Self-Sufficiecy is for Babies

We are not called to live on our own, depending on our own flesh.
"For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise." (2 Corinthians 10: 12)

Who do we measure ourselves by, or in whom do we find full stature? In Christ:

"Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:" (Ephesians 4: 13)

So, if God-sufficiency is the goal, the self-sufficiency does not make us strong, but rather weak:

"But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?" (Galatians 4: 9)

The sufficiency that we have in Christ we receive by His grace:

"And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

"Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong." (2 Corinthians 12: 9-10)

Another verse inspires us to draw our sufficiency from Him:

"Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.

"I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need." (Philippians 4: 11-12)

Now, most people just stop there and rest in their own capacity to make do with whatever they have or whatever they are facing. Yet the key to this contentment is not in ourselves:

"I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." (Philippians 4: 13)

He is our sufficiency -- and in Him we have all that we need! Self-sufficiency is for babies. Dependence on Christ for all things is full-grown maturity.

Dependence on Man: Under Law

"Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD. " (Jeremiah 17: 5)

What makes a man who trusts in man "cursed"? When we trust in others, in what we see, then we are not walking by faith:

"For we walk by faith, not by sight." (2 Corinthians 5: 7)

Flesh is all about law:

"I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin." (Romans 7: 25)

Jesus came in the flesh to abolish the law in His flesh:

"[Jesus] abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;" (Ephesians 2: 15)

To be under the law, is to be under the curse:

"For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them." (Galatians 3: 10)

Instead of trusting in the Law, let us walk in the Spirit.

The law of Life through the Spirit is contrary all the way with the flesh:

"For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death." (Romans 8: 2)

This same Spirit has written God's laws on our hearts and  minds (Hebrews 8: 10), and through this new covenant, He has replaced the Old Covenant (Hebrews 8: 13)

Paul stresses that we can rest in His Spirit:

"This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.

"For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.

"But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law." (Galatians 5: 16-18)

This same Spirit knows all things, and thus we can know all that we need to know through Him (1 John 2: 20, 27)

Indeed, fear of man, trust in man is a snare, but:

"whoso putteth his trust in the LORD shall be safe." (Proverbs 29: 25)

Choose Truth -- Greater Than Tradition

The power of tradition cannot be underestimated. Human beings have this intense compunction when it comes to living by a set standard, a set outline for events from one day to the next.

The power of tradition kept many of the Jews locked into place, unwilling to leave the Old Covenant for the New.

"In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.

How many traditions do we have in our lives which Christ Jesus has come to level away in us:

"Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ." (Colossians 2: 8)

Paul later explains in greater detail the superiority of the Truth to any tradition:

"For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.

"And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:" (Colossians 2: 9-10)

Whatever we are looking for in this life, Jesus provides all of it. How could He not, since all things do in Him have their being? (Colossians 1: 18-20)

The word "rudiments" used in Colossians 2: 8 is the same word which Paul uses to disparage the law in relation to saving faith in Christ:

"But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?" (Galatians 4: 9)

It is no longer about our knowing Him, but rather our knowing and believing that He knows us! We are called no longer to hold on to a tradition, a set pattern which does not change, but rather we are called to grow in grace and knowledge of the Lord (2 Peter 3: 18)

The Truth is before there every was a tradition, just as the promise of faith was made to Abraham before the law was given to the Israelites (Galatians 3: 15-18).

The Truth was and is and always will be first:

"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." (John 14: 6)

and

"Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever." (Hebrews 13: 8)

Law Makes us Crazy -- Christ Makes Us Sound

If we are trying to live by a set of rules, it will only be a matter of time before we start to realize that we are under a curse, one which we cannot break free from, no matter how well or how hard we try to obey.

In Christ, through the Holy Spirit, there is a better Way:

"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." (John 14: 6)

and then

"So they, being sent forth by the Holy Ghost, departed unto Seleucia; and from thence they sailed to Cyprus." (Acts 13: 4)

and also

"For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith." (Galatians 5: 5)

and

"This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.

"For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.

"But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law." (Galatians 5: 16-18)

The last verse is key -- led by the Spirit, we are not under law, because the leadings of the Holy Spirit bless our journey and the well-being of all whom God brings us into contact with, too.

To the degree that we attempt to earn what God so freely gives, to the degree that we trap ourselves in seeking to please men and not God (Galatians 1:10), to that degree do we find ourselves in great bondage, struggling like Paul:

"For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.

"Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me." (Romans 7: 19-20)

and then

"O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" (Romans 7: 24)

The Way is made plain for all who believe:

"I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 7: 25)

In Him we receive the sound mind that breaks us free from all bondage:

"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." (2 Timothy 1: 7)

Wandering from Home -- You Find Him

Abraham shares how God caused him to leave his own father:

"And it came to pass, when God caused me to wander from my father's house, that I said unto her, This is thy kindness which thou shalt shew unto me; at every place whither we shall come, say of me, He is my brother." (Genesis 20: 13)

Here, the verb "wander" is:
תָּעָה taah
God caused Abraham to wander from his father here on earth, in the same manner that God outlined that every man would leave father and mother and become one flesh with his wife.

