God's Perfect Love Removes Strife from Our Lives

"Only by pride cometh contention: but with the well advised is wisdom." (Proverbs 13:10)

Pride creates strife, the need for men and women to make themselves First, to grant themselves a sort of pre-eminence.

But where does this pride come from?

In yesterday's post, we read about the ultimate problem of condemnation, and the fear, envy, and strife which spring forth from it.

Another verse sheds light on what causes this pride:

"15Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 17And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever." (1 John 2: 15-17)

What manifests in people who love the world? The pride of life is one of them.

Why do they have this pride? Because ... "The love of the Father is not in them."

Simple as that, yet not easy to rest in.

We need to have a growing, all-powerful revelation of how much our Daddy God loves us!

"9In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. 10Herein 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 4:9-10)

Love is not about what we do for God, but about what Daddy God has done for us, and is committed to keep doing for us through His Son.

Now check out what love perfected is:

"17Herein 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)

As Jesus is, so are we in this world!

When we understand that our Daddy God loves us as much as His own Son, when we realize that all of our sins have been put away, and we are placed in Christ, seated at God the Father's right hand (Ephesians 2:4-6)

He has granted us His own Son's righteousness. We never need worry about shame or condemnation ever again, because Jesus became sin that we would be made the righteousness of God in Him (2 Corinthians 5:21)

When we understand more about God's perfect love for us, that He sees us just as much as He sees His own Son, then we hvae no reason for pride, no reason to seek the esteem or approval of the fallen world--and thus we enjoy an end to strife.

There is No Strife When You Reign in His Life

"Only by pride cometh contention: but with the well advised is wisdom." (Proverbs 13:10)

Pride, the self-serving demand to make oneself first, this is the source of strife in anything and anywhere.

What is the root of this pride, however?

Fear, that someone is getting something, but I am not, or that someone has taken something from me, and there is no retribution for it.

At its core, though, the biggest issue hurting all of us is ... condemnation.

Man's greatest need is to be loved, admired, and accepted.

Anything that challenges that will elicit fear, pride, and thus strife.

Consider how Rachel felt when she was not bearing children to her husband Jacob:

"And when Rachel saw that she bare Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister; and said unto Jacob, Give me children, or else I die." (Genesis 30:1)

Notice that word "envy"---the older sister Leah was bearing all the children. What about her?

Also, in Biblical times, when a woman was struggling to give birth, it was considered a reproach, a sign of shame or condemnation:

"22And God remembered Rachel, and God hearkened to her, and opened her womb. 23And she conceived, and bare a son; and said, God hath taken away my reproach: 24And she called his name Joseph; and said, The LORD shall add to me another son." (Genesis 30: 22-24)

So, the most important thing to get rid of in order to be free of condemnation, a sense of being "passed by" or let go, is to remember that we have received all things in Christ Jesus!

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:" (Ephesians 1:3)

We have been justified from all things because of our Lord Jesus!

"38Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: 39And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses." (Acts 13: 38-39)

So, because of His righteousness, and the abundance of grace which flows in our lives because of it, we reign in life!

"For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ." (Romans 5:17)

And we are seated in heavenly places in Christ, right next to God the Father! (Ephesians 2: 4-6)

One cannot get much higher than that? There is no need to worry about not having enough, or to think that God blesses others, but at our expense, or that we end up being left out of those blessings. That is simply notthe case. His blessings flow freely to all who will receive them.

Now, what happens if you do not believe that? Then you face the Diotrephes problem:

"9I wrote unto the church: but Diotrephes, who loveth to have the preeminence among them, receiveth us not. 10Wherefore, if I come, I will remember his deeds which he doeth, prating against us with malicious words: and not content therewith, neither doth he himself receive the brethren, and forbiddeth them that would, and casteth them out of the church." (3 John 9-10)

Notice that Diotrephes wanted to be #1. The word in Greek literally means "to be first."

