A reminder...

 What is the glue that holds the Christians' faith intact with the only true and living God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob? Obviously, it is the Lord Jesus! However, there is a catalyst that binds us to our God, FAITH! Without it we will never please our God, in fact, it is an impossible quest. Here is the proof; “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6) – For the sake of time and word count, I will not unpack the rest of this chapter; but read, digest and understand the importance of faith in our lives. Read the chapter slowly, think about each person’s life, and then see how you measure up.

 

Practically how does this play out into everyday life? It should never be with a gambler's mindset, they hedge their bets, minimizing the chances of failure. It has to be with our lot and trust in our God, an all-in move. That is what is required. This lesson is a constant struggle for most of us as we often find ourselves getting in the way. But thank God that He is gracious and long-suffering toward us. Nevertheless, the lesson must be learnt if we grow in our heavenly Father's knowledge and grace. This is a lesson that cannot be avoided. I often wondered why the Lord sent his disciples out without any provision or money in their pockets for their upcoming journeys. Here is the lesson in its practicality; “And he called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal. And he said to them, “Take nothing for your journey, no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money; and do not have two tunics.” (Luke 9:1-3) – The most important job to ever befall a group of people and that is how they were sent! With absolutely no endowment of self-sustaining provisions to conquer. Total trust and dependency in their God, without this type of test our faith will never have a character of its own, “standing the test of time”. Almost an impossible task, but by the grace of God here we stand.

 

Faith must and will feed our hope, just like a vehicle needs the energy to drive it, so too do we need faith to energize our hope; heaven and all its glory! Not only that, we hope in God to supply our daily needs as and when required. It’s the now that is tested, which shall be rewarded later…

 

Signing out

 

Tyrone

The Wrath of God!

Is there a time and place for anger to ever have its place in our lives?

 

My mind often toys with this question, yet it needs further investigation. The anger of God is as real as the setting of the sun. Scripture repeatedly proves that, and proving otherwise would be very hard. The phrase “wrath of the Lord” and the “anger of the Lord” come to mind. Those two words are often interchangeable in Bible translations. In the ESV translation, 35 verses of the Old Testament use that phrase 36 times. A very hard reality to try and skirt around, “THE ANGER OF THE LORD” is real. Only a fool would look to deny this and play into the hands of the coined phrases; “If God is love…” or “How can a God who loves…” Their conclusion will always try to accommodate sin in one form or another. Love is always conditional and there is always a cutoff point with our love for others. Agape is a proven unconditional love, or is it? Let’s look at that definition. “Agape, Greek agapē, in the New Testament, the fatherly love of God for humans, as well as the human reciprocal love for God. In Scripture, the transcendent agape love is the highest form of love and is contrasted with eros, or erotic love, and philia, or brotherly love.”

 

Having considered this, I will now conclude that Love “agape love” is confined to the person of Jesus Christ and that all those who reject Him will face God’s wrath. There will be no if and but for them. For those who accept Christ as their Saviour regardless of the way they live and disregard the Word’s instruction without true repentance is a thorny patch of ground.   Let me explain, to be covered by the unconditional love of God we must be covered by the righteousness of Christ. We must be born again. But many claim salvation in Christ and yet live as foreigners to the Word of God, His instruction to us as his children. The only way to know if we are truly born again is not if we have parroted off a sinner’s prayer but rather we know what the apostle John teaches us very clearly, “if we love Him we will keep his commandments”. I am not for one minute suggesting sinless perfection, but rather the will to eradicate sin from our lives as a priority. This is how we know if we are truly born again, and sure we may have a road to travel before we are persuaded by this truth, but unless we arrive, the possibility of not being covered by the love of God remains a daunting thought. To live a life irrespective of the instruction of the Word of God, The Bible, and disregard the obvious is the folly of the highest order, and yet we know the devil looks to twist the Word at every opportunity.., see Matthew 4…

God will never compromise His truth, He can’t! The Lord Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life; we need all of Him to be covered by God the Father’s love, period!

The Wrath of God is real, make no mistake judgment is coming and I would encourage all to go and read the Old Testament to see how God deals with Israel’s enemies. No mercy is often the instruction.

 

However, today is the day of salvation, remember while we have breath we have hope, and we can right our wrongs, we can look to the storerooms of grace to help in time of need. He (the Lord Jesus) who has begun a good work in you will see you home, but remember not to make allowance for sin as if you are entitled to such behaviour, we are NOT!

