Denial!

(Matthew 7:5) “…first take the log out of your own eye…”

There are some verses I tend to brush over, they are not as appealing or encouraging as other stanzas; on the surface our minds dismiss them as negative. We love to concentrate on the unconditional side of God’s love which is beyond measure, and so we should! But we will never automatically be drawn to the harder verses, those that speak of discipline which are full of constructive warnings, never consciously seeking out their truths and only because denial plays such a massive part in our lives.

In October 1993 I remember walking into the doctor’s office with what appeared to be a throat infection but walked out the following day with HIV, a death sentence! I was 27 years old at the time and at first ever fiber in my life did not want to accept this truth. Denial had taken hold of me and was now looking to aid the virus in my demise. In 2001 I was no longer fit to work and was admitted to hospital with glandular fever, phenomena, dementia and suspected tuberculosis. My CD4 (immune system) count had lowered so badly that is was operating at less than a percent of the norm, which should read a count of 1000 and now only recited a reading of 9. For seven years I had chosen to reject anti-retroviral medication. One of my physicians at the time did not think I would make it, but for the grace of God some ten years later here I am, as I sit punching at this keyboard with my stubby clumsy fingers. I never ever wanted to believe that I hadn’t actually accepted the fact I was HIV positive, as I had, or so I thought! As I was even open about it and spoke freely to all who posed the question. On the surface there was no hidden agenda but there was something deep down that was alive which tricked me into believing a lie and I supposed I wouldn’t die. Denial almost claimed another scalp! BUT FOR THE GRACE OF GOD!

HIV is a virus known to most, but many who contract the virus live out long periods of their life in denial and in fact some have even died in that state. Denial seems to be a common flaw amongst the human race. It is one of those ugly character flaws that sin has sunk its teeth into as it trickily deceives. There is no doubt who is behind this wicked deception, Satan the mastermind of sin and all its exploits. For as long as I was not willing to reach out for this lifeline, which was anti-retroviral medication I was toying with death, I was playing “Russian Roulette” and so is everyone when they exclude the bibles teachings on all topics.

With these thoughts in mind I have been lead to examine this verse and search out any root of denial that would look to rob me of my freedom in Christ: - “You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.” (Matthew 7:5) – If I lie to myself but continue in denial it then makes me a hypocrite…Definition of HYPOCRITE. 1: a person who puts on a false appearance of virtue or religion. 2: a person who acts in contradiction to his or her stated beliefs.

Now would be a good time for me to receive instructive direction from another tried and tested bible expositor, so that I may not be blind-sided by my own pet subject…  

“1. It is not every one who is fit to reprove. Those who are themselves guilty of the same faults of which they accuse others, or of worse, bring shame upon themselves, and are not likely to do good to those whom they reprove, Mat_7:3-5. Here is,

There are degrees in sin: some sins are comparatively but as motes, others as beams; some as a gnat, others as a camel: not that there is any sin little, for there is no little God to sin against; if it be a mote (or splinter, for so it might better be read), it is in the eye; if a gnat, it is in the throat; both painful and perilous, and we cannot be easy or well till they are got out. [2.] Our own sins ought to appear greater to us than the same sins in others: that which charity teaches us to call but a splinter in our brother's eye, true repentance and godly sorrow will teach us to call a beam in our own; for the sins of others must be extenuated, but our own aggravated. [3.] There are many that have beams in their own eyes, and yet do not consider it. They are under the guilt and dominion of very great sins, and yet are not aware of it, but justify themselves, as if they needed no repentance nor reformation; (my very own consideration,DENIAL) it is as strange that a man can be in such a sinful, miserable condition, and not be aware of it, as that a man should have a beam in him eye, and not consider it; but the god of this world so artfully blinds their minds, that notwithstanding, with great assurance, they say, We see. [4.] It is common for those who are most sinful themselves, and least sensible of it, to be most forward and free in judging and censuring others: the Pharisees, who were most haughty in justifying themselves, were most scornful in condemning others. They were severe upon Christ's disciples for eating with unwashen hands, which was scarcely a mote, while they encouraged men in a contempt of their parents, which was a beam. Pride and uncharitableness are commonly beams in the eyes of those that pretend to be critical and nice in their censures of others. Nay, many are guilty of that secret, which they have the face to punish in others when it is discovered. Cogita tecum, fortasse vitium de quo quereris, si te diligenter excusseris, in sinu invenies; inique publico irasceris crimini tuo - Reflect that perhaps the fault of which you complain, might, on a strict examination, be discovered in yourself; and that it would be unjust publicly to express indignation against your own crime. Seneca, de Beneficiis. But, [5.] Men's being so severe upon the faults of others, while they are indulgent of their own, is a mark of hypocrisy. Thou hypocrite, Mat_7:5. Whatever such a one may pretend, it is certain that he is no enemy to sin (if he were, he would be an enemy to his own sin), and therefore he is not worthy of praise; nay, it appears that he is an enemy to his brother, and therefore worthy of blame. This spiritual charity must begin at home; “For how canst thou say, how canst thou for shame say, to thy brother, Let me help to reform thee, when thou takest no care to reform thyself? Thy own heart will upbraid thee with the absurdity of it; thou wilt do it with an ill grace, and thou wilt expect every one to tell thee, that vice corrects sin: physician, heal thyself;” I prae, sequar - Go you before, I will follow. See Rom_2:21. [6.] The consideration of what is amiss in ourselves, though it ought not to keep us from administering friendly reproof, ought to keep us from magisterial censuring, and to make us very candid and charitable in judging others. “Therefore restore with the spirit of meekness, considering thyself (Gal_6:1); what thou has been, what thou art, and what thou wouldst be, if God should leave thee to thyself.”

(2.) Here is a good rule for reprovers, Mat_7:5. Go in the right method, first cast the beam out of thine own eye. Our own badness is so far from excusing us in not reproving, that our being by it rendered unfit to reprove is an aggravation of our badness; I must not say, “I have a beam in my own eye, and therefore I will not help my brother with the mote out of his.” A man's offence will never be his defence: but I must first reform myself, that I may thereby help to reform my brother, and may qualify myself to reprove him. Note, Those who blame others, ought to be blameless and harmless themselves. Those who are reprovers in the gate, reprovers by office, magistrates and ministers, are concerned to walk circumspectly, and to be very regular in their conversation: an elder must have a good report, 1Ti_3:2, 1Ti_3:7. The snuffers of the sanctuary were to be of pure gold.” (Matthew Henry)

This is now sound council and may it help me and all of us to first remove the log from our own eyes before we endeavour to be helpful to our brethren.