If we do not recognize God's headship, and that His Reign is in our best interest to bless us, then we will demand to be first, just as the fallen angel Lucifer did (cf. Isaiah 14)

Notice the prayer that John gave for his friend--well-beloved friend--Gauis:

"2Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth." (3 John 2)

When we understand that God's heart is for us to prosper, then we don't have to get jealous of others, nor do we have to engage in pride, putting ourselves ahead of others.

When you know that you reign--yes, like a king--in Christ, then there is no need for strife!

Faith in Christ's Redemption Stops the Roaring Condemnation

"My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions' mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt." (Daniel 6:22)

Faith is all about the Finished Work of Christ Jesus.

Jesus accomplishe at the Cross a perfect work, taking all of our sin, and granting us His gift of righteousness:

"For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ." (Romans 5:17)

and then

"For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." (Galatians 5:21)

It's all about righteousness! We have been made fully justified through Christ Jesus, and freed from every demand--and thus every curse--under the law:

"10For 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. 11But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith. 12And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them. 13Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: 14That 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: 10-13)

So, we have no reason to fear any curse, or any condemnation for that matter!

"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus," (Romans 8:1, NIV)

Now, there will still be fiery darts of accusation in the world and from Satan.

Remember that this old enemy has been defeated, but cannot hurt us:

"8Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour." (1 Peter 5:8)

Now, the roaring of a lion speaks of the wrath of a king:

"The king's wrath is as the roaring of a lion; but his favour is as dew upon the grass." (Proverbs 19:12)

Yet we see a beautiful picture of God's redemption and grace at work in Daniel's seeming predicament, in which rivals induced Darius, King of Persia to pass a law which would make it a crime punishable by death for anyone who prayed to any other god except the king.

Daniel continued to pray to the Lord his God, his rivals reported him to the king, and the king was forced to have him delivered to the lion's den. The account records that the king did everything that he could to deliver Daniel.

Yet Daniel had to be thrown into the den.

Yet Daniel lived! How? The Angel of the Lord (a pre-incarnate appearace of Christ Jesus) shut the mouths of the lions. Daniel was innocent, righteous before God, and no lion roared or devoured Him.

He had faith in God, and the king of Persia no only believed, but sent out a decree to the entire world to believe in the living God, the God of Daniel--and your God and my God today!

Let us rest in the truth that because we are in Christ, we will never be condemned, we will never be devoured by any evil. No matter what weapons may form against us, they cannot prosper, because our righteousness comes from the LORD, and He puts to nothing the roars of the enemy, trying to make it sound as though God our King is mad at us.

Yet He will never be mad! For God's own Son took on all the sins of the world (1 JOhn 2:2), and He is our mercy seat now and forever!

No Great Joy Than to be Redeemed From All Things

"Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile." (Psalm 32:2)

This blessing is so overlooked.

I was meditating for the last few days on the promises which God made to Abraham:

"2And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:

3And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed." (Genesis 12: 2-3)

and then

"Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?" (Genesis 18:18)

and finally in Genesis, we find:

"1And Abraham was old, and well stricken in age: and the LORD had blessed Abraham in all things." (Genesis 24:1)

Wow!

I want the blessings that Abraham received. He was blessed in all things.

Of course, we are indeed blessed with Abraham, because of Jesus:

"So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham." (Galatians 3:9)

and also

"29And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise." (Galatians 3:29)

So, what is the most important thing when it comes to being of faith?

It's about believing that all your sins have been forgiven, and that we have been made righteous:

"6Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. 7Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. 8And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed. 9So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham." (Galatians 3: 6-9)

BAM!

There is no greater joy that to be redeemed, to be justified from all things through Christ Jesus.

That is good news, good news indeed!

