Faith towards God

(Matthew 8:11) “I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.”

There is a drum that I have been beating, a particular tune that by the grace of God is becoming my reality and how I love that melody. The harmony is full of faith, with not even a hint of independence and it is teaching me volumes. Tomes of God’s grace oozes from its lyrics and I love it so! Its title, “faith towards God”!

Many schooled Christians teach us that we need a balance with our application in faith toward God. They are wrong! That concept in itself will only ever result in us flying the flag of independence! - “Faith And”! – Remember what Abraham did to help God with His promise, he slept with Hagar. It only ever brought him heartache! He was compelled to banish his son!  

The sooner we learn to follow in our forefathers footsteps, in our application with faith, the happier our existence on earth will be. Note, I did not say the richer we would be! If we think with our carnal minds we will always remain in the camp of the old man’s domain. We will be glued to the floor unable to move into the room of freedom, a lounge filled with the grace of God!

If you find that your past has anchored you to the floor of carnality, you needn’t trouble yourself with all the opinionated voices that fly across that room. Block your ears, settle your mind and then believe God in accordance with His Word and apply your faith to His promises and see how easily that which had once been set in stone no longer latches you to trappings of worldly sorrow, which will only ever produce death. Forgiveness comes from God but we must trust Him to forgive, and then once forgiven we will be fit for the Masters use! And then when we hear those words, “go and sin no more” we will be equipped to find grace in time of need.  

First faith and then we will be set free to serve Him in the demesne of faith and grace. Not the other way around, that is independence!

There is a table prepare for the faithful, and it radiates hope for the Christian. There will be a table furnished with the kingdoms delights and Abraham, Isaac and Jacob will be on the guest role. The Lord Jesus chose to speak of this upcoming event when a gentile proved his faith in Him. The promise of God was to Abraham and his seed, the Jewish nation was called and not the Gentiles! However we as gentiles have responded in faith toward God and we too will be part of that celebration, just as long as we remain faithful! The Lord Jesus made reference to this feast when He witnessed the faith of a Roman soldier, he was not Jewish! The brilliance of God’s plan in action! The Only ever wise God covering ever base that needs wrapping in accordance with His perfect will! I am learning to love God’s techniques as I begin to catch glimpses of His genius. Imagine when we see Him as He is, in all His splendour, WOW what a day that is going to be!

Let us learn from Roman soldier’s example…

“I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." And to the centurion Jesus said, "Go; let it be done for you as you have believed." And the servant was healed at that very moment.” (Matthew 8:11-13) – We see no independence from his side; apart from making every effort to stand before Jesus. That may well have been a tiresome journey; nevertheless he arrived at the feet of Jesus! He placed his faith in the Lord Jesus’ ability to heal and no one, nor any other program or philosophy. And we must learn to follow suite in every of our lives. The sooner we relinquish our independence the happier we will be.

Let go and let God…

Signing off

Tyrone    

  

        

God works ALL things out for our good

Theoretically when I am placed under any form of pressure, I am cognizant that it is for my benefit. God’s Word is very clear on this! Let’s face it, who enjoys being tested? The first person my mind runs to when the pressure is on is Job! As I sit at my desk in the very early hours of the morning due to sleep eluding me, I find myself pondering my predicament and I grasp that I am nothing like Job! Sadly our characters are worlds apart! Thankfully we do share the same favour from God and without that reality in my life I would be of all men most miserable. But that has nothing to do with my accomplishments, Jesus Christ the Lord has afforded me that opportunity, praise His name!

Job was a man of his eon that was like no other, he stood head and shoulders above the rest, but not the way we would deem someone to be cool as it were. He was not one of the boys, but he was God’s man for the hour. God singled him out to glorify His own name. Great honour befalls such a person, needless to say that with that rectitude great affliction will follow. A person cannot expect to be blessed of God if He is not willing to walk the talk! “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” (James 1:22)

This was Job’s CV; “There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job, and that man was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil.” (Job 1:1) – I am nothing like Job, but I most certainly long to be more like him in character, he was a man who feared God and “turned away from evil”. This is a massive declaration from God about His character, he “turned away from evil”! How often do I turn from evil? When I strip this down to it core, how much tolerance of that which is wicked do I allow in my life? I may understand what I should avoid in principle, but how much of that do I put into practice? Far too little I would suggest! God forgive me!

Now without yesterday’s event unfolding the way they did, I know I would still be fast asleep and not pondering these life changing thoughts. Like I said it is one thing to pen something, and even if what was said was accurate, it is quite another entity altogether when it becomes that individual’s reality. Will we pass the test? Job most certainly did but not without a lot of inner turmoil! But God brought him through his trail, more blessed on the other side. Go read it for yourself if you think life is treating you unfairly.

Now for some perspective, the trial of my faith is but a fraction of what Job was called to face and yet it presses hard, it looks to rob me of my faith in Christ. Many questions flash through my mind; five steps forward and thirty backwards, WHY? It is not important to find the exact answer, all I need learn is that God is for me and not against me and that these verses must be believe through the most difficult of times; “And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:27-28)

When I step back and view my current survival from a distance, I want to laugh at the trivia of it all, so small and almost trifling in comparison to so many other men and woman of the faith, those who have carried God’s banner through their lives. However when I step back into my little world it is my actuality that needs conquering and not theirs. I Thank God for His grace and that He care for me. I may not like my current position, sadly I may even mumble under my breath at times but I am convinced that it will be worth it all, come what may! Whether we, through our own folly bring about God’s chastisement into our lives or God conveys it for some other reason, I know this, it is good for me and it will ultimately bring Him glory! I now need no more explanation, if God is for me all I need to do is look for His grace to settle me wherever I find myself. I must learn to be constant in flying that flag for today, tomorrow and up until I breathe my last breath.