Signing off

Tyrone

We know in whom we believe!

(Hebrews 4:15) “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses…”

As a press photographer I spend time recharging my batteries as there is nothing worse than having no power if and when the need arises. This means that the batteries need to be plugged into a charger so that they can carry out their intended purpose, which is to power up my camera. Without power my camera is useless, all I would be left with is an expensive paper weight.

Life seems to demand a similar mindset, work hard, relax recharge and then back to work and so the cycle of life continues. Once a year we calibrate our batteries by taking a holiday. But do we realize that as Christians we never need calibrating, we either have the Spirit of Christ or we do not, there is no in-between, we are either a son of God or we are not! Throughout the Old Testament life was full of in type “battery recharging” - sacrifice for sin, but “calibration” happened when the high priest would offer a sin offering for Israel. This was a very scary time, firstly for the high priest and then for all of Israel.

“A golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, around the hem of the robe. And it shall be on Aaron when he ministers, and its sound shall be heard when he goes into the Holy Place before the LORD, and when he comes out, so that he does not die.” (Exodus 28:34-34) – Imagine the anxiety they faced not knowing whether the high priest would live once he entered the “Holiest of Holies”. They even had a bell and pomegranate sewn on to the bottom of his robe so that they could hear the jingle and by implication would listen for its chime; if it stopped then the priest would be dead and their sacrifice unacceptable before God. It was a time of Godly fear and holy reverence. Anticipation would have filled the outer courts of the temple. His life depended upon his and their obedience toward God. A life filled with uncertainty, scary times!

However in today’s day and age it is not like that. Why has God changed? He hasn’t! But in the fullness of time His plan has now run its course, the Lord Jesus our ultimate sacrifice has risen and is seated on the right hand of God making intercession for all His people. No longer is the sacrifice of bulls or goats required, as our “Ram” has paid the final sacrifice and this is now in the past tense. Look at these beautiful words; “We have an altar from which those who serve the tent have no right to eat. For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy places by the high priest as a sacrifice for sin are burned outside the camp. So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood. Therefore let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured. For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come.” (Hebrews 13:10-14)   

It is now the spilt blood of the Lord Jesus that has made a way for all His people. Who are His people? Only those who are covered by His blood, all repentant sinners who acknowledge that they deserve hell because of their sin, but have found repentance in Him, and only because the Lord Jesus paid the price for their sin can they now escape hell and hope for heaven. It was John Newton who captured this with such potency in the hymn we still sing today, Amazing Grace. The line that impacts me mostly is; “who saved a wretch like me”. Are you captivated by His great achievement? I trust your answer is yes! If you have His Spirit then I know your answer can only be yes, but if you are a church goer and like the idea of religion and what it stands for, then I fear for your soul. His sacrifice goes far deeper than that. He came to set the captive free, do you believe this? No matter where we may find ourselves, if our batteries need recharging we need look no further than to our great High Priest as He is now touched with the feelings of our infirmities. He has live as a man and understands exactly what we go through…

“Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:14-16) 

It is not a holiday we need but rather we need to obtain mercy and find grace whenever the pressure seems overwhelming. Our King and great High Priest is able, no rather does sympathise with our struggles. So let us remember to cry out to Him, praise his holy name, for He alone is worthy! He will get all of those whom the Father has given Him home. We will all see heaven, only trust, obey and believe!

Signing off

Tyrone  

Take every thought captive!

(2Corinthians 10:5)  “…take every thought captive to obey Christ.”

Lately I’ve noticed a new phenomenon about my subconscious and how even my dreams are affected. When I walk in the Spirit as we are all called to do on a daily basis, then my mind is consistently being renewed as it proves (works out) what is that good and acceptable will of God for my life. I leant to walk in obedience, this is the call for ever born again Christian. We have all been called to obey. Obey who? Our heavenly Father and His Word, the Bible gives us direction, it is the lamp for our paths. It the Shekinah glory of Christ’s brightness that leads the way. He is the way the truth and the life!

Yes we will get feeling and hunches at times and we may even hear people whisper what we want to hear and believe it is God who has spoken, and all its been is our lusts and our wants running away with themselves. But if we use the bible accurately, all this means is when we pull out a scripture it must be looked at in context, we must understand the underlying lesson.

Let’s use an example… “Jabez was more honorable than his brothers; and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, "Because I bore him in pain." Jabez called upon the God of Israel, saying, "Oh that you would bless me and enlarge my border, and that your hand might be with me, and that you would keep me from harm so that it might not bring me pain!" And God granted what he asked.” (1Chronicles 4:9-10) 

“Jabez was more honorable than his brothers”. As you read it, what does it mean to you? I have a verse that springs immediately to mind, but how and to whom was he honorable? Although it does not clearly state it, I believe he was more honourable to the Word of God and to God. Some theologians suggest that history teachers us that he comes from a family of scribes. However it is not enough to be absolutely certain, but it does help with my reasoning. I still need stronger confirmation; I need to confirm it by the Word of God.