 

Signing off

 

Tyrone

Character

Whenever God’s people did evil in his sight there seemed to be server consequences, take for example when they had just come out of being blessed by God for 40 years, and then God delivered them into the hands of the Midianites. It is not as if they had the freedom to do what they wanted and then still expect a blessing. And yet how often do we cry out to our God expecting to be blessed regardless of our behaviour? It gets a little trickier for New Testament believers because of the work of the cross and our Saviour’s great achievements on Calvary. It is finished! The work of salvation is complete, believers are now covered by the blood of the Lamb. That has been cemented by the Lord Jesus’ resurrection, with many eyewitnesses confirming that. Not that this is required by faith. Nevertheless, in a court of Law, the verdict would stand.

 

If the work of God has been finished in the Lord Jesus Christ, which it has, how do we need to behave as believers? This is where deception can often play its part in our lives, especially when our selfish wants gets in the way.  Excuse after excuse is often our mantra. This is why I have often spoken about the mirror in my life, looking into it with honesty and asking God to show us who we are. If we miss this step we are no better than the ostrich that buries its head in the sand when the going gets tough.

 

It’s easy to voice that we Love the Lord, and I know that is the truth if we confess Jesus as Lord, but the reality of that watered-down confession often has hypocritical connotations. It is all linked to keeping the WORD of GOD as a rudder to our lives. Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my word. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father's who sent me. (John 14:23-24) – We can most certainly tie this into this statement; “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. (John 14:15) – This very statement often causes many to stumble, and at times, guilty as charges! Nevertheless, it’s the Goodness of God that brings his children to repentance, so that they can fall to their knees asking for forgiveness, which God gives in spades, thank you, FATHER! 

However, life’s journey must bring us to a place where we acknowledge that the commandments of God are a rudder to our lives and should set the tone for how we conduct ourselves. If not we have been deceived. And just like Gideon broke down the altars of Baal we need to do the same if we have allowed any to live in our lives.  

 

The storm is coming; just like any well-trained soldier before battle, we need honed skills for the upcoming war. Enough of the excuses and it’s time for me at least to prioritize God first in my life as it matters. There is nothing I desire above this truth. “Let God be true and every man a liar”, in the context of those who oppose his voice. And I want nothing more than to please my heavenly Father with my conduct and compliance to His word. I know this purpose is of the highest order and I sincerely seek out your prayers to accomplish my goal.

 

Remember we need to read our Bibles to understand God’s character, and the law often shows us another dimension to His character. The Tora, the first five books of the Bible is where we can learn about this.

 

Signing off

 

Tyrone

 

clean house

 

Having put my hand to the plow concerning a Bible daily reading plan which I gracefully started at the beginning of this year has been beneficial. How so? Well, it somehow opens one up to a different mindset. It’s not as if I’m looking for an answer to a specific subject. Nevertheless, it amazes me how certain truths jump out at me. And there is a specific subject that I would like to bring to your attention…

 

When God freed Israel from slavery out of Egypt the same pattern seems to emerge as the Bible takes us into their history through the ages. It had serve consequences when they allowed certain no-go commands to live with them. They were often instructed to kill all their enemies, yet they allowed some to live. MISTAKE! Without going into too much specific detail, what could I glean as a lesson for my example? What have they taught me? The answer is simple yet profound. What have I allowed to live in my life and not found the grace to kill off? What have I given a pass? What have you given a pass in your lives? If we do not address those areas urgently, it will cost us dearly. As it has already cost us dearly even if we haven't realized it yet, however, while we have breathe we have hope, and we can and must seek out God’s grace in our lives to right our wrongs. This is non-negotiable, I know that we have the power to ignore what needs to be rightfully examined but it will cost us of this I am convinced. Not only in this life but in the life to come.

 

Why should we read the bible daily? Without stating the obvious, it’s the only book that is actually able to read us. Get busy, be deliberate, and look to allocate a small amount of your day to do exactly that reading your bible. It does take discipline, so pray about it and then once you have put your hand on the plow, GO FOR IT! You will be blessed.

Grace and peace to all who confess Jesus as Lord.

