Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ

Even after over 40 years of being a Christian, and spending at least some time every day in the Word, there is still times when I read something and it sounds to me like mumbo-jumbo. I have learned however, that I am always missing something when I feel this way. I have been asking the Lord every morning to give me something first and foremost for me, but also something to share on my blog. In fact he gave me the above verse yesterday from Ephesians 1:3, and I had no idea what to do with it.

Since he had given me nothing else this morning, I thought I had better start to meditate on it! Let me start with the thought that he has blessed us with every spiritual blessing, and that these blessings are in heavenly places, and that they are in heavenly places in Christ.

As I thought about the phrase “in Christ,” which at first sight seemed to be just tacked onto the end, I was drawn to Colossians 2:3 which tells me that in Christ “are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” These treasures are hidden! On the other hand “it is the glory of God to conceal the matter, but the glory of Kings to search them out” (Proverbs 25:2). We of course, are kings (Revelation 5:10)!

So our spiritual blessings, which include the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, are hidden in Christ, and in heavenly places. The picture that I have of this, is that there are things, treasures, that are available to those who are in Christ, and that we need, so to speak, to pull them down into the here and now. In particular when God gives us a promise, since He is outside of time, He sees them as already accomplished, already fulfilled. So we need to see things from this perspective and to stand in faith to receive them. In this way we follow Abraham who “believed—God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did” (Romans 4:17).

Father, thank You for these thoughts which help me to see, that I have only just begun to see what You have laid up and made available to me and all who love You. I know that it is Your desire that I seek the things which are above where Christ is (Colossians 3:1). Continue to draw me to Yourself, continue to open my eyes to all that You have for me, and please increase my hunger for You and for Your Kingdom in Jesus Name Amen

no ear has heard and no eye has seen a God like you, who works for those who wait for Him!

Waiting has never been an easy for me, I wrote a song about it years ago with a first line which said “Wait, by far the hardest lesson I’ll ever learn.” Nearly half a century later, I still do not find it easy, but unlike back then, I know the One on whom I am waiting. In particular, the One on whom I wait continues to give me promises and encouragements along the way. His encouragement to me this morning was the hilarious YouTube testimony I had posted some time ago, and of which Facebook reminded me this morning. It’s worth watching

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrbfRyQL3fo&feature=youtu.be&em=

There are times when God does crazy things to encourage me in waiting for Him. In and through the above testimony, He was reminding me again this morning not to limit Him. In hearing the above testimony, so many promises came to mind. In addition to the promise in the title of this post from Isaiah 64:4, I heard “I am making a road in the wilderness, and a river in the desert” (Isaiah 43:19). Also the song “He works in ways you cannot see, he will make a way for me!”

Father, thank You for reminding me this morning of Your exceedingly great and precious promises (2 Peter 1:4). Thank You for Your promise that You will do exceedingly abundantly above all I ask or imagine. After all I’m your favourite son. I don’t understand how everyone is your favourite son or daughter, but I believe it. Thank You that I do not have to wait alone, that You wait with me. You are with me every step of the way, You will never leave me nor forsake me. Your promises are true, I believe You in Jesus name amen

I am the chiefest of sinners

I know of a pastor, who made no attempt to disguise who he was talking about in his sermon illustrations. In fact he would even use their real name! The facts may be correct, but the action is very wrong. And part of why it is, is that when this sort of thing happens, church ceases to become a safe place. In fact it becomes toxic.

A verse that comes back to me over and over is James 5:16. It says “Confess your faults one to another, and pray for one another that you may be healed.” Confession does need to be to one to another, and it needs to be in a safe place. It is not healing if it is me me confessing your faults, or you confessing mine. So we need to be very careful if we are going to use this kind of experience to make a point, be it in sermons or in our conversations. If we are not careful it can become gossip! So we need to change the names to protect both the innocent and guilty. But it’s not just the names we need to change. The Lord prompted me to take down a post this morning, because although I did not mention any names, I may have revealed enough information for someone to know exactly who I was talking about. And if even one person could guess....

This is not the first time that this sort of thing has been brought to my attention, and I was feeling bad about it this morning. In particular the declaration in the title of this post from 1 Timothy 1:15, is hitting home with me. In fact, I realized early on, that as a teacher what I said, what my attitude towards a student was, could deeply impact them in either a positive or negative way.

This sort of thing is part of why James tells us not to be many teachers (James 3:2). The point is that what many would consider a little sin in this area, can have a ripple effect rather like what happens when you drop a pebble in a glassy smooth pond. The effects can go on, and on, and on. So I found myself beating myself up this morning, feeling that I should have known better.

This beating up on ourselves, seems to be very common, but it is part of the fretting that causes harm (Psalm 37:8). Sometimes, the hardest person to forgive is yourself. So I told myself this morning “I give myself a gift I do not deserve, the gift of forgiveness. And I accept Your forgiveness Lord, and Your cleansing.” I was wrong, and I apologize for any harm I may have caused! Please forgive me.

But let perseverance completed its work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing

In many ways I can identify with the child’s cry on a long journey “Are we nearly there yet mom?” I’m talking about my own desire to get out from under the trials and temptations and tribulations that are the lot of all of us in life. And I know that the Lord is often far more interested in the journey, and how we handle the journey, than He is in our arriving the destination.

I have been waiting over 20 years for the fulfillment of a promise He gave to me. And He has confirmed it in many ways. He even recently fulfilled a promises e gave me in the same period of time, but still I do not find waiting easy. So what does it mean, to let patience or perseverance complete its work? Well first and foremost, it is not intended to be passive. The “But” in this quote from James 1:4, links it to the previous admonition in verse 2 where we are told to count it all joy when we find ourselves in these trials, tribulations and temptations.

Joy, is part of the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22), but it is also commanded both here and in Philippians 4:4 where we are told “Rejoice in the Lord always, again I say rejoice.” If I’m understanding this correctly, we are being told that we have a part to play in living in joy, and He has a part to play too. When we do our part He will do His. And in fact, I need to be reminded of my part over and over.

So what is my part? Verse 3 says “knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.” In particular it’s about knowing something, it’s about knowing that our faith is being tested, and that this testing has a purpose. It’s our growth, it’s about being made more and more like Jesus (Romans 8:29). Most of us are a long way from this, I am! No wonder it takes a long time.