"38Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: 39And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses." (Acts 13: 38-39)

It's really important for us to get excited about this. I haven't considered how great it is, how sweet it is, that no matter how often I may fail, sin, fall short of the glorious ideal, God will never be angry at me again:

"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 54:9)

The waters prevailed at one time, signs of God's wrath against the fallen, evil world. But the LORD God gave a sign, a testimony through His rainbow that He would never condemn the world again. We have this ironclad promise that God will never condemn us for our sins, because every sin was paid for in the body of His Son Jesus Christ:

"For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." (2 Corinthians 5:21)

No greater joy! Let's us continue to mediate ont he truth that we are set free from all our sins, that we have been redeemed from the curse of the law, that no matter how uch we sin, fall, or fail, Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior is our full propitiation for all our sins (1 John 2:1-2)

Stop Being Faithless: Jesus Is Right Here

"He answereth him, and saith, O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him unto me." (Mark 9:19)

Many people read this passage, and they think that Jesus is somehow impatient, that He is warning people that He will not tolerate their struggle to believe.

That is not what Jesus is saying here.

Let's look at the context for this passage:

"14And when he came to his disciples, he saw a great multitude about them, and the scribes questioning with them. 15And straightway all the people, when they beheld him, were greatly amazed, and running to him saluted him. 16And he asked the scribes, What question ye with them? 17And one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit; 18And wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him: and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away: and I spake to thy disciples that they should cast him out; and they could not." (Mark 9: 14-18)

Notice that Jesus has come down from the Mount of Transfiguration. There were three disciples with Him there on the Mountain: Peter, James, and John.

The other disciples waited at the bottom of the mountain, and then the father brought his demon-possessed son to Jesus.

Before this time, though, the father asked the disciples for help, and they could not. Then notice that the scribes, the lawyers, the experts in the law arrived, most likely telling the disciples that they could not cast out these demons from the boy. Furthermore, they were probably telling them why the boy was possessed, what laws had been broken.

What?

God the Father issued a stern, new command to the three disciples on the Mount of Transfiguration:

"7And there was a cloud that overshadowed them: and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him." (Mark 4:7)

We need to come to Jesus, for He will bear with us long!

Even when the disciples did not believe in Him during the storm on the sea (Mark 4), Jesus still stilled the storm, then asked them--"where is your faith?"

Jesus doesn't go away when we struggle with believing in Him.

In fact, He offers us His faith!

"23Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth." (Mark 9:23)

The verse actually reads more like this:

"If you can?" All things are possible to Him who is believing."

That is Jesus! Let's rest in Jesus' faith for any trouble, hardship, or challenge we face in our lives.

All of this brings us back to his statement: "O faithless generation! How long will I suffer you?"

The essence of this rebuke is "I am not going anywhere. I will continue with you as long as I can. Why want you believe me?"

So, let this exhortation rest in all of our hearts. Let's stop being faithless. Jesus is right here, watching out for us. We have no reason to fear or to force ourselves to get some kind of outcome through our flesh.

Thinking on Things Lovely (With No Condemnation)

Ten years ago, I meditated on this verse to a great extent:

"8Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. 9Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you." (Philippians 4: 8-9)

I would think on nice things, good things, and try to pep myself up with hopeful thoughts.

Yet a lingering sense of fear and upset still plagued me.

I kept thinking that I had to fight off bad thoughts, fears about the future.

I would then feel so condemned because I was fearful of the future, fearful of bad things happening to me.

I didn't really believe in the Gospel in its fullness!

Because I was still dabbling in the Twelve Steps, still going along with the AA cult, just not going to those terrible AA meetings, I did not have a heart that was fully established in God's grace:

"But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God." (Acts 20:24)

The Gospel is about grace, about favor which none of us deserve.

Yet for the longest time, even though I was taught that Jesus had died for my sins, I didn't even have a rudimentary understanding of all that Jesus had accomplished for me!

I didn't just die for my sins!

He died for the penalty which I would have deserved. He even became sin, that I would be made THE RIGHTEOUSNESS of God in Him!

"For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." (2 Corinthians 5:21)

There is really so much for us to be grateful for, there are so many great things to think about!

Consider again what Paul exhorts all of us to think about it:

"Whatsoever things are true ..."

