And you shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt

.... and you shall be careful to observe these statutes (Deuteronomy 16:12). There is a second command, or rather the first in order of appearance, to remember in verse 11. It is “that you may remember the day in which you came out of the land of Egypt all the days of your life.” This is accompanied by the command to eat “no bread with leaven in it” (verse 3). Israel was to remember the Passover, the Exodus, the time God deliver Israel out of physical silvery in Egypt. And again, the physical in the Old has spiritual application in the New Testament. Jesus tells us that “He who sins is the slave of sin” (John 8:34). The Passover celebrated the angel of death passing over those who had applied the blood of the passover lamb to the lintels of their houses. Communion, or the Lord's supper, is a sacrament of remembrance that celebrates the spiritual deliverance of God's people from the bondage of sin, through the blood of Jesus the sacrificial Lamb of God (John 1:29).

In the title verse, we are admonished to remember and be careful to observe His statutes. Statutes are ritual observance that are to be observed with the purpose of bringing something to remembrance. The New Testament analogy is encapsulated in Jesus' command on the night that He was betrayed, to “Do this in remembrance of me” (Luke 22:19). Paul comments saying this proclaims the Lord’s death till He comes (1 Corinthians 11:24). In the New Testament analogy the leaven of “bread without leaven,” is sin. Paul tells us “Let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth” (1 Corinthians 5:8). And we are to examine ourselves and only then eat (11:28). The point is that we are want to forget. And forgetting and acting accordingly, is in fact is the history of God's people down through the ages. So we need to do this regularly in remembrance of Him.

In some Churches the Lord's supper is called the Eucharist. It comes from the Greek word meaning giving of thanks. Paul (again) tells us “although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened” (Romans 1:21). He goes on to describe the onward and downward spiral to reprobation (backsliding). In other words not giving thanks and not glorifying God are the first steps of the slippery slope to destruction. And so it is easy to see where the godlessness of our culture started. But the recurring theme that comes out of the Prophetic at this time, is that God is shaking everything that can be shaken. In particular the emptiness and the lies of humanism are being shaken. I just heard of atheistic doctors in Italy who have turned to the Lord in this shaking. But it is not just unbelievers who need to turn to Him. It is believers, and we need to turn to Him with all of our hearts.

Father, it is interesting to me that the caronavirus is a respiratory disease, for it reminds me this morning that we are so, so dependent on You even for the breath that we breath. Help us to remember all that You have done for us, all the days of ours lives, in Jesus Name Amen

But I will hope continually

.... and will praise You yet more and more. The “but” of this quote from Psalm 71:14 indicates that the Psalmist is making the decision to continue to hope in spite of all that is going on. And in the midst of this time of great shaking of everything in our lives that can be shaken, it is important that we too hope continually. Faith and hope are inextricably linked but they are not the same. One aspect of the difference was emphasized for me this morning, in another part of this morning's readings. In the story of the woman with the issue of blood who was healed when she touched the hem of Jesus garment we read that it was her act of faith that healed her (Luke 8:48). Likewise in Hebrews 11 we read over and over that by faith such and such a thing was accomplished. Concerning hope on the other hand we read “For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance” (Romans 8:24, 25).

Our primary hope of course, which is a sure hope (Hebrews 6:19), is of our place in eternity, for “if in this life only we have hope we are of all men most miserable (1 Cor 15:9). But the “only” points to hear and now hope. One of my favourite verses in NKJV is “I would have lost heart, unless I had believed That I would see the goodness of the LORD In the land of the living” (Psalm 27:13). And part of what I am putting my hope in, is  the prophetic word that through Chuck Pierce who heard from the Lord that we would be tested with a plague like invasion until passover (the week after Easter). In any case there will be an end to this. And in the meantime I will praise Him yet more and more. In the words from a popular chorus “My weapon is a melody.” Praise is indeed part of the arsenal of our nightly weapons of this spiritual warfare.

As I am sure you are aware the world is in turmoil and those without Christ have no real hope. In this season, our hope and joy need to be contagious. And it will not be contagious if it is not real. Perhaps you are not there yet, but whether or not our 911 emergency response (Psalm 91:1) needs to be that we spend quality time in the secret place abiding under the shadow of the almighty, claiming His promises (i.e. Verse 10). Psalm 9:11 is also interesting it reads “Sing praises to the LORD, who dwells in Zion! Declare His deeds among the people.”

Lord, I thank You for the healing of my sister debilitating dizziness yesterday as several of us prayed for her. Thank You for her joy as she was then able to function in the work You are using her for at this time. And for this, and for many other benefits I praise and bless You again this morning, as I put my trust in You, for You are my hope. Help us to eagerly wait for it with perseverance  in Jesus Name Amen

in order that it may go well with you and your children after you forever

The first part of this verse reads “Observe and obey all these words which I command you, in order that ... (Deuteronomy 12:28). There are two promises here, “that it may go well with you,” and “that it will go well with your children forever.” In particular when we are careful to obey all the Words the Lord, there is provision and protection for ourselves, and for our children forever (Deuteronomy 5:9,10). So firstly for myself, well just as a child suffers the consequences of not heeding a parent's warning not to touch a hot stove, so we suffer the consequences of not walking in the Wisdom of the ancient Scriptures. Galatians 6:7 puts it this way we reap what we sow,  bad choices have have bad consequences. You see God is not some Scrooge in the sky leaning down from the balcony of heaven,  and when He sees us having fun, He yells down “Cut that out!” But the Scripture does talk about “the pleasures of sin for a season” (Hebrews 11:25).

Scripture then does not deny the pleasure of sin. Yes there is pleasure, but it is only for a season. Many of us had to learn that the hard way. Some never seem to learn! “Are we there yet mummy?” The law of sowing and reaping is not like the law of gravity. If you step off the roof, you suffer the consequences immediately. Sowing and reaping is like planting seeds, in that it takes a while for the plant to even sprout. There is also the law of diminishing returns. For example if we try for the same high as the first time, we have to take more. And then eventually we have to have our fix just to feel normal. But thinking of these things in the long term brings us to the second thing, the effect of these things on our children. Again many of us learned only afterwards that our poor choices have dire consequences on our children. Our children can make their own choices of course. The do not have to make the same mistakes we did, but it is the default! Children of alcoholics for example, are far more likely to become alcoholics than the general population. And it continues to their children and their children (Deuteronomy 5:9).