Signing off

Tyrone       

    

Grace and Faith

The Christians salvation hinges on the grace of God, which is ultimately His free gift to mankind, however without faith it is impossible to please Him! How does one then reconcile these two truths? The grace of God which speaks of unmerited favour and then faith towards God, an act from us, believing in that which is unseen to the naked eye; at first glance there would seem to be a contradiction, firstly a free gift is never earned, if it was earned we could then justify that gift and claim it as netted. A wage for something earned! Religion drives people to earn their salvation; the bible calls this “dead works”. In other words we do something that catches God’s eye and because we now please Him He is compelled to accept us. It speaks of our own independence to please God. This type of mentality will only ever drive you from God and not toward Him. Woe to religious organizations that teach these falsehoods. We can never earn our salvation, it is impossible for mankind to find favour from God outside of the finished work of Calvary. Jesus Christ alone has accomplished this!   

Our human natures are so far removed from the character of God, that even our best attempts to do what is right in the sight of God is seen as “filthy rags” (unimpressive before God). This may be hard to comprehend, but accurate according to the canon of scripture…

“For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it--the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. (Romans 3:20-25)

Take solace in this fact, because God is perfect in every area of His life, He will always do the right thing. This thought brings me great comfort. How often have I wrestled with what I should do and then not been totally persuaded that what I was doing was the best thing for all. It is not so with God! Even when we see calamity in our lives and throughout the world, it is the very best thing for us (Christians) because God is the author and the finisher of all things; He will have the final say! Now faith demands that we put our trust in Him, devoid of questions filled with doubt. Our lives should have proved this truth by now. Look back on what God has brought you through and praise His name. Are we learning to appropriate His techniques before our selfish wants? When selfishness has run its course, it will only ever bring emptiness. Of that I am persuaded! This is the lesson that ever Christian must learn to appropriate in their lives, and we will only ever achieve this by the grace of God! Believing God at His Word!

Salvation is a free gift of God and it can never be earned, so stop trying to earn His favour for it! The Lord Jesus Christ has received all the merit for that accomplishment and God the Father has exalted Him and will never ever promote anyone else. It is essential for us to learn to find favour from God in every area of our lives. How do we achieve this? By faith! Faith oozes from that “free gift” and it is a process; we must grow from strength to strength in our dependency on His abilities and not our own independence.

God does not help those who help themselves, that is a lie and you will not find that penned in scripture! We believe God for our daily sustenance in every area of our lives. The sooner we relinquish our independence, the quicker we will find peace with God! Why? Because God rewards those who diligently seek Him! Independence drives us from God but dependency drives us toward Him. Faith demands dependency in that which is unseen (God) and He rewards those who have learnt to operate within that realm. Not faith in faith! That would be a mistake but faith in the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and all His promises!  

“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)   

Do we want to please God? Then we must operate in the realm of faith!

Therefore independence is the enemy and faith in our God the confederate!

Signing off

Tyrone

Because He cares for you

(1Peter 5:7) “Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”

Grief is dealt with in different ways; needless to say it is an emotion that is not often welcomed with open arms. However it does teach us many valuable lessons! It exposes our heart, allowing us to gaze into those hidden crevices that normally remain concealed.

The mistake I have seen many Christians make is this, because they cannot settle a concept in their minds that does not mean it isn’t true. If God’s Word declares a truth we must learn to accept and receive it even if our minds scream, “it can’t be so”!

Grief exposes our actual position before a holy God! It’s not as if God is ever caught off guard that will never happen. He is all knowing and sovereign, He is not bound by time! All that means for our confused minds is this, He know the beginning from the end and the end from the beginning. If this was not true, we wouldn’t have verses like these penned in the canon of scripture; “even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will. (Ephesians 1:4-5) – Observe; He chose us (believers or the Apostles if you prefer in the context of this verse) in him (Christ) before the foundation of the world. Paul is writing this letter and according to historical facts this was about 4000 years after creation and yet reference is made to a time before that! If you are honest with the text there is no getting around the facts that God had planned this way back then and it was only now coming to fruition. God had already seen it happen, how? He is not governed by time! The closest I suppose our minds can get to conceive this truth is time travel although this concept is also linked to time. God has the capability of making a declaration about something in the future and witnessing it happen in the present. He is sovereign – He self-governs the future in accordance with His will! God’s perfect love now working His plan out the way He intended. When God wills something it comes to pass, period!

We also will things to happen in our lives; we say we will do this today and that tomorrow; hope drives our intention. Needless to say, how often have your plans fallen flat and not played out the way you had hoped?

When it comes to grief in our lives I can with assurance say, we do not hope for grief nor have we willed it for our lives! However, it is the great equalizer and it often brings perspective to our existence. It humbles us and teaches us our dependence upon our God! Take the arrival of a new born baby, there is normally great excitement within the camp, a mother decks out a room with paint and trinkets just the way she visualizes her happy gurgles little home. Then the unthinkable happens, tragedy strikes and baby is born with Down syndrome. All the preconceived thoughts of what could have been suddenly smashed. Who would ever wish that on anybody? But a reality of life! It is in these times of our lives where our faith is tested and we see what sort of faith we really own.

There have been many great examples through scripture that teach us how to respond to tragedy. I recall the account of Stephen, a man stoned by the masses for his commitment to Christ and in the throes of death he found it upon his heart to pray to God for the forgiveness of his perpetrators. A phenomenal declaration of his faith in God! Wow! His example blows my mind and yet is gets me to praise God for it. Mission accomplished!

Regardless of the trial of life, the Apostle Peter gives us this insight and it is beautiful when we latch onto it with both hands. Regardless of the trials of life, we have all been subjected to the tests of life. But do we all have this hope? “Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” (1Peter 5:7) – Music to my ears! Thank you Father God for taking the “time out of your day” to care for me, WOW! When this hits home for the Christian it is a beautiful actuality. I am just so thankful that God would care to bother with someone as complex and frivolous as me and yet that is exactly what He does. Our great Saviour the Lord Jesus Christ has afforded the Christian that privilege; praise His name now and forever more, Amen!