Grace is the Truth that sets us free! (John 8:32)

Grace and Truth are--i.e. is--on thing before God, and we find them both in Christ Jesus:

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

My heart was not established in the simple yet wonderful Gospel:

"38Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: 39And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses" (Acts 13:38-39)

We are justified from all things! Even when we sin, even when we fall short of God's glorious ideal, God will never again punish us for our sins.

Ever:

"1Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.

 "2Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile." (Psalm 32:1-2)

And Paul references this promise to the Romans:

"Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin." (Romans 4:8)

Now that I rest in this truth, now that my heart is at peace in this promise (Hebrews 13:9), it is easy and worthwhile to think on things lovely.

I know that God's promises are at work in my life, and I have His Word through His Son, whose blood was shed for me!

"10For 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:

"11And 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.

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

God is At Work, So Chill Out!

"But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work." (John 5:17)

This verse is very powerful.

Many people think that they have to pray hard so that God will move in their lives.

He is already moving!

Check out what Jesus, His own Son, declared to the Israelites of His day during Jesus' earthly ministry.

He is working behind the scenes, actively working for us:

"Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep." (Psalm 121:4)

It has taken me a while for me to recognize that He is at work, busy making sure everything has been prepared and continues to be ready.

I don't have to hurry or hustle to make things happen.

He promised to take care of us:

"10For 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:

"11And 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.

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

"He will be a God to you."

That means he is on the job, so that means I don't have to force it!

If only the Israelites took God at His word, that He had provided everything for them in the Promised Land:

"On that day I swore to them, to bring them out from the land of Egypt into a land that I had selected for them, flowing with milk and honey, which is the glory of all lands." (Ezekiel 20:6)

God promised, but the Israelites did not believe that He had prepared the way.

Too bad! The giants in the land were all-out terrified of the Israelites!

"9And she said unto the men, I know that the LORD hath given you the land, and that your terror is fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you. 10For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red sea for you, when ye came out of Egypt; and what ye did unto the two kings of the Amorites, that were on the other side Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom ye utterly destroyed." (Joshua 2:9-10)

God is at work, and He is preparing the way. Chill out! Don't think you have to strive in your efforts to make outcomes come to pass!

He is at work! Chill out!

He Has Been Preparing the Way from the First Day

"Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:" (Isaiah 46:10)

It's not just about focusing on Him.

It's about more than knowing that He has been from the beginning.

It's ALL about knowing that He is actively in the works, caring about every need in our lives.

This revelation has taken a long time for me to recognize. He has been busy, at work making everything ready for me on the way.

But it has taken me a long, long time to be prepared and receive these blessings from Him.

God does indeed declare the end from the beginning.

And He wants us to know His Son, Him who has been from the beginning, for that standing defines true Christian maturity, fatherhood before Him:

"I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning." (1 Jon 2:13)

He has been at work for us to receive a blessed, hopeful end:

"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end." (Jeremiah 29:11)

We are called not just to expect the best, but to become prisoners of hope, in that we cannot get away from the good things that God has planned for us:

"Turn you to the strong hold, ye prisoners of hope: even to day do I declare that I will render double unto thee;" (Zechariah 9:12)

I have often believed that I have to know where He is headed, or that I have to have some idea of where the next destination is.

But the Lord is my shepherd (Psalm 23:1), and as my shepherd He sees the way ahead of me. It makes no difference for me to know where I am going, if I do not trust that the Good Shepherd is taking care of me the whole way along the way:

"For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls." (1 Peter 2:25)

He is preparing the way, for Jesus is the Way, as well as the Truth and the Life (John 14:6)

God Deals With Us As Sons

This is a good day.

I have seen some interesting hardships and difficulties in my life over the last two months.

Things just were not working out as I had hoped that they would.

Things have not been making a lot of sense in my life lately.

I had hoped for opportunities to open up, and yet a sense of vision is missing. I am not sure what steps I needed to be taking. I had no idea where I was supposed to be going.

"Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he." (Proverbs 29:18)

I have been lacking the vision. I could not see where God was leading me. It's supposed to be a vision in our heart, and God is not hiding back anything from us:

"[Paul prays that] The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints," (Ephesians 1:18)

We have a confident expectation of good in our lives.

Yet for me, I could not figure out what was going on. So many setbacks seemed to have overcome me.

I began to wonder:

"Is his mercy clean gone for ever? doth his promise fail for evermore?" (Psalm 77:8)

Not at all.

Jeremiah, the weeping prophet, could testify to God's never-ending mercies:

"It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.

"They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness." (Lamentations 3: 22-23)

Let us not forget that this year 2018 coincides with Psalm 118, and the refrain of that Psalm is:

"His mercy endureth forever.: (Psalm 118:1)

So, what is happening? What is going on?

I have learned that it is crucial not to get angry with God.

We should always justify God. ALWAYS! After he was confronted for his sins with Bathsheba and against Uriah the Hittite, David would write in the 51st Psalm:

"Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest." (Psalm 51:4)

The sad tendency for many of us, when we think that we have done nothing wrong, or that we are doing and thinking everything in line with the truth, is that we will justify ourselves. We will talk about everything that we have done, that we have been doing everything right.

Notice that that was Job's response:

"1So these three men ceased to answer Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes. 2Then was kindled the wrath of Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the kindred of Ram: against Job was his wrath kindled, because he justified himself rather than God." (Job 32:1-2)

The truth is that Job was not righteous. He did not believe in the LORD, as Abraham had done (Genesis 15:6).

The righteous live by faith (Habakkuk 2:4, Romans 1:17). We are not justified through anything that we have done, but we are justified because of Christ Jesus, and we continue to receive his gifts of righteousness and grace (Romans 5:17). It's about receiving from Him, not doing for Him.

God is the one who is justified. We should never disparage God in the face of our challenges or trials.

I have ound myself more committed than ever to ask the questions which need to be asked:

"What am I not seeing, Lord? What have I been believing that is wrong? What is it that you need me to see that I have not caught yet?"

Without going into great detail, I often found myself forced into going into certain events. In my spirit, I sensed that the wisest thing to do was to step away from a conflict and trust that Christ Jesus would be able to step in and take care of what needed to be done.

Yet there were other voices who would be saying to me: "You need to take of this matter! We need you to go to this event. If you do not got to this event, then the bad guys will win!"

I knew in my spirit that that statement was not true. Not true at all!

With this revelation in mind, I will cite what I learned in Hebrews 12, too:

"7If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? 8But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. 9Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? 10For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. 11Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby." (Hebrews 12: 7-11)

Chastening is not harm, damage, or punishment.

In the lives of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob event, not once is there a record of God deliberately rebuking or slamming them. They faced terrible circumstances and trying times, but God always appeared in their lives to give them guidance, covering, and provision.

Now that's the kind of life that I want to receive!

So, the challenges are real, the setbacks will emerge. The last thing that anyone of us should do, however, is to county God slack concerning His promises toward us (2 Peter 3:9) 

I can tell you that I faced what seemed like a serious setback when I was blocked on Facebook and banned for good. That has turned into a real win, since I had not read or received more of God's Word. In fact, when so much was going well in my life: great job, great pay, activism, writing, and everything else: I was NOT reading God's Word!

Talk about leanness of soul! That's what I was going through. Those days are gone, and I am back reading God's Word once again! There are so many promises, so many comforts which I had received in my life, and I am glad that today I am revisiting God's promises, and I have been restored to seeing more of Jesus in my life, understanding that I have a blessed sonship before God my Daddy.

He is dealing with me as a son, and I know that He is not only saving me from trouble and strife, but is preparing me for more wonderful things to come!

Thank you, Jesus, that you have accorded to me your standing and granted me your sonship! You became sin, that I might be made the righteousness of God in you! (2 Corinthians 5:21) It is really important for me to see Him who has been from the beginning (1 Jon 2:13). Whatever else has been holding me back, whatever thoughts or ideas that I have believed which are actually not true, I want to know what they are! Why? That I may live, and that I may profit!

