By design

There is a design characteristic that will never leave us until we make it to heaven. It’s part of the design that God has allowed to sift the wheat from the chaff. Not that sin is someone thing He is privy to, per say, however He has allowed it to work in our lives to teach us valuable lessons. The brilliance of God, who can know it?

Do not be fooled, the universe behaviours exactly as God intends. He is in perfect control, we must stop trying to humanize Him, and we make this mistake far too often. As if we have the ability to destroy something that He has created, without Him allowing it to happen. The world believes it’s up to us to determine what will happen to God’s creation and it’s this mind-set that will eventually bring it crashing down. Sure we are the keepers of what He has given us, but the majority of mankind exclude Him in any decision making. Who do we think we are? The blind leading the blind and both fall into the ditch. Our focus better be on the will of our Father if it is to ends well. The world is lost and it will do everything in its power to oppose God’s will, but they will fail. We must look to Jesus and live. The day of His return is soon approaching. Remember the parable of the ten virgins.

  

How does sin play it part in our lives to learn the lessons needed to bring glory to our God? Firstly we need to understand and see ourselves for who we are. If we miss this our persuasions will always be looking for justification. We will look to our natural abilities to find favour from God. Which then means we will be operating outside the realms of grace. We have been saved by grace through faith and this must anchor our understanding. This alleviates any form of boasting, praise God for that.

We have a carnal body which houses our spiritual bodies, the Christian has a responsibly to manage that. How? It’s all about walking in the Spirit, which is unnatural.

The theory needs to be applied in daily living; we must never be surprised by our thoughts as they have been tainted by sin, the lesson is to not allow them to become actions. We will not always find victory, hence the lessons of grace. However the objective must never change, which is to glorify our God in and through the trial.

“For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.” (Galatians 5:17) – If we understand the principle of something it’s half the battle won,  we know what then needs to happen. “But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.” (Galatians 5:18)

The lesson is to learn walk in the Spirit even though we are living in the flesh. A hidden gem that only the Christian is privy too.

So how am I able to measure my performance? It plain to see; “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) – It’s time to look in the mirror and see clearly and then we will understand whether we are governed by our flesh or the Spirit.

When we are walking in the Spirit, this is what it will look like; “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 keep in step with the Spirit.” (Galatians 5:22-25)

The last question that needs to be answered is are we instep?

Give us strength Father to dress for battle.

Thank you my blessed Redeemer for your example, perfection personified! bless your name now and forever more, Amen!

Signing off

Tyrone

To be sure...

There is a song sung amongst the Pentecostals that goes like this, “say will you be ready when Jesus comes, are you sure you born again and washed in Jesus blood?” The question they are asking and labouring to help the religious sectors throughout the land understand is a truth that has been overlooked, we all need to examine our birth certificates. Sunday church goers are being called out. And rightly so! It most certainly not enough to have a form of godliness and yet continuously live a life of denial. Hedging our bets, we know that there is a heaven and a hell, life after death is an obvious truth for many of us. But for those who aren’t sure, they privet religion as a tradition just in case. That old adage of wanting to have your cake and eat it. Sadly it is also no different for the born again Christian when we allow our flesh to dominate our behaviour. It’s all about dressing for battle, but what chance will we ever have if we never open the armoury door. 

The war is fierce, the attack is on all fronts and it comes in waves. A barrage of never ending filth looking to rob us of the joy of the Lord. Without that lightbulb moment, that born again experience, that memory to draw on, there will never be any true commitment and therefore you will never enter into the portals of heaven. Here is the proof of that, the Lord Jesus makes it very clear; “Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.”” (John 3:5-6)

The only question that needs answering is do you believe what is penned in the Bible as fact, or is it just some man’s opinion? I know where I land on this, and those who know me understand what my mantra is. “Let God be true and every man a liar.” So then it is obvious that if you have been a church goer all your life within some religious sect it will never be enough, You need that “born again” moment, a personal moment that no one can ever take from you, a realisation of what it means to be truly be forgiven of our sin and a joy that will surpass all rational reasoning. To put it plainly, that greatest day of your life! Can you of a certainty claim that as your own? If not there will always be a question mark about your salvation. The consequences of getting it wrong will be eternal, so I implore you call upon the name of the Lord with the deepest sincerity you are capable of mustering and he will respond to that call. He has a heart to save the lost...