With that thought in our minds let us conquer the day by the grace of God for His glory.

Signing off

Tyrone

        

                                                                                                          

New Beginnings

New beginnings… it is that time again, the beginning of a New Year where New Year’s resolutions are high on the agendas of most; regardless of how hard the past year has been there is great anticipation even in my own mind, with hope leading the way in anticipation that God will step in and help me with so many pressing areas of my life. A job with steady income would be sincerely appreciated; time and resolve to serve with a greater diligence; growing from strength to strength in sanctification; being a beacon of light to a world that is ensnared by darkness; useful pliable clay in my Master’s hands! These are just some of my expectations that I do not only believe will come to fruition but am induced that by the grace of God they will happen. Faith drives me to believe God for the arrival of His spiritual fruits of salvation to become evident in my life and I see buds beginning to sprout. Faith compels me to have hope in my God, praise His name now and forever more, Amen!

We must understand the need for separation in our lives for this to become our reality. Let God our Heavenly Father teach us His ways so that once we have perceived what must be done to achieve obedience in our daily walks we can call upon His grace to follow His perfect example.

Let us consider; “in the beginning”, God in His perfect brilliance created the heavens and the earth and right there “in the beginning” He called forth light! Here then is the lesson; He would not let light and darkness coexist, “God separated the light from the darkness”. There was time allotment to both the light and the darkness; “God call the light Day and the darkness he called Night”. There was distinct separation! It is not as if we have day and night happening at the same time. Imagine standing in your garden at midday and half your garden would be in direct sunlight and the other half in total darkness with blotches of light and darkness for twenty-four hours. It is not the way God chose to do it, why? Because He is perfect in everything He does!

From the beginning He has taught us that light and darkness are enemies, He is the Father of Lights and Satan is the father of darkness. Light speaks of life whilst darkness depicts death, lies, and everything that opposes God who is light! The same principle exists for us at salvation, we do not experience “re-birth” but we are born again. We were all born through water; our natural birth was of a carnal nature with seeds full of sin bearing fruit engulfed in darkness. But for those who are born again, our spiritual beginning was all new; the old man isn’t patched up, but is reckoned dead. That is why we are “born again” in newness of life. Psychology can only ever do patch work, because it can and will only ever be able to operate in the natural realm. It is not so with God, because He is spiritual He gives us a brand new beginning at salvation; “From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” (2Corinthians 5:16-17) – We are now creatures of the light and we belong to the only true God!

Therefore we must understand that we can no longer have our feet in both the light and the darkness at the same time. Just as God separated the light form the darkness we too must learn to follow suite. People-pleasers and fence-sitters are not good examples of who God is and what He has done for us. I am convinced that if we want God’s blessing in our lives we must understand the realm in which he works and that is the separation of light from darkness. Let us flee from the darkness, there is no such thing as a white lie!

This then is my prayer for our lives: that we will find His grace and resolve to appropriate the separation of the light from the darkness with our daily activities. Faith demands this of us; we must believe our God to work out His blessing in our lives. Remember He is for us and not against us! Sometimes we forget this truth; “For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.” (Romans 5:10) – Let us learn to trust our God and Father and all because of what Christ achieved on our behalf, praise His name, Amen!

Signing off

Tyrone  

    

   

The end of another year!

“A broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.” (Psalms 51:17) 

Another year comes to an end so let me reflect on my highs and lows of 2014…

My consideration must revolve around my spiritual walk throughout the year and my relationship with my great King. Let me examine the areas of my struggles and I will endeavour to do it honestly. Has there been any progress in my daily sanctification? The days of allowing skewed perceptions about my commitment in every area of my life should be long gone, but are they? I understand that my heart is deceitfully wicked as it always looks to justify certain bad influences in my life. However I have the mind of Christ so with God’s help I pray that He will expose the rot that needs rectifying.

A good place to start would be Galatians chapter 5; “Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”(Galatians 5:19-21): - As I read through the list I realize one thing, without the finished work of the cross in my life I would be in serious trouble. I have failed in many areas of my life throughout this year. I may not openly practice sorcery per say, but even if I bow down to anything acknowledging its priority higher that my great God at any given time, I am guilty as charged! I do not consciously make it a habit to go out of my way to practice many on the list but my “body of death” will look for any excuse to permit certain behavioural patterns and when stripped down can only ever be classed as sin. My mind instinctively looks to repel all on the list for I have the mind of Christ but only when I am focused and sold out for God’s will in my life, only then can I conclude that I am walking in the Spirit. A good test for me would be selflessness as opposed to selfishness. Am I placing other people’s needs before my own? Simple!

How successfully have I walked in obedience throughout the year and how diligently have I looked for the grace of God to walk in the Spirit? I suppose it is an impossible question to answer with absolute honesty. God Knows! What then am I thankful for? I am thankful for the grace of God, that which He has afforded me throughout the year, for sins forgiven when I have failed to find the His grace to overcome, for food and shelter for my family, even though I have been jobless for a long time now. For His faithfulness even when I was unfaithful. These are just some actualities that have been very precious to me.

How about all the continuous struggles, the areas where I find I am not as successful as I would like to be? They do disappoint, it does hinder my walk with the Lord and I hate how they nag away at my conscience and yet I am thankful for the harassment; it reminds me of Christ enduring sacrifice and how great He is. Having said that, the battle rages on, while I have breath, I have this hope and even in the struggling area of my life which consistently rob me of my joy, I know that I have the opportunity to conquer bringing glory to my God. Even with these disappointments they teach me to look for grace in times of need. It drives me to cry out to my God! I confess I am not always victorious, but one day I shall be like my glorious Saviour and so I press on in His strength. I must remember that prayer is of great assistance for the saint, it is part of my armour, so please help me be more astute in these weak areas of my life Father God, make me ever more like our great Saviour, your beloved Son. Help me continue to grow from strength to strength in the areas that bring glory to your name and help me die daily in the quarters that look to rob me from walking in obedience, I pray. Help all who call upon the name of Jesus as I know you shall, Amen!

