His will for our lives!

(1John 3:2) “…but we know that when he appears we shall be like him…”

I would like to consider the reality of the future, for all those who believe that Jesus Christ rose from the dead and for those who now confess Him as Lord…

Just as He received His glorified body so too will we receive our glorified bodies, what a delightful consideration. To think that one day we shall be like Him is almost beyond my imagination and yet I know it to be true, praise the name of Jesus!

This is the hope for every true born again believer; I mention this fact, as we know that the day preceding this great event will come as a thief in the night and there will first come a falling away amongst apparent believers, and the love of many will wax cold. And then Satan will have his allotted reign for a short time as he will look to destroy all those who confess Jesus as Lord. It will be a time of his wrath.

Most of us have from childhood been taught that our true dreams will never come easily, it will take effort and sacrifice but it will be sweet when we reach our goal. There will be nothing sweeter than receiving our glorified bodies as we become in “type” like the Lord Jesus, where we will receive a body that knows no pain, that does not age and a vessel capable of coming into the presents of our almighty God without it disintegrating.

Although we understand very clearly that salvation is a gift of God and we could do nothing to receive it, but once it was ours, it brought with it true repentance and even with the many mistakes along the way it now still carries with it daily repentance. My life is constantly surrounded by self-examination in the light of this verse; “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 12:2)

Each day I test must actions and my thoughts in light of God’s will for my life; I often fail dismally but it has by God’s grace become a lifestyle, and so should it be for every believer who has the Spirit of Christ. The enemy will always look to rob us of the truth; “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:23) 

Everything in our lives hinges on the finished work of Calvary; it is all about Jesus Christ our Lord. It started with Him and it will end with Him and for those who will not love His appearing will curse the day they were born, but for us who believe what a day that shall be.

Our eventual hope will be that we will forever be called the children of God, we will live as one of His sons, mind-blowing stuff and we will be able to recognise one another for who we were and now are. Even the eleven Apostles could hardly believe their eyes; “Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen.” (Mark 16:14)

Do you know that there is a day coming when people will ask this question? “But if that wicked servant says to himself, 'My master is delayed,” (Matthew 24:48): - times will get tough for the believer, but why shouldn’t they if we look at all our brothers and sister throughout biblical history, for us to receive this wonderful promise we must also suffer with them; “Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.” (1John 3:2)

We too must endure hardship as they did, for in so doing we bring glory to our glorious heavenly Father. Obviously the measure will vary from individual to individual, but we will all need to suffer in our “bodies of death” to attain to the resurrection. And for those who preach this message; that we will never suffer or be sick and that there is no hell, they are liars and they do the work of the devil. We must suffer to learn obedience, it is the way of our Lord; “Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered.” (Hebrews 5:8): - we need to therefore arm ourselves with this understanding as it will be very confusing to expect a certain outcome and to receive the opposite.

This is what sound doctrine teachers us; it arms us with correct understanding for service. But why must it be this way? Anything that comes to easily is never really appreciated. May God give us the strength to endure whatever this year holds for us as believers, may our lives glorify His name like never before, Amen!

Remember our hope; that one day we shall be like Him and we will be named amongst the sons of God, what a glorious opportunity we as God’s children now have. Let us therefore remember this; “that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:10-14)

Let us leave behind all our failure as there is nothing now to be done about them, today is a new day with new hope, let us therefore find grace in time of need as we call out unto our God for His mercy, as we work out His will for our lives.

Signing off

Tyrone  

  

  

We are what we eat...

“We are what we eat”; I have heard someone say somewhere and I think it carries with it at least time for a thought. We are told that if we want to keep our bodies in shape we must not starve them but eat small healthy meals regularly. I’ve tried it over the last three days and already I am noticing a difference. If only we would learn these simple valuable lessons that we are taught through the flesh and then convert the principle back into our Spiritual reasoning, when we do, I believe by God’s grace we will see results. It is one think to talk about being overweight and to do nothing about it. A person may moan about their bulk with a greasy hamburger in their hand, but all that will ever achieve is talk and no action, it carries with it the pattern of the hypocrite.

I am aware that my example and its reasoning is all about the flesh and even its reasoning comes from the medical research profession. What then does that have to do with me growing spiritually? We must learn to be sensitive to the lessons receive in our daily walks. That includes our wrongdoing; they are also there to teach us obedience.

I am persuasively encouraged not to walk in the flesh for if I do I will sure die; If I eat unhealthily and only when I am hungry, I will put on unhealthy mass, that ends with my body disproportional and unpleasing to the eye. But is I walk in the Spirit I will live; if I eat regular healthy small meals I will see physical results. If it is then that simple when it comes to our natural bodies, will it be any different in principle spiritually? No! We must put our hand to the plough to see results and probably more importantly for others around us to notice the change as they see the light of Christ shining through. Five small healthy meals a day is a good place to start; It will be of no use if we say to ourselves, this must change in my life because I know that it does not bring honour to my God and Father. So then we look to put it off by starving ourselves and we think we will have the victory, wrong! If we are to put off the “old man” we must with the same action put on the “new man”. This is the area where I make my mistakes and I do not believe I stand alone.