The Hebrew word for "wander" is composed of the three letters:

תָּ tav -- Cross
עָ ayin -- Eye
ה heh -- Grace

From the Cross, you then see God's grace, that will cause you to be a wanderer on this Earth, yet a receiver of Great Promises.

We are called not to depend on flesh (Jeremiah 17: 6), but rather to look to our new Father:

"Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?" (Matthew 6: 26)

In fact, when we receive Christ our rest (Matthew 11: 28), we no longer wander or wonder:

"There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.

"For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his." (Hebrews 4: 9-10)

We rest because in Christ the Work or reconciling us back to God has been finished:

"When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost. " (John 19: 30)

and

"To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation." (2 Corinthians 5: 19)

So, we can stop wandering, but rather we receive the exhortation to rest in Him:

"Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief." (Hebrews 4: 11)

Jesus is Your Father -- if You are Poor in Self

"I was a father to the poor: and the cause which I knew not I searched out. " (Job 29: 16)

Job is a picture of the believer how tries through his own efforts to please God and earn His favor.

Nothing that we do will ever earn God's favor:

"And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work." (Romans 11: 6)

This grace we receive by faith:

"4But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 5Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) 6And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: 7That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. 8For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:" (Ephesians 2: 4-8)

The Holy Spirit has been released to the whole world, released when Jesus sat down:

"Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear." (Acts 2: 33)

He is our Father through this Holy Spirit, who brings with Himself adoption into the family of God (Romans 8: 15), that we may be called sons of God (1 John 3: 1-3)

Instead of standing rich in ourselves, let us accept that apart from Jesus, we can do nothing "(John 15: 5). He is our live (Galatians 2: 20-21), and through His death we are made one of many brethren in the Body of Christ.

Raising Children By Raising them In Christ

The Bible exhorts us to raise Godly children:

"Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." (Proverbs 22: 6)

and

"Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate." (Psalm 127: 5)

Yet let us also rightly divide the Word, and read with ease:

"Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman.

"Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband." (1 Corinthians 7: 1-2)

There is no shame if a man or woman does not feel called to be married. Yet for those who receive the gift to have and raise children, let us then consider the following

Regarding children, grace in Christ gives us the will and the power and the wisdom to raise children:

"And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord." (Ephesians 6: 4)

Jesus is the focus, even in raising one's children.

Let us raise every child, conveying to them that Christ holds all things together for us:

"And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.

"For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;

"And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven." (Colossians 1: 18-20)

Yet what does He do for us, in regards to family and status? Too glorious to miss:

"Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not." (1 John 3: 1)

Let your kids know that in Christ, they are full-grown sons (Galatians 4: 5), and He will lead you in the Way to raise them up.

Sin-Consciousness vs. Spirit-Righteousness

I used to be the really sensitive type, convinced that people, places, and properties could make me mad.

Yet then I read about the fruits of the Spirit in a different "spirit":

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

"Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law." (Galatians 5: 22-23)

These are "fruit of the Spirit" -- they are all in one, composite "fruit", not "fruits", and they are borne out by the Spirit, not by me!

It's not my job to produce love, joy, peace, but to rest in the righteousness which I have received from Christ. The next verse explains this crucial element:

"And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts." (Galatians 5: 24)

We are His now, and thus we have no need to look at ourselves, and wonder if we are pleasing to God:

"To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved." (Ephesians 1: 6)\

So, if love, joy and peace are a supernatural byproduct of abiding in Christ, then why do Christians, like me, get angry so easily?

I believe it has to do with the fact that many of us still walk around with a sin conscience, one that still worries about offending God or doing something wrong.

Yet in Christ, we have been purged from this conscience:

"How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?" (Hebrews 9: 14)

To the degree that we believe that we must think, say, or do things a certain way in order to please God or to maintain our standing before Him, then to that extent we grow easily hurt and unforgiving.

Yet what is the root of forgiveness? Paul explains:

"And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you." (Ephesians 4: 32)

When you rest in the everlasting forgiveness and righteousness of God the Father, forgiving others, no longer taking offense at others, is a snap, a release that blesses you even more!

A sense of sin makes us sensitive. A sense of righteousness and grace make us strong and stable!

More than "Not Junk"-- A New Creation!

I remember one lady in the Celebrate Recovery group that I used to attend.

She was always telling people: "God Don't Make Junk."

Just like that, yet that kind of talk did not make me feel more prized as a human being. I still felt that I was not measuring up. I was still looking at myself.

