The will of God

 

The obvious actions where we fail is clearly the link to our carnal passions, our insolence to God’s law, often referred to as sin, which proves where we stand. Whatever that looks like for you. It is tailor-made, the time when our wills get the better of us and instead of resisting, we yield to the temptation. We even twist sin to slot into the grace of God. what do I mean by this? we accommodate sin in our lives and play the grace card, the card that excuses our sin with the words boldly inscribed, "we are under grace not law". we have been deceived if we ever cling to that type of mindset. All it proves is that our will at that time is far more important than the will of our heavenly Father. It’s a tragedy! That why the scripture is so full of warnings: be careful, do not be unequally yoked, and do not forsake the assembling of yourselves to mention but a few. It’s because we are dull of hearing and we make it harder for ourselves and sadly we all fall in this area of our lives. But our mind-set must be looking to overcome, period! We have storerooms of grace open to us. The unbeliever does not! Both camps have what I would call God’s general grace; we are all privileged enough to breath oxygen that keeps us alive, but special or specific grace only ever belongs to the believer. Those who have believed in their hearts that Jesus has been raised from the dead and who confess Him as Lord of their lives, the Christian has the ability to push through the temptation as God has given them the wherewithal to find grace in time of need. It only when we revert to our carnal way of thinking that we fall back into our sinful ways, “to be carnally mind is death.” God wants us to find victory over our sin, which is His will for all of his children!

“In order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.”  (Romans 8:4-8)

The voices out there are getting clearer, with an under arching cry of FOUL! Race/ homosexuality/equal rights/ freedom to choose and whatever else people deem right in their minds eye, no one has the right to challenge their choice. But now I say with clear intention, what about God’s choice? It’s time for some of us to stand up and be as passionate as the voices out there. Enough! I say. Christian let us remember to echo the sentiments of our beloved Saviour. “For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”  (Matthew 12:50)

 

Will we echo the words of Joshua “as for me and my household we will serve the Lord”, But I say, regardless of my households persuasion and by the abundance of God’s grace in my life, I will serve the Lord! My prayer is that I would truly learn to put God first in every area of my life, so beloved please pray for me.

 

If we had to summarize the Lords objective and why he came to the earth as a man to free some to serve the living God, what would your answer be? Some would say to conquer death and sin, others might say to free mankind from the traps of their sin... I will leave you to voice your own findings in your minds eye. And although all of these truths play their part in the Lord’s objective there is a far greater driving force that we need to uncover, which is, the Lord Jesus came to do the will of His Father, period! Whatever that was going to take is what drove our Saviours intent. The Garden of Gethsemane highlights this beautifully; “And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.”” (Matthew 26:39) – his flesh, his natural instinct was looking for and out and yet regardless of the anguish he faced there and then, he was driven by something greater, the will to please His Father.

 

The question we need to ask ourselves is simply this, am I living for myself or for the will of my Heavenly Father? Please pray for me and let us be mindful to pray for one another.

 

Blessing to all in the finished work of the cross and glory to the One and only true God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

 

Signing off

 

Tyrone

Will

 

We all have wills that we look to satisfy. These types of thoughts seems to occupy our minds most of the time. My will this morning was to have a cup of coffee and so I know punch keys and simultaneously drink coffee, my will accomplished. Without looking for more evidence to prove my point, just let your mind explore the driving force behind our wills and it will soon become apparent what our lives are about. “I” is what really matters, it’s "my will" that counts. It’s my number one priority. However, as a Christian my precepts now need to change. Not that God has changed, He is the same “yesterday, today and tomorrow”. His requirements remain constant, His expectation are impartial and His law the yardstick. Both the Christian and the unbeliever will be judge by the same set of rules, in the highest court in the universe, which I will call, “the Court of Judgements”. A place where every individual who has experienced life on earth will be judged. And nothing less than perfection will suffice. The Bible refers to this event as the “Great White Throne Judgement” and make no mistake it will be a grand event. All those who do not have Christ as their advocate and clothed in His righteousness will be found wanting.