The picture I have of this is of ripples on a pond, that go on and on and on forever. What is interesting though, is that sometimes, if the consequences of our own sin will not bring us back to God, the consequences on our children will. The good news, is that there is one of the Bible's “buts” in the next verse “but showing mercy to thousands (of generations), to those who love Me and keep My commandments” (verse 10). “But” changes everything, both for ourselves and our children if (a) we love him with all of our heart, and (b) we turn to Him in repentance and obey His commandment.

Father, I so want it to go well with me, and with my children. Thank You for Your protection and Your provision. In particular, thank You for Your wonderful promises. Please help us to continue to to work through being diligent to humble ourselves, to pray, to seek Your face and to repent. In this way, we can be confidence that You will heal our land (2 Chronicles 7:14 again). Thank You Lord in Jesus Name Amen

He who has ears to hear, let him hear!

There were several verses that stood out to me in this morning's reading. These include the above from Luke 8:8. Another is “Therefore take heed how you hear. For whoever has, to him more will be given; and whoever does not have, even what he seems to have will be taken from him” (verse 18). The context of 8:8 is well known to those who are churched, it is the parable of the sower. The Word is sown into various soils (our various hearts). And the Word sprouts and grows, it withers, or is choked in our hearts, or it produces abundant fruit for the Kingdom (vv. 5-15). In other words, it is our heart response to the Word, that determines what kind of soil we are. And we have likely all been each of the varieties of soils, at various times. I know I have! And all this is related to how we hear.

Hearing and obedience are inextricably linked in Scripture (c.f Hebrews 3:15, 18). Luke 8:18, quoted above indicates that we are not standing still, we are either growing in wisdom and the knowledge of God, or we are moving back. There is no fence! Another of this morning's verses are Deuteronomy 10: 12,13 “What does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments of the LORD.” What I sense the Lord is asking us this morning is are we willing to engage discipleship, in a long obedience in the same direction. I mean when this crisis has passed, will we continue to walk with Him, or will we go back to our old ways?

I can't seem to get away from the recurring theme of our need to humble ourselves, pray, seek His face and turn from our wicked ways (2 Chronicles 7:14). And what I an sensing the Lord is wanting this morning, is to ask Him if there be any wicked way in our deceitful hearts, to allow Him to use the anxieties of this time to do this, and then to ask Him to lead us in the His eternal ways (Psalm 139:22, 23). And part of what will determine what kind of soil we are is the measure of how we hear. Are we spending time with Him at this time (Psalm 48:10)? Are we binging on Netflix? Are we meditating on His Word (Psalm 1:2), or are we more interested in quantity rather than quality? The one who meditates day and night on His word will be like a tree planed by the waters sending down roots deep into the soil. For such a one when the heat comes again we will not cease from bearing fruit (Jeremiah 17:8). I am not saying it needs to be mine, but when you read a devotional, do you dig deeper, do you look up the Scripture? Actually I have to confess I prefer to get stuff for myself, and this is a major reason I write these posts.

Father, one of the ways You lead us, is to be passionate worshipers of You. This changes us Lord from glory to glory. We need Your help Father, I do, and we are asking You for it this morning Lord, in Jesus Name Amen

Whoever loves instruction and discipline loves knowledge

.... But he who hates reproof and correction is stupid (Proverbs 12:1). I tried to find a translation that softened that last word, but I couldn't do it and be faithful to the Word! Part of the problem, is that I have need to include myself a some points in my past. And since bad choices have bad fruit (Galatians 6:7), it is not wise to resist correction. My dear mother, bless her heart, used to say to me “I know you don't like criticism, but ...” And it was criticism rather than correction, but I did not distinguish the two  at the time. And my choice when I got free was rebellion. It lead to disaster. So was I stupid? You tell me! Now I have absolutely no doubt that the caronavirus is the Enemy's rage against what he knows is coming. But in this, as with all rage, he is being stupid, for he ends up doing the Lord's work. I particular the Lord is using this to instruct not only the Church, but many who had previously turned their back on Him.

Instruction and knowledge, and instruction and wisdom, are closely linked in Scripture. For example “Listen to counsel and receive instruction, that you may be wise (Proverbs 19:20). And since the Lord is sovereign, and He allows what He allows for a purpose, those who love instruction will ask of each negative thing “What does the Lord want me to learn through all of this?” It has come to me over and over, and this was confirmed independently from many different sources, that the Lord is using this attack to shake everything that can be shaken (Hebrews 12:26, 27). So what am I saying? Well a couple of verses that also stood out to me from this morning's readings are “when you have eaten and are full, and have built beautiful houses and ..... when your heart is lifted up, and you forget the LORD your God ... (Deuteronomy 8:12, 14). What I am saying is than when things are going well, we tend to in essence forget God, and put our trust in things that can be shaken, things  we can loose in an instant, health, wealth, houses, princes (people we look up to), philosophies, ideologies, ourselves etc., etc. It is not wise!

I was reminded this morning, that our time here on earth is less than a second in eternity. And I am hearing over and over, that the Lord is wanting to reset His church with a heavenly perspective. We cannot do either church or life as usual, we must not! Many of us told ourselves, that if we had more time, we would spend more time with Him, we would read the Bible more etc., etc. So we need to ask ourselves at this time when we have been given the gift of time, are we redeeming it? It is certainly true that the days are evil (Ephesians 5:16).

Father, 911 is our emergency number, and Psalm 91:1 should be our emergency response in these days. “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High, shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” Thank You Lord for this gift of time, help us to use it wisely as an opportunity to spend it with You in the secret place, and to receive Your instruction, reproof and correction, and all necessary resets of our lives. Thank You for discipline and instruction in Jesus Name Amen

You shall love the LORD your God

.... with all your heart, soul, and strength. Two verse stood out to me this morning. The one above, and one from yesterday' readings “But from there you will seek the LORD your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul” (Deuteronomy 6:5; 4:29). The “there” of 6:5, is about the place of disaster that comes when we fail to obey the commands of the Lord and in particular of this verse. Under the Old Covenant, the enemies were flesh and blood, and it was God who sent disasters upon His people when they rebelled (i.e 11:17; Isaiah 59:1). Under the New Covenant our enemies are not flesh and blood, but principalities and powers (Ephesians 6:12). And disasters come, following our disobedience, from two sources. The first has to do with the legal right we give the enemy when we rebel. As with Adam and Eve, our disobedience essentially hands power over to the enemy. The second source is the principle of reaping and sowing. In secular terms, bad choices have bad consequences (Galatians 6:7).