Then I read Colossians:

"If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God." (Colossians 3: 1)

Why do we keep our eyes on Him? Because as He is, so are we in this world(1 John 4: 17)

Here is a list of all that God has made Jesus to be for us:

"But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:" (1 Corinthians 1: 30)

Jesus Christ is our righteousness, and thus we are the righteousness of God in Christ (2 Corinthians 5: 21)

Righteousness means that before God we are fully justified, made into a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17)

We are not supposed to be evaluating or esteeming ourselves in any way. Our standard, our standing, is wrapped up in Jesus, who sits at the right hand of the Father:

"For David speaketh concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved:

"Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope." (Acts 2: 25-26)

We rest because we know and believe that He lives and reigns in us and through us and over the entire world. Nothing can beat that!

God does not make junk, but we must be born again (John 3: 3). Through His love, we become sons of God (1 John 3: 1)

Indeed, God does not make junk -- but we are called to life and that more abundantly, to be transformed into a new creation:

"For neither circumcision nor uncircumcision matters. Rather, what matters is being a new creation." (Galatians 6: 15)

In Christ we are more than "not junk" -- we are a new creation!

Rest in His Righteousness to Release His Grace

I loved reading this verse:

"The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool." (Psalm 110: 1)

David had a vision of this divine honor for the Son of God early in the Psalms, as well:

"I have set the LORD always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.

"Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope." (Psalm 16: 8-9)

Peter quoted this verse on the day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit was released onto the world. We are no longer pressed in our own efforts to be obedient, but now through His grace do we live:

"But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. " (1 Corinthians 15: 10)

This grace we receive as we rest in His righteousness:

"That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 5: 21)


The grace of God reigns through righteousness, but not our own:

"Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,

"And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:" (Philippians 3: 8-9)

This righteousness is a gift, and one that He gives us to keep on receiving from Him (Romans 5: 17)

Receive the gifts of righteousness and grace, and watch Him reign in your life!

Relationships Have Rules -- In Covenant He Rules for Us

I have never found the element of "relationship with God" adequate to describe what happens to someone who is born again.

Of course, we from being alienated from God, dead in our trespasses, to entering full sonship with God the Father:

"But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,

"To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons." (Galatians 4: 5-6)

We receive this adoption through the Holy Spirit:

"For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. " (Romans 8: 15)

The relationship between a Father and his child is based on much more than rules, though, but one of identity:

"Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world." (1 John 4: 17)

The Jewish leaders of the New Covenant ministry had to lay down some "guidelines" when they began bringing in Gentiles into the Body of Christ. They did not deem it right or righteousness to lay on them the laws of Moses:

"Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?" (Acts 15: 10)

In fact, those laws are now within us, an internal leading through the Holy Spirit:

"For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:
 
"And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.

"For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more." (Hebrews 8: 10-12)

In the New Covenant, God does everything, and we receive His grace by believing that all our sins are forgiven. In this covenant, more than a relationship, He rules in us.

Law Fulfilled -- Love Perfected

"Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world." (1 John 4: 17)

Our love is made perfect because Jesus has made us sons of God in Him.

Let's start with the love:

"Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins." (1 John 4: 10)

This love not only wipes away our sins, and keeps cleansing us from our sins (1 John 1: 7).

This love also transforms us from dead in our trespasses to sons of God:

"Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not." (1 John 3: 1)

In Christ, there is no condemnation (Romans 8: 1), and we are hid in Christ (Colossians 3: 3), therefore, whenever judgment is headed our way, established in righteousness we trust that no weapon will prosper against us (Isaiah 54: 14, 17).

Then we can understand the next verse:

"There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love." (1 John 4: 18)

This perfect love surrounds us, provides for us in everyone, but most importantly, has taken away from us the curse of death:

"O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?" (1 Corinthians 15: 55)

This love perfected has perfected us:

"For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified." (Hebrews 10: 14)

This perfection pertains to our conscience:

"How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?" (Hebrews 9: 14)

Thus, no matter what judgment may be used against  us, by Satan or mankind, we are free from bondage because in Christ's perfect love, the law has been fulfilled and rendered inoperative against us (Ephesians 2: 13-15)

Taking Thought? -- Under Law

The Law is a burden which man cannot bear:

"And he said, Woe unto you also, ye lawyers! for ye lade men with burdens grievous to be borne, and ye yourselves touch not the burdens with one of your fingers." (Luke 11:46)

Jesus has come to give us rest from our own dead works of trying to earn His righteousness:

"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. " (Matthew 11: 28)

and

"How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?" (Hebrews 9:14)

Through His Blood, through His Finished Work, we enter the Promised Land of rest:

"There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.

"For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.

"Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief." (Hebrews 4: 9-11)

Now, Jesus has contrasted seeking and receiving His righteousness with taking thought:

"Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? . . .

"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

"Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof." (Matthew 6: 25, 33-34)

If Law is about us achieving our own righteousness, then it follows simply that taking thought is a result of trying to keep the law.

If we worry, we are presuming that God will not come through for us in whatever needs we may have. Yet the Bible teaches otherwise:

"What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?