 

With this in mind what should our wills look like? The unbeliever has absolutely no chance of pleasing God. Why? He has turned a blind eye to to the lifeline God has thrown sinners, His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ the Lord. It’s not enough to believe that he exists, did you know that even the demons believe and they tremble. Why? They also know that their judgment is coming. You see it all comes back to our wills, we must align them with God’s will and his endowment for salvation, which is, Jesus Christ. If not we will fall short on Judgement Day. The key to success isn’t monetary security, its finding forgiveness for our sins so that we may be exempt on Judgement day. And the only way we can achieve this is through repentance and calling out to the One who has the power to save, Jesus Christ the Lord! Regardless of the score you are trying to keep, which looks to excuse your sin and excuse others of theirs. If your will constantly chases that objective, you will come up short, end of story.

 

Our wills must shift from selfish motivations, to this type of mind-set “What would Jesus do?” It’s really all about the will of God and until we understand this, we will at best, remains babes in Christ. I want you to do me a favour and break down some of your actions. Habitual actions that happen without too much thought. Dissect them and it will become very apparent where we stand on our commitment to the will of our heavenly Father. We are so busy with life that we “just do” what we do. A thought springs to mind, our will is then ignited and more times than not we succumb, we scratch the itch even when it’s contrary to the will of God. We buckle to sin. As Christians we must learn to avoid kicking against the goads? We needn’t look any further than our Saviour example, explicitly in the Garden of Gethsemane. There is much we can learn from this event. We must take on theory before we can apply it into our lives. We must have the right understanding of what is required from us as children of God ("Because a double minded man is unstable in all their ways"). Jesus the man was under such pressure in the Garden that he began to sweat blood. Now medically, I am not sure how far one needs to travel to reach this point but Jesus endured and all because he wanted to please His Father. If that doesn’t melt your heart, I am not sure anything can.  What is the Fathers will? “For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” (John 6:40) 

Even if we don’t understand what we are going through at the time, when we finds God’s will for the situation, blessings always follow and when we are blessed spiritually it certainly revitalizes our bodies. Look at the result of the Lords victory, because Jesus endured how many look and have looked to him for salvation? Too many to number… Why? All because he endured the temptation as it was the will of his Father.

 

“Not my will but thine be done” must become our mantra if we want to reach the lost for the sake of their salvation. Hopelessness is what leads a person to the foot of the cross and once there, they then look up, see the Lord Jesus’ sacrifice and that’s where they will make a choice either way. Only those clothed in the righteousness of Christ will escape the wrath of God. Why? Because only the man Jesus lived a life of sinless perfection, yes! He never breached one of God laws thus making it possible for the “whosoever” to find forgiveness for their sins in HIM. Outside of that, hell will be your final destination.

 

Signing off

 

Tyrone

Do not be conformed...

 

Do not be conformed but transformed in the way we process information through our minds, with the aim of being converted into the image of Christ and it all begins with our understanding on faith, which is a affluence on the things we hope for. So long as that hinges on the ultimate will of our heavenly Father, no matter what is thrown at us we will find grace to overcome, its only when we get in the way of our transformation that we have extra heartache. Which earthly father doesn’t want to give good gift to their children, how much more then will our heavenly Father look out for His children. Once the lesson is learnt a blessing follows. Sadly the same lesson can take a lifetime for some.   