I am not like Jesus, but I want to be. He is my hero, my supreme example of someone who lived fully for God. It is said of Him “Who for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross despising the shame” (Hebrews 12:2). So what we are being told here, is that these trials, tribulations and temptations, are barriers the other side of which is joy. And what we need to do is push through the pain to joy!

Father, You have promised “Sorrow may endure for the night, but joy comes in the morning” (Psalm 30:5)! I choose to rejoice again this morning, trusting that when I do my part You will do Yours. Thank You for the many promises that help me to live the Christian life. Thank You that You have not left me to struggle alone. Your Spirit is with me for ever! I thank You in Jesus Name Amen

There is nothing harder to open, then a closed mind

This phrase was spoken last night, in the context of a recovery group in which I am a leader. The context was within steps one and four of a traditional twelve-step program. Step one has to do with coming out of denial. Step four is about being willing to share our faults with one safe person. Step four is a biggie, and it is the step which many either skip, or quit the program. But, as the Scripture affirms, this is the step that brings healing (James 5:16).

The phrase however, is applicable much more widely than the context of recovery. Having spent my entire career in academia, it never ceases to amaze me how closed minded are those involved in research. It amazes me, because surely research is trying to get out the truth, but they don’t even believe truth exists! I see it over and over, doctors who dismiss chiropractors as quacks, and chiropractors who dismiss doctors because of the overuse of drugs. I have seen it in philosophers who dismiss out of hand any school that is not theirs. I have seen it in scientists who reject from the beginning the possibility of the divine, and who then turn round and say with the utmost confidence, that science disproves God. They are blind to their circular reasoning. Unfortunately, I have also seen it in church, where my group or denomination is thought to hold the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

Many of us when we were young (me too), thought we had arrived, or at least thought we were pretty close to having arrived. We should have solved the problems of the world while we still knew everything! But realistically, even in our own chosen specialty, most of us experience the Eureka moment when we realized that the more we knew, the more we realized there is to know. And yet we still have the tendency to think that our chosen field is the most important, even if it’s wrapping cigars in Cuba!

The Scripture exposes two equal and opposite errors. The first, is ever learning but never arriving at the knowledge of the truth (2 Timothy 3:7). The second is feeling that we have arrived, “And if anyone thinks that he knows anything, he knows nothing yet as he ought to know” (1 Corinthians 8: 2).

Father, please keep me from both of these errors. After forty-five years I know that even in my narrow specialty within a narrow specialty, I know very little compared with what is known, what can be known know, and what will be known in the future. In fact Your Word tells me that in these latter days, knowledge will increase (Daniel 12:4). Please give me a listening heart to listen, especially to those with whom I disagree. But also do not let me lapse into doubt about the truths You have firmly established in my life. Truly You are the way the truth and the life, I would not have survived without You. In Jesus Name Amen

Cast all your cares on Me, for I care for you

One of the ways of meditating on Scripture, is to personalize it. For example “God so loved Phil Heath, that He gave His one and only Son…” (John 3:16). In personalizing this command from 1 Peter 5:7, the admonition is to cast all our cares upon Him etc., but this morning I was hearing Him say to me “Cast all your cares on Me Phil, I care for you!”

I woke this morning in danger of fretting over four separate things in my life. It is my goal, aim, and determination to live in the moment, and to live my life from a position of rest. These four things, most of which I can do nothing about especially at this time, threatened to rob me of my peace and my joy. The Lord reminded me of this Scripture, and I proceeded to lay each of the four things at His feet. So now, after having done this and quieted and myself down, I am back in peace!

It has taken me a long time to come to the place where I can do this, where I can live my life this way. For me, the secret is taking time morning after morning, to come and sit quietly in His presence, and in the idea of this morning’s verse, to bring everything that would disturb my peace to Him. It took even longer to learn to leave it there, but in the end it’s all about fostering my relationship with Him, and guarding it by keeping short accounts by confessing failures to Him and to those to whom I have made myself accountable. It is then possible with His help, to "be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10).

Father, it is so easy to be drawn away from these things (James 1:14). Thank you that I don’t have to do this all by myself. Thank You that You are for more willing to keep me in fellowship with You than I am to stay there. Thank You for reminding me of this verse this morning, thank You for helping me to hide Your Word in my heart, so that the Holy Spirit can bring such verses to my attention when I need them. Father please help those who are reading these posts to come to the same place of peace, rest and hope in You. In Jesus Name Amen

That’s what I want when I die

We had lingered too long the faculty club, I needed to get him to the airport, and I needed to get back to class. I heard the siren, and pulled over, and went to his window before he could get out. He took my drivers license, and after he had checked in to make sure I was not a local drug Lord, or that I was not driving a stolen car he said to me “You were speeding sir.” 'Yes,' I said. Taken completely aback by my honesty he could do nothing but exclaim “What!” 'Yes, I told him 'I was speeding.' “Go on, get out of here,” he said dismissing me with his hand. When I got back in the car, it’s what I said to my friend 'That’s what I went when I die!' “What?” 'Mercy, not justice!'

It wasn’t the fear of what will happen when I die that brought me to the Lord. No, it was more in response to “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:28 – 30).

I had come under heavy conviction concerning my self-centred rebellious lifestyle. I had tried to turn over a new leaf, it had not worked. I had tried, but I had built up appetites that demanded to be satisfied, and slowly at first, but then more rapidly I fell flat in the mud on my rear end! And my letter state was far worse than the former on (Luke 11:24-26). I didn't know then that I needed Him to change my desires and to give me the wherewithal to do what I could not do without Him (Philippians 2:12,13).

This morning, sitting on my bench outside in my winter coat in the dark, I was remembering the turmoil of my former life. And I was savouring the peace, the joy and the rest that I had entered into, which is promised to me and to all who fully follow Him.

Father, I want to thank You this morning, that more that more I am entering into the fullness of life in You. The line from the song “I need You more,” comes to mind “and I never want to go back to my old life!” I praise and blessed Your holy name this morning Father, and I give You all the honour, and the glory and all the praise in Jesus Name Amen!

Let he who is without sin cast the first stone

For me, two of the scariest verses in Scripture are Matthew 7:1, 2 which say “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.” The problem of course, is that we make judgements all the time. But if I am to be judged by the same standard that I judge others, I want to be pretty careful not to judge at all!