"He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?" (Romans 8: 31-32)

and

"Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:

"Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you." (1 Peter 5:6-7)

Let Him rest you, receive His grace, and trust that He has everything under control.

Forget Good and Evil: Choose Life!

"And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil." (Genesis 2: 9)

What did God place in the midst of the Garden? The Tree of Life, who is a picture of our Lord Jesus:

"I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." (John 10: 10)

and

"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." (John 14: 6)

Unfortunately, the tendency for Eve, and for all of us, is to focus on rules instead of the Ruler:

"And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:

"But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die." (Genesis 3: 2-3)

What a minute. . .God placed the Tree of Life in the midst of the Garden, not the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.

God even set out the choice very clearly for the Israelites:

"I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:" (Deuteronomy 30: 19)

Notice how God did not advise the Israelites to choose "good", but rather to choose "life".

God does not want us to focus on the Law, the knowledge of Good and Evil:

"Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin." (Romans 3: 20)

and then

"The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law." (1 Corinthians 15: 56)

Instead, He wants us to focus on His Son, who has given us Himself as our life (Colossians 3: 4):

"If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.

"Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.

"For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God." (Colossians 3: 1-3)

He freely gives us all things, from the Kingdom of God (Luke 12: 32) to the gifts of righteousness and grace (Romans 5: 17).

Focus on His righteousness, which we have received in Him (2 Corinthians 5: 21), and right and wrong, good and evil, will be made manifest to you without any trouble (Hebrews 5: 12-13)

Grow Up. . . Into Little Children

"And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 18: 3)

When I read this passage, I was really confused.

Am I supposed to be dependent? Ignorant? Easy to please, easy to fool? What does it mean to become like "a little child"?

Let us establish what the Kingdom of heaven is all about:

"For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost." (Romans 14: 17)

Some may quibble about the difference between "Kingdom of God" and "Kingdom of Heaven", yet they are one in the same. God reigns in heaven, no doubt (Isaiah 66: 1).

This Kingdom we receive as a gift:

"Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom." (Luke 12: 32)

What does the Spirit of God have to do with becoming a little child? Paul explains:
"For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

"The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:

"And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together." (Romans 8: 15-17)

How does this occur? One verse in the Gospel of John answers this question perfectly:

"Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." (John 3:3 )

Becoming a little child is all about being born again -- and this is something that we do not accomplish or achieve in our own effort, but receive as a gift by the transforming power of the Holy Spirit.

"But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,

"To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. " (Galatians 4: 4-5)

When we receive the Spirit of God, we grow up. . .into children of God!

Jesus Christ in Every Part -- In Detail

"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." (John 14: 6)

He is Way to the Father:

"I  am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture." (John 10: 9)

"If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him." (John 14: 7)

and

"Jesus cried and said, He that believeth on me, believeth not on me, but on him that sent me." (John 12: 44)

and

"Now God himself and our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, direct our way unto you." (1 Thessalonians 3:11)

He is the Truth:

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." (John 1: 1)

and

"Then said Jesus to those Jews [Through Him, we are Abraham's seed, too (Galatians 4: 6] which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;

"And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." (John 8: 31-32)

He is the Life:

"And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst." (John 6: 35)

and
"He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water." (John 7: 38)

and

"The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." (John 10: 10)

Jesus Christ in His own Words - the Way, the Truth, and the Life!

You Have All that You Need in Him

"For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;" (Colossians 1: 19)

Wow! Jesus has "all the fulness" -- what is that all about?

Check out the previous verses:

"For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:

"And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

"And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence." (Colossians 1: 16-18)

John claimed that the "elders" also commanded a compelling vision of Jesus Christ:

"I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning." (1 John 2: 14)

Jesus -- He who has been from the beginning, He who is closer than a brother (Proverbs 18: 24), He who is our hope of glory (Colossians 1: 27) and the Mercy Seat for all our sins ( 1 John 2: 2)

It is no surprise, then, that Paul wrote:

"What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?

"He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?" (Romans 8: 31-32)

and

"I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." (Philippians 4: 13)

and

"But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4: 19)

God is Not Angry With You -- And He Never Will Be!

"In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the LORD thy Redeemer.

"For this is as the waters of Noah unto me: for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth; so have I sworn that I would not be wroth with thee, nor rebuke thee." (Isaiah 54: 8-9)

The wrath against us for our sins has been wiped away because Jesus Christ took the wrath for all our sin. The previous chapter in Isaiah reports this wonderful gift:

"Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

"But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed." (Isaiah 53: 4-5)

"By His stripes, we are  healed" -- right now, in our Spirit man, we have all the healing that we need. "Surely" -- this is not open for debate, He has done it, "bruised for our iniquities" Jesus has done this!