This is my prayer for all your children’s ongoing sanctification; “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you. Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, O God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness. O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise. For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. (Psalms 51:10-17)

On this last day of the year 2014 and into 2015 may we all carried with us a banner that shouts “our hope and assurance is founded upon our Rock, your Son, even Jesus Christ our Lord and King” - "If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, 'Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.'"” (John 7:37-38)   

  

It is the rivers of living water that I resolve to search out, help all your children find this to be their desire for 2015, Amen and Amen!

Signing off

Tyrone

The amazement of magic

Amazement can sometimes leave us gob-smacked, we see something unfold before our very eyes and many varying emotions kick in. Many of you may have heard or seen the new kid on the block, “Dynamo Magician Impossible”. He performs acts that are humanly impossible to grasp. He gets a kick out of leaving his audience in astonishment, he performs his magic and when his spectators are trying to figure it out he disappears off into the distance. Our mind has been designed to settle any given situation we witness, but with these types of unexplained events it leaves the brain scrambling for answers. I am no longer amazed at what I witness but rather excited from a different perspective. I use the Word of God to help me figure out what is going on!

Did you know that there is an allotted time given to Satan to make war against the saints on earth, it is part of God’s sovereign plan. Think of life as if it is a play and God is the director, in chapter six and scene sixty-six Satan has the lead role but only for a short time. This scene is not far off! Why do you think magicians like Dynamo are involved in changing the perceptions of people’s reality? It was no different in the days of Moses! Except that today these types of marvels are seen throughout the world, television has made sure of that.

Many of his tricks mimic that which the Lord Jesus achieved whilst on earth.

Jesus walked on water; - “But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, "It is a ghost!" and they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid."” (Matthew 14:26-27) – Dynamo walked on the Thames – Jesus fed the hungry with fish- Dynamo fed the hungry in Khyalisha with fish from an empty bucket. Now many sceptics today question these events and interpret it with altered explanations; the water Thames event is explained away with structures under the water. Their minds can only ever accept a natural explanation because it settles their understanding. I am convinced that most of these types of people can only reason in the natural realm, it is what makes sense to them. Far too many unknowns are needed to arrive at their conclusions.

But what if another dimension was involved in accomplishing that event?

As Christians we are aware of the natural and the spiritual realms and they have not been subjected to the same rules. An angel is a spiritual being and unseen to the natural eye. God has ordained this order. I can obviously prove this from scripture; “There are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is of one kind, and the glory of the earthly is of another.” (1Corinthians 15:40) – Everything that has been naturally created is within our grasp, that which has been spiritually created is outside the grasp of our natural faculties. Just because we cannot see something it does not mean that it doesn’t exist, we know it does! Christianity depends on the unseen; “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1) – If this is our reality why do we struggle to believe that the enemy, Satan hasn’t been afforded the use of lying signs and wonders to deceive the nations? Did you not know that the world will ultimately believe a lie? “The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false.” (2Thessolonians 2:9-11) – I need for us to understand that if something is false that does not mean it isn’t a reality, in other words a lying sign and wonder does not mean that what one witnesses hasn’t actually happened. What is does mean, is that it may be used to deceive someone into believing a lie.      

   

Life is all about conditioning and there are many players that play their part in that conditioning. The Christian has our great God, the Holy Spirit who leads us into all truth; He is for us, thank you Father God for Jesus our great Redeemer. But as for the unbeliever they will be taken by Satan’s power and his lying signs and wonders will lead them into that which is false! Many organizations have been and will continue play their part in the the world conditioning, Hollywood a key player and now we see magicians coming to the fore, playing their share no differently to the time of Pharaoh and Moses; “So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the LORD commanded. Aaron cast down his staff before Pharaoh and his servants, and it became a serpent. Then Pharaoh summoned the wise men and the sorcerers, and they, the magicians of Egypt, also did the same by their secret arts. For each man cast down his staff, and they became serpents. But Aaron's staff swallowed up their staffs.” (Exodus 7:10-12) – For us to try and explain away this text that the magician’s staffs did not change into snakes would be erroneous error. The text is clear! God is Sovereign and He allowed it. This happened prior to His judgment and I believe He is allowing it to happen again prior to His eminent judgement; a sentence that is coming upon the world that will be far worse than that in the days of Moses. The further mankind moves from God’s ordinances the more He allows them to be swallowed up by their own folly.

Here then is what is just over the horizon; “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. And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.” (Matthew 24:21-22)

I agree with Ray Comfort, we must earnestly pray for a revival, God is perfect in grace and we depend on his perfection to be gracious prior to His judgments. Father God be merciful I pray; stir up your saints both great and small, throughout the world to be instruments in your loving hands. Whatever you may need us to do in laying down our lives, give us the grace and resolve to accomplish whatever you have purposed; I humbly beseech you to glorify your name, for you alone are worthy of all glory.

Let us therefore make every second count as we lay down our lives for those still lost to these truths, let us preach the gospel with conviction in the hope that God may still save some and rescue those who have wondered off into the wilderness.

Signing off

Tyrone

     

Preparing our minds for action

Prayer powerfully working in conjunction with faith is appreciated by all but not witnessed by many.

There is so much I have seemed to have missed along my Christian pilgrimage because of the distractions life has thrown at me, or rather the stupidity of engaging in those diversions. The regrets of life can haunt us but the sooner we move past them the better; who doesn’t have some regrets? There are many things in hindsight that we could have done differently; I know this to be true for my life! How do I take something that has looked to destroy me along my journey and turn it into something positive? These are the type of questions we should be asking ourselves as another year closes in. The Apostle Peter teaches us these truths; “Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, "You shall be holy, for I am holy." And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one's deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile.” (1Peter 1:13-17) – When I read these verses I realise how I have failed dismally in so many areas of my life. Now what? Well, by the grace of God we no longer wallow in the mire, we dust the dirt from our knees, we disinfect the grazes and we press on in faith looking to Jesus the author and the finisher of our faith to restore that which once burn bright and clear. Regardless of your standing in Christ, there is room for all of us to be less selfish as we lay down our lives for one another.