 

The secret is aligning our perceptions and our understanding on the will of God for our lives. This journey  lasts a lifetime. How often do we pray and yet we do not receive? Why is that? Because we ask amiss. Our minds get in the way of our Fathers will for our lives. This is how we need to process information, trust God for our lives, even when everything around us screams “RUN!” Abraham the Father of faith is a perfect example, he was willing to sacrifice Isaac the son of promise, because he believed God. I wonder what was going through his mind once he had tied up his son and placed him on the altar, try and allow you mind to comprehend, there he stood knife in hand and ready to strike. Was there doubt in his mind? The writer of Hebrews doesn’t give us any, absolute commitment in faith towards His God.  “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1)

 

It’s easy to trust when we have enough money on hand to buy a loaf of bread but something altogether when our pockets are empty. I know, for most, this experience would remain a distant thought and not a reality, so I say, find something that’s specific to your situation and apply yourself in faith through your mind’s eye and then see that chink in your life as an opportunity to glorify our heavenly Father. Its easy to run with the though, why me? This in itself goes far deeper than the surface, of this I am convinced. Nevertheless, it would be good to at least land on this conclusion; why not me! We often end up reaping what we have sowed, however God is gracious and when we have learnt the lesson he will bring reprieve. And even if it doesn't come, will we stand firm on the finished work of the cross? Its at these times in our lives that we need to tap into the hope that we as Christians have. Unbelieve thrives in uncertainty.   

The world looks to highjack us with a "victim" type mentality. And Satan feeds the lust of our flesh, that which cries out within our minds, an itch that needs scratching, nothing more than us looking to quench our sinful activities. An action of reflex... Then we have the lust of our eyes, when we see something that we want and are so driven by that thought that we will do whatever it takes to possess it. And finally the pride of life, “how dare someone wrong me, who do they think they are?” and revenge kicks in. These are the attributes our beloved brothers John and Paul warns us to be on the lookout for when it comes to the worlds influence. “Do not be conformed” is Paul's warning, “put off" that way of thinking and replace it with Abraham’s way of thinking, in faith, trusting our God through the trial and not buckling under the pressure. Theory is a wonderful gift from God to us, but does it really count if we understand a truth but lack applying its effect into our lives. As I look into the review mirror, my life has been filled with hypocrisy, not understanding a truth and then applying myself to it in error. Only because I wanted to indulge in a sinful habit and excuse my behaviour as acceptable. I used grace as a license to sin for a time. Its obvious to conclude such a thought when we obviously walk in rebellion to the call of God upon our lives. It is easier to repent from such a position. But what of our standing when we believe we are more or less towing the line? If we are honest and call on the grace of God to strip us bare and understand our own minds, its these areas, the little foxes that spoils the vines that we must not ignore. And this is how it sometimes plays out; understanding a truth but lacking the commitment to it. Let us not make this mistake, when we “put off” the ways of the world, we must “put on” the way of our heavenly Father. When temptation arises, how do I handle the trial? Do I grit my teeth and bare it for a while and then say enough and yield? It’s only once we come through the trial without yielding that we succeed. Theory is never enough to glorify God, we must be practical in application. So how do I succeed? When the temptation arises, I purposefully run to the cross. In that exact trial I stop what I am doing and open the bible and begin to read. This is how we “put off” and “put on”. We shift our focus from the temptation onto the finished work of the cross, we take our eyes off our struggle and remember what it cost the Lord to die in our place. This is transformation as opposed to conformation of the world’s way of thinking.

 “To the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen.”

 

Signing off

 

Tyrone

The Second Death

 

Just as the season have their times, so too will death have its time, or rather deaths have their times, yes their times! We are all well aware of the fact that death is part of life’s cycle, but how many truly understand that there is a death after death, it is known as the second death! It is hard to articulate something that has not been part of a person’s life. If I had to speak to you about demonic oppression, the response would vary, some believe it because the Bible speaks of it. But take the disciples and their understanding of demon possession and it takes on a whole different dimension. For them it was a common occurrence as they personally witnessed encounters where the Lord Jesus expunged demons out of individuals. Once we have witnessed an encounter where a demon take hold of an individual, it is no longer an idea but reality. So, having witnessed it first-hand it is easy for me to engage on a discussion around that topic. The first death is the same, we have all been touch by death in one way or another, and we understand it. However, when it comes to the second death which is only a detached idea for some, it remains a distant consideration. And if we do not take it seriously, when the time comes, it will be too late and the consequences catastrophic.