 

Signing out

 

Tyrone

       

All came to pass

 

All came to pass

Thankfully I sit at my desk in the early hours of the morning, 3:15 to be precise and I wait in anticipation to have sweet fellowship with my Lord and Saviour. Just to feel His presence would be wonderful and then if I could hear His voice that would be delightful. So, what needs to be done to achieve this? Firstly there is no magic formula, but we certainly have been given a guideline for achieving such an encounter. Start with prayer, honor God as God and the creator of the universe, and hallow His name! Then ask and expect to be heard, this is how we apply faith to our lives. There should be no doubt, as long as our request is considerate of the will of God and not simply about our selfish wants. But even then we are heard and corrected, thank you, Father God.

 

Next, open the Bible and read until something catches your attention, and then start to unpack that. Look at it from every angle and then apply it to your lives on a practical level. Ask yourself how this relates to you and what can you take from it to bolster your relationship with the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Remember the Bible is our greatest tool for life it’s the only book that can read you as you read it. It opens us up before the Lord and then allows us to fall on our knees as we cry “Abba Father, please forgive me for my sin”. It is a phenomenal tool that God has afforded his children. We need to be reaching for it even more as we see that day approaching. The trial of life is about to ramp up and only those holding on with dear life will be able to endure.

 

Lastly, once you have had your time and found some direction, even just for the day. Thank God for his grace in your lives. Love Him audibly and soaked in the touch of the Lord as God the Holy Spirit assures you that God is with you. And to finish off with the title of this post “All came to pass”, remember this! WHATEVER GOD SAYS and establishes through His Word will come to pass,  with no ifs and buts, we trust His voice even if we sometimes do not understand the reasoning behind it. "let God be true and every man a liar" must become our motto for life, if not we are opening so many doors to differing deceptions.   

 

Even as I sign off the first song that comes to my mind is this, “To get a touch from the Lord is so real”. Thank you Father God for the sweet fellowship this morning, I love you and ask that you would make me mindful of the needs of others and help me apply myself to their lives for the furtherance of your gospel.

Blessing to all that call upon the name of the Lord Jesus and confess Him as Lord of their lives, Peace be with you all!

 

Signing off

 

Tyrone

Me Time!

 

What does a Christian need to prepare them for the fight ahead? Faith is a tool in our armory that is imperative to drive us forward and it feeds our hope, which in turn brings glory to our God. A win-win all around. So what must we do to add to our faith, igniting our hope, whilst fueling our zeal to get on with what really matters and bringing glory to our heavenly Father? The very first place for us to start is to hear God's voice, and how do we do that? We read our Bibles, and I cannot stress how important this is. It’s the time and place where you allow God to speak to you without any distractions. Just you and He as the Spirit of God nourish, comfort, and admonishes, whilst the words from the page come to life and minister straight into the core of our hearts. It’s rather beautiful, even if at times, we are softened to tears as we seek forgiveness for our sin and folly, those split-second choices that speak of death. The beauty of reading the Bible has such a profoundly brilliant outcome in shaping our minds, as we grow in the statue of Jesus Christ our King. This is what it’s all about, having our minds transformed as we begin to work out what the good, acceptable, and perfect will of God looks like for our lives. To achieve this objective we must read our Bibles. "Bible reading is God speaking to us, whilst praying is us speaking to God". Maybe it’s time to start a challenge, a Bible reading challenge, nominate someone to read a book of the Bible, and then pass the challenge on to the next person and so on. Or stand alongside someone and get your hand on “read the bible in a year pdf”, there are many around. I will also leave a tag at the bottom of this post. Single out an individual or a couple of people and check in with each other, keeping one another accountable in love.

 

Christian we need to hear the voice of our heavenly Father, READ YOUR BIBLES! It will add to your faith and ignite your hope. Of this truth, I am 100% converted, with no ifs and buts. I would encourage all to be like little children and allow the Word to simply wash them. I am not referring to a particular study of any given topic, although this is also very important, my encouragement to you is just to read and digest. Our intent must be one of a child running excitedly into the arms of his father where there is safety. Whatever you need to do, set time aside in the day to read you’re Bibles. Call it “Me time”, allow no distractions to hinder your intent, as obstacles will come, be faithful and God will remain faithful. Do not deny yourself the opportunity to hear the voice of your God speak directly into your hearts.