Carry this thought into today, “put off-put on”. Put off sin not through will power of man centered intuition but rather by feeding the Spirit regularly throughout each day. I am speaking of walking in the Spirit; simply put; wake up and eat a meal, by 10 am it is time for a snack, then lunch, at 3pm another snack and finally dinner. These meals must consist of these ingredients and with no preservatives added; prayer, fellowship with the household of God, biblical study through reading and an specific time set aside to remember the shedding of the Lord Jesus’ blood on Calvary for your sins. We must focus on our God’s achievements and on His Gospel as it will take our eyes off ourselves and our failures, we all struggle with something, it is part of God’s design to keep us focus on Him; even the Apostle Paul was given a thorn in the flesh to buffet him so that he did not end up a boaster. It was to keep him humble!

If we stick to God’s diet we will see results!

Now let us prove this theory and now eat breakfast with a beloved brother this morning and witness how when we ponder on his encouragement we find our hope kindled and new life begins to show, “get up and go is now our slogan!”

“Mighty to save.”

- Isa_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!” (C.H.Spurgeon)

May the peace of God’s Spirit rest upon all who eat from Him, Amen!

Signing off

Tyrone

  

We must die to live!

(John 8:37)  “… Because my word hath no place in you.”

In light of yesterday’s post and trying to understand where we stand with our glorious Father’s call upon our lives, I suppose that there must come a time in every believers life where we all settle on this truth; “not my while but thine be done”. With it comes pain, heartache, confusing, resistance from the will, that is the will of the flesh (our bodies of death) and much more? Why does it have to be this way? Unless a seed fall to the ground and dies it will abide alone, it will never bear fruit. Life teachers us that death is often associated with pain.

Whilst in Plettenberg Bay over the holidays the life guards on two occasions summonsed the bathers out of the water with sharp blasts on their whistles with a flag raised high and clear for most to see, with its warning, shark! Why do we take special note of such a warning, the fear of death jolts our reaction time into gear and before long the masses that once where swimming in the sea now all stood on the shore looking to see it they could spot the dreary creature? Comments like, “I never want to die like that”, “and I’m scared of sharks”. No one wants to die and yet it is the will of the Father that all His children must die! If we chose to reject His instruction through His Word, how will we ever be any different to those who look to serve Him for self-gain, it’s all about their life now and what they can get for their own stomachs? Are we any different? If not, I pray we will sit up and take note.

To help us with our reasoning, let us look at those who have gone before us, how do you think we will stand shoulder to shoulder with them in God’s kingdom, having wandered the desert in sheep skin while we lived a life of luxury with never a want and yet full of complaints? God forgive us! Or those persecuted for their faith; “Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated-- of whom the world was not worthy--wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.” (Hebrews 11:36-38): - It was these people that where noticed by God as He inspires the writer of Hebrews to pen those words.

Let me make it personal; what about the man who made himself a eunuch for the kingdom of heaven sake? If I was to stand next to him in heaven, I would shudder as I would think on his example. Two failed marriages and why? My “body of death” not willing to die! A sad thought indeed! This man must have seen the call of God clearly, it would be a sacrifice, it would cause pain, and loneliness would also play its part. And yet for those, whom it has been given, will be able to accept it as they make it their own... Not to speak of their passion, that would need to be dealt with as he would forfeit his God given right to sexual association with a wife. It appears that Paul was such a man and look what he achieved. Once again the Word teachers; that this in itself is a gift from God. It is all about grace, but we must seek this treasure out. We cannot sit on our laurels and pretend all is well when it is not.     

“His disciples say unto him, If the case of the man be so with his wife, it is not good to marry. But he said unto them, All men cannot receive this saying, save they to whom it is given. For there are some eunuchs, which were so born from their mother's womb: and there are some eunuchs, which were made eunuchs of men: and there be eunuchs, which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it.”” (Matthew 19:10-12)

There must come a time in a believer’s life where we realise that there is no other way but to die and to hang onto that which is dead is actually ridiculous, we must accept the fact that we need to keep dying through our on-going sanctification. We must all learn to say, “Not my will but thine be done”. We will wrestle and one should be surprised if we don’t have a daily battle with our flesh. But we must all eventually arrive at the same place and that is once we have repeatedly asked for the cup to pass and it remains, then we need to understand that it is grace that is needed to get us through the temptation.

This then is our example; “And he was withdrawn from them about a stone's cast, and kneeled down, and prayed, Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him. And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.” (Luke 22:41-33)

Our biggest enemy is when we will not accept that fact that we need to die. May God open our eyes to His truth and not our wants and may His will become our will in every area of our lives. Father we pray for understanding in accordance of your will and then the grace to get through whatever we need to, for the glory of your namesake, our Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, the One whom you rose from the dead and will likewise do the same for all who endure unto the end, Amen!  

Signing off

Tyrone

Is it I?

(Matthew 10:38)  “And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.”

My thoughts are extremely somber this morning. I suppose I take so much for granted. There is a fine line between taking things for granted and being sincerely thankful. Take salvation as the pinnacle in a believers life; a person was once blind and dead in their trespasses and sins and then they by the grace of God find life. Some think that they chose God, but this would be impossible; prior to salvation we are all DEAD in out trespasses and our sins. Salvation is a gift from God! It is a Spiritual gift! He gives us life and only then can we live and see spiritual things.

