Blessed be the Name of our God!

(Daniel 2:20) "Blessed be the name of God forever and ever…”

Have you ever wondered why Daniel says this? “Daniel answered and said: "Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, to whom belong wisdom and might.”” (Daniel 2:20)

That question will only ever be understood by those who belong to Him and those who have tasted of His glorious grace. The world will soon begin to apparently fall apart around us, I do not mean the fusing of world coalitions as people across the globe unify with “peace and safety” as their slogan. What I do mean is the creation; God’s creation will begin to groan with what people will refer to as natural phenomenon. Earthquakes, floods and tsunamis will be on the up and it will all be attributed to Mother Nature instead of God’s judgment. Man will continue to frantically save the planet with their global initiatives, but will ultimately fail. Who can resist the will of God? “You will say to me then, "Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?"” (Romans 9:19)

Whatever God has so willed will without question come to pass no matter what or who tries to change it. The potter has total control over His creation, which includes the will of man. And there is a day coming that He will bring His judgment on the earth and all those who live on it. I assure you, this is not a figment of my imagination but the scripture is very clear and this is what it has to say; “For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be.” (Matthew 24:21)

We read about how God destroyed the world by water in the days of Noah. Why? The answer is found in the text in Genesis chapter 6; “The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the LORD was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. So the LORD said, "I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them." But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.” (Genesis 6:5-8)

Debauchery will be high on the agenda through the lifestyles of people living on the earth and very little place will be given to the true Creator, a false prophet will arise and deceive many and then a false christ will  arise and claim to be God. Millions will receive him as such, no billions!

To think that this time is not far off as we examine the “times and the seasons” and then God will pour out HIS great tribulation, such has never been witness up until this time. And yet, there will be those crying out O blessed be His name. Go figure! O come and taste and see that the Lord is good, His love and mercies endure forever. Praise His glorious name! Jesus has made the way for all who call on Him to escape such a time without any hope. All of God’s children have this hope; that one day we will be with Him in heaven and we shall be like Him. I am not saying that we will not partake of this time of His judgment, but I am saying just as in the days of Noah although he witnessed the great flood with people perishing around Him that he was kept safe in the Ark. God will look out for His own! It is up to us as Christians to ensure that we store up treasures of grace for this time; we must have His oil in our lamp for this dark double-crossing time. How will we do this, we must vex our soul against all that is evil, we must constantly put on the mind of Christ and just as Lot was saved out of Sodom and Gomorrah so too will we be saved.

For all who hope in Him, this then is our instruction; “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” (James 4:7-8) 

“We are taught to submit ourselves entirely to God: Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you, Jam_4:7. Christians should forsake the friendship of the world, and watch against that envy and pride which they see prevailing in natural men, and should by grace learn to glory in their submissions to God. “Submit yourselves to him as subjects to their prince, in duty, and as one friend to another, in love and interest. Submit your understandings to the truths of God; submit your wills to the will of God, the will of his precept, the will of his providence.” We are subjects, and as such must be submissive; not only through fear, but through love; not only for wrath, but also for conscience' sake. “Submit yourselves to God, as considering how many ways you are bound to this, and as considering what advantage you will gain by it; for God will not hurt you by his dominion over you, but will do you good.” Now, as this subjection and submission to God are what the devil most industriously strives to hinder, so we ought with great care and steadiness to resist his suggestions. If he would represent a tame yielding to the will and providence of God as what will bring calamities, and expose to contempt and misery, we must resist these suggestions of fear. If he would represent submission to God as a hindrance to our outward ease, or worldly preferments, we must resist these suggestions of pride and sloth. If he would tempt us to lay any of our miseries, and crosses, and afflictions, to the charge of Providence, so that we might avoid them by following his directions instead of God's, we must resist these provocations to anger, not fretting ourselves in any wise to do evil. “Let not the devil, in these or the like attempts, prevail upon you; but resist him and he will flee from you.” If we basely yield to temptations, the devil will continually follow us; but if we put on the whole armour of God, and stand it out against him, he will be gone from us. Resolution shuts and bolts the door against temptation.