After the disaster of 9/11 the churches were full, but it didn't last. “These are the ones by the wayside where the Word is sown. When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts” (Mark 4:15). I keep coming back to 2 Chronicles 7:14 “If my people ....” In terms of the “turn from their wicked ways” in this verse, there is a big difference between being sorry that we got ourselves into this mess, and true repentance. In this we follow Ancient Israel who time after time in the midst of disaster cried out to the Lord and He saved them (Psalm 107). But true repentance, stems from godly sorrow, and it leads to a life lived that reflects the first commandment (2 Corinthians 7:10, 11; Deuteronomy 6:5). It is almost as if the Lord needs to allow disasters of increasing magnitude in order to get through to us. That was certainly the case with me. But my disasters were personal, not global disasters.

The good news is that while Satan has power (“His power and craft are great” - Luther), he does not have authority. So then who has the authority? Well to repeat what I have have been saying in these days, firstly it is us. “Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy” (Luke 10:19). Secondly in order to exercise this authority, we need to position ourselves (2 Chronicles 20:17). In particular we need, in identification repentance (Daniel 9), to confess our own sins and those of the church. In particular, tha we have been lukewarm, saying we have no need, not knowing that we are miserable and poor and wrenched and blind and naked (Revelation 3:17).

Father, I want to thank You this morning that “as many as You love You chasten,” and that “You stand at the door and knock.” We repent Lord and welcome You fully into our lives (Revelation 3:19, 20). Grant Lord that this be true repentance, and that our obedience be full Lord, so that we, Your called out ones, can walk in the authority and trample the snakes and scorpions that are seeking to destroy us. We love You Lord and we give You praise and glory in Jesus Name Amen 

 

Why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?

There is a saying “Without God, man cannot. Without man, God will not.” It's not a Bible verse, so I don't treat it as if it were. I mean God can do anything He wants, He does not need our permission, and He does not need our cooperation. God is Sovereign, and He will work His Sovereign plans independently of our obedience! Having said that, as this morning verse from Luke 6:46 clearly shows, He desires these things (see also 1 Samuel 15:22). And of course there will be consequences of our disobedience (Galatians 6:7). The truth of this, is clearly seen in the mess that we are in. But in case you feel you have totally blown it in your personal destiny, remember God can make your life into a different vessel as He sees fit (Jeremiah 18:1ff).

I keep coming back to a number of prophetic words spoken over this virus. The first one which preceded it, was that we will be tested until passover (the middle of April), the second is that = the tide has already turned. But my interest in the prophetic word this morning, is not just about getting through this crisis, it is about cooperating with God in what He wants to do through it. I mean what the Enemy means for evil, He turns it for our good. And yes, He can do that ultimately independently of our obedience, but as I said above He certainly wants it. So the prophetic word that came to me as I was thinking about thee things, is from Bobby Connor. He is a well known and accurate prophet. He came to St. John's many years go and prophesied that God was going to drop a bomb of His Glory on St. John's, and that He was going to do “anything He wants.” In 2 Chronicles 20:17, He tells us “Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the LORD.” And one of the ways that we need to position ourselves in these times, is in radical obedience.

Part of the radical obedience the Lord requires, and part of positioning ourselves, is that we humble ourselves, pray, seek His face and turn from our wicked ways. We can then claim His promise to heal our land (2 Chronicles 7:14). And if the Lord is to do “anything He wants” without needing to overrule our disobedience, is that we truly need to enthrone Him in our lives as Lord, and for this not be meaningless words. We need to realize, that He is not wanting this radical obedience because, like many of us, He is into control! No He wants our radical obedience because He knows that this is what will fulfill us, and what will, in the process, lay up treasure for us in heaven. What an amazing God we serve. Hallelujah

Father, let us not be a people this morning that draws near to You with our lips, but our hearts are far from You. Let us be doers of Your Word and not hearers only. So Lord we humble ourselves before you this morning, we pray and seek You face, and we determine with Your help to turn from out wicked ways. We need the bomb of Your Glory Lord, but we do not want to be consumed by it, for You are a consuming fire. Refine us Lord we pray, in Jesus Name Amen

Oh, let the nations be glad and sing for joy

..... because You shall judge the people righteously (Psalm 67:3b, 4a,b). Righteous judgement is fair and appropriate. Often when the boys down in the pen are asking for prayer for up and coming sentencing, we often pray for it to be just (the same root in the Greek as righteous). Though sometime we pray for mercy. God will judge the people righteously and that includes me. And I have come to the place where I welcome God's righteous judgement on my life. It starts with the security of knowing that if I confess my sins, He is faithful and just to forgive me my sins. It continues with knowing that He is also just to cleanse me from my unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). The justice in all of this comes because of the substitutionary death of Christ on the Cross. Christ the Just, died for the unjust, that is you and me (1 Peter 3:18).

Another reason I welcome His judgements in my life, is that when I know nothing against myself I can walk in “boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him” (Ephesians 3:12). There was a chorus years ago by Evi “Clean before my Lord.” There is nothing more settling and peace giving than knowing there is nothing between you and the Lord. But can we ever say there is nothing, I hear you saying. It is a good question let me explain. In 1 John 1:7 we read “But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son keeps on cleansing us from all sin.” So here is another question:- “If we are walking in the light why would we need His blood to keep on cleansing us?” Another good question! What I think is this, that as we walk in the light, the light begins to expose the darkness in us that we have no idea is there. So when we walk in the light, and as we draw closer to Him the darkness gets exposed.

Well you say, that sounds awful! It is only awful if you are trying to hide the darkness. But when you are not trying to hide anything, then we have the legal right to come boldly before the throne of Grace so that we might obtain mercy and Grace to help in time of need (Hebrews 4:16). But you say – obviously there is still darkness there to be exposed. Well yes, but “there is no fear in love” (1 John 4:18). And when I ask Him on a regular basis to search my heart to see if there be any wicked way in me (Psalm 139:24), then He has no need to discipline me (Hebrews 12:6). But even if He does, it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness. And in any case He is dealing with me as a son. And as in our earthly sense, the boundaries a loving father sets for his child helps the child to feel safe and loved.