If we follow the thread of scripture in the next verse we see that Jabez requests something from God. He asks for material wealth and to be kept from pain and he asks God to be with him. God grants Him His request. How will we be sure that God will be with us and grant us our requests? Where else do I find a verse in the bible that teaches me about honour, possessions and God being with us? Let look at what the Lord Jesus taught; in Matthew chapter 6 He gives us insight as to how we should live as believers. He teachers us to live by faith, now faith toward God means we trust Him and we believe that He will provide, this in turn represents honour. Yet for us to be the beneficiaries of God provision we need firstly to qualify, so what qualifies us? Obviously we will only ever qualify if we are covered by the blood of the Lamb, but there is more, how can there be more? Let’s look at the verse; “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33) 

Years ago someone wrote a book on this exact verse and many seemed to be caught up in frenzy as the hunt for worldly possession now sprung to life in a new light, Name it and we could claim it. Wrong! A misrepresentation of scripture! Firstly it was a contract between God and Jabez, not his mother or his brothers nor anyone else. That is the first point. We are told by scripture to imitate all the good examples throughout scripture, so that we may learn to be more Christ like. Jabez was a good example but if I take this verse out of context for my life I enter into error. How so? He was honorable and put God first, I know this because the Lord Jesus teachers us that we need to put God first in our lives and how do we do that, well we seek out His righteousness, only then am I entitled to be the beneficiary of His promise. Ask yourself Has God ever blessed outside of His Word, never! Will a non-believer in what Christ accomplished on Calvary ever enter heaven, no never! It is all about seeking His purpose for our lives, and this must be the forerunner in our lives if we are to share in Jabez’s blessings, in God’s blessings. Every blessing throughout scripture hinges on obedience.

Now with that in mind when I am disobedient I open myself up to sin and my brain then entertains thoughts that do not come from God but the devil, as he is the father of sin. Christ died to free us from the bondage of sin. This is now important; if I know that I should not lust after a woman with my eyes and I ignore the warning an entertain the thought, I then feed my mind with what Christ came to free me from, I keep sin alive! I am not seeking out God’s righteousness for my life and then this thought is stored in the recess of my brain. Even my dreams now entertain these thoughts. How I know this is that my dreams even teach me. Let us not glibly drop our guard, we must always put on the mind of Christ, we must arm ourselves with every opportunity to walk in obedience. Does the Bible teach us to do this? Yes it does! “We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.” (2Corinthians 10:5)

When this becomes part of our daily routine even our dreams begin to change. May God give us a resolve to seek Him out in everything we do, Amen!

Signing off

Tyrone

Praise the name of Jesus!

(Psalms 103:2) “Forget not all His benefits.”

It is wonderful to admire the great achievements of the saints of old, and I am often inspired by some of their majestic bouts of faith, as we should be! These examples should drive us to be more diligent toward our great God and Father. But how often do we get lost in their stories, to our own detriment? In other words it remains their reality and goes no further. We must transfer what they are teaching us into what we are being taught. We have been called by the great I AM, He has sent His only begotten Son to pay the price for our sin, just as much as He sent Him for David, Samuel, Moses and the like. We are as much son’s as they were, no rather are, it is both past and present tense. Once God has begun a good work he will complete it. We may founder and fall at times but He will never taste defeat. We know setbacks too well, how often have I resolved to do something for my great God and before long I have gone back on my commitment.  I am truly thankful for our great Saviour’s achievement on Cavalry, who else could have bridged that gap? Absolutely no one else! Praise the name of Jesus our great Saviour!

Let us not get lost in failure but rather focus on victory, Christ’s victory! If we were able to do it alone, there would have been no need for Christ to die such a cruel death.

Haven’t we seen the work of His hand in our lives, of course we have! Samson faced such opposition that a thousand Philistine came at him in one attack, it was not just one challenge or concern but a thousand and all at the same time. Will we learn from his example and reach for the jawbone; will we reach for Christ in time of need and fight with His strength until me find grace to overcome? The same weapons available to him are available to all of God’s children. Have we not tasted the sweet joy of victory just like Samson did? Amen, we cry! Or what of David as he faced the goliath of all challenges, did he not shirk the armour of men as he stepped out in faith knowing in whom he believed, he did! Have we? There must have been times of victory, if we have Christ’s Spirit, it is a given! Think back on your life and savour the sweet taste of honey. No other victories are as sweet. Or what of Daniel as he was feed to the lions, did God not stop their mouths, we know He did! Have we not been in a similar place and left for dead, I know I have and sadly I must confess it was not for well-doing but my own folly at play left me desperate and almost without hope and yet my great Saviour saved the day. Praise His name! Have we not denied our Lord when we know we should have spoken out just as Peter did, I know I am guilty. And yet our great God finds it in His heart to forgive us, how great is He!

Words will never capture the immense enormity of His loving kindness, but may we never forget why we are privy to this love, PRAISE THE NAME OF JESUS! How often have we dropped our guard just like Samson and believed that we are bullet-proof, I know I have and the pain was almost unbearable. But before long our hair once again begins to grow, thank you Lord Jesus! What a great Saviour we serve, may we never forget Calvary!

We will never forget Calvary as He will always bear the marks in his hands. Praise His glorious name! So today wherever it may be where we find ourselves, may we focus upon His achievements in our lives and it will be well with our souls. If we need to sing from the rooftops then sing with gusto. If we are weak and feeble, then let us fall to our knees and seek out His forgiveness as He is just a prayer away, Praise His name! And above all things let our lives day by day speak more of our obedience toward Him.

“Let us not forget all His benefits…”

Signing off

Tyrone

Dress yourself for Work!

(Jeremiah 1:17)  “But you, dress yourself for work;”

Is the pot starling to boil? Maybe not quite! But it is evident the heat has been turned up. The question I have, is do those puppets actual know that they are being used as pawns by Satan or have they been blinded by his cunning exploits? When searching for answers it would be a good idea to search out similar scenario’s from scripture as we use history to search out an answer. Now with history in mind, the only way we will be sure not to be duped is if we stick to the cannon of scripture. For the illustration let’s use a hypothesis to illustrate my point; Let’s say the account of the Red Sea parting was never recorded with the pen but tradition men arrived at a place where the story was verbally passed down from generation to generation, what would probably happen to the actual account? It would inevitably loose its accuracy. We have all heard about the “broken telephone”; someone relays a story and then on to another and another and when it eventually arrives at it intended destination it is distorted. If that person was now to act on what they had received it could be detrimental. The facts may be inaccurate and what was once a true account had now just became a story, and it could have a catastrophic outcome. How where myths and folklores born, in exactly the same manner! My son once told me that in African Folklore they believe that there is a big flying snake that flies around and can blow down houses and then he ask me if it was true, get the point!