God wants me to be a winner in every way!

YES!

Not Stressing Or Struggling, But Resting and Receiving

This lesson has been one of the hardest yet for me to rest and receive.

Our lives do not get better, and God's opportunities in our lives do not get better if we strive and struggle within ourselves or outside of ourselves.

We do not wake up every day trying to force God's will to flourish in our lives.

He is already working within us:

"Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling." (Philippians 2:12)

The more that I strive and strain from within, the more difficult it becomes for God to be allowed to flow in and work in me.

Jesus is our life (Colossians 3:4), and we should allow Jesus to be our life, to flow through us!

We need to rest and receive His life in us, so that His life my produce fruit in our lives:

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. 24And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts." (Galatians 5:22-23)

Let's allow God to work in our lives.

This is not the easiest thing for me. When I see trouble, damage, hardships in my way, I want to rush and do something, or at least force something to happen.

Faith is about recognizing, however, that God is very much on the job, making things happen, making sure that all things work together for our good (Romans 8:28).

He Doesn't Want Us to Know the Way, but His Son--The Way, the Truth, and the Life

"And they journeyed from mount Hor by the way of the Red sea, to compass the land of Edom: and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way." (Numbers 21:4)

Today, I was looking over this passage, and realized how easy it is for any of us to lose heart or hope when heading into new territory, unchartered waters, if you will.

It's really surprising that the Israelites felt the way they day, considering how the LORD was with them and helped them in the following ways:

1And when king Arad the Canaanite, which dwelt in the south, heard tell that Israel came by the way of the spies; then he fought against Israel, and took some of them prisoners. 2And Israel vowed a vow unto the LORD, and said, If thou wilt indeed deliver this people into my hand, then I will utterly destroy their cities. 3And the LORD hearkened to the voice of Israel, and delivered up the Canaanites; and they utterly destroyed them and their cities: and he called the name of the place Hormah." (Numbers 21: 1-3)

Notice that Israel, the very nation as one man, called upon God to deliver them, and God led them to a complete victory.

Yet the find that the journey was taking longer than expected, and they began to lose hear.

"Discouraged" in Hebrew is  קָצַר, which means "to be short" or "worn out"

Notice that they were not tired after wiping out one of their worst enemies.

They were tired because they saw the long journey ahead of them. 

They complained and murmured against God and His friend Moses, despite all the miracles which the LORD had fulfilled in their midst.

God retracted His protection when the complained, and fiery serpents began to strike at the people, poisoning them to their fatal hurt. Then the Israelites begged Moses to take away the serpents, yet God over-answered their prayer, not merely removing what had poisoned them, but directed Moses to provide a bronzed serpent for the Israelites to look upon. When they looked at the serpent, they were healed from their deadly bites.

We need to look at God Almighty, we need to see Jesus, for He is the Way that matters:

"And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up" (John 3:14)

and then

"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)

Let's not focus on the pathway before us, in that we shouldn't think about the time or troubles that may face us.

Let us focus on Jesus, the Author and Finisher of Faith (Hebrews 12:2), and let Him take care of us along the way in every way.

He is Thinking About Me (And You, Too!)

"How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them!" (Psalm 139: 17)

This promise is one of the greatest gifts we need to receive and keep receiving in God's Word.

We need to rest in the truth that God is very much for us, and He is thinking about our needs and wants far more (and far ahead) of us!

"What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31)

He is for us, and no one can take that away!

He has provided for us in every way, so let us trust him in this fashion:

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:" (Ephesians 1:3)

and also

"Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us," (Ephesians 3:20)

He is working within us and with us!

We need to understand that He foresees nothing but good for us, and that His wonderful future planned for us is good!

Very good!