Father, I haven't even mentioned the joy I feel knowing that You will bring justice to the nations, that you will right every wrong, and rectify every injustice. But my primary joy is morning Lord is knowing that I am clean before You, and that I can rely on You to show me anything that is hindering my continuing to draw near to You. Give grace Lord, to all those reading these posts in Jesus Name Amen

You, O God, have tested us

.... You have refined us as silver is refined (Psalm 61:10). I mentioned earlier that Chuck Pearce prophesied last September that there would be a massive plague that would test us though passover. And let's face it, this caronavirus is certainly testing us. We did an online service yesterday with the theme “To fear or not to fear” (see

https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/carolanngoodman/episodes/2020-03-22T07_36_48-07_00 ). We will fear neither man, nor pestilence (including the coronavirus), nor angels (Hebrews 13:6; 2 Chronicles 7:13; Luke 1:3). We should however fear the Lord, since the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs .....). We do need to position ourselves (2 Chronicles 7:13 agin). Without the fear of the Lord we will not likely position ourselves in the necessary humbling of ourselves, our prayer live and our turning from our wicked way (verse 14).

The story is told of a lady who visited the silversmith to find out about the refining process. The heat, he told her brings the dross to the surface so it can be skimmed off. The dross of course, is the impurities in the silver. “I need to be very accurate,” he told her. “If it's not hot enough, dross will remain. If it is too hot, the silver will spoil.” When she asked him how he know it was right to stop the process he replied “When I can see my reflection in the silver.” Peter tells us “Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you” (1 Peter 4:12). And God has promised that He will not let you be tried beyond what you are able to bear, but with the trial will also provide a way out so that you may be able to endure it (1 Corinthians 10:13 NET). Other translations speak of temptation rather than testing, but in any case, the provision is always accompanied by the Grace we need to endure it. We do, of course have to embrace the Grace (Hebrews 12:15).

In verse 12 of the Psalm the Psalmist says “We went through fire and water, but You brought us to a place of abundance.” And He promises us that He will be with us, and that “when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you” (Isaiah 43:2). And this shaking (Hebrews 12:26) includes our health, our finances, our security, our confidence in anything but Him. The Psalmist looks back to previous times of testing and says that the Lord brought them to a place of abundance, overflowing. And what the Lord did before He will do it again. Jesus tells us “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you” (Luke 11:9).

So Father, we come to You this morning first of all thanking You that You have already provide the way to get through this time of testing. And we are asking first of all for a double portion of Your grace to receive Your Grace. Help us to trust You Lord, and give us faith to believe that in Your time You will restore Shalom peace to every area of our lives. And in the meantime give us Grace to endure as You sit with us carefully as a refiner silver, as You remove the dross from our lives in Jesus Name Amen

Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean

A man who was full of leprosy had seen Jesus, came and fell at His feet saying the words in this morning's title from Luke 5:12. Leprosy of course is the infectious disease that causes severe, disfiguring skin sores and nerve damage in the arms, legs, and skin areas around the body. Lepers were required to call out “Unclean, unclean” whenever they approached anyone or vice versa. And this man was disobedient in even approaching Jesus. Also, according to the Law anyone who touched a leper was also unclean, but the very next thing that Jesus did was to touch him. He then told the man He was willing and He healed him (verse 13). I was not immediately sure why the Lord had underlined verse 12 for me this morning, but when I read the story again the fact that Jesus touched this man when He was not supposed to stood out to me.

In some rather cruel experiments years ago, certain newborns were deliberately not touched, and they died. The need for human touch it huge, though for various reasons as adults we may not be “touchy feely.” I mean there are those who hug, and those who don't. I am a hugger, but am very aware of others need to be touched. And of course at this time of testing with the whatsit virus, the recommended “social distance” of two meters, is very difficult for some. Touching elbow to elbow has somehow caught on, and at least at this point always seems to produce a smile. I am not sure if it is embarrassment apologizing for not being willing to hug or shake hands, or knuckles to knuckles as with the younger generation. But even elbow to elbow seems to be significant.

And in the circles I move in hugs are almost mandatory and how are we to respond to all of this. Jesus touched the one who was unclean. He had faith that the infection would not stick to Him. I heard a story the other day, I don't have the details, but it was of someone who had told them to put the virus/disease on his hand and they had watched it die. I have no idea if this is a true story or not, but I do know of the Lord telling a certain well know preacher to touch someone he would rather not have touched. Where does this leave us? I am not going to make that decision for you. I hardly know what it is for myself!  What we must do is to respect others desire not to be touched, be it this time, or not!

Father, there certainly seems to be overreaction to what is going on now. We must not give in to fear, but we do need to be sensible. And whether is it complete isolation or not, whether it is to hug or not to hug, or to hug some and not others, make it very clear to us Lord. And keep us looking up at this time, for this too shall pass, in Jesus Name Amen

These are the journeys of the children of Israel

.... who went out of the land of Egypt by their armies under the hand of Moses and Aaron (Numbers 33:1). The Lord drew my attention to this passage this morning, and I was at first puzzled, because I had blogged on the literal truth of the Red Sea crossing on February 1 (see the post on philheathsblog.blogspot.com). Of course the World refutes the historicity of such events on a matter of principle, because in the eyes of the World miracles don't happen. But we know, that the world is caught in the snare of the Devil who as taken them captive to do his will (2 Timothy 2:26). And the Devil is a liar and the father of lies (John 8:44). But this morning, as I sit here typing, I have a sense of certainty as to the truth of the Scriptures that are proved over and over by research, secular and otherwise. Of course I don't believe everything that I read, I am not naive, but I have come to have confidence in the reliability and the truth of Scripture.

There are still many things that I don't understand, and there are many more things that I have yet to learn. But having said that, I am sitting here confident that the one who made a way through the sea for Israel (Isaiah 43:15, 16), this One is still on His throne. He is not caught by surprise, and He is using this attack of the enemy to waken His church, the body of all true believers, to cause us to rise up in faith, to take up the authority we have been given, and to trample on this caronavirus snake (Luke 10:19). But He is also wanting to reset His church, to bring us back to the fear of the Lord, to obedience, and to a zeal, to come against every sin and compromise and start a new journey in our lives. We are in the midst of a battle and we need to take up the breastplate of righteousness, His and our own practical righteousness (sanctification).

Paul tells us that the weapons of our warfare are mighty to the pulling down of strongholds and everything that exalts itself against the knowledge of God (2 Corinthians 10:4, 5). It's not just the coronavirus that needs to be defeated, it's also the strongholds of our society that has rejected God, and spread lies and confusion and chaos having, as I said been taken captive to do the enemies will. And the verse that has been on my heart for several days now is verse 6 which says “being being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.” Clearly it is not the obedient being punished, so who is it who is being punished? It is the enemy, the snakes and scorpions, the principalities and powers the over which the Lord has given us authority. And we can trample them “when our obedience is complete.”