 

Please pay this matter very precise attention and pass this message on…

 

Today I wish to explore this topic and help us understand how this will distress some but not others. The truth of the matter is this death does not mean an end to our existence as we have been created with an eternal faculty, that part of us that lives forever. How does it work? Our soul is linked to our mind which stores our memories and is all intertwined so when our bodies die, that is our flesh. There is a part of us that enters a new dimension, our soul/spirit leaves our body and then there will be no more deceit of lies and we will enter the spiritual world that has always been there. We need to ensure that we will be ready for this part of our journey. How will we find favour? The only way a Christian is able to access good will from the Creator of all things, the great I AM! Is through faith, which in turn taps us into that part of our souls which will move into the next realm, the spiritual world. How is it done? That is a simple answer, repentance, confession whilst calling upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and believing that God raised him from the dead. When this encounter becomes a personal life-changing event in one’s life, they are “born again” and their spiritual eyes open, their understanding is enlightened, for the very first time they see the bigger picture. This is when faith kicks in and an eternal hope is ignited. I remember that day very clearly, almost 35 years ago, what a day that was, praise God!

 

Now there are others that practice Satanism and other forms of witchcraft in order to tap into that realm that needs quenching. God created us with a desire to worship Him, sin entered in and that relationship was tarnished way back in the beginning. However, the want to worship is alive in all. Think about it, examine if what I say holds true, examine your own life and see what drives you? If its money and things, then that's what you worship. Money is your idol! The list is endless. 

 

We all have a flesh and blood body and then a hidden soul/spirit which is not visible to the naked eye. Make no mistake, there is no exception to the rule. Some will live eternally grateful, whilst others will forever be in torment and it all hinges on the decisions we make on earth. I have done my best to help you understand, please give this some serious attention.  

 

Let me now back this thought up by scripture…              

 

“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death.’” (Revelation 2:11) 

“Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.”

(Revelation 20:6)

 

“Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire.” (Revelation 20:14) 

 

“But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”  (Revelation 21:8)

 

He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! 

 

Signing out

 

Tyrone

The struggle of the mind-revisited

I have notice how we may believe something to be true but not favour the reality of that truth unfolding in our lives. I say that “God knows best” and that He is in control of all things, which is obviously an undeniable fact. But as soon as my life does not pans out the way I have hoped I feel my hope dwindling, even if concealment to others is on view. I know my heart on the matter. The question of “why” begins to dominant my thoughts all over again. I then begin to play my efforts out against my rewards. O wretched man that I am who will deliver me from this body of death? I need to be freed from myself and the wars within. The consolation I find whilst reasoning it all out, is that I am not alone on this difficulty, as I look around I see others fighting similar battles; the hostilities within repeatedly rages. But five years down the line with this particular thought and by the grace of God, my mind has taken on a slightly different understanding, it’s not as frantic, it may still be hard pressed but praise God I can see growth. But know this, the more we look to learn about the purposes of God the harder the struggle and the hardship will become.

 

Struggling and suffering of all kinds is part of God’s design to help us understand the hope, which we have in Him, that one day we will be like our great Saviour. We will not only be with God, in his presence, but we will be LIKE HIM. No more struggles with the flesh, no more pity parties and so on. In my experience the clearer we begin to see this reality as our actuality the tighter the screw on the trials of life will stiffen. The whole of creation was created to bring Glory to God and reveal His character. Sin has interfered with that process, or so it would seem, when in fact, even sin will be used to the glory of God as it drives people to their knees calling upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to be saved, in and through repentance of their own sin. 