Surely enough efforts has come from you defending institutions, religious tradition is nothing more than a front. God is interested in the heart, the very core of who we are needs to be exposed and then we can seek forgiveness for who we are, instead of trying to find merit on who we think we are. The truth be told, “There is none righteous, not even one” and until you can say amen to that you will remain in darkness and be in danger of eternal damnation.

I leave you all with this encouragement, look to Jesus and live, there is no other way and remember to dress for battle. Simply put, what would Jesus do in any given circumstance? This is the benchmark of where our minds needs to find its direction. Obviously this may seem like an impossibility, sure if we look to our own abilities, but not if and when we walk in the Spirit. This is the key to it all; “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.” (Galatians 5:16) – Theory is easy to study and yet application to the concept quite another thing altogether. Let go and let God. My mind is at constant war with itself and I wouldn’t have it any other way, thank you Jesus. 

Whatever is of importance at any given time in a day, these are the times when we have the opportunities to bring glory to our God and Father or not. A day filled with so many opportunities and this is what we must learn, to see them for what they are and not self-gratification. Father I have so far to travel, fill me with your Spirit so that I may be about your will and not my wants.     

Signing off

Tyrone

Focus

Focus is something that is eluding me of late, my eyes are not as sharp as they once were. But focus is critical as we move into 2020, we need it more than ever, as if that would be possible. We have always relied on Jesus the author and finisher of our faith from inception through to the end, our complete dependence is on Him to get us home and through each day. However I can’t but help wanting to stand on the highest mountain to blow my trumpet. Every Christian has been given a measure of faith and with that comes gifting, spiritual gifting. That which we will all have to give an account of when God summons us into his presence, for the judgment of fire will reveal our faithfulness to the measure we have received. Fire will test our works; “each one's work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done.” (1Corinthians 3:13)

The rewards we receive here, we will carry with us into eternity, and my prayer is that I would become a lot more diligent in my application across the entire spectrum of obedience in my life. To have an ear fine tuned to the voice of my Fathers will. Please pray for me, the day is soon approaching when the trump of God shall sound, the rapture is coming and just as the sun rises each morning, complacency is setting in, just as the Word predicted. Whether that day arrives in our lifetime, it should have very little bearing on the way we all finish our race. It’s time to dig deep, resolve to please our God like never before and to find grace to achieve this goal.

Another year has closed in and a new one begins, the pyromaniacs have achieved their goals and the birds are starting to sing their songs, the sun isn’t quite ready to show itself, but it won’t be long now. Resolutions are intentions that never seem to actual blossom. But with God all things are possible, therefore let us remember to look to Jesus the author and the finisher of our faith in everything we do and may it always be to the glory of our heavenly Father’s will. God first and His righteousness and the rest will fall into place. Of this I am persuaded. 

May the peace of our God surpass each and every trial we may face this coming year, to Him be the glory now and forever more, Amen!

Signing off

Tyrone

Habits

Our resolve when it comes to habit forming has two sides to the coin. Good and bad alike both play there parts in our lives and only a fool would deny the reality of it all. However when it comes to our persuasions on a particular topic it’s hard to be swayed either way. Nevertheless the work of the Spirit in our lives can soften the rigid self-willed intent of us all, this is an attribute of His brilliance and the evidence is clear for even the doubters to see. His ability to conform the harden sinner into a loving saint. It’s the change in a person’s demeanour that becomes a drawcard to the spectator. This is where He silences the critic, praise the name of Jesus! As it was His accomplishments here on earth that has unleashed the power of the Holy Spirit, softening the hardest of sinners into repentance. A miracle of the highest order. As for the Christian we all wear our heavenly Father's coat of arms, we must just remember to dress for battle. This is the resolve I look to instil into my daily living, the perfect will of God for our lives. Needless to say as soon as there is a shift in my understanding, as I grow in the good graces of my God, obviously the work of the Spirit moulding an individual’s character. However it’s when I look to gloat with this change as a personal achievement, this is when the door to pride swings open; “God resist opens proud but give grace to the humble.” I know which umbrella I want to live under. And it’s when I dress for battle that I am remind of these truths.