Father, in identification repentance I repent this morning for myself, and on behalf of Your Church. We have been so lukewarm Father, we have compromised left right and centre, we have allowed the values of the world to permeate Your church, bringing compromise and outright sin. Lord all things are lawful, but not all things are expedient (1 Corinthians 10:23). Please grant us repentance Father to turn from our wicked ways. Forgive us Lord, and heal our lands in Jesus Name Amen

Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God

This morning's quote is from Luke 4:4. Jesus had been fasting for forty days, and then afterwards he was hungry (verse 2). Forty days is the time la healthy person can go without food without damaging their body. For much of the time during such a fast,  the appetite is suppressed, but then at the end, hunger comes "afterwards He was hungry." Most of us don't know hunger, but Jesus did, and Satan came to tempt Him saying “If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread” (verse 2). The temptation here, is first and foremost to cause Jesus to doubt His identity, to doubt what God had told Him about who He is. In particular, immediately after His baptism, a voice had come from heaven saying, “You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased” (3:22). And Satan was inviting Jesus to question both His identity, and what God had said. There is much to say about identity, but we will save that for another time.

There are two words in Greek that are both translated “word” in English.  The first is logos, and for our purposes we can think of it as the objective word. Jesus tells us that God's Logos (the Bible) is truth, objective truth (John 17:17). The other word is rhama, it is the spoken word, the living word, it is the prophetic word. We have all had the experience of reading the Bible and a verse or passage standing out to us in some way. This is a Logos word becoming a rhama word as the Holy Spirit breathes on it. These days in writing this blog, for example, I am asking for a rhama word from the daily logos readings. In fact there were two such words that stood out to me this morning.  The other one was Luke 4:18 which is Jesus speaking His destiny to heal the broken hearted and set the captives free.  

My first inclination was to blog on the latter, since my heart is very much for the inner healing He promised in this verse. But in an early morning prayer meeting on line, a sister said something that pointed me to the first verse. This too was a rhama word. It was the phrase “look up, not down.” It had come through several independent sources in the last couple of days. And this was a rhama word of confirmation, a prophetic word, and a relevant word at this difficult time of the invasion of the caronavirus.

Father, I want to thank You again this morning for the earlier prophetic word from Chuck Pierce. The word was that there would be a plague like invasion that would test us through Passover,  and that we are not to look down at what we are about to go through, but that we should look up.  And if we keep our eyes looking us, we will make it through. Chuck then lead us in a prayer/declaration “Lord keep us looking up, and the snakes ahead will have no head.” Thank You Lord that You have given us authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and that this plague will not harm us (Luke 10:19). Thank You Lord that this is just one of the "every rhama words," that You are giving us to day to live by in Jesus Name Amen

My soul, wait silently for God alone

... For my expectation is from Him (Psalm 62:5). I knew from an early age that waiting is hard, waiting for the result of an operation of a loved one, waiting for the exam results we are sure we have blown, waiting for the approach of a gale we know for sure is coming, waiting for a loved one to come to the Lord, they are all hard. In the midst of a trial we just want it to be over, and in the midst of the waiting the default is to be anxious as we ponder the various negative outcomes. It is called worry, and worry is faith putting faith in the evil one, rather than in God. David had declared in verse 1 “Truly my soul silently waits for God; From Him comes my deliverance.”

In this first verse of the Psalm David is truly waiting on the Lord, resting in trust of deliverance. He is still and in silence resting in Him. But as I have often said, it is one thing to gain peace, and quite another to keep it. This is especially true when others around you are freaking out and stressed to the hilt over what is happening. And we are certainly in a time like this with everything shutting down out of fear of the caronavirus. But it's not just the virus, there is the fear of the loss of jobs, and financial security as the economy takes a hit. Fear and stress and panic are as infectious as the disease, and if we are not very careful we will allow the enemy to steal our hard won peace. And David, perhaps sensing this, instructs his soul in the verse at the head of this post. “Soul,” he says “wait silently for God alone.” He adds that his hope and expectation is of Him. The prophetic word at this time is to look up, not look down (see 17th post). David says twice in this Psalm “I shall not be greatly moved” (verses 2c, 6c).

Another translation of verse 5 puts it this way “Rest in God alone, my soul, for my hope comes from him.” And having achieved it, David turns to minister to those around him saying “Trust in Him at all times, you people; Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us” (verse 8). It is good advice both for ourselves and for those we encounter at this time. God is shaking the heavens and the earth at this time. The evil one is seeking to overpower us in all of this, but again as David says “God has spoken once, twice I have heard this: That power belongs to God” (verse 11). The Hebrew poetry of the first part of this verse is stressing that this thing is truly true and so with David, we can truly wait for Him.

Father, what I am hearing from the global community at this time, is that while the enemy intends this for evil, You are using this to shake the nations. The enemy is trying to sabotage what You are trying to do, but as we determine to stand and having done all to stand Your are decapitating him. We are believing this is You preparing the globe for the prophesied billion soul harvest. Thank You Lord for the amazing prayer and fasting and repentance and all that You are doing both in the church and in the World in Jesus Name Amen

When my heart is overwhelmed

.... Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. There were two verses that stood out to me in this morning's reading, this first one is from Psalm 61:2. David had cried out to God asking Him to hear his prayer (verse 1). We do not know the occasion of this Psalm, but we can all likely identify with feeling overwhelmed, faint and wanting to hide (the force of the Hebrew). I think of such times as having the rug pulled out from under me, and I had to have a number of these experiences before I first of all turned to God for salvation.  I then needed a number more “rugs” pulled,  before I fully entered into the process of healing, or recovery, true sanctification. Twelve step programs talk about acknowledging the need for a higher power, something or someone outside of oneself to which we can turn in times of trouble and distress. At such times we cry out to God even if we have no idea who He is. The saying there are no atheists in foxholes, seems to be true. And at times like these, those of us who know and love the Lord can lead the way for others, simply by our peace, our peace can be a light in the darkness.

We do of course need to get there ourselves first, and it is a journey! This was not the first time that David had felt overwhelmed. He says in verse 3 “You have been a shelter for me, a strong tower from the enemy.” And his experience over and over of God's faithfulness, was the substance of what built the walls of the high tower in which he now feels secure. And in this new season he can now know that he will abide with God forever (verse 7a).  And all this gives him faith to trust in the shelter of God's wings (verse 4b). It's like that with us too, it was with me. Each difficult thing that happens, when we cry out to God and choose to trust Him, these experiences build our walls of faith, and we move into the realization that we are indeed the light of the world (Matthew 5:14).