What do the waters of Noah represent? Peter explains:

"The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:" (1 Peter 3: 21)

Jesus' resurrection has granted us new life in Him, that in Him we are now accepted, fully graced in Him! (Ephesians 1: 6)

The "everlasting kindness" is the gift of righteousness, the perfect standing of accepted before God because Jesus has given us His righteousness (2 Corinthians 5: 21)

When we are established in His righteousness (Isaiah 54: 14), no weapon formed against us can prosper (Isaiah 54: 17), including the attacks and the condemnation of the Enemy, for in Christ there is no condemnation (Romans 8: 1).

No condemnation for us because Jesus became sin itself in our place (2 Corinthians 5: 21), and thus we are set free from every having to feel God's wrath in our lives:

"Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him." (Romans 5: 9)

God is not angry with you, Beloved! Rejoice!

Jesus is Already Your Good Shepherd

"I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep." (John 10: 11)

Many people ask God for guidance. The ask Jesus for wisdom and direction, as if He has to be nudged or coerced to help us.

In fact, Jesus is our Good Shepherd, and the Shepherd is laying out His life for us all the time.

He did not just lay down His life for us at the Cross, although because of His death and resurrection, we are able to reign in life (Romans 5: 17) and be more than a conqueror (Romans 8: 37). He invites us to come to Him, and allow Him to rest us (Matthew 11: 28). Just as He invites us to keep receiving the gifts of righteousness and grace from Him (Romans 5: 17).

The Shepherd is in place for us before we were looking for Him, by the way:

"And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father." (John 6: 65)

and also

"Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you." (John 15: 16)

In fact, the first parable in Luke 15 illustrates how totally loving and giving is our Good Shepherd:

"What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? 5And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing." (Luke 15: 4-5)

The sheep does nothing but allow the Shepherd to pick him up and save him.

Jesus is already your good Shepherd. Believe on Him, rest in Him, and let Him be glorified in carrying you!

Under Law, You Cannot Grow Up

Under law, we cannot grow up:

"Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all;

"But is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father.

"Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world:" (Galatians 4: 1-3)

What is the tutor that creates this bondage? The law:

"Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith." (Galatians 3: 24)

What brings us out from under the law? Faith!:

"But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.

"For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus." (Galatians 3: 25-26)

Faith is the means to become a child of God:

"That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith." (Galatians 3: 14)

and

"Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:" (Ephesians 4: 13)

The law makes us weak once again:

"But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?" (Galatians 4: 9)

Under law, you cannot grow up. In grace through faith, you grow in knowledge of the Lord (2 Peter 3: 18) and you grow to know all that you have in Him (Philemon 6).

The Fiery Darts of Law Have No Effect Against Faith

"Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked" (Ephesians 6: 16)

What are these fiery darts all about? What do they do? Why are they there?

Another passage of scripture may shed light on this line of attack from the enemy:

"Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head." (Romans 12: 20)

The "coals of fire" refer to conscience, that a man is afflicted, ashamed for slandering one who lives righteously through Christ.

In the Book of Job, Leviathan, which many attribute to be Satan, also has fire coming out of his mouth:

"By his neesings a light doth shine, and his eyes are like the eyelids of the morning.

"Out of his mouth go burning lamps, and sparks of fire leap out." (Job 41: 18-19)

So, this fire speaks to afflicting the conscience of a man, and this fire also comes out of the mouth of Satan.

What does Satan say to us:

"And he shewed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him.

"And the LORD said unto Satan, The LORD rebuke thee, O Satan; even the LORD that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?" (Zechariah 3: 1-2)

Satan, in Hebrew, means "Accuser", and he is called the "Accuser of the brethren (Revelation 12: 10).

So, those fiery darts are accusations from Satan, how we do not measure up to God's standard, how we have failed in this way or that way.

Yet the defense to these fiery darts is faith -- faith in the Son of God:

"If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God." (Colossians 3: 1)

What is Jesus doing  up there, on our behalf?:

"Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us." (Romans 8: 34)

and

"Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus;" (Hebrews 3: 1)

Jesus is our representative in Heaven before the Father, ever justifying us, ever declaring us righteous (2 Corinthians 5: 21), granting to us His standing, that we boldly enter before the throne of grace to call on for any need (Hebrews 4: 16).

Have faith that in Christ you are perfected forever (Hebrews 10: 14), and the fiery darts of the enemy will dissipate!

Perfect Love -- His Love Perfected

"There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love." (1 John 4: 18)

and

Why does perfect love cast out fear? Because it’s all Him, and none of us. This love has nothing to do with us, whether we are good or bad! It’s all about Him.

Looking back over the entire fourth chapter of First John, we find first the definition of God's love:

"Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins." (1 John 4: 10)

This love has covered all of our sins. Not one sin has been left unpunished, or otherwise Christ would not have risen from the dead.