It has always been about God’s choice; “God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, "Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord." (1Corinthians 1:28-31)   

Consider the twelve disciples how they left what they were doing and immediately followed the Lord. Now who in his right mind would drop a net in the middle of the day without any explanation to his employer or family and follow the Lord? That in itself on the surface seems rather rude! “Passing alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, "Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men." And immediately they left their nets and followed him.” (Mark 1:16-18) 

There were other fishermen in the boat and yet the Lord chose Andrew and Simon, it was His choice! What about Judas Iscariot did God also chose Him? We know He did; “For the Son of Man goes as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom he is betrayed!" (Luke 22:22): - Someone needed to betray the Lord and He knew it before hand; it was part of God’s script! “When it was evening, he reclined at table with the twelve. And as they were eating, he said, "Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me." And they were very sorrowful and began to say to him one after another, "Is it I, Lord?" He answered, "He who has dipped his hand in the dish with me will betray me. The Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born." Judas, who would betray him, answered, "Is it I, Rabbi?" He said to him, "You have said so."” (Matthew 26:20-25) 

Why would a man aware of the fact that he was about to betray the Lord ask the question, “is it I?” Was he so blinded by sin that he was unaware of what he was about to do, did he really believe he was acting in the Lord’s best interest in his mind’s eye. Had deception blinded him so badly? We know that he was motivated by money, which proves he was in it for his bellies sake, the same pattern we see with the warning Paul gives us about the enemies of the cross; “For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.” (Philippians 3:18-21)

I must then conclude that Judas was never a citizen of heaven and so too is it today with many who claim to be and are not! When I look at the destruction at play in my life and the evil intent my mind still looks to conjure up for the sake of satisfying my own “body of death”, I must ask the question, “is it I Lord?” I do not sit at my desk with over confidence this morning but there is seriousness to “my standing” before my great heavenly Father. Please continue to work with me and help me put off what should no longer remain and help me to find grace to put on the Lord Jesus. How I need you my great God and King. O how I need you!

Signing off

Tyrone

   

Forgiveness!

(Matthew 26:28)  “For this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”

Forgiveness is a word that carries an amazing amount of freedom in its bosom. It’s like fresh sweet water to the parched throat in a barren land. And yet how could I ever understand it if I never needed it, if I never found myself walking in a dusty desert, with thirst nagging away at me, while my thirst cried out to be satisfied. Water, water would be my minds cry; it would captivate all my attention as life now depended on it. There would be an urgency to seek it out like never before. It is the same with forgiveness, and to find it as the ultimate prize we would need to want to be forgiven, we would search out repentance as if our life depended on it and I assure you it is an imperative in life that if we do not seek it out, we will regret it forever and ever. Hell will be our final destination!

South Africa is a land filled with the need of forgiveness; no different to the rest of the world; however it is steeped with hate, Apartheid its major player, as the minority of a country suppressed the majority into a form of slavery. Sin has had the exact same effect on all of mankind, without exception, as we are all slaves to sin, that at least until we find forgiveness in and through the precious blood of the Lamb, the Lord Jesus Christ; “For this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”

I recall as a press photographer witnessing a white man charged with murder as he search out asylum for what he claim was an act of war, the government of the time the National Party was at war with the African National Party, their leader Nelson Mandela.

He claimed that he was acting on orders, but as he confessed on what he had done, he acknowledged his fault with sincerity as tears rolled down his cheeks while the widow of the deceased peered across the room at Him without even a blink of the eye. To witness this grown man crying, that in itself was a special moment but the real jaw stopper happened a little after, the widow walked over to this murderer and embraced him with forgiveness in her heart, which brought a tear to my eye. It was a very special moment for all.

These proceedings where known as the time of the “Truth Commission Hearings”, it was setup to bring reconciliation. The intention was to expose all the corruption that went with that treacherous time and to free those enslave by it. I am not sure they totally achieved their objective, but the intent was a good one. Be sure of one thing when God calls for His judgment, there will be no stone left unturned; “For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.” (Ecclesiastes 12:14): - Unless of course we find forgiveness for our sin; if we are forgiven, that then means the debt has been paid in full. We are no longer accountable to settle the imbursement as another has settled it on our behalf. And it came at great expense, the Lord Jesus bleed and died upon a cruel Roman cross. It cost Him his life and yet He was guiltless. For whom then did He die for one may ask? For all who would understand that they are sinners and are incapable of settling their own debt before God, to all who would cry out through repentance to God seeking out His forgiveness.   

Forgiveness is available as it is still now a dispensation of God’s grace for all who diligently seek it out, but there is a day coming when this door will close. Search it out with persistence, like the thirsty traveler in a dry parched desert. Therefore this then is the instruction; “For "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."” (Romans 10:13)

Call is a word we use quite offhandedly, “plea” carries with it far more urgency. We must call (make our plea) with urgency, for when we do, we will be heard and we will be saved.   

But I am sure of this one fact if you feel you do not need forgiveness, this great offer will escape you and that will be tragic. But for those who have searched out forgiveness with seriousness and by God’s grace found it, this then will be our hope…

“There is laid up for me a crown of righteousness.”