The second verse that stood out to me is from Luke 3:22. It's where the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus at His baptism, and a voice come from heaven saying “You are my beloved son, in You I am well pleased.” The scriptures tell us that God is no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34). It is therefore true that  what He says to Jesus, He says to all who Jesus calls brothers (Hebrews 2:11). Therefore He is saying to you and me “You are my beloved son, beloved daughter in whom I am well pleased.” He does of course want to transform us from one degree of glory to another (2 Corinthians 3:18), and He calls us up not out (Romans 8:1). He loves us exactly as we are, but He loves us too much to leave us there. It's all about acceptance and transformation!

Father, You are so much not into control, but You do want to bring us fullness of life (John 10:10b). And we find that by choosing to present our bodies as living sacrifices which are holy and acceptable and our reasonable service (Romans 12:1, 2). So we surrender again this morning Lord,  and ask You to help us to let our light shine through us at this difficult time for the World in Jesus Name Amen

Give us help from trouble

.... For the help of man is useless. Through God we will do valiantly, for it is He who shall tread down our enemies (Psalm 60:11,12). This verse from this morning's readings that are on my heart. And I got to thinking about the combination of our responsibility and God's, what He expects us to do and what He does for us. I mean there are times when He says to stand still and see the deliverance of the Lord (Exodus 14:13), and there are times when He asks why are you praying go out and face the enemy. But even when it's the Lord, we still have to take up our position, and even in this morning's portion, it is “through God.” And of course this morning the panic over the coronavirus is on also my mind, as here in Canada everything is shutting down, or almost everything. And the question, again on my heart is what is our part, my part, and what is God's?

I am talking about the Biblical principle that we are co-labourers with Christ (1 Corinthians 3:9). I just came from an early morning daily prayer meeting that “by coincidence” was called way before the panic struck. There is this spirit of fear that is over the whole earth, you can feel it, and there is very little that we as individuals can do. But what we must not do, is to give into the spirit of fear. And part of what we were doing this morning, was to affirm that we believe that God is in control, and declaring words to the effect that “will not fear, Even though the earth be removed,

And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea.” And we can do this because “God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble” (Psalm 46: 2, 1).

What is encouraging to me, is that the prophetic has not been silent. In particular, Chuck Pearce prophesied last September that there would be a massive plague that would “test us though passover.” God also told him “Do not look down at what you are about the see.” And he encouraged us to declare  “Lord keep us looking up, and the snakes ahead will have no heads.” Other reputable prophets have been saying that all this is an attack of the enemy, to try and prevent what is coming. I have had the sense for some time, that when the powers of darkness are themselves in panic, that they always go too far. And I want to encourage us all this morning that at times like this, people pray, and I am tapping into the promise this morning that “If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land (2 Chronicles 7:14). I mean even nonbelievers are praying at this point in time. With all this prayer,  how can we not succeed Hallelujah!

Father, I have the real sense this morning, that we we do not need to fight this battle, but we are to simply take up our position (2 Chronicles 20:17) in faith and in prayer, declare our trust in You and in the surety of Your deliverance. So I thank You in advance for what another prophet has declared, namely that the tide has turned and the victory is ours in Jesus Name Amen

Flirting with the darkness

“Now when Balaam saw that it pleased the LORD to bless Israel, he did not go out as at other times” (Numbers 24:1). When reading the story of Balaam, it might seem unfair that he was killed with Israel's other enemies (31:8). I mean he had always inquired of the Lord, and had never said anything the Lord had not told him to (i.e. 22:18). And at some point it seems the Lord had even given permission to go with Balak who was seeking to hire him to curse Israel (22:20). And here, much later in Chapter 24 we see that Balaam saw, presumably for the first time, that “it pleased the Lord to bless Israel.” So who could blame him? Well God did for one (Jude 11)! But why? Well, the clue is that Balak had sent emissaries to Balaam with the “diviner’s fee in their hand” (22:6-8). And what I want to suggest, is that in inviting them to stay, Balaam was entertaining the darkness, flirting with it. 

 

The same night the Lord rebuked Balaam telling him clearly “You shall not go with them; you shall not curse the people, for they are blessed” (verse 12). Nevertheless Balaam had gone with them three times (24:10). The problem then, was that Balaam “loved the wages of unrighteousness” (2 Peter 2:15). He failed to understand the deceitfulness of riches and that we suppress the truth in our unrighteousness (Mark 4:19; Romans 1:18). And it all starts with flirting with the darkness. James tells us that we are tempted when we are drawn away, and then enticed (James 1:14). After this, we can become totally blind to deception. The Lord had to use a dumb ass speaking to Balaam when the angel of the Lord blocked his (Balaam's) way. And in the intensity of wanting his own way, Balaam doesn't even seem to notice that the donkey is speaking to him (22:26-30). And then ever after this, Balaam says “Now therefore, if it displeases You, I will turn back” (22:34)! I mean “if,” what was it going to take?

But there's also another problem, because we do not sin in a vacuum! And our transgressions many times, especially if we are believers, encourages others to sin. It certainly did with Balaam (31:16). And it all starts when we flirt with the darkness, that is just allowing ourselves to think about it. And the next thing you know, the still recovering addict hangs out with old “friends” who are likely to persuade him to use; the porn addict types certain key words into a search engine – just curious to see which websites come up; someone with a gambling problem hangs out in places with lots of slot machines; a young unmarried couple spend long hours alone in private etc., etc. In the last case the scripture clearly says “Flee fornication, sexual immorality” (1 Corinthians 6:18; see also 6:9).

Father, forgive us Lord for those times we have flirted with the darkness, fooling ourselves and telling ourselves “we're only looking.” You call us to be holy Lord, and You desire truth in the inward parts (Psalm 51:6). Let us not be ignorant Lord of the devices of the devil who wants to draw us away, and cause us to not walk in the light. Our thought life is the last bastion Lord, so please teach us to bring every thought captive unto obedience in Jesus Name Amen

How shall I curse whom God has not cursed (Numbers 23:8)?

The context is of Israel in the midst of the wilderness wanderings. They were there, because they had refused to go up in battle to claim the promised land. So Israel then and now was and is far from perfect. Balak, one of Israel's enemies, had asked Balaam, a prophet of Israel, to curse Israel. And also then and now, there are forces in the World who want to curse Israel, even in the Church. And regardless of what you feel about the issues, and there is certainly confusion and contradictory evidence, what we need to realize is that God's convergent with Israel is an everlasting convergent, and that it remains true that God will curse those who Curse Israel, and bless those who bless it (Genesis 17:13; 12:31).