You see although I am called (it's an action I have to initiate) to dress for battle, once I position my attire correctly I am forced to realise that its God in me the hope of Glory, there is now no wiggle room for the deceitfulness of my heart to want to puff me up with pride. If pride is evident then I have dressed incorrectly and need to re-examine my attire and how it has been positioned. I have misunderstood some of God's instruction, or I could still be a babe in Christ needing the milk of the word to form my understanding.

Conscious decisions need to be made on a daily basis and you know my stance on when that should happen, daybreak, at the crack of dawn, in my view is the best time to spend at the feet of Jesus. That association sets us up for the day’s challenges. 

Thank you Father God for your brilliance and I love you with all my heart. Continue to purge the chaff from my life I pray.

To God be the glory now and forever more, Amen!

Signing off

Tyrone

Christmas Day

It’s not the thought that causes sin to sprout but the action to that idea. In like manner today is such a day filled with festivities, from childhood we have been trained up in idolatry and simply put Christmas is a day fill with so much of it, it’s our default to accommodate the whole enchilada. We lodge everything that is thrown at us, the birth of Santa Claus; Saint Nicholas was a bishop who lived in the fourth century in Asia Minor in Myra. Today we know it as Turkey. This was a process of evolution, and he evolved into the person known as Santa Claus or Father Christmas. Subtle nuances which very much remind me of the Garden of Eden. There is no denial of Christ but the shift is clear. Just like Satan or the serpent said to Eve, “has God said”? Here we have a day which the world believes is the day that Christ was born. Masses of people across the globe paying homage to one another, giving each other gifts with their houses decorated with trinkets and pointing us in the opposite direction of our great Saviours birth. Just enough of a distraction to soften the gospel message, a strawman if you like. Today should be a day fill with opportunities in highlighting our sin and the need for a Saviour.

My prayer is that we would focus on God’s perfect gift, a son born of a VIRGIN not a queen, a precious woman and yet the focus is not on her but on Christ. There will be a constant shift throughout, driving us away from Christ. Keep your focus on why God sent him into this world and use today as an opportunity to highlight God’s purpose. God so loved! He has made a way for us to escape His Judgement, which is coming for the unbeliever and the one who refuses to repent. Remember to be accurate with your delivery, it's important!  A deliberate action is required; confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in our heart that God raised him from the dead. Once this truth resonates repentance will follow if it hasn’t already.

Signing off

Tyrone    

Forgiveness

(Matthew 6:12)  “And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” 

Do we seek forgiveness within the measure of our forgiveness for others? This is a question that needs very serious consideration. If not then how will we measure up on judgment day? However with all things considered is this a thought I look to deliberate so that I can get away with a measure of my own deceitfulness, the heart looking for an excuse to find favour from God regardless of my actions just because of my willingness to forgive others.

There seems to be a fine line that needs to be negotiated correctly if we are to fall on the right side of God’s judgment. And it begins with the finished work of Calvary. “Jesus in my place” is foundational and we must never forget what was done for us, this is why we have been commanded to “Break Bread” in remembrance of Him. Nevertheless the truth behind my consideration is a valid one, do I seek to forgive individuals who have trespassed against me from the very bottom of my heart, or is it more of a superficial forgiveness? Lip service with a concealed smile that hides the root of my bitterness. The goodness of God has afforded me some understanding on the value of what has been penned in the Bible, it is a reflection of himself, it has been meticulously thought out and of great value to us if we have ears to hear. Everything has its place, even if we struggle with certain facets.