- 2Ti_4:8

“Doubting one! thou hast often said, “I fear I shall never enter heaven.” Fear not! all the people of God shall enter there. I love the quaint saying of a dying man, who exclaimed, “I have no fear of going home; I have sent all before me; God’s finger is on the latch of my door, and I am ready for him to enter.” “But,” said one, “are you not afraid lest you should miss your inheritance?” “Nay,” said he, “nay; there is one crown in heaven which the angel Gabriel could not wear, it will fit no head but mine. There is one throne in heaven which Paul the apostle could not fill; it was made for me, and I shall have it.” O Christian, what a joyous thought! thy portion is secure; “there remaineth a rest.” “But cannot I forfeit it?” No, it is entailed. If I be a child of God I shall not lose it. It is mine as securely as if I were there. Come with me, believer, and let us sit upon the top of Nebo, and view the goodly land, even Canaan. Seest thou that little river of death glistening in the sunlight, and across it dost thou see the pinnacles of the eternal city? Dost thou mark the pleasant country, and all its joyous inhabitants? Know, then, that if thou couldst fly across thou wouldst see written upon one of its many mansions, “This remaineth for such a one; preserved for him only. He shall be caught up to dwell for ever with God.” Poor doubting one, see the fair inheritance; it is thine. If thou believest in the Lord Jesus, if thou hast repented of sin, if thou hast been renewed in heart, thou art one of the Lord’s people, and there is a place reserved for thee, a crown laid up for thee, a harp specially provided for thee. No one else shall have thy portion, it is reserved in heaven for thee, and thou shalt have it ere long, for there shall be no vacant thrones in glory when all the chosen are gathered in.” (C.H.Spurgeon)

Signing off

Tyrone

Daily Manna!

(Hebrews 13:5) “…be content with what you have…”

There has been much deliberation throughout my life and my own thoughts about making provisions for the future and to be fair to all those who have been diligent in this area of their lives, I commend them, but that most certainly comes with a proviso; has it been at the expense of daily living, and daily sanctification! If so they have understood very little.

What is meant by what I say? Let us first ask ourselves the question, what is God’s requirement from us on the exact subject? In order for us to get an answer we need to examine the mind of Christ, look for His reasons and teaching. I love to start with typology and then look for sound doctrine to confirm the pattern. God is the same yesterday, today and forever and therefore uses the same trainings throughout time to teach different generations the same lessons.

Let us start with the children of Israel in the Wilderness; firstly they were living a treacherous life of slavery, the Egyptians were hard on them; we no differently were slaves to sin, and it was hard on us. There was much they needed to leave behind (leeks and the garlic) and there is much we needed to repent from. They needed a miracle to escape Pharaoh’s army; the Rea Sea swallowed them up and allowed the Israelites to pass through on dry ground. We too needed a miracle to escape the hold sin once had on our lives. It took an actual life changing event to open our eyes to our new life in Christ, we were born again, not that we crawled back into our mother’s womb but now our spiritual journey had truly begun. We received Spiritual sight! We now had hope, where there once was no hope. We are now on a road that leads to the Celestial City, heaven our final destination. The Promised Land was their final destination. They had there challenges along the way and we now have ours. What can they teach us? Sadly with many of them God was not please; “Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness.” (1Corinthians 10:5)

Let us now look at a particular incidence that they received on a daily basis and then finally draw our parallel on how we should live. The Wilderness was a barren Land and there were many that needed to be fed. A miracle was required for this to happen, God sent them manna from heaven, and the provision was His. With that said, it was up to a representative/s from each family to venture out and gather the yield so that they could be sustained and gather strength for their journey toward the Promised Land. Without this nourishment they would die, but before long they got tired of the same food and their pallets required new taste. They now began to grumble against God. They did not have the luxury of making a plan and becoming independent in that sense as they were stuck in a desert. It was not as if they could begin to barter and trade and establish themselves as prominent businessmen. That option was not on the table, but for us living in the 21^st century it is a strong draw card to mislead us from the paths of righteousness. Same result just a slightly different lure.

I will remind you of Paul’s teaching to Timothy; “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.” (1Timothy 6:10)

Do we see the similarity; they craved meat as some today hanker after wealth. Why do I say we need to pay careful attention to this, especially in today’s environment? For many reasons but here is just one; remember the “mark of the beast” and the hold it will have on the masses; “so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name.” (Revelation 13:17): - The more one has the more they have to lose!

Some suggest that we as Christians will be gone and therefore have no need to deal with this dilemma. I think not! “Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction.” (2Thessolonians 2:3)   

What then does the scripture teach us concerning this very lesson? Remember how the Lord taught us to pray… “Give us this day our daily bread.” (Matthew 6:11) – Note: Daily bread is specified and no more. The children of Israel needed to gather on a daily basis and only enough for the day, if more was gathered it would rot and be rendered useless.  Why? Anything more than that would now begin to operate outside of the realm of faith, self-sufficiency would begin to rear its head. It is now time for us to pay careful attention to their example. It is not new, God hasn’t changed; we have!

How is it we will ever learn to walk by faith if there is no need placed upon us to call out to God for His provision? I personally fear having seen this truth as I know that I have now been placed in the firing line. However, with that said, as hard as it may get, if it teachers me to walk by faith, then it shall be worth it all.