Nobody can deny that the state of the Palestinians is dire. What is not always obvious though, is that the Palestinians are being used as pawn in a proxy war, specifically from Iran. And Iran essentially has the Palestinian leaders in their pocket. And from the beginning Iran, and others in the Middle East, have been determined to eliminate the state of Israel “pushing them into the sea.” As in any war, there are rights and wrongs on both sides. But this war has been going on for a very long time. It is essentially a war between the sons of Isaac, and the sons of Ishmael. And no matter what you think about the issues, it's hard to see how Israel can make peace with those who are committed to its annihilation. Nevertheless, we are commanded to pray for the peace of Jerusalem (Psalm 126:6). With man it is impossible, but with God all things are possible (Matthew 19:26).

I want to say something about what is called replacement theology. Some believe that God has rejected Israel and replace it by “Spiritual Israel,” meaning the Church. For this and other reasons, many at lest in the visible Church, reject Israel and all that it stands for. But Paul addresses this issue clearly. He asks “has God cast away His people?” He answers his own question with “Certainly not! God has not cast away His people whom He foreknew” (Romans 11:1, 2). It is he admits, something of a mystery, but then goes on to say that he does not want us to be ignorant “lest you should be wise in your own opinion. ” And he want us to know “that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in” (verse 25). From the Bible, we know that Israel is part of God's end time plan for the redemption of all who will receive Him. In fact the very existence of Israel is evidence of God's work in the World. Isaiah asks “Can a nation be born in a day? Who has heard of such a thing?” (Isaiah 66:8). Well, it happened on May 14 1948. Google it of you are not familiar with these things.

Father, as we watch the news and see the ongoing conflict specifically over Jerusalem, we need faith to pray for its peace. But Lord Your Word will surely accomplish what You desire, and will not return to You void (Isiah 59:1; 55:11). And we look forward to that day Father when every wrong will be made right and every tear wiped from our eyes. In the meantime In the meantime Lord give us grace to watch and pray in Jesus Name Amen

The babe leaped in my womb for joy

If Christmas is the time that Jesus was born, then it would be about this time of the year that Mary became pregnant. And the daily readings for today include the visit of the angel to Mary and Mary's visit to her cousin Elizabeth who had “conceived a son” in her old age. And when Mary arrived, the babe leaped in Elizabeth's womb for joy (Luke 1:26-44). Notice that is was a son that was conceived, not simply a bunch of cells, and that it was a babe (brephos) that leapt in her womb. The Greek lexicon Thayer says of brephos, that is it both an unborn child as well as a newborn child (Luke 2:12). Thus the Bible makes no distinction between the unborn child and the new born. Notice too, that the brephos is able not only to feel joy, but to feel intense joy and to express this joy by leaping in the womb! In fact modern fetology confirms that the unborn are able to feel and experience a great deal more than we at first suspected.

From the internet “There is a growing body of research showing that babies in the womb feel, taste, learn, and have some level of consciousness.” There is also evidence that the baby can experience stress, rejection, trauma and the like. Also from the internet “Chronic anxiety in the mother can set the stage for a whole array of trauma based results such as prematurity, complications of birth, death, and miscarriage. The opposite is also true.” There are ways to treat these things, and there are Christ centred ministries the Lord has raised up to this. I know of several including theophostic counselling, the healing of (emotional) memories etc. In my own ministry I have encountered these things. And there is indeed healing. As in all recovery ministries what you get out of it, depends largely on how intensely you enter into recovery. I have said it before salvation (justification) is free, getting free will cost you everything you are and have.

I know some of this is very difficult to hear, but I cannot leave this post without at least, at some level,   dealing with the fact that abortion regret is politically incorrect. We are however somewhat schizophrenic about this, because we are allowed to grieve miscarriage, but not abortion. I also want to decry the judgemental and self-righteous attitude towards this that comes out of some of those who name the Name of Christ. Neither I,   nor they, are in any position to do this (see Romans 2:1, 2). Indeed we need to show compassion and give nonjudgmental permission for those who have had an abortion not only grieve, but we also need to minister forgiveness to them on Christ's behalf (see John 20:23). It is the truth, not political correctness, that will set you free (John 8:32).

Father, I want to say it again, I am in no position to judge anyone. Lord I cannot begin to feel or understand the level of crippling guilt that some feel. I do know from my own wicked heart, that I am capable of every kind of heinous sin (Jeremiah 17:9). And I want to thank You again this morning Lord, that when we confess our sins, You are faithful and just not only to forgive us ours sins, but You are also faithful and just to cleans us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). We praise and thank You again this morning for Your amazing grace and mercy in Jesus Name Amen

What time I am afraid, I will trust in You

With all the chaos that surrounds the pandemic and panic over the corona virus, it was perhaps inevitable that this verse from Psalm 56:3 would stand out to me this morning. But of course it remains true that God is actively at work for good in all things, even in this, in the lives of His saints. And behind it all God is using these things for Kingdom purposes, for our growth and the extension of the Kingdom (Romans 8:28, 29). It is therefore important we respond to these things, in the way that He wants us to. In particular, if we are to be the co-labourers with Christ (1 Corinthians 3:9), then we need to get on board, at the very least, with these two aspect of His agenda, namely our personal growth, and the extension of the Kingdom.

There is a saying that you cannot stop the shadow of an eagle crossing your head, but you can certainly stop it making a nest in your hair! In other words, in this case, we may not be able to stop the initial thoughts and accompanying emotions of fear, that begin to rise in our hearts, but we can certainly stop ourselves obsessing on them (2 Corinthians 10:5). In other words (again) what time I am afraid, I can choose to trust in God. Since fear is the opposite of faith, and without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6), we must choose faith. And it is a choice. But how? The way I do it, is to pray, to read His Word and to rehearse His promises. In particular God has appointed Salvation as walls and bulwarks (Isaiah 26:1). Inside these walls we children are free to play without fear. God grants us the assurance of heaven, so that we can be free from the fear of death and of what man, or circumstance bring (1 John 5:13; Hebrews 2:15; 13:6). The enemy is defeated when we respond in faith to the worst that he can throw against us. When we respond at such times with joy and faith, the enemy is trampled under our feet (Luke 10:19).