Even in the early days of the writings of the book of Leviticus, where the First Covenant is spelt out in detail. The requirements God had for his people, also known as the Law of God. Everything stipulated there is of necessity and relevant for its day. Why would it stipulated, that you will not lie with an animal if that wasn’t a consideration of the day? It must have been significant. For most that would be an unconceivable thought and yet just a few weeks back a radio station discussed it in an open forum as if it was their right. I was not privy to the hour of broadcast so I will hold my judgments, but I know it happened. Judgment is coming.

My point before I go off on one of my tangents is this, if it has been penned we need to sit up, listen carefully to the instruction, and then chew on the Word before we swallow it. This is very important… Who doesn’t know the prayer “Our Father”? And yet how many chew on its instruction with meticulous care before rattling it off as some miracle drug that is there to wash our sins away. Maybe if we repeat it many times we might find forgiveness. What rot! Deceit of our hearts looking to excuse our sin, be careful!

At the very least are we forgiving those who trespass against us as we seek out forgiveness for our sin? If not you are like the proverbs says, it’s like the blind leading the blind and both fall into the ditch. The Word is there to help us, not shackles us, but we must treat it with scrupulous care, but always from the springboard of the finished work of the Lord Jesus’ sacrifice on Calvary. His death, burial and resurrection. We must confess with our mouths; an open declaration that Jesus is Lord and also believe from the very bottom of our hearts that God raised Him from the dead. Then we shall be equipped to grow in the good graces of our Heavenly Father and consider his instructions as we confront the challenges of life on a daily basis. It called maturing as Christians, or are we content in running around in nappies?

Signing off

Tyrone

A Reminder

It is possible for the Christian to get bent out of shape when it comes to the fundamental doctrines of Christ; it is obvious that in Christ there is no confusion, but in the heads of believers that is not always the case. Everyone has a voice that they trust will be heard and it is a difficult occurrence to find the brother that has had his mind renewed to the point where his tongue only produces sweet waters; eternal live-giving waters that is sanctioned by God. We must be careful not to oppose the unity of the faith with our own “hobby horses” that could outshine our limits to the true doctrines of Christ…

Our minds must never shift to a place where we over emphasis our parts in the salvation of God in our lives. What I mean by this is when we stand on a doctrine that we know to be true in accordance with scripture but our lives depict another story altogether or we rest upon our laurels; “believing right doctrine will no more save you, than doing good works will save you” (Charles Spurgeon) – We have been save by the finished work of the cross, Jesus Christ our Lord accomplished this on our behalf from start to finish and this must always remain foundational in our lives. Without His mercy and grace we would all remain faithless but now we have a resolve to receive direction for Him that is if we have truly been born again.  

With that said let us make every effort in the good graces of our Lord to lend an ear to His instructions.

So whatever that may be for us at this point in our lives let us be ever the more diligent as we look within and then look to our king to find grace for any given circumstance. Put on Christ and put off self and vice versa, think of it like changing charging garments, take off self so that we may help others.

God give us the grace and fortitude to walk in His glorious light, but before we get trapped by the magnitude of that thought, remember the Lord’s instruction, one day at a time. Let us not go beyond today whilst combating sin, small chunks at any given time and before long when we look into the mirror we will see a totally different individual and the change will be pleasing.

Signing off

Tyrone

Forget Not!

Lest I forget Gethsemane lead me to Calvary, to love the Lord with all we have is the objective the Christian pursues. This is the climax of our "pursuit of holiness", to echo the Lord Jesus’ words “it is finished” or at least will be for the struggling pilgrim when he arrives. The Apostle Paul knew he had run his race and the end had come and his words where, “I have kept the faith”. To be a man with just a slither of his commitment would be so rewarding and who doesn’t have memories we can draw from, those times when we cried out to Jesus and he suckered us in his loving arms.

“Our Father”, a famous and well known prayer, now move through each line of the prayer, a fresh reminder of where we have come from and what God had done for us. A miraculous intervention, to save a sinner like me, with all my mistakes, bumps and bruises as a reminder of how far I have come, thank you Jesus and yet I have still a ways to go before echoing those words.