Are you committed as you once were? There must have been a time in your life after salvation that it was obvious to all that something had happen, the patterns of your behaviour different to what it was once prior to salvation. We must diligently wrestle with our God in humility, but with a confident resolve to right our wrongs. We must beseech our God to put straight that which has been made crooked through the throes of life. For it will be worth it all, we will eventually receive our reward, eternity in the presents of our God and King. We have understood the hope we have in our Saviour and our lives must begin to mirror Him more today than it did yesterday.

There will be an obvious distinction separating the goats from the sheep and it will be the trial of our faith that will make this evident. The wannabe Christian will be exposed as the pressures of life begin to increase and it will surge from hereon in. We are now living in exciting times, even creation is beginning to groan a little louder, have you notice? Tolerance for Christianity even in democratic governments begins to wane; it is no longer fashionable to be rigid about our belief in one God; tolerance for other religions is high on the agenda of many governments. Gone are the days where a person can stand up proclaiming this truth in government schools; “Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”” (John 14:6) – As Christians we must remain dogmatic on this truth, even if it costs us our lives; in so doing our hope will be obviously noticed by all and peradventure God may save some through our example.

Forgive me for using this example again but I can think of no better experience to illustrate a point; I recall my “JL” training at Infantry School, how the corporals pushed us and just when you thought it was over they pushed some more, our bodies taken to a level of enervation, but somehow our minds carried us threw. It was hard to understand at the time, but in retrospection I am thankful for my military experience it taught me many valuable lessons. It was a preparation for what was to come. Christianity is no different in principle, we may not understand the trail of life at the time, but it is for our benefit and before long we will give praise to our God on what were the most trying times of our life. This is the testimony of the saints who have gone before. The key to remaining focused is our HOPE! What kept me going in the infantry school? I knew if I got through what they threw at me I would eventually qualify as a platoon sergeant. I had a hope! The difference now is we no longer have to rely on our own abilities; it is the grace of God that will get us home! Nevertheless it is our HOPE which will keep us focused! Our Saviour has overcome this world we need now only rest in His victory, praise His name now and forever more, Amen and Amen!

As we move into the New Year lets us find focus in these three words; faith, hope and love. Faith in our God and not our own independence; Hope in the promise for the faithful, heaven and all it splendour, with love driving everything we do as we lay down our lives for one another.

Signing off

Tyrone   

       

Eliminating Anxiety!

We often look for input from others when we want to resolve perseverance in our understanding; especially in the areas of our lives where we struggle the most. We all melee in one form or another until peace betters our carnal understanding; “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:7)   

Faith kicks in, we believe God for the victory and if we stay the course we witness the strongholds shackle smashed through our persuasion in Christ’s victory on the cross, which eventually frees the individual in their struggle. We are not alone in our struggles and there is a need for brawls in our live for it teaches us endurance; “For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.” (Hebrews 10:36)

God’s Words are a light to our footsteps, the lamp which lights our steps is always at arm’s length and when our vision becomes clouded it is easy for the Christian, with intent, to page through God’s written Word. Before long the road that began to look daunting is no long dark and scary but well illuminated with every hole and trap exposed so that they are easily avoided. This is one of this reasons I have learnt to love God’s Word; the Bible is the greatness guide of all. A dead book to those who are spiritually blind but for us who have been saved by the blood of the Lamb a lifeline for our daily existence; it is fascinating that two people can read the same text and it will be death to the unsaved and life to the saved, God’s perfect brilliance evident!

I suppose for my Christian brothers and sisters in Christ my encouragement would be this; we must learn to trust God’s Word even the more as we see that day approaching. Instead of wrestling with certain truths that we are taught let us rather seek out God the Holy Spirits power to implement what we are shown with less resistance. Here is an example; “do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” (Philippians 4:6) – This verse has been high up on my priority list for a long time now and yet it amazes me how often it looks to haunt me. Anxiety looking to rob me of my peace in God! So our circumstances rear their heads and get us to panic in some area of our lives, we then forget what we have been taught not to be anxious and before long panic sets in leaving us with raw fingernails. I guess this happens to all of us to some degree; however when the road becomes frightening every Christian has the right to stretch out their hand and to flip through the pages of the written Word which will trim our sails! It will readjust our skewed perceptions! Jesus Christ our Lord has made a way for us, praise His name! There is nothing you can do that will exclude you from the privilege of approaching God’s throne room of grace. So long as we all come in confidence and with humility!

You may be saying to yourself I have made terrible mistakes, and I will say who hasn’t. A sick man needs a doctor; the Lord Jesus came to save sinners and not the self-righteous. The God-Man, Jesus Christ, the One who knew no sin and yet be became sin so that we could go free. Never forget that we were the enemies of God when that happen but now we are the sons of God!  

Instead of fighting with God’s written text let us rather learn like little children to appropriate it in faith and to trust our God. You needn’t look far back in your Christian walk to know that what I say is true, that time when God came to your rescue, when you let go and let God! It is good for us to be reminded of such epic events in our lives. It helps to recharge our souls.

It is time for us to become adults in Him, we needn’t be surprized when the screws are tighten and we feel the pressure of life bearing down on us; look at these verses; “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it.” (2Timothy 3:12-14) - We needn’t ask questions like why? We have been informed!

Our perfect God is working everything out in our lives for our good; let us learn to rest in this truth! – “More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” (Romans 5:3-5)

Signing off

Tyrone    

The inconsistencies of mankind verse the perfection of God.