This then is doctrine to establish my train of thought; “Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." (Hebrews 13:5)

Signing off

Tyrone

Praying in the Spirit!

(Ephesians 6:18)  “Praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.”

We all have many prayer requests and as the days progress into the New Year many more shall rear their heads. Prayer is a part of the warriors armour and needed for daily battle. Without it what would the life of a Christian look like? Independence would be their motto with a resolve of self-determination as their drive. The only question I have for those individuals is this, are you sure you wear God’s coat of arms, does the blood of Christ avail as your covering, are you dressed by his blood? We know that wolves will always try and infiltrate God’s flock; it has been like that from the beginning.

One may ask this question, how do I know that I am really saved? Prayer will be a good barometer in measuring the seasons for the Christian. If we consider the forefathers of faith, Isaac prayed on behalf of his wife and he was heard; “And the LORD granted his prayer, and Rebekah his wife conceived.” What had Isaac understood? He understood the will of God for his life, which was a promise to Abraham his father that in his seed a covenant had been established with God. Isaac was aware of God’s promise to his father and knew that if Rebekah did not conceive the covenant would be broken. He understood this that it is “impossible for God to lie.” (Hebrews 6:18)

He had learnt to pray in accordance with God’s will and so too must we learn this valuable lesson. He knew in whom he had believed. This is why I think that the Lord Jesus upon the cross seemed surprised when His Father forsook Him as He took on the sin of the world. These were His words; “And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?" that is, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"” (Matthew 27:46)

The Lord Jesus’ life was full of assurance that His Father was with Him along His earthly journey, until He paid the price for our sin. It was only then that God judged Him on our behalf so that we could go free, praise His name!

If the Lord Jesus who is God chose to lay down His own life and live as a man and place his dependence in His Father who remained in heaven, how much more is it needful for us to shadow his example?   

Our lives must be filled with need in order for us to cry out unto God in Prayer. It teaches us to walk by faith; it removes self from the equation and places a dependency on our God, which in turn brings glory to Him, as He alone is worthy.

There is much false teaching on prayer and miracles that is bandied around in supposed Christian circles. This is no more than the enemies of the cross preying on weak individuals, looking to bleed them of the little wealth they have for the sake of their own bellies. They claim to be Christian; they fly the banner of prayer but their prayer falls on deaf ears no differently to that of the prophets of Baal when they challenged a true man of God, Elijah!

If and when God choses to act in answering a prayer there will be no doubt that his hand has been in the mix. Words like “maybe” or “possibly” could never feature, for when God said let there be light, light burst forth! It did not gently ooze its way into the darkness and eventual appear; “And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light.” (Genesis 1:3) – Can you picture it? Let your mind’s eye try and visualize this glorious event; BANG and there was light, darkness fleeing like a scared rabbit chased down by a hungry jackal. However it happened it was brilliance personified! To God be the Glory, hallowed be thy name! 

This is the same God the true Christian serves! Spies, false prophets and false teachers only pretend that God has healed so that that may manipulate the masses, the masses flock to them so that they too may find substance for their own bellies; “birds of a feather flock together”! Look at this verse; “Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.” (Matthew 24:28)   

So, how do we know if we are really saved?

Is the “fruit of the Spirit” evident in our lives? It is a simple question but needful for us to examine…

Do we carry the marks of Christ’s nail piercings in our bodies? Are we suffering as He also suffered in some form or another? Are we dying on a daily basis? And probably the greatest of all tests would be are we solely dependent upon the mercy and grace of our heavenly Father?

If we have Christ’s Spirit it will compel us to “present our bodies as a living sacrifice”, no if’s and buts! Prayer will be a part of everyday life as we become more conscious of the fact that our dependency lies with God and His grace and not on our own abilities as men and women. It is prayer that teachers us whom it is we should rely on and without needs there would be no necessity to pray. Elijah understood the power of prayer; he also understood that if God was for Him who could be against Him. 850 of the enemies elect came up against him as they prayed to their god to no avail. Elijah knew in whom he believed and as he prayed the enemy was comprehensively defeated, praise be to the only true God now and forever more, Amen!

Do we know in whom we believe? It is God our Father, one and the same! But only if we have received Christ’s Spirit and only if we realise that it is all of God and has nothing to do with who we are in ourselves. Salvation is a gift from God! The proof of this gift is true repentance from self. “So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” (James 2:17) 

These money preachers who pretend to pray for miracles and for healings are dead, they do not place God before their own needs and this is why the Lord Jesus makes these statements in the book of Matthew; “"Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits. "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?' And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.' "Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.””

God help us to be people of prayer and as we pray may we remember to place the needs of others before our own, Amen! Let us remember that all that is asked from us is to contend for today as tomorrow will bring with it its own trouble. “One day at a time sweet Jesus all I ask is for one day at a time.”

Signing off

Tyrone

Dead Works!

(Hebrews 6:1) “Repentance from dead works and of faith toward God.”

