is that the unknown which was once in the dark is now quicken and the mind is able to make sense of certain unseen truths. It is a phenomenal gift from God. And as in any walk of life, there will always be someone in our path to make life difficult. Nevertheless take joy in this truth, as Christians we have more for us than against us. God will always be victorious. Ask yourself this question, will God have the final say? Which is an obvious conclusion, why do so many shirk His call to repentance, outside of it appearing foolish? Although it would be impossible to separate deception and foolishness as they are interlinked. Stay here a while, mull it over, explore the depths of it all and you will arrive at my conclusion, trickery rules the way. However deception with a feel good persona energizing it all, quite brilliant in fact. But then again did you know that Satan was created by God full of wisdom? Mankind is no match for him, but Jesus defeated Him on Calvary, that is why we need the “mind of Christ”. I trust I have made sense and you are able to understand the urgency of it all. We must make a conscious decision in the mornings to put given time aside and to do whatever it takes to find the grace of God to put on the “mind of Christ”. Just one day at a time. This is what we have been called to do. Without time spent in the Word of God sitting at the feet of Jesus, we begin to wither away, no differently to people marooned on a desert island trying to live off the bare provisions of the land; we have all see those TV episodes and in just a short time people lose astronomical amounts of weight. Christian discipline is crucial for our growth in the Spirit.

As Christian we will fall and fail, one the reasons for this is to remind us that we have been saved by grace, which is a gift of God and without failure in our lives we would certainly become puffed up with pride. However this will never excuse our sin as acceptable, forgiveness we will find, when we fall to our knees seeking out God’s mercy. We have been called to a life of holiness, wow! How far I have yet to travel. While we have breath we have hope, and each morning as we wake let us make it our priority to “put on the mind of Christ”. Christians all have the mind of Christ; “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 2:16) – It needs to be triggered, switched on if you like, and activated by prayer and the Word of God. And what better time to do this with the rising of the sun, not the end of the day, we don’t write an exam and then study for it afterwards.

Signing off

Tyrone 

             

Survival, the art of war or outwitting the nemesis we come against is surely what life is about.

The devil's schemes

(Ephesians 6:11) “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.”

It is good for us to realign our perspectives with God’s Word, it nourishes the soul and redirects our steps after they begin to wander down carnality’s path. God’s Word pushes us towards the dam of faith, which in turn feeds the trees of hope, nourishing our souls.

The devil has his schemes; simple put, to trip up the Christian and bring a berating accusation against our God. The war in the heavenlies is fierce and we are the pawns that fuel the fire. We are not privy to the sight of it all and yet we know it is as real as the rising of the sun, for the Word of God has declared it to His children. We know it to be true, but often forget the pressing issues at hand; when we are caught up by our own selfish wants. I do not make reference to material gain, although that has its part to play. However sinful natures crave satisfaction no differently to a heroin addict needing their fix. This is the devils playground and how often do we play into his hands? This is why it is imperative to dress for battle, we must put on the whole armour of God. Without it we have no hope, zero chance of surviving the onslaught. 

There is an unseen war happening and the sooner we make this truth a priory in our lives the sooner we will be able to deal with the froth of it all, but until then we will keep looking for our fix and always looking for justification for our actions. A reason why we are behaving like an unbeliever, it is seldom our fault, really! We always have our part to play in any given circumstance. We have the greatest example to mirror our actions off, Jesus Christ our glorious Saviour. Was he ever at fault? And yet he was crucified, silencing principalities and powers and glorifying his heavenly Father. That is the example of what it takes to defeat the enemy. 

If we find ourselves not willing to forgive others, then we have not put on the belt of truth, that part of God’s armour that helps us recognise our sin and all the areas that still need active repentance.

In conclusion; it’s the will of God, for us to live holy lives and the devil’s purpose to get us to fail. That is the nuts and bolts of the equation. Our behaviour will determine where we are at any given time. Our example depicts our understanding and growth in Christ. It’s only when we understand our lives and what is needed from us that we find productivity in them. The fruits of the spirit is what we are after, not fleshly recognition. We look to please our God, period! We need much grace for this to happen, but happen it must.   

New Year’s Eve is happening shortly, we are the salt of the earth and we are being watched, let us remember to put on the whole armour of God. Our example may just play its part and lead someone in repentance to call upon the name of the Lord. And so let me leave you with this though; “For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”” (Romans 10:13)

Eternity hangs in the balance…

Signing off

Tyrone