“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.”

https://biblereadingplangenerator.com/

 

Signing off

 

Tyrone

Time to trim the sails

 

Regardless of the arena where our voices are heard and where we stand up to be counted; to be fashionably “current” is important. Imagine a businessman in the eighteen hundreds dressed to the hilt with his fancy attire looking to strike up an agreement with a computer geek of the twenty first century, a casually dressed millionaire in his slops and t-shirt. The deal would have had immense strain placed upon it before negotiations even began. Perceptions and preconceived ideological conditions as individuals. Diversity at its core, and yet God remains the same yesterday, today and forever, He is constant, praise His name!

 

For us to handle scripture in a day like today we must look for the clues that are relevant. The Word of God is not bound by time, whereas “style” is linked to time. Fashion must never dictate, the Word (Bible) must always take pre-eminence if we are to survive and end up on the right side of God’s judgments. Let me be clear, scripture in its entirety is relevant if we dissect the words within the verses that are on the pages with precision no differently to a homicide detective searching out clues within a crime scene carefully paying attention to the obvious as well as the hidden detail. Some will be better than others in reading and interpreting scripture, no differently to the varying measures of talents across every other area of our lives. It is also obvious that we will play different roles within the body of Christ (the church, on a local and universal scale). Therefore it would be impossible to continuously walk on our hands if we are actually place in the body as feet. The Apostle James says it like this; “let not many of your become teachers as you will receive a stricter judgement.” All were never meant to be teachers, but all are capable of an intermit relationship with God, that is, if we are born again and new creatures in Christ. Then and only then will we have eyes to see spiritual truths.

 

The voice of reasoning, which on the surface is exactly that, reasonable. Logic and common sense teach us to live in a certain manner. However when we strip it down it is the opposite of faith, which God requires from His children; “but my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him." (Hebrew 10:38)  - “reasoning” in that sense is in direct opposition to the voice of God and is driven by the devil and his followers. When the Lord Jesus sent out his disciples to proclaim the gospel what was his instruction in spite of their initial obvious understanding of planning for their trip? Thoughts like; food, a weapon for self-defence, a change of clothing and money for the trip…

 

This was the instruction; “These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them, “Acquire no gold nor silver nor copper for your belts, no bag for your journey, nor two tunics nor sandals nor a staff, for the laborer deserves his food.”” In that sense God does not need help from men to do His bidding , He is the great “I AM”, this is where I believe so many of us get it wrong, we bring God down to our level instead of the other way around. True faith allows us to operate in the correct realm, GODS DOMAIN!

 

It is imperative to trim our sails and to check our bearing if we are to make it to our final destination, heaven with all its glory!

 

Let us all remember that if we believe in our hearts that God raised Jesus from the dead and confess with our mouths that Jesus is Lord of our lives, we most certainly belong to the household of God and we shall be saved on that day, and yet when we flip the coin we see that God is not happy with those who draw back…

 

”Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised. For, "Yet a little while, and the coming one will come and will not delay; but my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him. But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.” (Hebrews 10:35-39)

 

Are we numbered amongst the latter or have we fallen asleep? Is it time to trim your sails, my sails need constant trimming. Give me strength Father God in the mighty name of Jesus Christ my Lord and Saviour to see the wood from the trees and to discern your will for my life and not to over emphasis the carnal wants in my life. Teach me to live by faith, Amen and Amen!

 

Signing off

 

Tyrone

Thoughts unpacked

Some random thoughts throughout the week…

Prophecy (to foresee the future and then forecast it) – The Bible is full prophecy, upcoming events that must still unfold. An obvious event yet to happen is the Lord's second coming, often referred to by Christians as the rapture! A day that we so eagerly await. The ramifications of that day are mind-blowing, to be caught up in the air and to be changed, this corruptible body of ours will be swallowed up by corruption and it will happen in the blind of an eye; “Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.” (1 Corinthians 15:51-52) - changed into what? Our ever-dying bodies will be changed into eternal bodies. Think of the massive leap one sees in seed as it is planted, it goes into the ground and sprouts into something phenomenal. Our soul has always been eternal, but the physical body will change. It will take on a whole different makeup, incorruptible, means exactly that, it will never die, wow! Almost too much for the mind to comprehend. Some people say they don’t enjoy science fiction movies, yet what this prophecy encapsulates is beyond natural comprehension. Superhuman powers as seen with Marvel comic heroes are exactly the thought, fire unable to destroy our new bodies. Standing on the sun and being able to survive it. Or even better still, being able to enter the presents of God and survive. Remember Moses on the mountain and how God hid him in the rock to shield him from death as he passed by. The point we must grasp is this, eternal means exactly that, never-ending, therefore our awaited new bodies will be indestructible.  

