Surefootedness

In order for the realities of God's Word to be worked out in each of our lives, we must have sure footing. The very fullness of the freedom that is available to us as taught in Romans 6, 7 and 8 is something we must grasp in order to be built up as we stand on the Rock of our salvation.

There can be no meaningful results from the many valuable exhortations that we hear from Spirit-led teachers and ministers in the church, no revival or a difference in our own individual lives, no reality of the life of Christ lived out in us unless we stop trying to produce good activity from our own evil flesh; that flesh that has been dealt with at the cross.

How we need to believe and learn to take a stand on what our loving and faithful God has done and will do for us in freeing us from ourselves and the sin which so easily entangles us.

This essential truth lies in simplicity; that only He is enough. This is the source of our steady footing as we stand on the Rock and allow Him to complete the work in us that He started.

Early Chemistry: Adam & Eve Ate Something

Adam and Eve ate something and it changed them and the entire course of history. It changed their behavior and way of thinking.

"Since by man came death..."

Unheard of, nowadays?

A married man abruptly changes, becoming generally aggressive. His family becomes broken as he strays away from them. Everyone he knows is left to pick up the pieces. Later, it is discovered that he was taking a certain medication that became known to provoke just the behavior that plagued him.

Obviously, there was a chemical in the fruit that affected Adam and Eve. There was a chemical in the medication that affected, or should I say amplified, a certain behavior of the man. However, in both cases, the chemical brought out the fact that there was already a bad character issue.

Adam and Eve concluded that they were guilty and in need of a Saviour. The man mentioned above, a believer, woke up to the fact that he had done wrong and needed to confess and turn from his destructive behavior. Although already a believer, he was freed from his behavior by understanding and believing in the power of the ALL-sufficient work of Christ on the cross.

There are those who teach that we, as believers, don't have a sin nature. "It was crucified with Christ, literally, and no longer exists," they say. Satan was defeated at the cross too, wasn't he? Well, he didn't go away and our sin nature doesn't either. Both are left right here with us.  Thank the Lord! Both drive us to dependency on Christ rather than self dependency.  In this way, God has a tremendous power tool to use sin against itself.

Adam and Eve ate something.  However, "by Man came also the resurrection of the dead."

For as in Adam all die,
even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

(Note:  Since the tasty little morsel in the photo contains all raw organic ingredients, the worst chemical would probably be the only non-raw ingredient - espresso).

The Buts

Satan talks to God about Job.  He says, "But put forth Your hand now and touch all that he has, and he will curse You to Your face."

We tend to focus on the potential for failure.
How many times do we fall in with naysayers who say no good can come of this and we start to doubt?

We tend to doubt the power of Him in someone.
How many times would we say there will be failure because we can see certain characteristics in someone?

Why do we leave out - "But God,..."?

Then Job arose and rent his robe and shaved his head and fell down upon the ground and worshiped... "blessed be the name of the Lord!"

But God:
     had mercy...

     who has given...
     who has also given us His Holy Spirit...
     has revealed...
     has chosen...

     shall be with you...
     be thanked.

Hopelessness vs. His-fullness

A young lady, who had clearly been doing some thinking, called in to a radio talk show.  She said that she had become aware that her generation has been deceived into hopelessness.  Her schooling, modern science, and even governmental authority have all united to teach that life is indeed hopeless.

Without being obvious, the teaching of hopelessness takes these forms.  We are counseled to:

 

(1) Soothe ourselves with doing good deeds. We will make our lives significant by supporting a worthy cause, even a close-minded religious cause such as environmental activism.

(2) Rely on newly discovered knowledge to help us make it further into the future as enlightened human beings.

(3) Take advantage of the newest medical developments to undo our mistakes, calm us and give us better quality of life.

(4) In our hopelessness, allow ourselves to fall on the goodness and power of the government, (a selfless entity that truly cares).

 

When this pervades our society, it's no wonder that some of it soaks in
to us.  Doesn't this underscore the necessity of the "washing of water by the Word" ?  There is no way to counter this influence unless we HEAR from our Creator Who can completely fill the holes of hopelessness in our lives.