"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end." (Jeremiah 29:11)

And also

"But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, That shines brighter and brighter until the full day." (Proverbs 4:18)

That path belongs to you and me, because of Jesus, the Way, the Truth and the Life (John 3:16), who is made our righteousness (1 Corinthians 1:30)

What  I enjoy meditating on, though, is that My Daddy God is thinking about me!

I am not walking around in this world on my own, as though I am on my own. It may seem tat way, but only if I look at my circumstances, rather than focusing on Him who has been from the beginning (1 John 2:13).

Just a Groan Will Reach God's Throne: Hezekiah and the New Covenant

"And said, Remember now, O LORD, I beseech thee, how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore." (Isaiah 38:3)

I wanted to share something else about the above verse.

After Hezekiah attests to his heart of peace, he "wept sore." In the original Hebrew, he "cried crying", or "cried cried." It's the intensive, superlative for crying.

He had immense pain, and released all to God, not holding back.

God is not angry or upset when we cry out to Him.

All it takes is our groans to reach God's throne:

"And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob." (Exodus 2:24)

The Septuagint reading of the above passage provides the word "groan", and it also means "speaking in tongues":

"Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered." (Romans 8:26)

Whether we cry out to God in our pain, or whether we pray in the Spirit, we can trust that God is hearing us.

He will remember the New Covenant which He cut for us through His on Jesus:

"10For 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:

"11And 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.

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

In our times of great pain, remember to rest in a peaceful heart, cry out to God, and He will heart you!

Having a Peaceful Heart Makes All the Difference

"And said, Remember now, O LORD, I beseech thee, how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore." (Isaiah 38:3)

Hezekiah, one of the greatest kings in Judah's history, was facing an imminent death. The prophet Isaiah told the king to prepare for death. Instead of just accepting this sad fate, Hezekiah reminded the LORD how he walked in the truth and had a "perfect heart",

I looked at this passage recently, and that word "perfect" stood out to me.

Throughout the Bible, we read that man needs a new heart, and that no man can claim to be perfect in his thoughts or deeds.

No man is made righteous through what he does but rather what he believes (Habakkuk 2:4)

In the original Hebrew, the word "perfect" is shalom, or peace, a peaceful heart.

God wants us to walk in truth, having a peaceful heart towards Him, and knowing that He has a peaceful heart toward us:

"Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me." (John 14:1)

God asks us that we "let not" our heart be troubled.

It's that simple. If we allow His life to flow through us, He is able to bless us, allow His grace to rest and be released through us into our lives:

"9And 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. 10Therefore 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).

Let's rest in the peace of Christ, let's allow His peace to hold us and guide us through the hardest as well as easiest times in our lives.

Year 2018: The Year of God's Enduring Grace

Pastor Joseph Prince has taught readers of God's Word that every psalm in the Book of Psalms corresponds to a year, and in each psalm are inferences and prophecies which reveal what took place in those years.

Starting at Psalm 1 for the year 1901, we move all the way to Psalm 118, which corresponds to the Year 2018.

The previous has been quite a wild one. Incredible the things that transpired for me and others. The United States is witnessing a resurgence of faith, the grace of God is breaking forth and receiving new recognition and reception!

His grace is spreading, is shedding forth in our country!

The Year 2018 will be the year of God's enduring grace!

Psalm 118 repeats a key phrase "His mercy (grace) endures forever."

In fact, It's repeated in the first four verses of the psalm:

"1O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: because his mercy endureth for ever.

"2Let Israel now say, that his mercy endureth for ever.

"3Let the house of Aaron now say, that his mercy endureth for ever.

"4Let them now that fear the LORD say, that his mercy endureth for ever." (Psalm 118:1-4)

The verse appears in the last verse of the psalm, too!

"29O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever." (Psalm 118:29)

No matter what limitations we may face, no matter how much we may sin or fall short of God's glorious ideal in our walk before Him, let us rest in the promise that God's grace is everlasting and enduring.

If we want to reign in life, let us continue to receive the twin gifts of righteousness and grace (Romans 5:17), which God continues to bountifully shed on us because of His Son!