When times get tough, just remember Gethsemane and the hardships of our beloved Saviour endured for us. It’s when our minds play this victim game that we tend to lose focus. We have been called to suffer and the purpose of the struggle will bring us through the other side refined and a lot more like Jesus in character. This part of our growth is referred to as “Baptism into suffering”. We never have to ask the question, why? If and when we lose sight of the call to arms let us remember Gethsemane. After all isn’t that what we all want? To be like our great Saviour.

And the only way to achieve even the slightest resemblance is to cry out and find grace in time of need, if not the task at hand will become impossible. I do not want us to be confused in application, it’s not about finding strength to be better at our jobs or help with an exam. That would be acceptable if we were to desire those traits, but surely it’s the good and perfect will of God that we look to embrace.  It’s all about self-denial, squashing our will for self-gratification at the expense of others. Closing the doors of sin in our lives, which takes on many shapes and forms. My prayer is that we see ourselves as we are, that God would shine His righteous light into any particular action at the appropriate time, so that we are not blinded by our own darkness. The wickedness of our hearts blinding us from the blemishes that stain our lives. The flesh is so full of treachery that I long to shake it, once and for all to put it off and what a day that will be. However, until then may we all run our race with a burning resolve to be more like Jesus even whilst we house these earthen vessels tainted by self.

Signing off

Tyrone

Crystal

Crystal is a word often used to describe clarity, and last night was such a night for me as God revealed a truth to me and it became clear as Crystal.

Deception is on every corner and the war is fierce and we are under a continual barrage of topics to take our minds of the truth in every area of our lives. A world filled with a “victims mentally”, a diversion, any cause to take our minds of what really matters, which is the WILL OF GOD for our lives. After all nothing else will count for much. We live and then we die and then eternity starts, where time is no longer a factor. One may save a dolphin or two or stop eating meat and somehow feel important enough to voice your efforts whilst picketing through the streets, doing your bit to save the planet. At what expense? God is the finally authority and certainly not privy to mankind’s approval on any matter whatsoever. It’s not as if we “the clay” has power over the “Potter”. God was never created, HE IS! We are his creation. 

I trust your mind is beginning to soften and understand how blessed we are in Christ, I speak to the Christian. And where does the strength of God lie? I will not speculate, but only glean truth that we have been given. God’s power is in his VOICE. He speaks and it comes to pass. God says and it happens. How the mechanics behind that actually works, I cannot say, however what I do know is when God gives a command it happens, accept when his creation rebels, the apple of his eye, Adam and Eve on their own mission decided to do it their way. Every planet orbits whilst holding its correct position, God has command it so, and yet mankind his prize creation, those created in His image, freewill their own persuasions on others and don’t give a damn about the will of God! The day of judgement is just around the corner…    

Let us now use our imagination, slow down and try visualise creation prior to God’s intervention. All we are told is that “in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth”. This is how the Bible introduces God with its first line. A crucial point that so many have missed, no wonder there are so many off on a tangent looking to save the planet. Misdirected energies moving people away from God instead of toward Him. People have been so blinded by this, when stripped down they actually believe that they can outsmart God. A fruit of Satan. Did you know that God is going to destroy the earth and make a new one from scratch, there will be no patch work done and those who have bent the knee to His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ will be its benefactors housing a glorious eternal spiritual body.

Let me explain; if God’s power resonates with his instruction, then how foolish would it be to go against it? It would be something like a man trying to go toe to toe with superman. The outcome an obvious one, unless he himself was made from kryptonite. We are carnal and God is a Spirit, an eternal entity, the One who is without beginning or end. We have so much more to learn of Him. However we have certainly been given enough information about His existence that it’s only the fool who would turn a blind eye and yet this seems to be the very thing that set God off against His creation. Mankind worshiping the creation instead of giving Him, the creator of all things, due benevolence. Quotes like, “the planets have aligned” or “mother earth” and the like, what rot!

Here is the verse to prove my thought; “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.” (Romans 1:18) - men and women rebelling against God with their own agendas, whilst their sin fuels their passions. 