We have all learnt to depend on certain characters for biblical doctrine, at times we look to the traditions of churches, but if we take it no further we could be in for a rough ride. C.H.Spurgeon is the man that most influences my understanding of doctrine. But he is just a man and therefore potentially at risk of entering into error. I agree most unlikely, but nevertheless there is a slim possibility. How would I know if what he expounds is sound or not? I do not rest on my laurels on what the Metropolitan church of the 1900’s stood by, that is not enough! I must seek out the cannon of scripture to confirm that what he preached is historically sound and I use the Bible as my reference, with the influence of God the Holy Spirit as my guide. Why? Because this is the original manuscript that God has ordained. Weren’t those from Berea commended for examining out scripture? Yes they were! “Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.” (Acts 17:11) – They examined the bible and did not rely on stories. If I am not sure about a certain truth, I then look at other sound men throughout history and see what conclusion they arrived at. What then about the Bible translations from the original? They do play a part, but not to such an extent that I would lose my way.      

Back now to my original thought; “the heat the world will soon face”; the question I need answered, did pharaoh know that he opposed God’s will for the Israelites, as he kept them from freedom. At first glance the answer would seem obvious, yes he did! But let us consider this a little deeper; prior to Moses and Aaron instructing him to release Israel how would he have known that it was God’s will? His conscience may have plagued him but then again it may have been so seared that he felt nothing. I suppose he wouldn’t have known. But once he had received the instruction then he was without excuse. Nevertheless we see God’s plan unfolding exactly according to His manuscript, in fact at times it was God who hardened Pharaohs heart which kept him from releasing them so that His great name would be praised amongst His people: - “For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, "For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth." So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills." (Romans 9:17-18)   

It will be no different as the heat of the anti-christ begins to work itself out here on earth. It will be his time but God will still be pulling the reign according to His master plan.

Last night I watched the end of Opera and I witness celebrities all in one accorded apparently praising the name of Jesus and yet many are strong believers in scientology. They do not believe that the Lord Jesus Christ is the only way and the only truth and the only way to find life. It is once again another snare of the devil as he tries to lure the feeble Christian into his web of deceit. Nevertheless God will build His church and the gates of hell will not prevail against Him, praise His name! We know in whom we have believed. Trust and obey Him with the Word of God as our anchor and it will be well with our souls.  

So they may not know now whom they serve but there will come a time when they will know exactly who it is they serve and they will not relinquish the error of their ways, just as Pharaoh’s soldiers pursued the Israelites into the bed of the Rea Sea and ultimately drowned. Nevertheless we pray that God may save some of the remnant from amongst those who now lock hands with Satan as we too once stood shoulder to shoulder with them in our ignorance. But now we give thanks to our God and Father for opening our eyes and for saving our souls. Be merciful Father I pray and save some who are now amongst that number. Glorify your name!

Let us buy oil so that we may trim our lamps and not be caught off guard. Their where ten virgin and only five remembered to buy oil, may we be amongst that number I pray.

Lord Jesus our faith rest solely upon your finished work and nothing else, we praise your name our great King and Saviour, help us seek out grace with boldness as the time is soon approaching when the screws will be tightened on all who confess Jesus as Lord. Let us dress ourselves for work...

Come what may we know in whom we have believed, all hail King Jesus!

Signing off

Tyrone    

The importance of a balanced diet!

(1Corinthians 10:3)  “And all ate the same spiritual food…”

This morning brings with it soberness, I am wide awake and it has just gone 3am but my heart is heavy, Why? For a number of reasons, I am so consciously aware of how much apathy lives with me in life. I never seem to commit myself to God’s Word like so many have done. I think of Charles Spurgeon, Matthew Henry, John Bunyan, Jerry Bridges, John Piper, John MacArthur and the tenacity of Mike Atlee, a man who was resolute; his entire life seemed to revolve around Christ and his understanding of the Word. It was under his work that God chose to save me, the Coastal Assemblies of God a fairly new work in South African which flew the Pentecostal flag. I can no longer hold to all of their doctrine, but much of it is still very dear to my heart. Be that as it may when I look at this man’s drive and commitment in what he believed to be God’s call upon his life, I am yet to meet a man like him. I wanted to be like him in my early Christian years. Sold out for the Lord Jesus!

Why am I concerned this morning, what is it that has kept me from sleep? There seems to be so many voices propagating Christianity, under so many varying denominations, what would those on the outside hear? I suppose just some foreign gibberish language. A very sad state of affairs!

Amongst the charismatic churches, not much if any true doctrine is preached, how they feed their sheep is beyond me. I know that some are amongst God’s number ever in those churches but they will be tested soon as the Spirit of God, God the Holy Spirit will never go against His own Word: “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.” (1John4:1)

Then some Pentecostal churches believe that you only receive the Holy Ghost once you have been filled by Him after salvation and the proof of that is you will then speak in another tongue, a language foreign to your native tongue. That would imply that men like C.H.Spurgeon and many other faithful Christian who have accomplish more than most ever would, was not filled with the Holy Spirit (Ghost). What nonsense! However I do not agree with some that the gifts of the Holy Spirit have ceased. That is not conclusive when looking at scripture, but men’s opinions. Nevertheless when so many churches claim healings and the like, I would ask you to examine their claims. When the Lord Jesus healed was there ever any doubt to his healing? Of course not! They were all miraculous and doubt was never in question. When God makes a statement, there will never be any doubt. Did those who lived in the days of Noah doubt it was raining as they fought for their lives to no avail. Never! There were 950 false prophets who claimed to be blessed of God that came against Elijah and God majestically humiliated them with their god’s. But Elijah was the man that God used to embarrass them. What of the walls of Jericho or the parting of the Red Sea or even Daniel in the lion’s den. When God moves there is no mistaking it, and so it will be when God chooses to heal or when He moves in judgment. A day is coming where one third of the earth will be destroyed with fire (Rev 8:7). It will be evident to all just as it was in the days of Noah. Why then do we no longer see God’s hand at work through miracles and healings; it may just be that we no longer walk in faith as they once did, God knows! But I pray the He would stir His people to desire all that He has given us so that the enemy may be silenced as we look to be earnestly used in glorifying His name. Thank you for your patience with so many of your children Father, when I look at my life I am often left hanging my head in shame as my life seems powerless at times, forgive me Lord. I know that if we remain faithless you will never change you will never deny yourself. Help us; help me seek out your face like never before I pray. You have given us so much and yet we give so little in return.