I had a conversation this morning, concerning a sexual predator who had just been sentenced in the local courts here. Who wouldn’t judge him, and who wouldn’t condemn him? Well, while I in no way condone what this man has done, I know myself and the Scriptures well enough to cease and desist from judgement and unforgiveness. Let me say more!

The heading of this morning’s post is from the story in John 8:1 – 11. They had been trying to trap Jesus into saying something that would get him in trouble with the authorities. The law prescribed that adultery should be punished by stoning, and as the story goes, they had brought a woman caught in the very act that very morning. It’s interesting to ask where the man was, because I always thought it took two to commit adultery. But I’m in danger here of being distracted.

So Jesus had a dilemma, if He said to stone her upholding the law, He would be in trouble with the authorities. But if He said not to stone her, then they could accuse Him of not upholding the Law. Jesus writes on the ground, we do not know what He wrote, but after saying “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone,” they all left from the oldest to the youngest. Jesus asks the woman where were those who would judge and condemn her, and there were none. “Neither do I condemn you,” said Jesus “go and sin no more!”

Now there are two possible ways to be right with God. The first is to keep the law perfectly, you know the 10 Commandments and all that stuff, but Jesus was the only one who did that perfectly, or could do it perfectly. The second way is by grace, to receive forgiveness of our sins through what Jesus did on the cross. In the end we have a choice!

In a way it’s a simple choice, I mean who would not want all that they have ever done to be forgiven by God? In another way it’s not so simple. The point is, according to the scary scriptures I mentioned above, we cannot choose grace for ourselves, and choose the law and justice for others. What I am saying is that according to these verses the moment we judge and condemn others, we put ourselves back under the law, where we must suffer the penalty for our own sin. But it’s even worse than this, because as the second of the scary verses above says “The measure you use, it will be measured back to you.” In other words if you judge harshly, you will be judged harshly too!

So the question for you and me this morning is “Do you and I judge, and if so with what measure do we judge?” It can be quite subtle really, it’s not that long ago that the Lord convicted me of judging those who judge!

Lord, have mercy upon me this morning. Let all judgement and unforgiveness be far from me. Lord this is very difficult at times, thank You for Your word! I am not without sin, so I cannot cast the first stone. When I am tempted to judge and to hold unforgiveness in my heart, remind me of these things, and keep me walking in Your grace, not in the Law. In Jesus Name Amen

Bear one another’s burdens …. each one shall bear his own load.

One of the pictures the Scriptures paint of the church, is of a hospital. So this includes physical healing, but also healing of broken hearts, freedom from addictions and the pains of the past. So often we are prisoners of the past, but the Lord came both to heal the broken hearted, and to set the prisoners free (Luke 4:18). The above extract from Galatians 6:1 – 4, explains both our individual, and our corporate responsibility.

God will not, and we should not either, do for others what they can easily do for themselves. So that’s what it means to bear your own load. One way to think of this is we need to carry our own backpacks. On the other hand there are things that are just too heavy for us to carry, things that would crush us under their weight. These are the burdens we are admonished to bear with our brothers and sisters.

I am coming across burdens that are too heavy to bear more and more, in various aspects of the inner healing ministry to which the Lord has called me. Sometimes things that have happened in the past are so painful, we bury them deep within our psyche. We then post a notice saying “No entry!” But when we bury our emotional wounds like this, be it from things we have done, or from things that were done to us, they fester.

As in the physical, so in the spiritual. What I’m saying is when a physical wound is infected, he needs to be cauterized. The same is true in the spiritual. In particular that which is buried needs to be brought to the light, and this is likely to be both scary, and painful. More often than not, these things are burdens that are too heavy to bear alone, rather than loads we can be expected to bear. And when we have received healing, we are called to come alongside our brothers and sisters, and help them.

Very often, the people the Lord equips to help others with their burdens, are those who have either made the same mistakes, or have suffered the same abuse. In particular former alcoholics are likely the best equipped to minister to those who have alcohol-related problems. Similarly the recovered spouse, or child of an alcoholic, is likely best equipped to minister to a spouse or a child who is currently going through the same sort of agony.

We have a saying in celebrate recovery, a Christ centred 12-step program in which I am involved, it is “God never wastes a hurt.” In particular if you have recovered from some hurt or abuse, or if you have, with His and others help, managed to get free from some sin or addiction, then God wants to use you to minister to others who are where you once were. The question is “Are you wiling?”

Father, You tell us in Your Word, that we are to walk in the light as You are in the light (1 John 1:7). In particular part of what we need to do, is to bring things to the light that are hidden. Father help us, help your church, to move more and more into this ministry, where in the light we are healed from guilt and shame and from all the abuses of the past. Have mercy upon us Lord, for we have failed miserably in being your hands and feet in cooperation with You in healing the broken hearted, and setting the captives free. Wake us up Lord, and move was out in Jesus Name Amen

There is now therefore no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus

There is, or at least that can be, a world of difference between feeling condemned, and being condemned. But self condemnation is destructive. In particular it is often part of the addiction cycle where we engage in our addictive behaviours to try to anesthetize the pain of our guilt and shame.

So it is important to know if I am under condemnation, or merely feeling under condemnation. If I know that I am not condemned even if I feel condemned, then I know what to do. I need to immerse myself in the truth that I am not condemned, and allow it to set me free.

So the question is, am I in Christ Jesus or not! The Scripture gives me assurance over and over that if I am in Christ, then salvation is by faith (Ephesians 2: 8, 9), that my righteousness is the imputed righteousness of Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:9), and that when I am in Christ Jesus I have already passed from from death to life (John 5:24).

So it’s all very clear right? Unfortunately, the waters are somewhat muddied not only by other Scriptures that seem at first sight to contradict this, but also by the various versions of the verse at the head of this post from Romans 8:1. In the NIV for example, the phrase at the head of this post is the complete verse. But the NKJV adds “to those who walk not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.”

It is important to me in my ministry, and in fact in my own life, to know if this addition is correct or not. If it’s not, if it should not be there, then when I am feeling condemned because I have just slipped, it opens me up to the evil one coming along and telling me “You’re not walking according to the Spirit, you’re walking according to the flesh, so this verse does not apply!” This does not help, especially if I do not know how to answer. If I do not know how to answer, it will not set me free!

So it should be fairly obvious where I stand on this issue, I do not believe that this addition is correct! But I do need to to justify this, and I present here three arguments. The first is textual, the second contextual and the third theological.