With a little bit of effort, one step at a stretch and simply one day at a time is what is required. Where it could become confusing, is the “little bit of effort”? As Christians we are very clearly taught from scripture that salvation is a gift of God and that it can never be earned. For if it could be earned or worked for then the individual would have something to say about his achievement, he would be entitled to boast and yet boasting has been excluded; “Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded.” (Romans 3:27)

Although we are conscious about the law, the old set of rules that governed us, by constant failure in achieving its requirement, prior to receiving Christ’s Spirit, before we began our spiritual journey as true believers and not nominal Christians, when we were born again, and where life began in the Spirit. We still think on the law as good, for it is a representative of who God is. But we now no longer look to it to find justification, our validation is now complete in and through the Lord Jesus Christ. He has completed the objective, God is satisfied and that happened once, never to be repeated as Christ defeated sin and all the evil that goes with it. Sin has been irradiated when it comes to the justification of the believer. This also includes our daily living as believers. It is a gift from God!

Angels never received grace as their portion and when Lucifer, the devil who was perfect in beauty and full of wisdom, a creature that God had created became conceited and wanted to become like God, he was cast from heaven and took one third of the angels in heaven with him. Why? He was full of wisdom and perfect in beauty and those fallen angels chose the creature over the creator. They were cast into eternal damnation never to be afforded the opportunity to find forgiveness. They are not covered by the grace of God! God has reserved a place of torment for them; “Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” (Matthew 25:41)

It is faith we must now apply to the equation and not works. But we sin every day is my thought? If I was an angel I would already be condemned to the lake of fire but while I have breath I have hope so do we all. Nevertheless if we were yet sinner God would have nothing to do with us, as He is holy. And yet when we ask He gives and when we seek we find and when we knock the door is opened. Why? Because we are covered by the blood of the Lamb, He sees his own Son’s sacrifice and not the individual’s sin. God has so reckoned it! Let God be true and every man a liar is what comes to mind. Did He not say? “As it is written: "None is righteous, no, not one;” (Romans 3:10): - Obviously that was prior to Christ’s perfect work on Calvary! But now that God the Father has placed His own seal of approval on His Son’s walk here on earth by raising Him from the dead, we are now justified by faith and not works.

This point is a basic fundamental, but I see so many moving from it, looking to justify themselves, in fact I do it all the time. We need to be reminded of this truth constantly!

With that said how do I then put in a little effort? I apply faith to the equation and I believe God and it will be accounted for righteousness sake. I no longer look for justification or condemnation when I achieve or fail (sin). Every time I move into that domain I look to nullify the perfect work of my great Saviour the Lord Jesus Christ, not that I ever could as God has approved His work once and for all.

I see a pattern amongst believers, it may be an undertone and not that obvious, yet we must be on guard against our own hearts. The Apostle Paul deals with the potential of those who now enter into sin as if it didn’t matter. I battled as a young believer to come to terms with this on-going conflict in my life. We have been sanctified by the Lord Jesus; we cannot find favour in our own merits of failures. This is true! He teachers us very clearly, that we must not continue in sin that grace may abound. That does not mean that when we sin we are no longer covered by grace, in fact it proves the opposite and if we do sin we are still covered by the grace of God. Why? Salvation is a gift and it cannot be earned! Let’s stick to the facts. But I see another error creeping in, those who look for justification in what they do, too qualify them as believers.

This is the principle we must all embrace with effort, for when we do, then the determination we walk in is a humbleness and it will in its season bring forth its fruit; Our constant application on a daily basis to “repentance from dead works and of faith toward God.” (Hebrews 6:1)

This will always remind us that it is all about Christ’s achievements and we will then believe Him and rely on His ability to get us home. When we are mindful of these things boasting will have no part to play regardless of whether we are in the valley or on the mountain top. We will remember that we have been sanctified by the Lord Jesus and that we have been justified by faith and not the works of the law. We will give our blessed Redeemer preeminence in all we do and that will then please our heavenly Father. If we fall along the way we have a high priest who is touched with our weakness and will be quick to forgive us, so long as we seek out His forgiveness through repentance.

God no longer views us as sinners; we are now saints and all because of Jesus Christ our Lord’s obedience.

But beware if you chose to ignore the grace of God as a light thing, we must remember that our God is also a consuming fire. All who play with fire will eventually be burnt.

What a perfect plan, how great our God is; bless His holy name now and forever more, Amen!

Signing off

Tyrone 

Full of thought!

(Philippians 4:8) “If there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”

As I sit in the silence of which still appears to be night and then I glance down at my wrist-watch which informs me that it is well into the early hours of the morning, it is rather mystical, as the birds are very vocal and yet remove their chirps and one would hear a pin drop. I cannot recall when I have ever experience such obvious contrast, and there it is gone, the sound of motor vehicles on the highway now filtering through. It was nice while it lasted.

Christianity can have similar fleeting moments of shear brilliance and then it is vanishes as the cares of this world rob us as they remind us of so many triviums. Today is a day I wish to recall some of these precious moments to memory and then to pen them.