 

So, to quote one of my dear friends, "We have filled 'His-fullness' areas with so many other coping skills."

 

Wash your feet with the water of His Word.  Don't succumb to the World by using coping skills and losing your true freedom.  Pursue His kingdom and the significance that He gives.

Simple Freedom

Addiction = Slave to Sin

"...knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin;"  Romans 6:6

A believer in Christ cannot be addicted,
because,
A believer in Christ is no longer a slave to sin.

Why would a believer in Christ appear to be addicted to... (whatever)?

He or she is not fully understanding and believing Romans 6:6.
"We know that our old (unrenewed) self was nailed to the cross with Him in order that [our] body [which is the instrument] of sin might be made ineffective and inactive for evil, that we might no longer be the slaves of sin."

"Give yourself up to Him, take yourself out of your own keeping and entrust yourself into His keeping."  That is an absolute requirement.

"So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed."  John 8:36

Believe it and you are free indeed.  HE tells you, "Trust Me and I will deliver you."

He is enough.  Your sin is not beyond His power so that you need Him plus... (something else).  He is enough.  The work is already done by Him. 

Walk through that open door of freedom.  Grasp that life-saving rope that is within your reach.  It has been there all along.

Anything else is saying that He is not enough.

Really Understanding Ourselves (Why Wouldn't He II)

When we really understand who we really are, we tend to say:

"Look not upon me, because I am black..."

Then, He says:

"You are all fair, my love,
And there is no spot in you."

From the Song of Songs.

Wrestling With God

An amplification of Philippians 4:13 has this phrase:  "I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency."

This flies in the face of the godless, big-government leftists who happen to be in control of power.  This very concept is at the root of the recent news that Evangelical Christians are now on a list,  existing within the US military, of terrorist groups. 

Big government, by definition, competes with God.

HOWEVER, it flies in our own face and that of our brethren-in-Christ, as we/they might not understand that He is all-sufficient for all of our needs.  We, too easily, believe that more than just Christ is necessary. 

So we, (like Jacob wrestling with the Angel), compete with God, too. Don't be surprised when He has to touch the hollow of your thigh, taking away your strength so that you are forced to stop looking to your own sufficiency and have to cling to Him.

Withdrawn From His Power

We don't seek His kingdom and His righteousness first.  We don't accept His gift of a willing heart.

Why?

Unbelief, which brings about distrust
Lack of faith, which undermines confidence
Misunderstanding of the Gospel, which causes us to misunderstand our position in Christ and buy into the thinking of the world.

We distrust His promise to complete His work in other believers and ourselves.
We shrink back because we don't have confidence.
We think of ourselves as hopelessly terminal in our failings until we get to heaven. 

In our minds, the power of the fullness of the Godhead has become considerably less than the power of the enemy, the world, our own flesh and the waves that buffet us.

Why?

We have withdrawn ourselves from His power.

What Are You Serving?

Sandwich A

 

Sandwich B

 

When you come alongside your brother or sister in the Lord to encourage and help, which sandwich do you serve them?

Which would you rather eat?

Distrust, (whether it's distrust of the person or distrust of God's ability to work in that person), is very bitter, isn't it?

Peace is very sweet, soothing and nutritional.

On the Fly

In light of the Lord's present dealings with us and our children and thinking back on my own history, I am reminded that we have standards that we want to meet.  There are standards that we would like to see met by our children.  My history testifies that I certainly didn't meet those standards when I was their age. 

However, my Father-God worked what was needed in me - on the fly. 

He continues to do so. 

Having to get taken aside to "reboot" or forced through some dramatic process isn't always His way.  Mercifully, He can move us along without always having to turn us upside down, as He faithfully completes His work in us.

We don't have to jump through certain hoops.  It's always so simple.  It's always His love for us and our love for Him.  Fast or slow, it's just His simple work in us in His time. 