So firstly textual: The majority of the early manuscripts omit the offending phrase. Scholars who go along with this regard it as an interpolation (the insertion of something of a different nature into something else) from verse four where the exact same phrase occurs in the Greek, and where it makes perfect sense. Obviously the earlier the manuscript the more reliable it is considered to be!

Secondly contextual: In chapter 7, Paul has been talking about our sinful nature. For example in verses 18 and 19 he says “I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.” An alcoholic friend of mine told me one time, that there was a lot in the Bible that he did not understand, but he certainly understand this one, he lived it! And as a result, those of us who struggle to get free of addictions find ourselves over and over feeling condemned. And it is precisely in the context of such a struggle that Paul tells us “There is therefore now no condemnation in Christ Jesus.” To me, it’s unfortunate that there is a chapter division here, since clearly this verse relates to what Paul has just been saying. And as I have already said, this interpolation muddies the waters.

Finally theologically: There are (at least) two errors surrounding this issue that the Scriptures address. One of them concerns persistent, wilful rebellious sin, the presumptuous attitude that says “God will forgive me, that’s his job!” In other words there is no sorrow for sin, no repentance. It’s hard for me to imagine that such a person is in Christ, but in any case the Scripture is clear. See for example Hebrews 10:26.

The other is the very context we are discussing here. In particular Paul cries out in Romans 7:24 “O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” One of the things about truly being in Christ, is that we are no longer comfortable or content to live in our sin, and we cry out the very same thing that Paul is crying out here. And of course along with this we feel conviction, and often shame and guilt and condemnation. And then Romans 8:1 (just two verses after 7:24) is so relevant. We need to know that there is indeed no condemnation.

So what to do when I feel condemnation? I need to ask myself where I am at. Is my attitude presumptuous, do I feel God owes it to me to forgive me, or am I crying out in repentance for forgiveness and delivery? Surely this is at least part of what it means to examine myself to see if I be in the faith (2 Corinthians 13:5). If my attitude is the letter attitude, then Romans 8:1 in the NIV applies to me. That is now therefore no condemnation period, because I am in Christ Jesus.

Father, help us to be neither presumptuous nor to be unbelieving in the face of our failures. When I fall Lord, help me to repent and so be in a place to claim Your forgiveness and cleansing (1 John 1:9), and in particular break off shame, guilt in condemnation. In Jesus Name Amen

No weapon formed against you shall prosper, This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD

It used to bug me when people would say to me "You need to that I need to press into that," with regard to some promise from the Word, or to some verse the Lord had underlined. It bugged me because I didn’t know what it meant, but I do now.

The promises of Scripture, and the words that the Lord gives us in our quiet times, are not automatically fulfilled. It’s the same with prophecy, and the Lord has been teaching me to war for the prophetic words spoken over me, and for the promises He has given.

A number of Christians I know are passive over their prophetic words and promises. They tell me “If God has said it, He’ll do it.” But if this is the case, why does He tell us to keep on knocking, and to keep on asking (Matthew 7:7 NLT)? Why did He give us the parable of the persistent widow (Luke 18:1-8)? On top of this, I have seen people who felt let down, because their promises did not happen! People have even died, not having received their promises. And I know that likely their promises will be being fulfilled in the hereafter. But as for me “I would have lost heart if I had not believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living” (Psalm 27:13 NKJV).

In explaining the parable of the persistent widow, Jesus asks “And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will He keep putting them off?” (Luke 18:7 NIV). That does not sound to me, that He is encouraging us to be passive about our promises!

In pressing in to the promise at the head of this post (Isaiah 54:17), we need first and foremost to recognize when a weapon is being formed against us. In particular, we need to distinguish this from our suffering the consequences of our own poor choices. In this last case, we need to repent, but in the first case we need to remind the Lord of this promise, and we need to do it day and night if necessary!

Father, I thank You for Your exceedingly great and precious promises (2 Peter 1:4), and that in and through them I can live the victorious Christian life, even when all hell is breaking loose around me. And I need to remind You, that You have promised me that this is my heritage. I stand on this promise in the whole armour of God, and I thank You for the victory in advance in Jesus Name Amen

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, they shall be filled (Matthew 5:9)

The world tends to see holiness and righteousness in legalistic terms, but the true perspective is beauty, "Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness" (Psalm 96:9). I first caught a glimpse of this years ago as a non-Christian, when the father of a friend was telling me of a time he resisted sexual temptation. I suddenly found myself longing for purity. I was a long way from it!

So much of what we feed ourselves on is counterfeit, no wonder at the end of the day we find ourselves empty an unfulfilled. The Scriptures point us to what is true over and over. “Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33). What things? Well first and foremost, the things that concern us, He will work them out when we choose to trust Him in this way. But secondly He will fulfil the hunger within us which, in the end, is a hunger for Him!

You’ve heard it before, what Pascal said “Inside each one of us is a God shaped hole that only He can fill.” The songs came to me this morning “Hungry I come to You, for I know You satisfy,” this, and the line from Breathe “I’m desperate for You.” A number of us have a real sense that God is about to move mightily here in St. John’s. There is a midweek meeting in a local church that started spontaneously, and is drawing people from many different churches. There is a real hunger there for the more of God, and it seems to be true that God responds more to hunger then to desperation. But the more I get of Him, the more I want, the more I need!

Father, I am desperate for You, I must have more of You, thank You for this promise this morning that as I hunger and thirst for You and for Your righteousness, and Your kingdom, then I can claim Your promise “I will be filled.” You are already doing this Father, but I need more! I love You Lord in Jesus Name Amen

in due season we shall reap, if we faint not

Have you ever been tempted to give up? You would not be human if you had not! I’m not at that place this morning (wanting to give up), still I do appreciate this encouragement from the Lord, as he reminded me of His promises. He is not a man that He should lie, and over the years He has affirmed again and again that He will do what He says.

Many of these promises come directly from the Word, others from prophetic words that were spoken over me. At other times He has whispered directly into my ear. I was drawn to the verse at the head of this post this morning from Galatians 6:9, by another set of verses from Psalm 126:5, 6. The Lord had underlined these verses for me a long time ago, they are:-

Those who sow in tears

shall reap in joy.

He who continually goes forth weeping,

Bearing seed for sowing,

Shall doubtless come again with rejoicing,

Bringing his sheaves with him.