Giving all to redeem us from all and then some, that is who God is:

"And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him." (1 John 4: 16)

This love does more than just remove the imputation of sin in our lives:

"Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world." (1 John 4: 17)

We have boldness in any day of judgment because when the Accuser of the brethren, or any other accuser tried to shame us, we merely rest in the righteousness that we are in Christ (2 Corinthians 5: 21; Hebrews 4: 11)

This love is perfected, also, because it forever takes care of our sin problem, that we can walk about freely without fear of condemnation, punishment, or death.

This is the perfect love that casts out fear, a love from which nothing can separate us (Romans 8:38-39)

People Who Know Only God Persecute the Children of God

"These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended.

"They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.

"And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me." (John 16: 1-3)

Those who know God as a distant power will persecute those who know God as Father.

This persecution began in the Old Testament:

"And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, which she had born unto Abraham, mocking." (Genesis 21:9)

Sarah would not let anyone offend her blessed child of Promise:

"Wherefore she said unto Abraham, Cast out this bondwoman and her son: for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac." (Genesis 21: 10)

In this verse is the first mention of the concept "cast out", and Paul elaborates on the type and shadow of Law and Grace to the Galatians:

"Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise.

"But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now.

"Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman.

"So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free." (Galatians 4: 28-31)

Hagar and her sickly Ishmael represent the law, which makes a man weak and beggarly. (Galatians 4: 9)

Through God's grace, we are not servants, but full-grown sons:

"And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.

"Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ." (Galatians 4: 6-7)

We are free in God through His grace, which we receive by believing on Him whom God the Father sent to die for us (John 6: 29)

Those who still think of God as master do not know His grace through His Son, so they will persecute those who know God as Father, which we know and believe through Christ.

"Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world." (1 John 4: 17)

Our Conscience in Christ -- No Longer Seared

Much has been made of the notion that people lose a sense of sin as they grow older, thus making them more susceptible to error, to falling into sin, and thus to ending up in perdition.

One religious missal interpreted "conscience seared with a hot iron" to mean individuals who were no longer sensitive to sin.

Let us take a closer look at the passage and see what we find:

1Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; 2Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; 3Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth. 4For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving: 5For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer. (1 Timothy 4: 1-5)

First of all, this passage indicts individuals who are not saved, in that they depart from the faith because they refuse to believe in the first place. They will "speak lies in hypocrisy" -- now, hypocrisy implies people who talk about being godly, yet their lives demonstrate something entirely different, much like the Pharisees, who played up the law, to their own folly, in large part because their righteousness did not impress Jesus (cf. Matthew 23). God is looking for heart transformation, not just behavior modification.

"Their conscience seared with a hot iron" -- now, tradition has suggested that this term refers to people who no longer know right from wrong, as if they are completely insensitive.

Yet the Bible indicates that even with age, a man's sense of guilt does not diminish, but can grow worse. When the Pharisees brought before Jesus the woman caught in the act of adultery, Jesus just wrote on the ground. This is how they responded:

"And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst." (John 8: 9)

Therefore, the traditional interpretation fails on many levels. First of all, to "sear with a hot iron" implies punishment, branding something in such a way that the mark cannot be removed. Any mark, or stigma, proclaims guilt, not a "blank" or unaccountable conscience. Strong's concordance also offers the following for support:

(branded in their own conscience i. e.) whose souls are branded with the marks of sin"

Therefore, it's not about being free from a sense of sin, but rather a sin-consciousness which never leaves a person.

The passage itself also indicates an obsession with sin:

"Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats."

Paul also indicts this voluntary humility in his Epistle to the Colossians:

"Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances, 21Touch not; taste not; handle not; 22Which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men?" (Colossians 2: 20-22)

More rules emerging -- that smacks of Pharisaism.

Yet the blood of Jesus Christ has put away this sin-consciousness from us:

"For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins." (Hebrews 10: 2)

In Christ, there is no condemnation (Romans 8: 1), and to be otherwise afflicted is a great tragedy.

We are no longer called to labor under a sin-conscious, but to live out His life in us through newness of the Spirit. Jesus was crucified to serve as the propitiation of all our sins, and to grant us His life, so that we would no longer look at ourselves for sin, but rejoice in His righteousness in our lives.

Leave Your Father, Receive God the Father, and Become a Father of Many

Some people are afraid to leave Mom and Dad. They think that they cannot make it out in the world on their own.

Yet the Bible is full of examples where we are called to enter in the easier of life of faith in God the Father:

"Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee" (Genesis 12: 1)

The LORD, the God of Covenant and caring, called Abram to leave country, kith, and kin to receive the Promise.

Jesus Christ had the most intimate relationship with God the Father, which He gave up for us, so that we could have the same standing in Christ with our Father:
"And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt."Mark 14: 36

then

"And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" (Mark 15: 34)

Then Jesus brought the Good News of our new membership in His Family:

"Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God." (John 20: 17)

We have received a Spirit of adoption, one which convicts us of perfect, righteous standing before God (John 16: 11):

"For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father." (Romans 8: 15)

Through the Spirit of God, we receive grace:

"Brethren, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen. " (Galatians 6: 18)

This grace then transforms us from exalted in our own eyes to dependent and fruitful through His Spirit, just like Father Abraham.
"Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee." (Genesis 17: 5)

Leave your father, receive the Father, and become  a father of many by sharing the Good News about your Father in Heaven.