 

Another thought pertains to eternal judgments, where our works will be tried by fire and all the dead works that have filled our lives will be swallowed up by flames. Referred to in the book of Corinthians as the Christians' Judgment! “Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— each one's work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he will be saved, but only as through fire.” (1 Corinthians 3:12-15) - Our foundation is the Lord Jesus, but I cannot be sure how those rewards will be factored into our eternity, but they will play their part. Paul has foretold us about this upcoming event and it will happen, period! If some do not believe this to be true that changes them, not the truth, “let God be true and every man a liar”. Because someone disbelieves something true, does not mean it will not come to pass. This is another great deception playing out in our world today, people believing that have the right to choose what they want to believe when it comes to God. God will never be mocked, it’s HIS way or the price for disobedience will be eternal punishment in the Lake of Fire. Everything has been declared, the warnings are all there, and now every individual is left with the ability to choose, will you believe what has been penned or do you know better? I Believe! Thank you, Lord Jesus, for your saving grace. 

Here it is if you doubt my last point; “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) – Therefore to avoid the Lake of Fire we must have our names written down in the book of life and if in doubt, I would not leave the fate of my eternity on a hope, a maybe! Be sure to secure your spot in the register and call upon the name of the Lord, believe in the finished work of Calvary, confess your sins ask God to forgive your folly and finally believe in the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. Once this event truly takes place in your lives, only then can one be sure that their name has been penned into the Book of Life and that you will avoid the Lake of Fire as your final eternal destination.

 

Signing off

 

Tyrone

The importance of Faith!

 

What is the glue that holds the Christians faith in tact with the only true and living God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob? Obviously it is the Lord Jesus! However there is a catalyst that binds us to our God, FAITH! Without it we will never please our God, in fact it is an impossible quest. Here is the proof; “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6) – For the sake of time and word count, I will not unpack the rest of this chapter; but read, digest and understand the importance of faith in our lives. Read the chapter slowly and think about each person’s life and then see how you measure up.

 

Practically how does this play out into every day life? It should never be with a gambles mindset, they hedge their bets, minimizing the chances of failure. It has to be with our lot and trust in our God, an all-in move. That is what is required. For most of us this lesson is a constant struggle as we often find ourselves getting in the way. But thank God that He is gracious and long suffering toward us. Nevertheless the lesson must be learnt if we are to growth in the knowledge and grace of our heavenly Father. This is a lesson that cannot be avoided. I often wondered why the Lord sent his disciples out without any provision or money in their pockets for their upcoming journeys. Here is the lesson in its practicality; “And he called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal. And he said to them, “Take nothing for your journey, no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money; and do not have two tunics.” (Luke 9:1-3) – The most important job to ever befall a group of people and that is how they were sent! With absolutely no endowment of self-sustaining provisions to conquer. Total trust and dependency in their God, without this type of test our faith will never have a character of its own, “standing the test of time”. Almost an impossible task, but by the grace of God here we stand.

 

Faith must and will feed our hope, just like a vehicle needs energy to drive it, so too do we need faith to energize our hope; heaven and all its glory! But not only that, we hope in God to supply our daily needs as and when required. It’s the now that is tested, which shall be rewarded later…

 

Signing out

 

Tyrone

Daily thoughts

 

My daily thoughts, the way my mind operates…

 

I love you Lord, hallowed be your name, all hail King Jesus. This is a constant brought to mind and yet I am also aware of the fact that if we love the Lord our God we will keep his commandments, in other words I must oppose the driving urges of the flesh and not give in to them, find grace in time of need to overcome. Any urges that oppose the will of God in my life. And this principal remains true for all. Once we strip our lives down this is what we are left with, we will all stand/kneel before the Father having to give an account of ourselves, alone, what do I mean by that? Regardless of how others behaved in the accounts of our lives it’s our response to those events that will be examined. We will be exposed, there can be no blame shaming. However, thankfully for the “saved” we will have the greatest of Advocates, the Lord Jesus Christ will stand in the gap for us all. But, this should never give us a license to sin so that grace may abound, if that is your mindset, and you belong to God as one of HIS own I would suggest a change of heart before too much destruction surrounds your lives. For others the judgment of God is a distant thought tucked away in the back of their minds, with “I’ll get to it when I get to it” types of attitudes. Even though this belief should live in the forefronts of our minds with and urgent need to want to please our God. Judgement is coming and it will begin with the household of God! This is one of the scary thoughts that lives with me; “For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?” (1Peter 4:17)