Let me go back to the beginning; Prior to salvation, or the awareness of it, I was seeking out the truth or so I believed, I was abroad in London, yet aware that there were many back home praying for me. With that as a backdrop life began to take on a new face. I heard blasphemy a lot clearer than before, I always heard the flippant use of my great Lord and King as people used it to curse instead of bless, but now it somehow cut a little deeper. My flesh, this “body of death” had run into ministers of light (angels had been summoned) and things began to change. In hindsight to claim that I had anything to do with the change would be rather conceited. Sure I needed to respond to the changes as they happened, but what choice did I actually have? Have you ever seen a man running into a tornado, or toward a fire instead of away from it? Once God decides to favour any sinner and reveal His beloved Son to them it is just a matter of time before the light switch is flipped. We that were once dead now find that we have received the greatest of gifts, we see God for who He really is. It was here for the first time that I understood true love; "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

For us to remember and relish this selfless sacrifice we must sit in silence and remove the clutter of life. How often, what noises in life do we give ear too, and how much time have we wasted? Let us remember that Christianity is an ongoing lifestyle as we are all now new creatures in Christ, old things have passed away! However we need to be constantly reminded. The best way for this to take effect in our lives is to remember, remember what? All those times Christ has saved us from the miry clay, every time God our glorious Father has given ear to our prayers, and then the times when God has sent His ministering angels to sucker us in time of need. The list goes on and on, but it is needful to constantly think on the goodness of God as it will fuel our hope in Him. Faith is full of substance, yet it must be the tangible evidence in our own lives that we cling too and not that of another. We must be people full of thought; “if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”

It is the personal rescue that I now wish to consider…

For God so love me that while I was yet a sinner, a dead man, unable to commune with God, in fact I had no inkling to really search Him out and yet He saved me. There was absolutely no merit in me to find this favour and yet I somehow found the answer to life in and through my precious Redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ. My eyes were open to the truth of salvation by the precious blood of Christ, subsequently through life I have made many foolish choices and yet God in His mercy has been patient with me. I know what is meant by these words as I am able to relate; “Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever! Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he has redeemed from trouble.” (Psalms 107:1-2)

Or what of the times where I disguised myself as one who was not saved as I ventured into their domain and ate my fill of their debauchery; “Some were fools through their sinful ways, and because of their iniquities suffered affliction; they loathed any kind of food, and they drew near to the gates of death. Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He sent out his word and healed them, and delivered them from their destruction. Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man!” (Psalms 107:17-21)  

 

I suppose on the surface I would wish to claim the testament of the Apostle Paul, but I am not Paul, in fact I am amongst the worst of examples and yet for me to lie about it would be sin. I am who I am and if it was not for the abundant grace of God working in my life I would be dead and without hope, but now I am able to confess Jesus as Lord of my life, in spite of my rebellion, thank you Father God for your unfeigned love, I will always be indebted to you, not that I will ever be able to repay the debt. I am nevertheless forever grateful and thankful, praise your holy name!

“When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?” (Psalms 8:3-4)

I cannot leave it at that, this is a general statement but when I personalize it, when I make it my own what can I say, my mouth is silenced. If the angels of heaven had to say, “Be done with him casts him to the dogs”, they would have just cause, who could blame them as they would have witness my life and yet they remain silent. Thank you Lord Jesus for dying for me!

What great love is this that God sent His son to die for me!

Wherever you may find yourself, if God has saved you in spite of yourself, remember this; “a bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not quench, until he brings justice to victory;” (Matthew 12:20) 

We must now learn to trust and obey…

 

Signing off

Tyrone

      

Eye salve is what is needed!

(Matthew 25:5) “As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept.”

We all need sleep; so long as when we snooze we carry with us the oil needed for our lanterns to light the way for our Saviours return. The Armenian will say this parable helps prove that we can lose our salvation as all where virgins and the Hyper Calvinist will say that the foolish virgins where never truly saved. I have settled on this understanding; whatever the scriptures tells us to pay attention to, that is exactly what we all must do, heed the warning. We must take any form of rebuke seriously, especially as God’s children. If we become arrogant and believe we are “untouchable” because we have Christ’s Spirit and chose to ignore the warnings from scripture we will be subjected to the consequence of it. This is proved time and time again throughout the bible and the pattern is clear to see, remember the children of Israel and their journey through the wilderness; “Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.” (Hebrews 2:1) -And- “how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard.” (Hebrews 2:3)

    

A child, who loves and trusts his father, will always look to please him. They will always look to follow his instruction! We have many enemies that will keep us from obedience, our “bodies of death”, our carnal natures the greatest of enemies and then of course we “war not against flesh and blood”, in other words our battle is not against man but spiritual forces. Things that are not seen have a tremendous influence on how life plays out.

If a father instructs his child not to put their finger in a plug socket when it is switched on and the youngster ignores the warning what will happen? The probability of there being consequences is extremely high, and in a severe case death would be probable. Every effort by the father will be put in place to limit this actually happening. A true child will learn to heed the warning, even if they make many mistakes along the way. God will see to it and all because of Christ’s achievements on Calvary praise His name!