 

Even creation has been effected by sin. Look at a rose, filled with aphids, or a dessert without vegetation, it’s all because of the effect of one man’s sin and His rebellion against God. However even in the chaos of it all, God is in perfect control and this is what I find at times hard to comprehend. When life is running smoothly and all of its challenges are systematically slotting into place without too much resistance, life is manageable. It’s like sailboat been driven by the wind without any tacking needed. But when hardship becomes the norm, our faith is severely tested and this reveals who we are in Christ. I sit here even now and question, where has my zeal gone? And the first thought that comes to mind is forgive me Father, but please re-kindle the zeal that once was mine. I realised that it was filled without knowledge way back when, but that was an exciting time…

 

The sole purpose of God’s creation is to bring glory to Him. We were created as being to worship Him. Now back to the hardship we face as believers. It is by design, the fall of mankind requires hardship in our lives to bring us to our senses, and it refines our understanding, which must eventually land on the good, perfect and expectable will of God. The difficulty I face is the constant war that always looks for a reason why something hasn’t panned out the way I had hoped? My alignment looking to rearranged the Word of God in my life. This is my struggle, back and forth with these thoughts, over and over again. Always looking for some formula to apply that may stick and have a positive outcome to my current predicament. Where do we draw the line? How much of me and then how much of God, the war is fierce!

 

The answer is obvious, even if my mind looks to find something deeper, which is nothing more than humanism rearing its head. The answer is God first and His righteousness and then the rest will follow according to His good pleasure. With unpredictable tests along the way, which will test our faith. There will be times where we will nose-dive but the times that we find the grace to thrust through it all, they will be sweet and will strengthen us beyond understanding. We need to regularly trim our sails when it comes to the trials of life and the reasons for them, if not we will soon find ourselves groping in the dark and asking the question “WHY?” over and over again.

 

When I say God is in control, hoping that I may find a favourable outcome concerning a deal that I am hoping for and it doesn’t pan out as expected, this is when my battle begins. Exonerate me Father as I try to force your hand. At the very core of my heart I am hoping that you will intervene and act favourably and when it doesn’t happen I am disappointed, forgive me! But I would also be lying if I didn’t say that release is often a comforting emotion as it releases tension.

 

Help me to rest in you is my prayer and I also pray for all those who face similar struggles, all honour and glory belongs to our God and to our King, praise the name of Jesus Christ my Lord, now and forever more, Amen!

 

There is a day coming when the whole of creation longingly awaits its change, where sin will no longer be consequential, and what I find amazing is that day will only ever arrive when the saints are changed into the likeness of Christ. The universe in its entirety, the seen and the unseen worlds of this universe waits for our (the Christians) transformation before it will receive it conversion, Wow! We serve an awesome God who is filled with unmeasurable mercies and we await an inheritance that will blow our minds. We think we know what that will be like, and yet we have only scratched the surface.

 

Our current sufferings are a light affliction in comparisons to what will one day be ours in Christ. Beloved focus on the hope that is set before us and we will get through another day and each and every other day that follows. But we must remember to continually “trim our sails” with the WORD of GOD.  

 

Signing off

 

Tyrone

Read your Bible

 

What does a Christian need to equip them for the fight ahead? Faith is a tool in our armoury that is imperative to drive us forward and it feeds our hope, which in turn brings glory to our God. A win-win all around. So what must we do to add to our faith, ignite our hope, whilst fueling our zeal to get on with what really matters, bringing glory to our heavenly Father? The very first place for us to start is to hear God speak to us, and how do we do that? We read our bibles, I cannot stress enough how important this is. It’s the time and place where you allow God to speak to you without any distraction. Just you and Him as the Spirit of God nourishes, comforts and admonishes, whilst the words from the page comes to life and ministers straight into the core of our hearts. It’s rather beautiful, even if at times, we are softened to tears as we seek forgiveness for our sin and folly, those split second choices that speak of death and not life. But the beauty of reading the Bible has such a profoundly brilliant outcome in shaping our minds, as we grow in the statue of Jesus Christ our King. This is what it’s all about, having our minds transformed as we begin to work out what that good, acceptable, and perfect will of God looks like. In order to achieve this objective we must read our bibles. Bible reading is God speaking to us, whilst praying is us speaking to God. Maybe it’s time to start a challenge, a Bible reading challenge, nominate someone to read a book of the bible and then they pass the challenge onto the next person and so on.