We are directed how to act towards God, in our becoming submissive to him, Jam_4:8-10. 1. Draw nigh to God. The heart that has rebelled must be brought to the foot of God; the spirit that was distant and estranged from a life of communion and converse with God must become acquainted with him: “Draw nigh to God, in his worship and institutions, and in every duty he requires of you.” 2. Cleanse your hands. He who comes unto God must have clean hands. Paul therefore directs to lift up holy hands without wrath and doubting (1Ti_2:8), hands free from blood, and bribes, and every thing that is unjust or cruel, and free from every defilement of sin: he is not subject to God who is a servant of sin. The hands must be cleansed by faith, repentance, and reformation, or it will be in vain for us to draw nigh to God in prayer, or in any of the exercises of devotion. 3. The hearts of the double-minded must be purified. Those who halt between God and the world are here meant by the double-minded. To purify the heart is to be sincere, and to act upon this single aim and principle, rather to please God than to seek after any thing in this world: hypocrisy is heart-impurity; but those who submit themselves to God aright will purify their hearts as well as cleanse their hands. 4. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep. “What afflictions God sends take them as he would have you, and by duly sensible of them. Be afflicted when afflictions are sent upon you, and do not despise them; or be afflicted in your sympathies with those who are so, and in laying to heart the calamities of the church of God. Mourn and weep for your own sins and the sins of others; times of contention and division are times to mourn in, and the sins that occasion wars and fightings should be mourned for. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to heaviness.” This may be taken either as a prediction of sorrow or a prescription of seriousness. Let men think to set grief at defiance, yet God can bring it upon them; none laugh so heartily but he can turn their laughter into mourning; and this the unconcerned Christians James wrote to are threatened should be their case. They are therefore directed, before things come to the worst, to lay aside their vain mirth and their sensual pleasures, that they might indulge godly sorrow and penitential tears. 5. “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord. Let the inward acts of the would be suitable to all those outward expressions of grief, affliction, and sorrow, before mentioned.” Humility of spirit is here required, as in the sight of him who looks principally at the spirits of men. “Let there be a thorough humiliation in bewailing every thing that is evil; let there be great humility in doing that which is good: Humble yourselves.” (Matthew Henry)

What will be shall be as God has so willed it; let us learn to look to Him in time of need.

Signing off

Tyrone

Faith in Christ!

(Romans 5:20)  “…but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more.”

“To shake that snake off in the fire”, as if it was but a flea, the vipers poison of no result to our beloved brother Paul, but while he was Saul there would have been serious consequences, outside the protection of our beloved Father’s covering in and through the blood of the Lamb. To be class as a son of God through faith, we now all have the safe-guards of what will be ours in heaven. Obviously we do not have our actual spiritual bodies as yet but we are one with Christ, if we have His Spirit; no differently to a man and a woman becoming one flesh through canal intercourse; and so illicit sex a very serious offence in the eyes of God. Why? The two become one flesh!

This truth cuts deep and I have had nightmares with some of my very own behaviors through time. But praise belongs to Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour, His forgiveness never ceasing, thank you Father God for your mercy. Where sin abounded… “Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more.” (Romans 5:20)

Nevertheless all of these truths we uncover through scripture are worthless to us as individuals if they are not mixed with faith. Faith is the binding agent that helps us believe them to be truth and thus in turn gets us to live different lives to those who do not believe. Even with our many mistakes alone the celestial road; it is faith in Christ that gets us to seek out His forgiveness. Of course it all hinges on the goodness of God! “Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? (Romans 2:4) 

Repentance then is something that becomes a daily habit as much as we need food to sustain our carnal bodies, without it we die! It is what we learn to do in our closet that become of crucial importance, we can hide nothing from our God. He sees all! But without faith feeding our hope, that one day we shall be like our glorious Saviour, why even bother? If there is no resurrection of the death our faith would be pointless. NO! It is of the utmost importance because just as Christ rose from the dead so shall we; for those who put their trust in His finished work shall also be raised from the dead to receive their glorified bodies and so ever walk with our God in the New Jerusalem. What a hope the believer has. This then is our hope, that one day we shall be like Him in every aspect of our lives. Even so come quickly Lord Jesus!

Heaven a place that takes our imagination to a domicile of absolute awe, how do we reconcile what John witnesses? It is too wonderful to conceive and yet it is a place as real as the desk I type from.

This is some of what John saw, but it was Christ who grabbed his attention…

“And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion.”

- Rev_14:1

“The apostle John was privileged to look within the gates of heaven, and in describing what he saw, he begins by saying, “I looked, and, lo, a Lamb!” This teaches us that the chief object of contemplation in the heavenly state is “the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sins of the world.” Nothing else attracted the apostle’s attention so much as the person of that Divine Being, who hath redeemed us by his blood. He is the theme of the songs of all glorified spirits and holy angels. Christian, here is joy for thee; thou hast looked, and thou hast seen the Lamb. Through thy tears thine eyes have seen the Lamb of God taking away thy sins. Rejoice, then. In a little while, when thine eyes shall have been wiped from tears, thou wilt see the same Lamb exalted on his throne. It is the joy of thy heart to hold daily fellowship with Jesus; thou shalt have the same joy to a higher degree in heaven; thou shalt enjoy the constant vision of his presence; thou shalt dwell with him for ever. “I looked, and, lo, a Lamb!” Why, that Lamb is heaven itself; for as good Rutherford says, “Heaven and Christ are the same thing;” to be with Christ is to be in heaven, and to be in heaven is to be with Christ. That prisoner of the Lord very sweetly writes in one of his glowing letters-”O my Lord Jesus Christ, if I could be in heaven without thee, it would be a hell; and if I could be in hell, and have thee still, it would be a heaven to me, for thou art all the heaven I want.” It is true, is it not, Christian? Does not thy soul say so?”