I have read that amongst Protestant Churches, statistically their number splits after reaching 100–200, why we would ask? The people there are more likely to split churches than seek out unity. (Dan Phillips-Pyromaniacs)

This now brings us to our text; “and all ate the same spiritual food,” they all drank from the rock. “Their drink was a stream fetched from a rock which followed them in all their journeyings in the wilderness; and this rock was Christ, that is, in type and figure. He is the rock on which the Christian church is built; and of the streams that issue from him do all believers drink, and are refreshed. Now all the Jews did eat of this meat, and drink of this rock, called here a spiritual rock, because it typified spiritual things. These were great privileges. One would think that this should have saved them; that all who ate of that spiritual meat, and drank of that spiritual drink, should have been holy and acceptable to God. Yet was it otherwise:” (Matthew Henry)

What is very scary as we unpack the rest of the text we see that God was not well please with a lot of them; “Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness.” (1Corinthians 10:5) – We must take this caution seriously as this was written down for us. This portion of scripture was penned so that we would not make the same mistakes they made. We must avoid idolatry, sexual immorality, we must not put Christ to the test, and we must not grumble as some of then did. Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. (1Corinthians 10:11-12)

It is never pleasant to write harsh stern warning in my blog, how I long to speak of God’s promises but what would it help if we had a false sense of security, the truth must be told as it is the truth that will set us free. Please see my heart in the matter and always remember that my heart is the first to be exposed.

Having now said what has been stated, I leave us with this thought; as the war rages on God is building His church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against Him. Praise His name as the beautiful chimes of our Saviours finished work rings true to our ears.

Signing off

Tyrone

  

The Christian!

(Romans 1:7) “Called to be saints.”

What is needed to drive doubts with all it fears away? It has to be faith; it can only ever be faith in the finished work of Calvary. When we struggle with a particular sin what enables us to find victory? Do we now not have a way of escape as Christians in and through our great Saviour, of course we do! And if we stumble and fall because of our lack of faith, is it not the goodness of God that ignites our faith in Him, which in turn drives us to seek out His forgiveness? Of course it is! It is no longer bulls or goats or even turtledove that need to be sacrificed in order for us to find forgiveness, our great Saviour the Lord Jesus Christ has made the way, praise His name! We have all been called to perform the duties of saints. Who and what is a saint? The Apostle Peter was a saint but no more than any other repentant born again believe who believes in his heart the Jesus rose from the dead and confesses Him as Lord with their mouths. They are both as equally covered with Christ’s righteousness. To think that the Apostle Peter’s name will be mentioned amongst the foundations of the New Jerusalem (heaven) and then to think of us who are weak and frail Christians; bruised reeds amongst what appear to be tall straight usable reeds, how poorly we seem to fair at times, but does that make us any less qualified? Of course not! For if it did, then we would stand upon own righteousness, and not the righteousness of Christ, and let us never move far from this truth. 

It is about His accomplishments and not ours in that sense. It is once this truth is cemented deep within our hearts that we will then be useful to others. How so? Faith will take on a new dimension; we will be quick to remember that it is only the Lord Jesus who overcame the devil and defeated Him on Calvary’s cross. But the story never ended there because on the third day He rose again bringing with it power for us to walk in newness of life an enabling ability for every saint to find grace to overcome their greatest fears and what appears to be never-ending thorns in their flesh. The sin that once had such a hold on us now no longer has the same power as the shackles have been broken by our King. All that is left for the believer to process; will we believe this truth! Herein rests the key whether we walk in victory or in defeat. Remember Caleb and the giants as they were no match for his faith. He believed God, will we! We must!

We should not think that the Apostles received more than us. Their measure may have been greater, but then their trial would have been grander, nevertheless it was no different. We have all been given a measure of enabling faith to overcome sin in our lives. We must believe it! We will never be tested beyond what we are capable in finding grace to overcome; no never! “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” (1Corinthians 10:13) 

We all have access to the same throne room of grace and we have all been commissioned to approach it with boldness whenever the need arises. But then again our measure of faith is a gift from God and we are to be sober about this truth and not to think that we are better than our brothers when we walk in victory and they fail to find it or visa versa. There is no place for boasting! It is a gift from God. Nevertheless the facts are before our very eyes, we are to use what God has given us, and we must appropriate these truths in faith. Our eyes need to shift from self and onto the Lord Jesus if we are to walk in victory. No matter how steep the climb, our King has conquered the hill, praise His name! He is our Commander and He always leads from the front, He will never require anything from us that He hasn’t already dominated. But before my thoughts run away with themselves… now would be a good time to get someone else’s perspective…

“We are very apt to regard the apostolic saints as if they were “saints” in a more especial manner than the other children of God. All are “saints” whom God has called by His grace, and sanctified by His Spirit; but we are apt to look upon the apostles as extraordinary beings, scarcely subject to the same weaknesses and temptations as ourselves. Yet in so doing we are forgetful of this truth, that the nearer a man lives to God the more intensely has he to mourn over his own evil heart; and the more his Master honours him in his service, the more also doth the evil of the flesh vex and tease him day by day. The fact is, if we had seen the apostle Paul, we should have thought him remarkably like the rest of the chosen family: and if we had talked with him, we should have said, “We find that his experience and ours are much the same. He is more faithful, more holy, and more deeply taught than we are, but he has the selfsame trials to endure. Nay, in some respects he is more sorely tried than ourselves.” Do not, then, look upon the ancient saints as being exempt either from infirmities or sins; and do not regard them with that mystic reverence which will almost make us idolaters. Their holiness is attainable even by us. We are “called to be saints” by that same voice which constrained them to their high vocation. It is a Christian’s duty to force his way into the inner circle of saintship; and if these saints were superior to us in their attainments, as they certainly were, let us follow them; let us emulate their ardour and holiness. We have the same light that they had, the same grace is accessible to us, and why should we rest satisfied until we have equalled them in heavenly character? They lived with Jesus, they lived for Jesus, therefore they grew like Jesus. Let us live by the same Spirit as they did, “looking unto Jesus,” and our saintship will soon be apparent.” (C.H.Spurgeon)

Signing off

Tyrone

If we live by the Spirit!