 

Christian we need to hear the voice of our heavenly Father, read your bibles, it will add to your faith and ignite your hope. Of this truth I am 100% persuaded, no ifs and buts. I would encourage all to be like little children and allow the Word to simply wash you. The intent must be one of a child running excitedly into the arms of his father where there is safety. Whatever you need to do, set time aside in the day to read you’re Bibles.

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

 

Signing off

 

Tyrone       

Rescue in the Storm

 

“Rolling with the punches”, seems to be a common retort from many when it comes to the trial of life. Unemployment is up, Covit is claiming its prisoners and taking lives. Who hasn’t been effected by Covit? Even as I punch these keys I have a mother and sister bedridden from the virus. But we must not be distracted, we must keep our eye on the ball, which is, the will of our heavenly Father. An RPG-7 can stop a moving tank in its tracks but nothing seen or unseen will ever stop the will of our God. Whatever He has determined will come to pass. This is a very simple conclusion that carries tremendous weight. Toe the line or pay the price. But hear is the good news; “Whoever calls upon the name of Lord will be saved…”

 

Many have witnessed the havoc of a tornado and the damage it leaves in its wake, it takes no prisoners. However just as Noah was saved in the ark, so will we be protected from the coming storm, not to say we will all escape the persecution that will follow, on the contrary, its persecution that will confirm our commitment to our God. Some may even lose their lives, others imprisoned and some will be banished like outcasts. Be that as it may, the ultimate result is what will finally matter, we will be SONS OF GOD spanning into the throws of eternity. To be an ally with my great Saviour and to stand alone side Him is the hope I have and nothing will stop me achieving that result. The Christian belongs to Him and we are all covered by the grace of God. Sure I have squandered so much time, even now I wrestle with my flesh as it looks for any opportunity to rebel, I have got to that stage in my life where I hate that which looks to steer me in the opposite direction to the will of God in my life, will I ever arrive? One foot in front of the other and one day at a time. On reflection I have learnt so many valuable lessons along the way, the grace of God brought me through to the other side and now I stand here just as I will then with these words ringing out for all to hear, “but by the grace of God here I stand”. This is the hope I have, to stand on the other side of death with a body like the Lord Jesus’, eternal and forever thankful for the will of God in my life. For the sacrifice of my great Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ who has paid the price for my sin, let that resonate, the struggle is real and yet I still find forgiveness, praise the name of Jesus now and forever more!!!!! There is no greater news out there, how could there be? Let us remember to preach Christ and Him crucified, it’s the last of the flock of God that He is gathering into his fold, the final push before He come to take us home. We all have our part to play, get the message out, it’s time to now become more vocal than ever before, the Lord Jesus is coming, but so is His judgment. It’s time to make a choice, where will you stand? I’ve made up my mind, as for me, I will serve my God and my King and pay Him the homage He alone deserves, for there is no other that has the power to save you from the wrath of God, which will happen, it has been penned into His script and sealed by HIS WILL.

But here is the fantastic news; whilst the offer still stands; “For whoever calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved”

 

Signing out

 

Tyrone

Everlasting Covenant

 

History has recorded the finished work of the cross, throughout the ages many have suffered death by crucifixion, this is not the work I draw your attention too. The event I apogee is God in the flesh dying on a cruel Roman cross, paying a debt he was guiltless of, then buried in a tomb and on the third day, after that rock had been sealed and guarded by roman soldiers, He rose again from the dead with his glorified body and eventually seen by all the apostles who testified to that truth. They were so persuaded by what they had learnt and seen that all save John were eventually martyred for their faith. For two thousand years the gospel continues to permeate throughout the lands and we now have our part to play. Whilst we have breath we have hope, but more than that, we can impart hope to others. So let us be vigilant until the day  we take our last breath and move from the carnal into the spiritual world of eternity. 