“Not all the harps above

Can make a heavenly place,

If God his residence remove,

Or but conceal his face.”

All thou needest to make thee blessed, supremely blessed, is “to be with Christ.””

(C.H.Spurgeon)

And yet by faith we already have Him as our greatest treasure, praise His name! Thank you Father for sending your Son to die for me…

Let us therefore remember this valuable lesson for our live as we endeavour to walk with God, to teach others along the way in whatever small measure we have been given and not to mix the law with the gospel.

“O, when will all professors, and especially all professed ministers of Christ, learn the difference between the law and the gospel? Most of them make a mingle-mangle, and serve out deadly potions to the people, often containing but one ounce of gospel to a pound of law, whereas, but even a grain of law is enough to spoil the whole thing.

It must be gospel, and gospel only. "If it be of grace, it is not of works, otherwise grace is no more grace; and if it be of works, then it is not of grace, otherwise work is no more work." (C.H.Spurgeon) – (posted by pyromaniacs) http://teampyro.blogspot.com/2012/01/dont-mix-law-with-gospel.html )

Signing off

Tyrone

Time to clean house!

With the love of many about to wax cold just over the horizon, one should be asking this question, why will the love of many wax cold? The answer is precise and it does not cut corners, “because iniquity shall abound.” We then see that sin has a direct effect on our affections to rather hate than to love and the deeper we as individuals and a nation begin to gravitate toward sin the greater we will err as we find ourselves under God’s judgment and Satan’s trap. What I find rather amazing is that the worlds message is love, tolerance, acceptance to whatever trickles their own fancy and yet with a voice that cries out to the nations that love will conquer all. It is in direct opposition to what the bible teaches! True love will conquer all, but not as the world understands it; God is love but if one is to understand the depths of love we must also understand the depths of hate.

Satan is full of hate! Why? Without spending too much time on the topic, let me say that He was created by God and his appearance was perfect, nothing could be added to him to enhance his beauty. He was also created full of wisdom; I do not speak as a man who sees only in part, Lucifer was full of spiritual wisdom. He is a spirit and lives in another dimension, he lived where God lived. We must understand the wisdom he received in context. When the angels in heaven needed advice they could with assurance approach Lucifer as he was full of wisdom and whatever he told them to do would have been the right advice. God would have condoned it! God had given Him godly wisdom, until deceit was found in his heart.

The attention must have somehow gone to his head as he noticed that his beauty was something to behold and the angles in heaven began to worship his appearance. They also understood that he was full of wisdom and could give those who asked for it, sound advice. Therefore, some began to worship the creature (Lucifer) over the creator.

Exactly the same pattern unfolded with the angels in heaven as with man; “For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. “For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.” (Romans 1:20-23)

This then resulted in Satan’s demise and not only his but with his tail he drew one third of the angels that were in heaven with him as God cast them out of heaven. Condemned to hell for eternity with no second chance… Imagine the hate they now feel for the human race as they witness us who are Christian allowed failing time and again and then through repentance to find forgiveness through the perfect working of Calvary, bless the glorious name of our God and Saviour the Lord Jesus Christ, our Redeemer lives! Hate must drive them like I think we could never understand and with that in mind this verse then enlightens our understanding to the warfare we are involved in as believers; “For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.” (2Corinthians 10:3)

We are at war with demonic forces that have such a hate for Christ and what he achieved on our behalf that they are so driven to see us fail that they use lures of every nature to see us plummet. “And because lawlessness (iniquity, sin) will be increased, the love of many will grow cold.” (Matthew 24:12)

Do not be fooled into believing that the unseen realm is not very real in our lives; “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.” (Ephesians 6:12-13)

Now back to my opening statement, “with the love of many about to wax cold.” Let us therefore learn this valuable lesson;” Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.” (Romans 12:9)

It is essential we look to live here…

For us not to be affected by the hate that will possess the nations let our love be genuine and for that to happen we must seek out God’s grace to abhor all that is evil and cling to what is good. It is time for a “spring clean” that is if we do not want to be swept away with hate. Let us remember that this must be viewed with the mind of Christ, it must be done from the inside out and not the other way around. We must find grace to abhor all that is evil in our lives; it is the fruits of the flesh that looks to hold on to all that opposes God, it knows no better. Did you know? “Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” (Romans 8:8)   

We will only ever find victory in these areas if we rely on God’s grace to get us through, something the angels will never understand, we have experienced it, they haven't. 

We must seek it out with confidence…

God will reward all those who diligently seek out this truth; “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6)

Therefore; “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 4:16)   

   

Signing off

Tyrone

   

   

   

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