Well I have shed many tears, but the Lord used those things which caused me to weep, to throw myself on Him, and on His promises. So there is a principal and a promise here. It’s not just the weeping of course, we can weep in despair! It’s weeping and sowing seed, but what does this mean?

For me, this is going over the promises again and again in prayer. It is holding Him to His word, it is choosing to believe in spite of the circumstances, it’s having tenacity, sticktoitiveness, it is the continually going forth day after day, month after month, year after year. I can’t do this without Him, and I can only do it one day at a time, with His help, and by His grace!

Father, thank You that You have promised the reward if we do not faint. It’s not about not wanting to give up, about not being tempted to faint, but is coming back to You over and over and over, and choosing to trust You even when, or perhaps especially when, there is no visible sign of the harvest. But You work in ways we cannot see, and indeed You will make a way for me. You have promised! Thank You Lord for the outcome, it is sure because You promised it. I love You Lord in Jesus Name Amen.

These signs shall follow those who believe… They shall lay hands on the sick and they shall recover

One of the great divides in 21st-century Christendom, is the separation of Charismatics from non-Charismatics. Even the authenticity of the above partial quote from Mark 16:17,18 is disputed. It is not my intention to try and resolve this, this morning, but rather to use it as a launching pad it to make a point.

In thinking about how the thief kills and steals and robs us (John 10:10a), it is clear to me that he uses theological differences. It should be obvious that there is no such thing as a perfect church, and there is no such thing as a perfect theological position (we know in part.. 1 Corinthians 13:9). Ruth Graham has wisely said that if you find a perfect church, don’t go because it will no longer be perfect because you will be there!

In fact, human nature being what it is, all we tend to see is the excesses and the shortcomings of “the other side!” I have come to realize that we tend to take the theological position of those godly men and women who have both impressed and influenced us. But at some level we are all shortsighted. I have also observed that our theological positions tend to set like cement shortly after conversion. But unless we have believed a lie (I am come that you might have life in all its fullness John 10:10b), there is always so much more.

So then, part of the way the evil one robs us of this promise, is by showing us the errors and excesses of those whose position is not ours. And of course he shows them the errors in our position. This ensures that we remain separated. Unless God.....

The Lord has revealed clearly in his Word that His plan, and His purpose is to unite all things together in Christ (Ephesians 1:9, 10). This cannot happen in the here and now without His intervention and our cooperation. I truly believe that there is no difference, no difficulty, no wounding from the past that cannot be overcome if we are willing to come together to the foot of the cross where we are all equal. But it does take humility, and in fact a whole lot more.

Part of this involves a willingness to listen to each other, and a willingness to submit to each other. The Scripture puts it this way “As iron sharpens iron, so man sharpens man” (Proverbs 27:17). In particular, if we are willing to listen and submit to one another, God will reveal the things that are not of him! But then it also takes a willingness to admit it when we are wrong, and unfortunately this is very rare even among Christians!

Father, I pray for a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of You, I pray for humility and Grace for us (for me) to listen to others who take the Word of God seriously. I know in my own life, I have learned more from those with whom I disagree, than from those with whom I agree. We cannot do this without You Father, the hurts are too deep and the differences too wide. But it is Your purpose to unite us, and Your plan cannot be thwarted. May it happen soon, rather than later. Have mercy upon us Lord for our stubbornness and intransigence. Give us grace to endeavour to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace, and have mercy upon us Lord. In Jesus Name Amen

We are not ignorant of his devices

I had a dream last night that I was let down and manipulated by my beautiful daughter. But she is not like that, and I knew immediately that (rightly or wrongly) it was about my feeling let down again by those who should not let us down, other Christians.

There is an echo in this, of an old problem that beset me from time to time, namely my obsessive thinking. You know what I mean, when your thoughts go round and round and round and round in your head. Thankfully I have learned to take authority over such thoughts, and leave it to God take care of. There is probably within each one of us the feeling that we should right every wrong, and set everyone straight, that is of course everyone except ourselves! More often than not, when we act on this we fall into the bait of Satan, but as the Scripture says, we are not ignorant of his devices.

This extract from 2 Corinthians 2:11, is talking about the Evil one. I find it hard at times to believe this verse, since there have certainly been times that whether I am ignorant of his devices are not, I have allowed him to take advantage of me. The context of this verse is about forgiveness, and when there is unforgiveness in our heart, the devil is able to manipulate us into doing his will.

It’s not that we should never address problems, but as I chose to bring this to the Lord this morning, He told me to leave it with Him. Revenge is mine says the Lord, I will repay (Romans 12:19). That might be a bit strong, and I am also sensing that if the problem had been with my daughter, which it was not, the Lord may well have asked me to deal with it in love. But in the situation that was on my heart this morning, there is no real relationship, nor is there likely to be. And when there is no relationship, trying to correct things is likely to be counterproductive.

This still leaves the puzzle of my feelings about the fact that many of us are indeed ignorant of his devices. My way around this at this point in time, is to rather regard this statement as an admonition not to be ignorant of his devices. In particular to be quick to forgive even where there is no repentance.

Father, thank You that I am learning to quickly bring the things to You that could easily offend me. At such times, help me to remember Your mercy to me. I cannot cast the first stone because I am not without sin (John 8:7). Thank You Lord that as I bring things to You, I quickly return to peace. I don’t know what I would do without You Lord, I cannot go back to my obsessive thinking. It is for freedom that You set me free (Galatians 5:1), and it is in freedom that You desire to keep me. I praise and bless and honour Your amazing and wonderful Name. I bless You Lord in Jesus Name Amen

“I’m a loser!” – That’s a lie!

Recalling a young man sitting on my couch some time ago, and that’s what he said “ I’m a loser?” He had been coming to me for some years by that time, and when he first came, he was filled with self-hate. With the Lord’s help we had started to deal with that, and now he merely despised himself!

"That’s a lie I told him. " "No it’s the truth" he replied. "I can prove it, every time I try something I fail." I knew where he was coming from, he had been unable to hold a job down for many years, and he was terrified of trying again. As we started to talk about it, I shared that his ungodly belief that he was a loser, was in fact a self-fulfilling prophecy. When you believe that you are a loser, there’s not a lot of point in trying. So why bother? What I’m saying is a belief like this negatively effects behaviour.