(Galatians 5:25) “If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.”

Good things never come easy! Is this statement a figment of my imagination or is it true. Life is a beautiful thing, ask any parent, ask a mother if child-birth is easy, she will without exception say it is very painful and do everything in her power to find a way of escape; there are many ways medical practitioners help short circuit the pain barrier, epidurals and the like, which must help, but look into her eyes after the ordeal and it is obvious the pain is soon forgotten as she cradles her newborn baby in her arms. Love and joy now rich within her heart, and as onlookers we witness her happiness, it was worth it all!

However how many mothers actually know why childbirth is painful? I am not convinced I would get a positive result. When a mother is in the process of giving birth and she cries out from the pain, and screams “why?” have you ever heard someone retort back, “it’s because of Eve’s sin”. It would never ever happen! But this would be a truthful response, it is a sentence from God past down onto woman, and only because of Eve’s sin, it’s as simple as that! Nothing complicated about it at all! Why the point, what’s its purpose you may ask? There is no random coincidence in God’s economy and the sooner we settle our hearts on this truth the freer we will be to walk in the spirit instead of always summoning to the demands of the flesh with is lusts. We are short circuit kings and love the easy out. I know I have already made this point but our great God loves to reward his children. If this is true which it is, what must we do to be beneficiaries of His reward? WE MUST WALK IN THE SPIRIT! Yes we must now begin to reason with a totally new set of rules which is not a set of rules but it is the liberty of grace.

We must forget the conditioning that our lives have taught us, all those rules through education and achievements that take priority. We now must leave all that behind as we now find our dependency on God our Father through Jesus Christ his Son, our Redeeming Saviour. We must learn to appropriate our Christian walk one day at a time and no more. We need to rid ourselves of all the rot and the garbage people have conditioned us to believe. It is no more than a daily walk, one day at a time is all that God requires from us. Will we trust him for today? Tomorrow will take care of itself!  We must settle on that mindset, as we are incapable of any more than this, in these earthen vessels (human bodies) of ours.

If we adopt this mindset then food, clothing and even shelter will be taken care of, it is a promise from God. With that worry out of the equation what then will be our reward? Obedience is better than sacrifice; we must let this truth sink deep. We must simply believe the Word of God, regardless of all its opposition. So if we believe what it teaches then we simply will obey its instruction, this is what “obedience is better than sacrifice” means. God the Father said to God the Son go to the cross and die and that is exactly what the Lord Jesus did, He obeyed! His obedience has now set us free; we are now sons of God because He obeyed. All we need do is look at our Redeemers great example and we will see a resolute calmness about the way he went about His business; and I say it is all because of His obedience. Once His heart had been settle there was no more wrestling. Remember the Garden of Gethsemane, there was a time when He looked to His father for the cup to pass, but once He resigned Himself to what was set before Him He overcame triumphantly, praise His name! Its design is no different for all of us who name the name of Jesus as Lord and King. But where we lose our way is when we shirk our duty to obey. We stop believing God’s Word and then walk in unbelief. We do it our way! May God help us to see!   

Now then apart from the obvious, salvation, the hope of heaven and the like, what is the reward from our God for all who obey His Word? It is not worldly possessions but the fruits of the Spirit. If money is our driving force we will be sorrowful, in fact any wants that supersedes laying down our lives for Christ will cause much pain for the believer. Why? Because God will not reward that! “You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.” (James 4:3) - But when we take up our cross and follow Him, we will be rewarded. How so? This will be our reward; “…love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, self-control; against such there is no law. And they that are of Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with the passions and the lusts thereof. “If we live by the Spirit, by the Spirit let us also walk.” (Galatians 5:22-25)

This tangible truth fuels us to press on and we then can honestly echo the Words of our Saviour; “For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." (Matthew11:30) 

Signing off

Tyrone

Our Hope!

(Revelation 21:7) “… and I will be his God and he will be my son.”

Our lives are rather interestingly ensnared if and when we view it from the surface; generally we are all alike. Most work in a job they would rather not, most try and save of get credit for a holiday; a rest and new excitement away from the norm of life. Generally we are driven to want “More”. But “More” of what must be our question. It is hardly ever more of Christ! Not really when examine our lives against the Word. How often do we long for more contention around the gospel or more suffering so that Christ may be exalted when we are tried? We are human and sold under sin! So by default we will naturally always look for the easy out, unless we see something is in it for us, we will look to avoid it like the plague. If there is a dream holiday that we are looking to have with friends or family, but we know that we will need more money than we have saved, we will make sacrifices, if we want it badly enough. The sacrifice will be worth it all as we shoot for our yearend holiday, it is our hope that drives us! These types of thoughts and actions are normal and we hardly have to see a psychologist to help us along the way.

But now as Christians we have the greatest of all hopes; for all who conquer, one day we will be like our glorious Saviour, we will live in a heavenly state forever, we will have a body like His, incorruptible, never aging and above all else our God and Father will claim us as His sons outside of faith. In person He will look us in the eye and declare to all in the heavens that He is our God and we are His children; “The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son. But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death." (Revelation 21:7-8)

How I long for that day! The drive I once had for life and the deceitfulness of “wine woman and song” was such a thief and it robbed me to the point of despair. Thankfully our God is greater than the snares of sin and He has put new life into me, I never deserved His mercy or grace. Why would He choose to rescue a wretch like me? Especially as my life was so full of folly, like a dog to its vomit, time and time again, all I am let to say is thank you Father God for never giving up on me. If I could explain how much despair I faced at times I would, but words elude me, it was a place of torrid torment and all because of my selfish wants. I beseech you beware of fleshy lusts that war against the soul.  

He has given us eyes to see! For those who can cry out, “I can see” we must now learn to trust, obey and believe in Him. Regardless of the trial of life, it is the trial of life itself that feeds our hope. And a people without a hope will perish. But we have the greatest of hopes, so let us now learn to focus with the eyes of faith and not the eyes of our apparent wants. If they do not make us more like our Saviour, they are all just decoys and lies.