Guard Your Joy

 

We keep hearing the saying, "Satan is trying to rob me of my joy."  Well, if that's the case we'd better guard our joy.

I'm not sure that Satan himself is always personally available to do that, but his forces of darkness in this world and his minions certainly are capable and are waiting to steal joy away from us.

How do we guard our joy?

"But take heed to yourselves and be on your guard, lest your hearts be overburdened and depressed (weighed down) with the giddiness and headache and nausea of self-indulgence, drunkenness, and worldly worries and cares pertaining to [the business of] this life."  Luke 21:34 Amp

"For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls."  Hebrews 12:3

"Taking heed" and "considering" do require self-effort, just as Peter couldn't continue walking on the water as long as he gave up the effort of looking at and trusting in the Lord Jesus.

Reality Check

 

It seems that a reality check is often needed.  When you feel the weight of sin and darkness closing in on you, remember:

"...while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal."

The world and even our own brethren will tell us there is no lasting solution for people with our problems. We're just going to fail again and again.

We know we are not to supposed to buy into that - but, we do.

"...they tell us we're all terminal

But I don't believe a thing they say, they're only words

Science and technology to help us numb the pain

But far beyond any science there is one thing I am sure of

A virgin had a Son, and a stone was rolled away

So how can we be terminal, because He lives today"   (John Elefante, from "This is How the Story Goes.")

Yes - it's impossible for us to do well. It's impossible for us to make the right decisions all the time. We should be terminal.

HOWEVER, we serve the God of the impossible. The One who calls what is dead, "alive". The One who has already proved Himself to be the One Who operates in the realm of impossibility.

Take courage, dear ones. Don't stand still in terror. Choose not to walk the dark path of the world today. Your Master and personal Super Hero is not limited by what people think.

Rest Easy, (Working While You Sleep II)

It is vain for you to rise up early, to take rest late, to eat the bread of [anxious] toil—for He gives [blessings] to His beloved in sleep.  Psalm 127:2 Amp

So, engaging in the driven lifestyle that is respected and glamorized by the rich and famous isn't what is taught by our Creator; Who knows us best.

Get your proper rest and make sure not to fall into the, "what have you done for me lately," anxious, self-destructive mindset.  That's not the way the Master of the Universe works.

Assuming the Worst

How many times do our fears get disappointed when we assume the worst?

Assuming the worst seems to be connected to our culture of stress.  Sometimes the worst happens, but that's not the rule.  We assume that things have gone, or will go, horribly wrong so easily that we become easily manipulated by a whole gamut of people from a salesman to a powerful politician. Besides that, we shorten our own lives and ruin our health by living under the stress of these self-generated fears.

Beware of giving an opening to those who would take advantage of you, including your enemy(ies). Beware of the self destruction that you are taking upon yourself.

“Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?”

"What do people get for all the toil and anxious striving with which they labor under the sun?   All their days their work is grief and pain; even at night their minds do not rest."

 “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life?  Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?

Food Enzymes

Digesting His Word:  Taking it in with understanding; being able to break down the meaning and take in the nutrients of it so that we actually use the Word as our food for living in REALITY.  Then, we can be victorious the in way that He intends.  We can overcome the world by faith.

Consider the way we could overcome if we would digest and take in the nutrients of these verses:

“Blessed is the man whom You discipline and instruct, O Lord, and teach out of Your law, that You may give him power to keep himself calm in the days of adversity…”

“In returning [to Me] and resting [in Me] you shall be saved; in quietness and in [trusting] confidence shall be your strength.”

Psalm 94:12, 13 and Isaiah 30:15

Read your Bible, pray.  Meditate on what you read.  Meditation comes naturally if you seriously read His Word.  Food enzymes.

Fire Under Us

 

We have to face it; we really don't perform our best unless there is pressure, born of necessity, being exerted on us.  Necessity, competition, disciplinary pressure and those in the arena of life that are looking on, press us to perform better.  The hopelessness of the circumstances of daily life press on us in an unrelenting way.