We had been talking about ungodly beliefs, and how the evil one uses them to kill and to steal and to destroy in our lives. My friend suddenly had a revelation “That’s evil isn’t it?” It certainly is, and these evil thoughts, these evil beliefs, are whispered into our ears at vulnerable times. Such evil beliefs, can likely only be exposed within a safe fellowship. And we will not grow the way He wants us to grow outside of such a fellowship.

My friend had given me permission to use certain aspects of his life to help others, and this incident came to mind recently as I encountered other ungodly beliefs.

These ungodly beliefs do not go away easily, we need to counter them with the truth of the Word of God. When somebody believes that they are a loser, it’s likely because they are confusing the experience with truth. The truth is that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us (Philippians 4:13). The truth is that God always leads us in triumphant procession in Christ (2 Corinthians 2:14). The truth is when I am weak, then I am strong, because when I am weak I cry out to the one who is my strength, and I can take on His strength which, when I do this, He is more than ready and willing able to give (2 Corinthians 12:10).

I was taught that when I encounter an ungodly belief in my life, I need to find Scriptures to counter it. Then I need to remind myself of these truths every morning for at least a month. It seems to me that this is part of what the Lord meant when he said “if you continue in my Word, then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free" (John 8:31).

Father, it’s clear that at some level all of us have believed lies. Please expose any lies I am still believing, especially those that are preventing me from going to the next level. There is always more, please give me the godly dissatisfaction I need at times, to motivate me the areas where I need it. In Jesus Name Amen

When a man’s ways please the LORD, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him. Proverbs 16:7

It was not my intention to make him my enemy, but rightly or wrongly, I felt I had to oppose something he was trying to do. With 20/20 hindsight I’m sure I could have handled it differently, but he took offense, and finished up not speaking to me for years.

I have felt the sting of punishing silences before, but to be honest for the longest time I was not unhappy that I did not have to speak to him. Then the Lord convicted me. Was I not supposed to pray for my enemies? Well yes, so I did.

In talking about forgiveness in our prison ministry, my colleague gave me an interesting insight. What he said was that for him, there were three stages of forgiveness. The first is that you forgive, but you don’t want to talk to them. The second you forgive, and you will say hello as you pass in the corridor. The third stage is when you are willing to start to be friendly.

At a social gathering a couple of years ago, I had the opportunity to share these three stages with him. After that, we did indeed greet one another in the corridor. It has taken some time, but this morning I encountered him coming out of the elevator, I smiled and opened the door for him. He smiled back, and told me that I was very kind. Chuckling I told him “It didn’t cost me very much!” His friendly response to that left me feeling good.

Father, Your Word is true, when a man’s ways please You, You do indeed make even his enemies to be at peace with him. Thank You Lord. Thank You not only that you have made us at peace with each other, but thank You also for the affirmation contained in it that my ways are pleasing to You. Furthermore I want to thank You that I have the sense that this reconciliation is the first fruits promise of another reconciliation I have been contending for, for an even longer time. I praise and bless Your holy Name Amen

The period between the promise given and its fulfillment

I want what I want, and I want it now! If we are honest this is, or at least has been, each and every one of us at some time or another. To put it mildly, delayed gratification is not the strong suit of our culture! But The instant society, the society that has a pill for every ailment, is not conducive to maturity!

God wants to grow us up, and one of the ways that He does this, is to give us a promise and to delay its fulfillment. The Scripture tells me that without faith it is impossible to please God, and one manifestation of our faith that pleases Him perhaps the most, is to believe the promise when there is absolutely no sign of its fulfillment.

The delay in answering prayers, the period between the time the promises given and its fulfillment, has been described as a fire, a fire that tests us. We may need to wrestle through the pain, through the fear and through the doubt. There are times that God even sends the trials to test us to see what is in our hearts (Deuteronomy 8:2). But He also tells us, that when He has tried us, we will come forth as gold (Job 23:10).

It starts with choosing to believe that what He has said He will do. We need to realize, I do, that He works in ways we cannot see, but He will indeed make a way for me. He is the one who makes rivers in the desert, and a highway in the wilderness. One of the promises that I have clung to is from Psalm 126:5 “Those who sow in tears Shall surely reap in joy." I have shed many tears, and so I qualify!

I have a file on my computer that I go to again and again. In this file I have written down many of the promises from His word that He has illuminated for me day by day as I sit with Him and read His Word. I have found that rehearsing His promises in His presence strengthens me and gives me the courage to go on when thoughts, feelings and doubts threaten to assail me.

Father, thank You that Your Word and Your promises are true. Thank You that You are not a man You should lie but You will surely fulfill all that You have promised. Like the barren woman, I choose to sing and to rejoice and to believe even when I do not see. I thank You in advance for all that You are about to do. Do not delay any longer O Lord my strength and my shield.

Sing O barren woman

The Anglican prayer book talks about the benefits of His passion. This partial quote from Isaiah 54:1, follows on the heels of the most vivid Old Testament description of His passion (Isaiah 53). And Isaiah 54 is full of benefits, of promises that we can claim because of his passion. For example, great will be your children’s peace and all your children will be taught of the Lord. Also no weapon formed against you will prosper, and though enemies will gather, this is not from the Lord, so that we have authority over them.

Coming to the title of this post, the barren woman is told to sing while she is still barren. There is a reason she is told to sing, and it is that “… more are the children of the desolate Than the children of the married woman.” In other words the barren woman it is to see and act as if her prayer has already been answered.

The point surely, is that God is not a man that He should lie, and so that when He promises something, then the promise is ours to claim. But it’s not automatic, we have to war for our promise. This involves believing it, claiming it, seeking, knocking being tenacious and reminding Him of what He has told us He will do. This is to act in faith, faith is not passive, it does something. The barren woman is told to enlarge her tent, and to do this before she is even pregnant. This is a real challenge to our faith, it is to mine!

Father, I believe help my unbelief. I cannot do this without You, but I choose to believe and to act as if the promises that You have made to me have actually already been fulfilled. With faithful Abraham, I choose to believe those things that are not, as if they are. I choose to rejoice in Your answer, and I thank You for it, for them. Father, please show me the counterpart to my enlarging my tent. In Jesus Name Amen

Give thanks with a grateful heart

So which comes first, the chicken or the egg, a grateful heart, or the giving of thanks? A couple of years ago at the time of the American Thanksgiving, I was listening to a teaching on how the consistent act of giving thanks changes the brain chemistry in a positive way. Following that I started what I call my thankful file on my computer. This file contained things for which I should be thankful, and I added to it, as things came to mind.