"What if?" Makes No Sense for the Believer

The vanity of thinking that we must take in today, tomorrow, and hash out yesterday -- all of it is fussy nonsense.

Jesus taught us:

"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

"Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof." 9Matahtew 6: 33-34)

His Kingdom is greater than your yesterdays, your today, and your tomorrows!

"I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty." (Revelation 1: 8)

It is rank hubris for us to take thought for the morrow, as if He is not taking care of all things for us. Yet something within us makes us feel that we are irresponsible or dissolute if we do not worry. Through Jesus, we have the perfection that we are longing for, the peace of mind which frees us from an evil conscience:

"For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified." (Hebrews 10: 14)

All the "what ifs" and "premonitions" are merely distractions from an enemy who wants us to look at ourselves instead of rest in the Finished Work of Christ Jesus. Here is the simple response to the deceptions, tremors, and fears which cause us to look at ourselves instead of the One who loves us, justifies us, and lives through us:

"Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 6: 11)

"Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief." (Hebrews 4: 11)

What are we called to believe?:

"Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent." (John 6: 29)

Believe on Jesus Christ for all, for He is our rest:

"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11: 28)

He is our rest, He who has been from the beginning (1 John 2:13), who never changes (Hebrews 13: 8). If He has everything, then it makes no sense at all to ask "What if?"

From Jeremiah: We Trust Him Because He Has Forgiven Us

"Ah Lord GOD! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee:" (Jeremiah 32: 17)

Who is the "Outstretched arm" but Jesus Christ, our Savior?

Nothing is too hard of God.

Yet Jeremiah, whose name means "The Lord is High", started to have his doubts, even when the Lord instructed Jeremiah to redeem a plot of land, predicting that the Israelites would return.

The Lord then spoke to Jeremiah Himself:

"Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me?" (Jeremiah 32: 27)

The Lord had to remind Jeremiah of His omnipotence over everyone and everything, not just those who believe on Him.

I believe this passage can teach us not only to trust Him, but also that even if we doubt Him, even if we get discouraged by our circumstances, God is still willing, able, and sure to come through for us, if we hear Him and believe what He tell us.

In the same chapter, the Lord provides the antidote to the unbelief which holds many believers back from trusting Him:

"Behold, I will gather them out of all countries, whither I have driven them in mine anger, and in my fury, and in great wrath; and I will bring them again unto this place, and I will cause them to dwell safely: 38And they shall be my people, and I will be their God: 39And I will give them one heart, and one way, that they may fear me for ever, for the good of them, and of their children after them: 40And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; but I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me." (Jeremiah 32: 37-40)

How do we fear the Lord? When we know that He has forgiven all of our sins:

"But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared." (Psalm 130: 4)

The same New Covenant Promise which the Lord gives to Jeremiah, he repeated to him the key elements of it, including the condition that will make it all come to pass:

"And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more." (Jeremiah 31: 34)

The Lord repeats this provision many times, and we in the Body of Christ must continue to renew our minds to this wonderful truth, laboring to enter the rest that in Christ all our sins are forgiven.

Why Take Thought? You Are Under Grace!

"No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon." (Matthew 6: 24)


When we take thought for our lives, we are under law, convinced wrongly that our lives are our responsibility.

Yet we are no longer under law, but rather we are under grace:

"For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace." (Romans 6: 14)

How does sin measure up with the Law?:

"Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin." (Romans 3: 20)

and then

"What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet." (Romans 7: 7)

Through Christ's death on the Cross, the Old Covenant has been fufilled, replaced by the Second Covenant of Grace and the Spirit:

"But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises." (Hebrews 8: 6)

and

"In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away." (Hebrews 8: 13)

The elements of the New Covenant were spelled out in the previous verses:

"For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:

"And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.

"For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more." (Hebrews 8: 10-12)

The law goes from the stone to our hearts, but this law is not the Ten Commandments, but the law of liberty (James 1: 25; 2: 12), the new commandment of Love (John 13: 34), because He  has loved us first (1 John 4: 19).

God the Father has promised to be "a God" to us -- that means He has our past, our present, our future, our needs, our wants all taken care of.

So, if you are "taking thought for the morrow", then you are neglecting the truth that He is watching out for you -- a matter of unbelief.

For this reason, Jesus stressed:

"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." (Matthew 6: 33)

Or, in other words:

"For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more."

Remember your righteousness in Christ (2 Corinthians 5: 21), and you will take thought for nothing in your life.

A Divided Mind: Under Law

"For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.

"A double minded man is unstable in all his ways." (James 1: 7-8)

What makes a man double-minded?

I used to think that a double-minded man was a believer who was sinning, or a believer who did not believe everything about Jesus Christ.