The inconsistencies of mankind verse the perfection of God. A topic well worth understanding as it will free the mind from some of their strongholds. There needs to be a breaking down in the formation of the building blocks that sin has cemented to our thought patterns. The book of Romans is of great assistance when unpacking this subject.

Let’s do some self-reflecting; how often do you find yourself saying I will do this or that but wane due to some interference? It may or may not be a valid reason why you cannot kick the ball with your son in the garden, but to him all you have done is broken your word; the times I have said something and for one or other reason gone back on my word, actually revolts me. And yet sin has taken care of that attribute in our lives, it is who we are! Here are some verses to back up this reality; “For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.” (Romans 7:18-20) – Now some astute scholars would suggest that Paul is making reference to us prior to salvation, which I cannot accept, why? Test it against your own life after salvation; have you never again failed in that area? If you can which honesty say “yes I haven’t”, then by all means take the teaching of those verses prior to salvation but if not and you have been found wanting as I have, then we must in my opinion conclude that this reality is still relevant to us after salvation.

What has change after our born again experience is that we have all been given the mind of Christ; “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. "For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?" But we have the mind of Christ.” (1Corinthians 2:14-16) - We can now understand spiritual truths, and our thoughts deepen as we grow in Him, nevertheless to some degree at salvation we must understand who God is and what He has done for us in and through His Son the Lord Jesus Christ. He has forgiven us for our sin, which deserved and required punishment but because of God’s grace we have escaped that punishment and all because Christ has paid the full price for our sin! The grace of God! This is a miracle and it is spiritual perceived. Through this God given miracle we are now sanctified by the blood of the lamb and perfectly acceptable in God’s eyes. We have been reconciled to Him because of His perfect grace. In his perfection He was able to free His enemies and make then allies, but more than that we are now sons of God! God has made a way!

Nevertheless the war of right verse wrong continues to bombard our minds and we need to fight for daily sanctification. And the only way we will ever get through our struggles correctly, is to find grace. Some may have learnt to somehow keep sin at bay in certain areas of their lives, though some technic or program but if it is outside of the provision of the grace of God is will only ever leave a man boasting. Here is what I would refer to as the greatest of all verses expounding the point; “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9) – The danger we face as carnal people is we like to work under asperses of independence. We get saved and now we believe there is a certain path we should follow, which there is! However the mistake the church at Galatia made was the same mistake so many of us make, which is this; “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.” (Galatians 1:6-7) – We get save in the spirit and then we look to earn our salvation though the deeds of our flesh. This is a common mistake amongst believers and we need to trim our sails regularly so that we do not lose our way.

This is where the beauty of God is most evident. In His perfection, which is complete, it’s not as if God acquired grace to give out, He is grace, He never developed it but He is perfect in grace. In other words complete and nothing can ever be taken from or added to God’s grace for it is perfect. Why did God send His Son to die for sinners like us? The answer is starring us in the face. Because He is grace and in His eternal plan God is working that out perfectly; with no blemish, His perfect plan unfolds even though some curse God as they worship His creation, not acknowledging Him as the creator. God does not flinch for a second but continues in perfection to offer grace to His enemies. Wow! How big is our God!

Do you see how futile it is for us to boast about anything we achieve in Him? We are sinners saved by grace, imperfect, tainted by sin and yet God sees us as righteous, perfect because of Christs sacrifice. Only God’s perfect grace has accomplished this and obviously the perfect love of God completed Him to be merciful, Wow! As soon as we look to take some sort of recognition for our own feats we forget about the perfect grace of God. This is why we are so aptly taught that God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble! “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” (1Peter 5:6-7) - His perfect grace becomes our reality when we learn to trust Him in every area of our lives. Sure we will experience grace in the areas we yield to God, but what about all the secret hidden pockets in our lives? May God help us to trust Him even more as we see that day approaching. I suppose when we understand that we cannot help God with this process, it may just free us to serve Him the way we should.

Today is Christmas and if you are persuaded that we must celebrate today as the day of Christ’s birth, I plead with you do not then share it with other idols like Santa and the like, make sure you message is clear and concise, used today to propagate the gospel as you side-line the straw men that have been designed to take our eyes off God’s grace!

Signing off

Tyrone     

     

  

  

Quick and Easy!

My step-dad was in hospital again, he has reached that age where his body is starting to fail, if it is not cancer it’s something else. The rules of life’s arrangement reaching a climax, which we will all eventually confront; the throes of death looms for all for we are born to die! Sin has taken care of that!

Along the journey of life we have been taught to seek out quick and easy fixes; people gravitating towards new diet pills and the like, just as long as it works without too much effort. “Quick and Easy” a way of life for many! Something totally contrary to ongoing sanctification in Christ for the Christian; God does not work with “no more nails” as an easy alternative, the lessons we are taught along life’s journey is painstaking and carries with it many tears. But God who is rich in mercy is persistent with His children and continues to nurture us even when we are brazen! We have to “learn obedience through suffering”, this is the only way we will learn true obedience. “Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him.” (Hebrews 5:8-9) - A very foreign concept to our natural understanding but perfectly worked out in God’s brilliance.  We must remember that God is perfect in everything He does; “You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48)  - This means that there can be no better way to learn obedience! Suffering through the trials of life will work out perfect obedience when it has run its course, Wow! When our minds are unable to reconcile certain truths, this does not mean we should not believe the written Word of God. In fact faith demands our commitment to the Word of God, if we oppose it in any way all that proves is our unbelief!

Our lives should not be filled with quick and easy fixes, although we are always looking for them. We ask brothers for 10 step programs and even our pastors teach us application through their ministry. “Give me a list of what to do” is our cry! Many believe that if we follow a list we will achieve true obedience. Surface Christianity will never take us any deeper; our lives must become saturated with the gospel; it is about life and then some as we believe in our perfect Father God to work it out in our lives. HIV, cancers, heart attacks, unemployment and the grind of life are all working for our good and the Word is very clear on this. It is time for us to start believing the actual Word of God over our own pathetic suppositions and all the negativity of erratic voices from a dying world.