I am a leader in the recovery program Celebrate Recovery. It’s a Christ centred twelve-step program, and most people introduce themselves by saying “Hello my name is X, I’m a grateful believer in Jesus Christ, and I struggle with .....” Part of the reason we do it this way, is that while we want (and need) to admit that we have a problem, we don’t want that problem to be our identity. Up until that time I had resisted this standard introduction. There were two reasons, the first was pride, I just wanted to be different! The other was that I did not feel particularly grateful.

But this changed, and the reason that it changed, was that my feelings changed. I now feel thankful! And the reason my feelings changed, was that I had made it my habit first thing in the morning, to open my thankful file and as an act of the will give thanks for some of the things I had written down. In other words I became thankful, as I consistently gave thanks.

Father, it continues to amaze me (though I don't know why it should), that obedience to your precepts and commands, brings life. How precious is that? Truly your promises are yes and amen. And I thank You this morning Lord for all that You are, for all that You do, for Your Word, for the joy of fellowship and intimacy with You, and that my name is written in the Lamb’s book of life. I praise and bless and honour Your holy, precious and glorious Name. In Jesus Name I pray Amen

I am not an impatient God

I never cease to be amazed and to give thanks for the grace of the Lord both in my own life, and in the life of those I love. The words in the title of this post were given to a dear friend of mine recently, as she continues to struggle with the demons from the past.

In my Scripture reading this morning I came across the phrase “God waits to be gracious.” The full text of the verse from Isaiah 30:18 is “Therefore the Lord will wait, that He may be gracious to you; And therefore He will be exalted, that He may have mercy on you. For the Lord is a God of justice. ”

I remember years ago, a brother who had been blind from birth and who struggled every day finally coming to the place where he surrendered, and fully gave his life to the Lord. Not long afterwards, the Lord took him home. It became clear to me, that the Lord had waited to take home, until he actually got the victory. At that point He could indeed be gracious to him, He could indeed have mercy upon him, and then, because his sins were covered by the blood of Jesus, He could in justice take him home to heaven (1 John 1:9).

As I have been asking the Lord to break my heart with the things that break His, I have been thinking about the parable of the prodigal son. That father too waited to be gracious for his son. But it could not have been easy. I know in my own life letting go has been a struggle at times. And sometimes a very big struggle!

I just got back yesterday, from a short trip to Halifax in Nova Scotia. There the Lord put me in touch with a number of people who were struggling with letting go. I remember years ago one preacher saying, that he thought that the father of the prodigal son did the wrong thing in giving him money and letting him go. But I think he missed the point. The point surely is that in letting go he eventually won his son back.

Father, please give us, give me the courage to let go when I need to, and the wisdom to know when to do so. Thank you that you have freely given us access to your wisdom. I love you Lord. In Jesus Name Amen

What I have said, that will I bring about; what I have planned, that will I do (Isaiah 46:11)

I was reminded this morning, of something the Lord had told me in 1995. He had told me that I was going to be preaching in the breezeway bar at the University, the University where I have spent my entire career. I remember telling one of the leaders of the church I was going to the time, and he told me I was delusional. But it happened this February. Last fall the campus church to which I have attached myself obtained the breezeway bar Sunday nights (closed of course) as the venue. And I was asked to preach.

The Lord is not slack concerning His promises, and indeed what He says he will do, He will do! He doesn’t always do it in our time, but if He says He is going to do something, He will do it, and He did! This fulfillment of His promises is significant to me in and of itself of course, but even more so because of certain other things He also told me at the same time all those years ago. Things that have yet to be fulfilled.

I have told this story before, but years ago when I was complaining that the Lord have not yet followed through on His promise, a little old lady friend of mine told me “The trouble with God is he has no sense of time!” I have found that the Lord can move very slowly at times, and at other times He can move in an instant. Waiting can be really hard. But He has a purpose in the journey. He has been working on me throughout this time, and I’m not the same man I was!

Father, thank You for reminding me of this verse this morning. You are so amazing, so faithful, so wise, so intimate. Thank You that You did not leave me to wait alone, but have been ready willing and able to meet me morning by morning as I come to You. You were faithful even when I was not. You are my rock, my fortress, my high tower, my deliverer, and I am more and more confident that You will fulfill what You have promised. I thank You in advance, and give You all the honour, all the glory and all the praise. In Jesus Name Amen

If it’s not going to matter 50 years from now……

One of my favourite Scripture twistings, is to take the command from Psalm 37 to fret not, as the admonition not to play guitar in church! But seriously, this command comes three times within the first eight verses, and the last time it tells us why. The reason is that it only causes harm.

In a conversation this morning a mutual friend of ours was described as unflappable. It’s a good virtue to have. I’m here in Nova Scotia to attend some meetings, and we set off yesterday with two hours to spare for what should have lasted an hour and half. We were stuck in traffic moving perhaps 20 or 30 meters ahead every minute or so, for an hour. So of course we were late.

It’s easy to get very frustrated in situations like this. You try an alternative route and it turns out to be just as bad, so you second-guess yourself. I still wondering this morning if we should just have waited. On the other hand we could see at least a mile ahead that nothing was moving.

I wish I could say that I always put this into practice perfectly, but I am getting there. What I try to put into practice is to tell myself that if it’s not going to matter 50 years from now, I’m not going to let it matter right now. I did get there eventually, and I’m happy to say that it did not spoil my evening!

Father, thank You for the grace that You give us to move into the maturity You call us into. Please bring me to the place where I too have the reputation of being unflappable. And I’m sure to give You the honour the glory and the praise in Jesus Name Amen

You will mount up on wings like the eagle

Sitting this morning on the balcony of the home of new friends here in Nova Scotia, looking out on their ocean view, I observed an eagle soaring on the wind. He was just effortlessly riding the wind, and my mind was inevitably drawn to Isaiah 40:31 and the above partial quote from that verse.

I had not realized how badly I needed to come aside and rest a while. At this point in my life I can identify with Paul when he talks about the burden of the care of the churches. From the beginning of my Christian life, I have had this tendency to identify too closely with the problems of those the Lord brings to me. I need to remind myself over and over, that I am the only one I have the power to change. I cannot make choices for others. And at some point, I need to let go and let those I love suffer the consequences of their poor choices.