What then must we be on the lookout for so as to obtain our ultimate goal, heaven?

Let us now unpack these verses as our beloved brother John has left us a wonderful hope but with it comes a warning; we have received a free love gift from the only One capable of imparting it, it is the gift of eternal life. There is nothing we can do in our sinful selves to deserve this gift. It is unmerited favour! Let us consider what we will receive as sons of God…

“By the tenure and title by which they enjoy this blessedness - by right of inheritance, as the sons of God, a title of all others the most honourable, as resulting from so near and endeared a relation to God himself, and the most sure and indefeasible, that can no more cease than the relation from which it results. By the vastly different state of the wicked. Their misery helps to illustrate the glory and blessedness of the saints, and the distinguishing goodness of God towards them.” (Matthew Henry)

But as children we now have a responsibility and we must examine our own lives. John Piper makes a statement and he says that we were never made for mirrors. His point is we were made to worship God and not ourselves, and of course He is right, but mirrors should play a part in our lives, they are there to help us examine ourselves against the Word of God. Let us then examine our lifestyles in conjunction with what it should not look like and if there be any wicked thing in us, we then need to find grace and wrestled with the “angel of the Lord” until we are freed from all practicing sin. Habitual on-going sin must have no part in our lives. Sin will be a thorn in our flesh until we eventually breathe our last, but we must be resolute in resolving to root it out of our lives. “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?” (Romans 6:1-2)

Let us now heed the warning…

“The sins of those who perish, among which are first mentioned their cowardliness and unbelief. The fearful lead the van in this black list. They durst not encounter the difficulties of religion, and their slavish fear proceeded from their unbelief; but those who were so dastardly as not to dare to take up the cross of Christ, and discharge their duty to him, were yet so desperate as to run into all manner of abominable wickedness - murder, adultery, sorcery, idolatry, and lying. (2.) Their punishment: They have their part in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death. [1.] They could not burn at a stake for Christ, but they must burn in hell for sin. [2.] They must die another death after their natural death; the agonies and terrors of the first death will consign them over to the far greater terrors and agonies of eternal death, to die and to be always dying. [3.] This misery will be their proper part and portion, what they have justly deserved, what they have in effect chosen, and what they have prepared themselves for by their sins. Thus the misery of the damned will illustrate the blessedness of those that are saved, and the blessedness of the saved will aggravate the misery of those that are damned.” (Matthew Henry)

We must be on guard against another one the devils tactics; thinking we can live as we once did without any change to our lives. I will conclude with Paul’s teaching; “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are contrary the one to the other; that ye may not do the things that ye would. But if ye are led by the Spirit, ye are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these: fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousies, wraths, factions, divisions, parties, envyings, drunkenness, revellings, and such like; of which I forewarn you, even as I did forewarn you, that they who practise such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.” (Galatians 5:16-21)

May grace abound throughout today to the glory of our risen King! Let us remember to pray for one another.

Signing off

Tyrone

   

Our enemy's tactics!

(Ephesians 4:27) “And give no opportunity to the devil.”

The Apostle Paul affirms that they were not ignorant of the devils devices, he was aware of his enemies warring tactics. Many great victories have been won by first studying ones opponents and then once their weakness has been exploited, half the battle is already won. We have an enemy like no other; he is far greater in statute than the greatest of war generals you could ever imagine. “Alexander the Great” conquered countries and kings but Satan has affected every man ever born from Adam, barring our great Saviour the Lord Jesus Christ. This is why nothing outside of His power will ever defeat Satan and his cunning tactics. The standoff between the devil and man is a foolish matchup; there will only ever be one winner, the devil! Now before it seems like I would be singing his praises, I will state that he is a liar and a cheat and has one ultimate goal and that is to get men and women to sin against God. He knows no other way as he was a liar from the beginning and he is the father of lies; “…He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” (John 8:44) - Sin all started with him and it will also end with him; “and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.” (Revelation 20:10) 

Once we understand the potential of our enemy, we will then not war against him hopelessly, we will now arm our minds with what God has given us to overcome, Jesus Christ our Lord and King, praise His name now and forever more.

You see how the Galatian church started their spiritual journey. They received the Spirit of God as they were given life, they were born again, and they were now children of God. But having begun in the spirit they now turned their attentions to being perfected by the flesh; “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel-- not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed.” (Galatians 1:6-8) 

In other words they had started correctly but now had lost their way and began to find justification through works nullifying the work of Jesus on the cross. A gross slap in the face to our redeeming King. But before we run away with ourselves and be the first to cast a stone at our brothers may we look inward and repent where needed.

How then did I lose my way over the years? It is obvious; I was deceived into believing the exact opposite, Licentious became a way of life as I reigned myself to my many weaknesses in the flesh and excused them away. The devil had found out my weakness and he helped me exploit it. This is why “sound doctrine”, correct bible based teaching is crucial to every believers life. Why did the Apostle James emphasis this point; “Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.” (James 3:1)

Every instruction in scripture is out of love to help us be on guard against our roaring enemy and it would be good to heed its council. So to all my beloved sisters in Christ, who find a need to always hanker after woman teachers I say in love and out of great concern, be careful that you are not being led astray by the fiery darts of the devil. Paul is very clear with his teaching and the reason for it; “I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. For Adam was formed first, then Eve; and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor.” (1Timothy 2:12-14) – Can you see what has happened through time and the conditioning of our mind-sets, how Satan has brought in his wedge to deceive. God cannot change and His Word will never change. This is just another one of his many tactics to lead us astray. Please Father I beseech you give us eyes to see, so that we would be operational for you. This is a word of comfort and should be seen as such, it is for one’s own protection. It has nothing to do with the opinions of men or woman but all to do with the Word of God and its instruction, nothing more or nothing less.

Let me conclude with one of the greatest stories ever told, the account of David and Goliath… “And David said, "The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine." And Saul said to David, "Go, and the LORD be with you!" (1Samuel 17:37) – David never doubted that he would lose to this giant, he knew in whom he believed. Do we hold the same measure of faith in our hearts? We must!