It is important that I qualify this thought; it is only for the good of those who have been saved by the blood of the Lamb. To those who have been called by the most High. If there are those who have rejected the message of the gospel then the same things that work together for our good are working together for their destruction. Nevertheless God is glorified through both, molding and fashioning the universe in accordance with His sovereign will. The sooner we learn to accept this reality the happier we will be. Everything we see unfolding through life, both the good and the apparent evil will always end up glorifying our God! How do I know this? Because He is perfect, and perfection cannot be tainted in any way, even though I may not understand it completely, this changes me and not God, praise His glorious name now and forevermore, Amen and Amen! Faith demands our loyalty to this truth!

Here is a verse that proves my point; “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28)  - Therefore the lovers of God have a journey to march and at times that excursion will get rough, but whatever happens along the way, it has been designed for our eternal benefit. Yes even death, disease and retrenchment are all working together for the believers good and to the glory of God. Faith demands that we accept this truth even when our mind through circumstance wants us to believe something else.

Just before I am misunderstood, I have not ever implied that if we have cancer we must not acknowledge our cancer and blame the disease on unrepented sin in our lives. We must not be chumps! It is no more than a lie, false doctrine and a ploy from Satan. God forbid we even think like that! We must all eventually learn through our most difficult times to give God the glory for everything that happens; it is for our good! Did you know that Elisha, the man who received a double portion of the prophet Elijah blessing, died from a sickness, which had nothing to do with the sin in his life. Sickness may result from disobedience in our lives, but not always! Remember Job! And even if we are dull of hearing hardships and illnesses are often there to teach us to open our ears as we learn to depend upon our God and not to rely on our independence, which we have all in some form or another been hoodwinked into believing that she is our kin when in fact she is the enemy. True Faith depends on God and takes Him at His Word; it does not rely on our independence to get us through any given situation, this type of reasoning proves unbelief and we must repent from it!  

Signing off

Tyrone      

There must come a time

There must come a time where I (we) stop telling the stories of other and we start living our own! Not that we would ever dare to stop telling the Gospel story, for that is where the power of God lies. This was the Apostle Paul’s legacy; “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” (Romans 1:16)

Everything we do must revolve around the true Gospel of Jesus Christ! I have notice throughout scripture that the accounts of Godly men, often spoke about their exploits, even though they were intertwined with the accounts of others.

Who wrote the first five books of the Bible? It was Moses’ was it not? It most certainly was! And yet under the unction of God the Holy Spirit he pens many great accounts involving himself. God was please to record his faithfulness and to record it for us so that we can learn from his example. With the intent for us to now follow in his footsteps.

When we continually refer to others and their accomplishments I think it excuses us of similar exploits. We say he was a great man of God and we are just simple men; there is nothing we can do that can compare, really! Are we not covered by the blood of the Lamb, are we not the children of the living God? At the very least we have it in our power to close the door praying with humble intent, with faith in our God and saturated with hope. The Apostle James has this to say, pay careful attention to it; “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.” (James 5:16-17)

We admire men and woman with penned stories of their great undertakings and we are impressed by them, it is time like never before to look at our own lives as we begin to model them after Godly men. We must become doers and not hearers only! “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” (James 1:22) - We must cry out to God for His favour in order to achieve exploits that will be well pleasing to Him, which in turn will bring Him honour and glory.

I’m tired of the negativity, the lack of faith I see ruling my world and people’s opinions that breed unbelief. What will please my heavenly Father? What will bring Him glory? What will silence the enemy? We have already proved from scripture what we could be doing to improve our relationship with our God and Father. My thoughts are drawn to Hebrews chapter 11. Faith in action is what is appreciated by God and we know that lukewarmness is frowned upon by the Lord; “So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent.” (Revelation 3:16-19)

Money and our standing in the community is the enemy, it gives us a false sense of security! Chasing a dream of retirement on an Island and the like is also the enemy. We must repent from such mind-sets and begin to apply ourselves with zeal towards the light. Wherever we see His light (God’s instruction) let us learn to run to it and not from it. Forget the rationale of the mind and all its trappings. More often than not they are the enemies of the cross.  

What must we become in Christ? We must lose our lives in order to eventually find them! Do you see it? Is it beginning to resonate, God’s ways are different to the worlds traditions, when we learn to walk by faith trusting in Him, He will then reward us, not necessarily with money but with the fruits of the Spirit, which are; “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.” (Galatians 5:22-25) – There is a new way of life for the Christian, why have we been so hoodwinked? The majority of us have got it wrong, God help us to see this clearly!

But before we make another mistake let us affirm the only reason we have been perceived by God is because we have been covered by the blood of the Lamb, we have been sanctified by what the Lord Jesus has done for us on an individual level. Salvation is all of God and it is a free gift! But because we have freely received we must begin to freely give to those in need. True Christianity is about laying down our lives for others and this must become a way of life for us all. I realise that this thought in itself can be daunting, it scares the living daylights out of me at times but I am convinced it is the way for the Christian. Our God will come alongside and supply all that is needed. Christianity is all about trusting God and we no longer have to implement our own to plans. When we put something else in place of faith, just in case it doesn’t pan out, we prove one thing, our unbelief!  

Why then are we still so caught up with our own lives? It is obvious we haven’t understood the call of salvation and the way of our Master. Bad teaching has played its role but we also have our own agendas that we continually contend with and this is why we keep rehashing the stories of others instead of writing our own stories whereby we glorify our God.

The writer of Hebrews pens stories about men and women who God honoured by mentioning them, some by name and others by deed. Nevertheless they pleased God; we must diligently begin to sanction that we live by faith. Forget the lies of this world and the opinions of the gainsayer. We must make it our goal to please our heavenly Father by trusting Him in every area of our lives and until this happens we will continue to feed that void in our lives. It is no more than unbelief, which feeds our anxiety!