I have since learned the importance of rightly dividing the Word of God (2 Timothy 2: 15)

How are we supposed to ask God for anything:

"But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed." (James 1: 6)

In faith, we ask for God. Yet if we are under, trying to earn through our own efforts what God so freely gives, then He cannot help us:

"And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them." (Galatians 3: 120

A man who is under law is "double-minded" or "double-souled", because like the believer whom Paul describes in Romans 7, he wills what he cannot do, and he ends up doing what he cannot do, and in his struggle he is looking at Himself instead of trusting the Lord, who with Himself freely gives all things (Romans 8: 31-32)

As long as we are pressing ourselves to live out the Lord's life in our own efforts, we are not walking in the Spirit, and thus we frustrate the grace of God in our lives (Galatians 5: 4)

To walk by faith, we then receive His grace, and through His grace, we receive all things.

Therefore, be established in Christ's righteousness, knowing and believing that you are no longer under law., but under grace (Romans 6: 14)

Under grace, your faith works through Him, and thus in you there will he "nothing wavering."

Single Soul is a Prospering Soul

"But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.

"For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.

"A double minded man is unstable in all his ways." (James 1: 6-8)

This passage grants to us insight on how we may have our soul prosper (3 John 2)

We prosper in our soul if we are walking in truth (3 John 3-4), which means that we walk according to grace and not the law:

"For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ." (John 1: 17)

If we are under law, then we are also of divided mind, or rather "double-souled" as James writes in the original Greek.

We are called to rightly divide the Word of God (2 Timothy 2: 15), receiving that we are no longer under law, but called to believe and receive Himself, that His grace may live and thrive in us.

To prosper in ways and means, our soul must prosper, and our souls prosper when we are walking in grace and truth, not trying to live yet living in bondage to the "letter that kills" (2 Corinthians 3: 6).

God Remembers Your Faith -- Even if Imperfect

"And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets:

"Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions" (Hebrews 11: 32-33)

When I first read "Barak", I mistakenly thought that the writer of Hebrews was referring to one of the enemy Kings of Israel, or the seer whom he had hired to curse the Israelites, when then turned into a blessing (Numbers

In fact, Barak was a champion of the Israelites (Judges 4), one whom the Lord  sent to subdue and defeated Jabin the king of the Canaanites.

Yet the circumstances surrounding his ascendancy in the Old Testament suggest that his standing was marred. Deborah the judge, ruling at the time over the Israelites, called Barak to take on Jabin the King of the Canaanites (Judges 4: 6-7). Barak hesitated:

"And Barak said unto her, If thou wilt go with me, then I will go: but if thou wilt not go with me, then I will not go." (Judges 4: 8)

He did not have complete faith or resolve to take on the Canaanites.

Deborah chided Barak for his reticence:

"And she said, I will surely go with thee: notwithstanding the journey that thou takest shall not be for thine honour; for the LORD shall sell Sisera into the hand of a woman." (Judges 4: 9)

Yet in the Book of Hebrews, neither Deborah nor Jael, the woman who ultimately slayed Jabin, are mentioned in the Hall of faith in Hebrews 11.

"Barak" means "blessed", and when you are blessed by God, he causes you to prosper. Because we are under the grace of God through His Son Jesus, we can rest in the truth that God is for us, that He prospers us, and that he rewards our faith (Hebrews 11: 6).

Beloved, the life that you live, you live by the faith of the Son of God (Galatians 2: 20), so you can rest assured that whatever you do in faith will prosper, regardless of how weak you may find your faith to be.

Self-Deception: Not an Issue for the Believer

"If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." (1 John 1: 8)

All of humanity has been convicted of sin:

"And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:

"Of sin, because they believe not on me" (John 16: 8-9)

Jesus Christ, through His death, has made the full and final sacrifice for all our sins:

"For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God." (Romans 6: 10)

and

"By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all." (Hebrews 10: 10)

and

"And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world." (1 John 2: 2)

So, the one sin that will send people to hell is simple refusing to believe that Jesus is the One whom the Father hath send to be the mercy seat for all our sins.

When reading First John, it is important to rightly divide the Word of God (2 Timothy 2: 15), and recognize that the first chapter is a generic, open statement, but not to believers. Only in the second chapter does John address believers, calling them "my little children.

So, as long as men and women do not believe that they are dead in their trespasses, that in their own works they work obedience and righteousness, then are they "self-deceived". However, once we come to believe that Jesus Christ died for us, and through Him we receive His Life that He may live through us, then we are dead to our former selves, and resting in His righteousness we reign in life.

No longer do we spend time looking over our shoulders, making sure that we do not offend God or break His law, because in Christ the Law has been fulfilled (Matthew 5: 17), and we have been purged of a conscience of dead works (Hebrews 9: 14)

Enter His rest, and you need never fear self-deception or wandering away from the life that He leads in you.