Nevertheless in spite of it all God has “SO LOVED” that he has given us an escape and it not taking the dairy farmer to task as we look to close them down but rather the Saviour of the world, Jesus Christ, God in the flesh is the way, the truth and the life. He is the only answer. Repentance from us is require, a confession of our sins to God and not to a priest who then resolves us of our sin that is just another diversion. Salvation is personal and it must be by faith, individuals calling out to God from their closets. We have been instructed by the same voice who spoke the creation into being to call out unto Him so that we may escape the prevalent judgement, as it is coming. No differently to the rising and the setting of the sun. 

The only question we need to ask ourselves is whose side are we on, as for me and my house we will serve the Lord, Amen!

Signing off

Tyrone

Counsel

Sitting under the counsel of God’s Word has a phenomenal influence upon one's understanding. The confirmation of the change on our perception is staggering, the work of God the Holy Spirit is miraculous, changing hardened selfish individuals to resolve to lay down their lives for others. Society always looking for magic formulas to stand out from amongst the crowd. The bestselling techniques for the salesperson, the most effective diet for the one looking to trim down and so on. But as for the Christian, faith comes from hearing the Word of God and in turn it’s our faith that feeds our hope and our hope which energies our love one for another. After all, that’s what it is all about, LOVE and yet so many miss it. Why? I believe it is linked to our selfishness, instead of giving we are always looking to take and it’s about our rights and the privileges of others matters just so long as we are not left out of the mix. This is where the love of God is magnified so beautifully.

Let us explore…

I speak now to the Christian, please do not overlook the magnitude of God’s love, take a moment and consider some facts. Positionally, God is at the top, there is no one higher than Him. No one has the ability to teach him anything. The first Covenant, the law of God, although perfect in requirement what it lacked was an ability to set the captive free. It held the sinner in bondage to a law that was impossible to keep. Not that the law of God isn’t perfect in letter, it is. It exemplifies the character of God and the requirement He expects from his creation. Sadly sin had disqualified mankind of ever achieving that objective, save a few men that over time pleased God. Job and Daniel are two men that come to mind. Men who lived prior to the achievements of Christs victory on the cross and yet they seemed to be totally committed to the will of God for their lives. Men you silenced Satan. What an outstanding achievement. However, although we are able to glean from the Bible how they please God though their commitment to Him, these where isolated accounts through history, until the Lord Jesus Christ conquered death on that cruel Roman cross, freeing up a multitude of people to cry “Abba Father”. The second covenant proofing that the greatest of these three, “faith, hope and love” is LOVE! "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whoever believes on him would not perish but inherit eternal life." Put another way, it the love of God that actioned him into giving sinners a lifeline, but it came at a heavy price, His son, God in the flesh, had to die, be buried and then be raised from the dead to make a way for mankind to get back into a rightful relationship with our creator. What truly amazes me it the driving force behind God’s decision, it wasn’t guilt or pity, NO! It was the love of God that actioned Him into sending us a lifeline. This is why if you reject the work of the cross as your own personal lifeline and you do not embrace it with all you have, the Love of God will elude you. The outcome on the other side of death will be his wrath, the opposite extreme of his love. Imagine if God went to such lengths to highlight his love for us, having his own son crucified so that we could find freedom from the law of sin and death. The opposite must also be true, how severe will the wrath of God be? But today the love of God is on offer, praise the name of Jesus. "Whoever calls upon the name of Lord will be saved", but call you must.

I implore you, today is the day of salvation and do not harden your hearts as in the day of provocation. Their distrust of the voice of God on display for all to witness, with an undertone of what is God doing? We do not have the right to challenge God, ever! However we do now have the right to cry Abba Father, thank you Jesus.

Signing off

Tyrone

Victory

There is no other name where by a soul can be saved, save the name of Jesus Christ the Lord and any weapon fashion against the Christian will not prosper, it cannot for God has so willed it, Jesus has conquered all of our enemies and He did it in a body like ours. Think on that and be still. Give thanks with a grateful heart remembering the love of God and the extent of it. There are many religions propagating many different solutions but they are all noise looking for betterment. Religion depends on us but Christianity depends of Christ, praise His name now and forever more, get on the bus or you shall be doomed for eternity. It is a simple solution, however we must agree with the psalmist if we are to find rescue…

(Psalm 51:5)  Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. 