Scripture is given so that we do not make the mistakes of those who chose to ignore its warnings. It is primarily an instruction manual for the household of God. Take this rebuke from the Lord as an example; "And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: 'The words of him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. "'I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God. Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you. Yet you have still a few names in Sardis, people who have not soiled their garments, and they will walk with me in white, for they are worthy. The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels. (Revelation 3:1-5)

“Slothfulness casts into a deep sleep, and an idle person will suffer hunger.” (Proverbs 19:15) -- Of late I have had much free time on my hands and the concern I have is that if idle, this “body of death” if given half the chance will run to darkness instead of light and we are all the same, do not be fooled, we all originate from the same substance, sin our initial foundation. It is also clear from scripture that we have a new beginning and if we walk in the Spirit the flesh that once had its hold on us will no longer wield its original power. But do not be hoodwinked, it is the Spirit that gives us the victory and only Christ Spirit will suffice! Anything outside of this will lead us down a slippery slope. We must constantly look to our God and King for sustenance throughout the day; we have been commanded to provide for our households, we must work in order to feed our families, but if we chose to use this as a license to set aside time that does not involve walking in the Spirit we have been deceived! Every minute of every day must be captivated by our God, probably easier said than done, but this is nevertheless what we must fight for. God has given us the throne room of grace to accomplish it and we must learn to approach it with boldness (confidence). Whatever looks to rob us of this instruction must be recognized and then sufficiently dealt with through the Spirit .

I heard someone once say that their grandfather would at times be sitting with his family and while watching a movie would suddenly get up and leave the room. Why one may ask? Had he possibly learnt this lesson, I would suggest that is exactly what he had learnt. Anything that takes our eyes off Christ must be dealt with accordingly. When he was asked why he did not watch the end of the film, his reply went something like this; I was taken from the thoughts of my God and King! A little extreme some may suggest, is it!

I still have so much dying to do, help me Father God to learn to present my body as a living sacrifice, as I know you shall, Amen!

Let us remember that the devil goes around like a roaring lion seeking out those who are not walking in the Spirit; “If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.” (Galatians 5:25): - for when we walk in the Spirit and we resist him he must flee from us; “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7)   

Signing off

Tyrone

The Light as opposed to the darkness!

(1John 1:5) “…that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.”

Light and darkness both have their own attractions. I have heard reports that some say that they were declared dead and then brought back to life but during that transition some have explain a tunnel with a light at the end of it. Whether this is fact or fictional is not that relevant, my thought this morning is how everything in life somehow relates to light or darkness. It obviously could never be any other way. Why? In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth without form and it was void. Actually quite convoluted to picture with the mind’s eye, but that is what is recorded. It was surrounded by darkness and waters, quite a scary sight, horror movie directors would love to recreate such a scene for dramatic effect. But until the next event took place it would have remain a dreary place full of darkness, a place most would consciously look to avoid. “Darkness” is the domain of Satan, where he rules and he wields his power; it is what keeps people from finding forgiveness and this is why the Lord Jesus paid the ultimate sacrifice as He laid down His life to set sinners free from the realm of darkness and enable them to live in the light; “to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power Satan to of God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.” (Act 26:18)   

I remember at times as a child being scared of the night, why? It was filled with shapes and many unseen objects that tricked me into believing they could possibly be something they were not. But soon as the light switch was flipped it settled my uncertainty. This is what the bible teachers on darkness; it blinds us from the light, it keeps us from the truth, it hinders a relationship with the only true God, and whatever is done in private is a form of darkness, we hide those secrets as we think we get away with acts of darkness, yet only for a time, for all will eventually be exposed as God who lives in the light will uncover them and He will use His light to do it; “Therefore whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in private rooms shall be proclaimed on the housetops.” (Luke 12:3)

Darkness symbolizes a hidden agenda which we all have as sin has taken all captive, but God now introduces the light, praise His name!

What keeps people from turning to the Lord Jesus and seeking out His forgiveness? The Apostle John understood it and so records the reason; “Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.” (John 3:18-19)   

Let us now go back to the beginning; “And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness.” (Genesis 1:3-4)

Light is good and therefore needed to be separated from that which was poor, the darkness!

The objective now for every living creature is to search out this Good light (the Lord Jesus), who will open our eyes to see clearly; “This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.” (1John 1:5)

“And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.”

- Gen_1:4

Light might well be good since it sprang from that fiat of goodness, “Let there be light.” We who enjoy it should be more grateful for it than we are, and see more of God in it and by it. Light physical is said by Solomon to be sweet, but gospel light is infinitely more precious, for it reveals eternal things, and ministers to our immortal natures. When the Holy Spirit gives us spiritual light, and opens our eyes to behold the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ, we behold sin in its true colours, and ourselves in our real position; we see the Most Holy God as he reveals himself, the plan of mercy as he propounds it, and the world to come as the Word describes it. Spiritual light has many beams and prismatic colours, but whether they be knowledge, joy, holiness, or life, all are divinely good. If the light received be thus good, what must the essential light be, and how glorious must be the place where he reveals himself. O Lord, since light is so good, give us more of it, and more of thyself, the true light.

No sooner is there a good thing in the world, than a division is necessary. Light and darkness have no communion; God has divided them, let us not confound them. Sons of light must not have fellowship with deeds, doctrines, or deceits of darkness. The children of the day must be sober, honest, and bold in their Lord’s work, leaving the works of darkness to those who shall dwell in it for ever. Our Churches should by discipline divide the light from the darkness, and we should by our distinct separation from the world do the same. In judgment, in action, in hearing, in teaching, in association, we must discern between the precious and the vile, and maintain the great distinction which the Lord made upon the world’s first day. O Lord Jesus, be thou our light throughout the whole of this day, for thy light is the light of men. (C.H.Spurgeon)

Signing off

Tyrone