Where must we start in rectifying that which the cankerworm has eaten? Firstly, let us dress for battle; let us put on the whole amour of God – read Ephesians chapter 6! How often have I put time aside to fast and pray? “And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin, and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.” (Luke 2:36-38) -Today may be a good day to start! We all have many unsaved members in our families and it may well be a worthy time like never before to start crying out to our God for their salvation!

Time is short and the curtain is drawing shut on those who will not respond to the free gift of salvation, but while we have breath there is still hope! When God shut the door to Noah’s Ark there was no more hope for those outside and they all drown!

Signing off

Tyrone

  

      

Overcoming evil with good

(Romans 12:21) “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

“Be not overcome of evil. Let not the evil of any provocation that is given you have such a power over you, or make such an impression upon you, as to dispossess you of yourselves, to disturb your peace, to destroy your love, to ruffle and discompose your spirits, to transport you to any indecencies, or to bring you to study or attempt any revenge.” He that cannot quietly bear an injury is perfectly conquered by it. (2.) “But overcome evil with good, with the good of patience and forbearance, nay, and of kindness and beneficence to those that wrong you. Learn to defeat their ill designs against you, and either to change them, or at least to preserve your own peace.” He that hath this rule over his spirit is better than the mighty.” (Matthew Henry)

This verse is for all but only fits those who have matured in the Spirit. It is a fundamental reality that we need to make our own. It is the brilliance of God personified in a people that were once lead about by the whims of sin. It proves the maturity of a believer, I suppose we can obviously prove that Christ achieved this throughout his lifetime and it came to a head when He died on the cross overcoming evil once and for all! There have been many others who have shown similar traits to our great Saviour. Stephen was martyred and this was his testimony; “And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." And when he had said this, he fell asleep.” (Acts 7:59-60) – He overcame the evil that he faced with these words, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." It is beautiful to behold, and God is glorified with such an act of love. In fact is was so pleasing to God that the Lord Jesus got off His throne and stood while He watched what was unfolding; "Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God."

It is through these types of acts that I begin to understand verses like these with clarity; “so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 3:10) – Many of us look to justify ourselves when we have been wronged as we look to repay evil with evil, we claim it is our right, when in fact we have no rights and all it proves is we are yet babes in Christ! Regardless of how long we have been saved, the command is clear, “overcome evil with good”!

We must wrestle for this to become a reality in our lives.

God helps us to put on the mind of Christ!

Signing off

Tyrone  

     

Endurance in Christ!

When we are physically verified, we normally get weaker as our endurance is tested. We have all watched the Comrades Marathon and you see it clearly, the gun sounds with all beginning their race, cheerful, laughing and with smiles on their faces but before long the grimaces are clearly evident. Even the most experienced athletes begin to show fatigue. Our bodies have been designed in such a way that the longer we plug away at something the harder it gets. But it is not so for the Christian, sure many may blunder along the way, I suppose for many of us this is needed to teach us to depend upon our God. Nevertheless through it all the Christian grows in strength as the journey progresses. Our faith is strengthened the longer we walk with our Saviour; “They go from strength to strength; each one appears before God in Zion.” (Psalms 84:7) – The harder the Christian is pressed the more they depend upon the grace of the Lord to get them through any given situation.

It is not so for the natural natures of the common man, more often than not the harder they are pressed the more they look for escape. I have not received a monthly salary for many years now and I still have bread on my table. There were times when the pressure got to me and I reasoned with my natural mind ending up in debauchery, this type of reasoning by the grace of God has run its course and that place I never want to revisit. It is filled we sin and hopelessness. This is why we have such a high rate of divorce, alcoholism and drug addiction throughout the world. Our natural minds are slaves sold under sin!

But God who is rich in mercy has afforded the Christian different parameters to govern their lives. It is only when we lose sight of our hope that we find ourselves in the pigs pen eating the slop with the pigs. I know for I have been there! But my God, the forever faithful One has even used those situations to teach me my dependency upon His provision to get me home. Never lose sight of that reality. We are weak and frail, but He is ever powerful and we belong to Him, we have the mind of Christ! This miracle became our reality when we were born again. “He is for us and not against us”! What a wonderful truth, let that resonate deep within your souls.

This is our reality…

“They go from strength to strength. There are various renderings of these words, but all of them contain the idea of progress.

Our own good translation of the authorized version is enough for us this morning. “They go from strength to strength.” That is, they grow stronger and stronger. Usually, if we are walking, we go from strength to weakness; we start fresh and in good order for our journey, but by-and-by the road is rough, and the sun is hot, we sit down by the wayside, and then again painfully pursue our weary way. But the Christian pilgrim having obtained fresh supplies of grace, is as vigorous after years of toilsome travel and struggle as when he first set out. He may not be quite so elate and buoyant, nor perhaps quite so hot and hasty in his zeal as he once was, but he is much stronger in all that constitutes real power, and travels, if more slowly, far more surely. Some gray-haired veterans have been as firm in their grasp of truth, and as zealous in diffusing it, as they were in their younger days; but, alas, it must be confessed it is often otherwise, for the love of many waxes cold and iniquity abounds, but this is their own sin and not the fault of the promise which still holds good: “The youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall, but they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles, they shall run and not be weary, and they shall walk and not faint.” Fretful spirits sit down and trouble themselves about the future. “Alas!” say they, “we go from affliction to affliction.” Very true, O thou of little faith, but then thou goest from strength to strength also. Thou shalt never find a bundle of affliction which has not bound up in the midst of it sufficient grace. God will give the strength of ripe manhood with the burden allotted to full-grown shoulders.” (Charles Spurgeon)

Before long we shall see Him for who He is and what a day that will be!

Signing off

Tyrone