Here we see a true understanding of our station before a Holy God and how we compare. We have been hewn from a rock of sin and not from a sheet of innocence as the world loves to project. Even now as I pen these words I sense the resistance. There is no doubt that a baby’s mind is uncorrupted by the completeness of sin and yet they are beings just waiting to find their form as sinful creatures. It is impossible for it to turn out any other way and as much as our children are the apple of our eyes, they teach us the most about this truth. It doesn’t take long to witness sin beginning to forcibly mould their characters. The first tantrum when things do not go their way or how they learn to squirm into position to win their parents over so that they end up having their way. And then we catch them red handed in their first lie, really the list is endless. However, there is no doubt to what we see, but we knew that already, all we needed to do was have a long hard look in the mirror. Sin is the archenemy of God and Satan is the father of it all. This is where the ultimate battle begun and where is will end; we will be in either of the camps, of this I am certain, sin will always look to disguise its true colours as acceptable. It will always play itself off others; “I am not as bad as her” as it looks to justify its actions. But above all, it will always challenge the WORD OF GOD. We will never find true deliverance until we come to the same place David did and for some it may take a catastrophic disaster to come to our senses. I thank my Heavenly Father and my glorious Saviour for the hard knocks in my life as futile as most have been, they have shaped me into a position of weakness, seeking out God’s mercy and His grace. True strength is found in Him and once we truly see ourselves for who we are and accept our realities will we then be able to cry out unto the One who has it in His Power to save, Jesus the man who died and then was raised from the dead, the son of God, the God of Abraham. Isaac and Jacob!

Stop that “strawman” in its tracks, we are all sinners and rotten to our core, we need the grace of God to save us from ourselves and until we see ourselves as such we will have a hard time falling to our knees and seeking our God’s forgiveness for our sins. Remember the two thieves on the cross as they conversed with the Lord Jesus, how do you see yourself? Where do you fit in and what will you do about it? I have made up my mind, as for me and my household we shall bow the knee to Jesus.

    

Thank you Lord Jesus; just as you have been merciful to me I ask that you be merciful to all who now find themselves sharing my thoughts.

Signing off

Tyrone

Hope!

Hope! We all have it, in one form or another, but as for the Christian we feed our hope as our character is formed through the trial of life, without it we would be like water tossed to and fro as the wind skims the surface and the undertow tugs away at our resolve. Without hope we would be of all people most miserable. However, it’s through the difficult times in life that highlights the hope we have in Christ, if not we haven’t really understood the purpose of the “trial of life”. It’s the struggle that builds our hope, which is; “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality.” (1Co 15:52-53)

Death will come to some, but not to all, immortality our crown, but more than that we shall be like Him, individuals free from sin and co heirs with Christ. Sons of the living God, God will call us his sons, He will personally declare us as such to the angels and the unbelievers, those would thought they knew better than Him, wow! When I begin to ponder on these things my mind jumps for joy, how could it not? The hope we have in Christ and HIS perfect FINISHED work is like marrow to the bones, a comfort to the heart and it bring a song to my lips.

Remember this Christian, there is a day not too far away where we will see our Saviour as He is, not a physically marred weak man hanging on a cruel Roman cross, but the RISEN CHRIST IN ALL HIS GLORY! And know this, we too will have a body similar to His, praise God for the hope we have in Him. Without the love of God none of this would be ours, WOW!

So let me leave you with this thought, its character which produces hope, so before we ask why is this happening? Let us peel back a layer of the brilliance of God and then we will bless Him for His genius, knowing that it’s the “trial of life” which produces hope. Can an olive release its goodness without being crushed?

Thank you Father for including the Christian in your master plan, I love you and just to be allowed to see a snipped of your brilliance puts a skip in my step and warms my soul, to God be the glory now and forever more, Amen!

Signing off

Tyrone