Without these pressures, our pride takes over and we are not driven to dependence on HIM.

It's fear of the fire under us all that drove me to into His arms.

Gateway to Life (2)

The movie theater shooting in Colorado is now a world famous event.  A title to a later news article states, "His Gun Jammed".  There's Psalm 76:10 again.  This time, the restrain aspect of the verse jumps out.  The testimony of the Lord's own has been manifesting itself in the aftermath of the shooting to again prove that even this is another gateway to life.

Again, we wring our hands over the evil behavior of man while the Lord already knew what would happen and has restrained it, girded and armed Himself with it.

"Surely the wrath of man shall praise You; the remainder of wrath shall You restrain and gird and arm Yourself with it."  Psalm 76:10 Amp

Restoring

Many of us have a built-in desire to restore; to fix it, and leave it better than it was before:  Maybe, adding some creative touches of our own.

God is the Master of this art.  We might have His program installed in us to restore, but He is the One who will - and does - make all things new.

He Owns the Night

"The day is Yours, the night also is Yours..."  Psalm 74:16

Yes, He made the day and He made the night.  Between the hours of 12 noon and 3 pm, there was night-darkness over the land while He "muscled up" under the load of sin and our sins - as well as God's holy judgement.  Only He could triumph in this and He did.

"He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit." John 19:30

 ...They shall come and shall declare His righteousness to a people yet to be born—that He has done it [that it is finished]! Psalm 22:31

“I will sing to the Lord,
For He has triumphed gloriously!
The horse and its rider
He has thrown into the sea!"
“Your right hand, O Lord, has become glorious in power;
Your right hand, O Lord, has dashed the enemy in pieces."  Exodus 15, (The Song of Moses)

As you walk through the darkness of night or the darkness that you see in broad daylight in this world-turned-evil, you can be thrilled to know that He owns the night.

Exploring Karma

Being confronted by a rating system based on (Good) or (Bad) "Karma", I'm forced to think about what this means and how it affects others.  The conclusion quickly becomes apparent:  Karma is someone else's opinion on how good or bad you are.

In a world where "good" is beginning to mean the loss of liberty, and "good" means using perverse sexual activity as a basis for marriage, etc., it's difficult to see how a Karma rating system can be valid; unless the word "karma" is used as a symbolic label.

In fact, the only way to have a meaningful concept of karma, there must be a judge who is pure, unaffected by change and societal whims.  This judge must be aloof from the blowing winds of cultural opinion and must know true goodness and, I daresay, true holiness.

Such an One exists.  How is your "karma" with Him?

"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." Col. 2:8

The Culture of Stress

 

We are trained, from our youth, to be in a certain mode of operation; the mode of always working our way up from insufficiency, coming from behind, fighting back from past failure or about to fall into it.  It usually starts in school and flourishes in the business world.  It even becomes an undercurrent in our gatherings as believers.

Why do we buy into that?  That's quite different from the REALITY that we are in the middle of God's plan and are walking with Him right where He would have us.  He is always working with us and in us and He doesn't fail at His work.

Why do we teach our kids the same thing?  Deep down inside, the kids know better.  Deep down inside, we forgot.

What do we think it means when God's Word says, "I am convinced and sure of this very thing, that He Who began a good work in you will continue until the day of Jesus Christ [right up to the time of His return], developing [that good work] and perfecting and bringing it to full completion in you."

and

"[Not in your own strength] for it is God Who is all the while effectually at work in you [energizing and creating in you the power and desire], both to will and to work for His good pleasure and satisfaction and delight.

Do all things without grumbling and faultfinding and complaining [against God] and questioning and doubting [among yourselves]..."

 

The culture of stress is ever present and always seeking to shoulder in to our lives.  We don't have to participate and we don't have to teach it or share it with others.

Cannot Fail This School

 

"No believer in Christ enters God's school and comes out a failure."

We can keep this in mind as an encouragement; despite how we, and others, fail at various small and large things in life.  We WON'T fail the most important thing.  HE won't let us.