Without a hope people perish, what would be the point of suffering for the sake of righteousness if there was no reward. Believer we have a crown specifically designed for our heads, it will fit no other, whoever endures to the end shall be saved. Let me encourage you with these words…

 

"Yet he hath made with me an everlasting covenant." — 2Sa_23:5

““This covenant is divine in its origin.” HE hath made with me an everlasting covenant." Oh that great word HE! Stop, my soul. God, the everlasting Father, has positively made a covenant with thee; yes, that God who spake the world into existence by a word; he, stooping from his majesty, takes hold of thy hand and makes a covenant with thee. Is it not a deed, the stupendous condescension of which might ravish our hearts for ever if we could really understand it? "HE hath made with me a covenant." A king has not made a covenant with me-that were somewhat; but the Prince of the kings of the earth, Shaddai, the Lord All-sufficient, the Jehovah of ages, the everlasting Elohim, "He hath made with me an everlasting covenant." But notice, it is particular in its application. "Yet hath he made with ME an everlasting covenant." Here lies the sweetness of it to each believer. It is nought for me that he made peace for the world; I want to know whether he made peace for me! It is little that he hath made a covenant, I want to know whether he has made a covenant with me. Blessed is the assurance that he hath made a covenant with me! If God the Holy Ghost gives me assurance of this, then his salvation is mine, his heart is mine, he himself is mine-he is my God.

This covenant is everlasting in its duration. An everlasting covenant means a covenant which had no beginning, and which shall never, never end. How sweet amidst all the uncertainties of life, to know that "the foundation of the Lord standeth sure," and to have God's own promise, "My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips." Like dying David, I will sing of this, even though my house be not so with God as my heart desireth.”” (C.H.Spurgeon)

 

Signing off

 

Tyrone

 

Live for God

 

Conflict is part of life, from a very young age we understand the idea behind a clash, a struggle over something as trivial as a sweet. We have all been tarnished with the brush of sin and instinctively our reaction is to retaliate. Even once saved the fight goes, in fact, it intensifies, why? Because our eyes are opened to God’s law and we have had our consciences renewed to remind us of wrongdoing. From here on in, repentance and forgiveness is a way of life for the Christian, if not we may just hear the words given to Cain; “sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is to rule over you, but you must rule over it.”  Do we allow sin to fester and become comatose Christians? We must be on the lookout for all and everything that has been designed to deceive. The Lord Jesus’ very first warning about the time we now live in was this; “And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray.”  (Matthew 24:4) – Understanding sound doctrine is imperative as this is what will be on the deceiver’s radar, to look to punch holes into truth. 

 

We must find grace to get through our challenges and we will face judgment in one form or another. But I would much rather be judge for doing what is right in the eyes of my heavenly Father. We all have the same example to follow and anything short of that is inadequate. When sin knocks, I wonder how many of us actually realise the ultimate reason behind it. An aid in conforming us into the image of Christ. It’s an opportunity to help us find grace to overcome and bring glory to our heavenly Father. If and when we get this truth impregnated into our minds we will start to grow, if not, at the end of our days, we will at best, still be babes in Christ.      

 

Here is Paul’s instruction; “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.” (Romans 6:1-14) 

 

Read that a few times and let the Holy Spirit settle you on these truths, but have the intent of the will of our Father in mind and it changes everything, praise God! Put him first and whatever sin is driving you to feed will be seen through different eyes.

 

Pay attention; “For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God.”  It’s all about the will of the Father!

 

Let me end off like this, those who die with Christ to the Glory of God the Father will also live with him, what a hope we have…

 

Signing off

 

Tyrone