It’s not easy, but taking more responsibility than the Lord calls me to take helps neither them nor me. As I say, letting go is not easy, but it’s the only way to fly.

Father, thank You for my new friends. Thank You for the peace of this ocean paradise. Thank You that You know my frame, that You know that I am but dust, and that You knew I need to come aside and rest a while. Thank You that You are meeting me in an ever deepening way. I bless Your holy and precious Name. I worship, and magnify and praise You Lord. In Jesus Name Amen

Sin takes you further than you want to go, keeps you longer than you want to say and costs you more than you want to pay

I don’t know the source of this saying but I know by personal experience that it is true. Our society does not want to talk about sin, but even if we talk about poor choices the same is true. It was designed that way. As the NJKV version of Genesis 3:17 has it it was for our sake that the earth was cursed. In other words God ordained that the pain of our poor choices would cause us to come to our senses and return to Him.

It can take a while. I know in my own case, the Lord had to pull the rug out from under my feet a number of times before I was willing to examine my life to try and figure out what was not working. Einstein put it way “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different outcome.” The prodigal son had to get so low that he, a Jew, was willing to eat pigswill before he “came into his right mind.” If we are still stuck we need to ask ourselves “Have I suffered enough yet?” If we are walking in victory, we need to guard against the danger of falling (1 Corinthians 10:12). The memory of the consequences of our poor choices can help keep us on the straight and narrow. We will not attain the abundant life any other way!

Father help me when I am tempted to remember the consequences of my sin and of my poor choices. It is true that You forgive and cleanse when we confess, but sometimes the consequences linger. Thank You that you bring us through that anyway. I love Your Mercy and Grace Lord. In Jesus name.

Enjoying one moment at a time ….

If you ever wondered if you can ignore pleasure, watch a young boy (or a dog) eating cake! Years ago shortly after I was married, I had gone to Germany alone, and it was one of the few times I had been separated from my new wife. My host had taken us on a boat trip on Lake Constance, and the weather was beautiful. But I was missing my wife something something shocking. It was all I could think about, and the Lord spoke to me and asked me what I was doing!

They weren’t his words, but I was ignoring pleasure. And right there and then I decided to put aside my longing, and enjoy the scenery and the company.

The title of this post is a short extract from the longer version of the serenity prayer. It makes a lot of sense to both include this in the prayer, and for us to do our part in fulfilling that. It seems to be the default to either live in the past or in the future, but when we do this we miss out on so much.

It goes so much against the grain of our modern Western culture, where we concentrate on our rights, or on how offensive this or that is. The whole advertising industry is designed to make us dissatisfied with what we have, so that we will go our and buy, buy, buy! Part of learning to be content in whatsoever state I am in (Philippians 4:11) is learning to treasure the small things.

I have a friend who teaches violin, and she overheard her young student talking to her dad in the bathroom, and saying how much she liked her new violin teacher. She liked her more every time she met, and this was only the second meeting! So cute, so precious! Such moments are gifts to be treasured, but it’s so easy to take them granted.

Father, give me the grace that I need to enjoy one moment at a time, to fully live in the now. Please remind me when I forget, when I obsess on the things that I don’t have, or the pain of the past. Lead me Father, in the everlasting way. In Jesus Name Amen

But we … are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory

Paul has been talking to the Corinthians about the veil that was over Moses face after he had been in the presence of the Lord. He points out that if the old covenant was glorious, the new is much more! He continues and tells us, that the veil is taken away in Christ. And the full text of the verse at the head of this post from 2 Corinthians 3:18 reads:-

But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

The imagery of beholding the glory of the Lord as in a mirror, is reminiscent of the phrase in 1 Corinthians 13:12 where Paul says “For now we see in a mirror, dimly…” The point is in Paul’s day, mirrors did not reflect as accurately as modern mirrors do, and of course no one can see the Lord and live. However we are intended to see the Lord more and more clearly even in the here and now, and in that spiritual seeing Paul tells us that we get transformed from glory to glory.

The Christian of course is intended to be different from the world, and one of those differences is to be that our spiritual countenances are being changed from glory to glory. This happens in the process of beholding.

The writer to the Hebrews tells us that we need to fix our eyes on Jesus the author and finisher of our faith. This involves spending time in His presence, meditating upon His Word, communicating with Him in intimacy, and making sure, as in the Hebrews passage (Hebrews 12:1, 2), that we “lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and … run with endurance the race that is set before us.”

Father, I so want to reflect Your glory. Jesus I know that Your presence in me and through me, is perhaps the key ingredient in reaching others for You. Help me to do my part in putting into practice what I am admonished to do, for I know that when I do my part, You will do Yours. In Jesus Name Amen

We are seated in heavenly places in Christ Jesus

One of the criticisms that is levelled against those of us who are deeply spiritual, is that we are so heavenly minded we are no earthly good. But from my point of view, unless our theology is deeply practical we have missed the point. In this principle extracted from Colossians 3:1, Paul tells us that we are seated in heavenly places in Christ Jesus, but what does this mean, and how is it practical?

I just passed a church sign this morning that said “Why pray when you can worry?” It’s humorous of course, but how many of us do actually worry rather than pray? The point of what I am trying to say, is that if we take what Paul is saying seriously, then in fact we are seated next to the One who has the solution to every problem. But not only this we are seated next to One who loves us, is ready willing and able to help us, to give us wisdom, grace and strength for our difficulties, and to go through them with us.

This works for the little things, as well as the big. A problem that has been requiring my attention since the last huge rainstorm that we had here in Newfoundland, is that I have a leak around a roof drain that I had no idea how to fix. This roof has caused me problems before. It cost me over $8,000 to fix just one third of it. And I have been tempted to worry.

I have been telling the Lord for some time, my money is His money, and if this is true then I have absolutely no reason to worry. It’s His problem! Over the past couple of years the Lord has been testing this in my life, and there have been times when the reality was more that I was regarding it as my money rather than His. However in this new testing, I have been deliberately conscious of my being seated in heavenly places, and as I chose to leave it with Him, and to refuse to worry about it, the solution is starting to open up. And this without it costing me (Him) an arm and a leg!

Father, thank You that the things You teach us in Your Word and that spiritual realities are indeed real, and intensely practical. Thank You that You have been teaching me this, and continue to teach me this. In Jesus Name Amen