 

My life has been filled with so much wasted effort, it saddens me when I pay that inkling too much attention. So many bad choices, but in spite of it all, I thank God for his grace in my life, without it why would I even bother to press on. My hope is this that one day I will be like my Lord and Saviour in character, wow! And I will receive a glorified body like his, an eternal body that will live on forever, this is the Christians hope. From the day that this was realized it’s been tough trying to get excited by the mundane. The encouragement is we need to once again put our hands to the plow if that is what needs doing, we are laying up treasures for eternity. But more than that we will forever be with our God and Father living in unity with our Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. This must motivate us to action…

 

Signing off

 

Tyrone

Walking in the Spirit

 

Walk in the Spirit and not in the flesh, what does that really mean?

This is a question which troubled me for many years and I could never really get my head around it. We are instructed to behave in a certain many but it was hard to tell the difference between walking in the flesh (own effort) as opposed to walking in the Spirit. In my early Christian walk no one could give me a straight answer, I really was trouble by the difference. The Word (Bible) is clear on us having to do “stuff” in fact Paul actually articulates his efforts but make a point of teaching us correctly, so that pride remains at bay; “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.” (1Corinthians 15:10)  

 

It’s clear to see a tension in somebodies life after they are saved, them working at something, they are the ones doing it but there is a hidden miracle at work, the grace of God. This truth can be totally overlook if not understood. My own efforts as oppose to God giving me the strength to achieve a result. This topic should be on the top of every teachers list when it comes to foundational biblical teachings for new believers. Even though I had to bump my head so many times as a young Christian because of this unanswered question allowing my flesh to run riot at times I thank God that He has always been in my corner. In spite of my wayward behavior I have finally now understood the answer to this question.

This is probably the most important aspect of a believer’s life to have knuckled down. Traps have been set to get us to walk in the flesh (anything that causes us to revert to our default natures).

However, we can learn to walk in the Spirit on a daily basis when we listen to the voice of our Lord. Here is part of the process: “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”(Romans 12:1-2) 

The world’s way is full of death, even though it screams life. Deception of the highest order and just a friendly reminder that the way people are lead astray is through deception; “And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.” (Revelation 19:20) – Deception is when someone believes something to be true when in fact it is a lie. It is an extremely power tool that the devil uses to get people to come his way.

 Let look at Paul’s instruction;”But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.” (Galatiansl 5:16) – This is a statement and it is concise with a matter of fact tone. – If we are walking in the Spirit we will not fall in the flesh. That leaves me with a deduction that I cannot skirt, when I sin, I am walking in the flesh! This is a very interesting reality. How do I then remain in the Spirit to avoid hankering after my carnal desires? Brother John Piper has help me with this and some reformed theologians like to use Acronyms and here is his - “APTAT”

·        A = AMITT YOU CAN DO NOTHING

·        P = PRAY FOR SUPERNATURAL HELP

·        T = TRUST A SPECIFIC PROMISE ABOUT YOUR SITUATION

·        A= ACT, USE YOUR WILL, MOVE

·        T =THANK GOD

 It’s all about praying for help and then expecting God to help, this is faith. If we learn to program or as the text puts it, “but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind”. We need the grace of God in our lives, we must initiate “Aptat” to achieve it. This means our own efforts outside of the grace of God no longer apply and we will be quick to thank God for his help. Do it the other way around and we will then have the potential to boast in our own efforts.

 This is what Packer had to say about the same topic…

1.    Observe what can be done

2.   Pray for help

3.   Go to work and expect it to happen

4.   Thank God for the help

 Here is a link from that particular podcast

https://open.spotify.com/episode/70Zg4KSDVCxn0ma8ug10h5?si=42211fda0b7e433e

 

Signing off

 Tyrone