Let us be sober in our reasoning but let us also stand upon the finished work of our Saviour throughout today and it will be well with our souls, come what may. Let us never forget why we are capable of overcoming trial in our lives, it is all because of our great redeeming King, praise His glorious name! It is when we stand upon Him that we will be the victors and nothing else will quite cut it; “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7)

Signing off

Tyrone

  

The flesh is weak, BUT!

(Matthew 26:41) “Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."

We finally arrived at home at 4am this morning, it was a tough drive and lasted for a full fifteen hours. Not much sleep but the question I ask myself, is the Lord Jesus as active in my thoughts as any other given day? Has sleep robbed me of glorifying His name? It has tried! The Apostle Paul saw sleep deprivation as a hardship in his life. How so? Maybe you think I am stretching it somewhat, and maybe I am. But let us look at what he refers to when defending his honor for Christ; “Are they servants of Christ? I am a better one--I am talking like a madman--with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death. Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. (2Corinthians 11:23-27)  - So without over emphasising what may be a fragile point let me make a very valid point; it was through his personal hardships that assured him he was in the will of God. Although he understood the folly of his boasting, he also understood who he belonged too.

This then is what I wish to draw our attention to; when we are weak then we will find strength to serve God; do we remember the Lord Jesus position before his face off with Satan. What was He doing before God the Spirit sent him His test? He was fasting and praying! In other words he would have been hungry. He may have been grouchy, He should have been weak, but in fact the opposite was true as he overcame the temptations of the devil. “Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.” (Matthew 4:1-2) 

   

Do we see a pattern emerging? We should! When our flesh is denied any of its needs and wants, when it is weak, and we then call out in the Spirit to our God, we then enter into a place of sweet fellowship, and receive power to endure the normal temptation we would normally give in too. It is through these experiences that we grow the most spiritually, that is why fasting and prayer go hand in hand. The Lord obviously understood this as did Paul and so should we. “The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."

“Blessed is the fact that Christians can rejoice even in the deepest distress; although trouble may surround them, they still sing; and, like many birds, they sing best in their cages. The waves may roll over them, but their souls soon rise to the surface and see the light of God’s countenance; they have a buoyancy about them which keeps their head always above the water, and helps them to sing amid the tempest, “God is with me still.” To whom shall the glory be given? Oh! to Jesus-it is all by Jesus. Trouble does not necessarily bring consolation with it to the believer, but the presence of the Son of God in the fiery furnace with him fills his heart with joy. He is sick and suffering, but Jesus visits him and makes his bed for him. He is dying, and the cold chilly waters of Jordan are gathering about him up to the neck, but Jesus puts His arms around him, and cries, “Fear not, beloved; to die is to be blessed; the waters of death have their fountain-head in heaven; they are not bitter, they are sweet as nectar, for they flow from the throne of God.” As the departing saint wades through the stream, and the billows gather around him, and heart and flesh fail him, the same voice sounds in his ears, “Fear not; I am with thee; be not dismayed; I am thy God.” As he nears the borders of the infinite unknown, and is almost affrighted to enter the realm of shades, Jesus says, “Fear not, it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” Thus strengthened and consoled, the believer is not afraid to die; nay, he is even willing to depart, for since he has seen Jesus as the morning star, he longs to gaze upon Him as the sun in his strength. Truly, the presence of Jesus is all the heaven we desire. (C.H.Spurgeon)

These types of trials are shirked by most, but do we see how God uses them to make us more like our Saviour. I pray that ours eyes will see. Twenty four years later and now I am only beginning to understand. Forgive me Lord!

Signing off

Tyrone

The Suffering Pilgrim!

(1Peter 4:12) “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.”

Assessment seems to be the order of the day for the pilgrim, their root of endurance will be tried through many different struggles. But this is nothing new. Through sickness and through health, through laughter and weeping, it must be this way, as this is the only way we will really begin to understand ourselves as our commitment to the Lord Jesus becomes evident.

I have been in the Cedarburg with my son Mongi over the last four days we have been on horseback and through some of the ancient historical sites of the San people, which in itself has been very informative, their old rock paintings speak volumes and it is here where the saying, “a picture speaks a thousand words” was understood by these nomads so long ago. They have left their legacy and we too will leave ours, may we learn to occupy until our Saviour returns or we breathe our last.

It was obvious that these people had been influenced by witchcraft and were lost spiritually. I am taken to the verse in Revelation where John saw a multitude of believers in heaven;  “And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song, saying, "Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.” (Revelation 5:8-9) – So even among these remote nomads that travelled up the river and throughout the rocky overhangs of the Cedarburg a remnant will be ransomed by the blood of the Lamb. How great is our God! Brilliant is too small a word to describe His ingenious wisdom.

What legacy will we leave behind; I pray that our hearts would be gripped to preserver through whatever hardship we face to the glory of our great Lord and King. There seems to be an endless amount of testing needed for our lives, will it ever end I find my frail flesh question at times. Yesterday I drank some of the tap water which on the surface seemed a safe thing to do, it was not! It is in times like this that test our endurance; but we must never forget everything we face in life has a purpose and has been clearly thought out by our God. All is needful for us to become more like our glorious Saviour, instead of resisting the tests through life it would be good for us to use them to help us find grace and become more like our King. Suffering of all kinds is beneficial if we reason with spiritual wisdom. It puts a whole different perspective on the trial of our faith when we reason with a sound mind. We no longer ask why but how will this hardship teach me what the Lord Jesus endured while redeeming us back to God the Father. Peter is very specific and he instructs us in this manner; “For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil." (1Peter 3:12) – “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name.” (1Peter 4:12-16)

The context of this portion of scripture speaks of the hardships we must endure when standing upon the truth, come what may, sickness is a very weak substitute, nevertheless all kinds of suffering will have their part to play in fashioning us into the image of our great Saviour, let us therefore learn not to shirk the trial but to welcome it, as it will be worth it all. One day our hope will finally arrive and we will enter the Promised Land and we will receive our glorified bodies and we will forever be with our God paying him homage for all eternity. How I long for that day, even so come quickly Lord Jesus! But until then may we seek out the store rooms of grace to help in time of need.

Signing off

Tyrone