I have often said, that one of the best things we can do for those we love and are trying to reach it to grow in faith, wisdom and glory (2 Corinthians 3:18). And especially at this time, we need to have compassion on those who are being overcome by fear. We have been given His shalom peace (John 14:27). And when we are secure in Him, our peace can absorb others fear and bring them comfort. These times can also be times of opportunity to share the hope that is within us, as people wonder, and sometimes ask, how it is that we can be at peace in the midst of the fear and the panic and the shaking of everything that can be shaken. I could envision saying something along the following lines “I don't know if this will make any sense to you, but I have found that salvation is a bulwark to me and a high tower.” And pray they will ask you to explain (1 Peter 3:15).

Father, thank You again this morning for salvation, that our names are written in the Lambs book of life (John 5:24; Revelation 21:27). Lord give us compassion for those who are living in fear right now, and Lord please open the doors for us to share in Jesus Name Amen

And these signs will follow those who believe

This verse (17) is taken from a disputed part of Mark's Gospel (16:9-20). It is even omitted in some translations. But perhaps what is most important here,  is that what is written in  section, is confirmed in other parts of the Scripture, parts that are undisputed. In particular concerning the signs listed here in verses 17 and 18, we are in essence looking at the authority Jesus gives us “to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you” (Luke 10:19). In addition,   Jesus commanded the eleven,  and us through them,  to Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons, and He adds “freely you have received, freely give” (Matthew 10:8; 28:20). And of course the book of Acts testifies to the truth of these claims. 

Some dispute that signs and wonders are for today. They teach that these things passed away with the completion of the New Testament. But quite apart from the fact that any supposed Biblical proof of this is spurious, Church history records that miracles were, and are, ongoing. Of course if you believe that these things passed away, you have to condemn all such assurances as either fake, or of the devil. And, well they do! Now I do not deny that there are such things as lying sign and wonders (2 Thessalonians 2:9). What is interesting though, is that while Satan can produce false signs, he cannot produce the fruit, and “it is by their fruit that you shall know them” (Matthew 7:16-20; Galatians 5:22, 23).

Part of the problem is that many lack the experience, in other words they have not seen miracles. And part of this is a crisis of expectation (faith). For if we don't believe we don't ask, and if we don't ask we don't receive. Or if we do ask we ask with wrong motives, and God will not give His glory to another (James 4:2, 3; Isaiah 42:8). In my seeking and searching I went on two short term mission trips to India with Randy Clerk.  And  I saw many,  many miracles there. They are much more open to them there. I mean the poor are rich in faith (James 2:5). Randy invites people to go on such mission trips and over and over the “little old me's” discover that God can use even them, even me,  to heal.

Father, I want to thank You for the fruit of the miraculous in our day. I want to thank You for the miracles You have used me for, and for the miracles You have performed on my body. I was even thanking You this morning for healing my knees and my arthritis. Lord not everybody I pray for gets healed, but most people are grateful that I prayed. I don't pretend to understand this, but I will not let the experience of some not getting healed prevent me from praying. If I don't pray nobody gets healed. When I pray some get healed,  and I thank  and praise You for this Lord,  and I give You the glory in Jesus Name Amen.

Then the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom

In the previous verse to this quote from Mark 15:38 Jesus had cried out from the cross with a loud voice, and breathed His last. John tells us that His last words were “It is finished.” He had finished the work the Father had sent Him to do. And then, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The veil separated the Holy place in the temple from the Holy of Holies. The writer to the Hebrews tells us that in this latter place , the high priest alone went once a year, not without blood, which he offered for himself and for the people’s sins. He also tells that the presence of the veil was the Holy Spirit indicating that the way into the Holiest of All was not yet made manifest, and that gifts and sacrifice, which cannot make him who performed the service perfect, were it all symbolic of the perfect gift and sacrifice of Jesus on the cross (Hebrews 9:7-9). And so the tearing of the veil from the top to bottom is symbolizing for us that it is God who did the tearing, and that there is a now a new and living way into the Holy of Holies made possible by the blood of Jesus (Hebrews 10:19, 20).

But let us take careful note here of the goodness and the severity of God (Romans 11:22). Indeed the write to the Hebrews is careful to warn us about these things saying “Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away,” and “For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just reward, how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation” (Hebrews 2:1-3). There is not even a hint here of the validity of the presumption of some who pray the words of the sinners prayer, and then go away unchanged, but still expect to be saved. To exhibit such presumption is a sure way to ensure that we have neglected so great a salvation. We also neglect it be failing to heed the many warnings of Scripture. We do not want to be among those for whom Jesus will say on that day “I never knew you” (Matthew 7:22).

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, but fools despise wisdom and instruction (Proverbs 1:7; 9:10). Peter tells us that in order to make our election sure, we need to ad to faith in a number of ways (2 Peter 1:10). This is not to earn our salvation, because salvation is a gift that cannot be earned (Ephesians 2:8, 9; Romans 4:4). No, rather it is to not neglect salvation. When we do these things and abound, we can come boldly before the throne of Grace to obtain mercy and Grace to help in time of need (2 Peter 1:8; Hebrews 4:16).

Father, the writer to the Hebrews admonishes us to have grace, by which we may serve You acceptably with reverence and godly fear. He then He ads “For God is a consuming fire.” Indeed “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” Nevertheless we come boldly before Your throne of Grace this morning to obtain mercy and grace to help in these hours of need. Thank You Jesus for all You have done and do, in Your precious Name Amen

Your sons shall ... bear the brunt of your infidelity

The context of this quote from Numbers 14:33 is of the children of Israel giving into fear and refusing to go up to conquer the promised land. The Lord had reminded them that He visits the iniquities of the fathers on the children. This is not as some translations have it that He is punishing the children for the father's sin, for this would contradict Ezekiel 18:20. But what is true, is that the children either suffer or reap the benefit of the legacy we the fathers leave. The people had seen the Lord's glory in what He had done in Egypt and in the wilderness, and by giving into fear had put the Lord to the test ten times (verse 22). Each time they had wanted to go back to Egypt, and this time they had even wanted to select new leaders to take them back (verse 4).

As punishment, except for Joshua and Caleb, not one over twenty who had seen His glory would enter the promised land. Commenting on this in the New Testament, the writer to the Hebrews admonishes us to”Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God” (Hebrews 3:12). Note that God regards unbelief as evil! We are likewise warned in one of the most severe warning in the New Testament, those of us that is who have “tasted of the heavenly gift, ... the good Word of God ... and the powers of the age to come (Hebrews 6:4-6).

I have seen so much of His glory, I have received healings in my own body, I have been used to heal others and have seen many, displays of His healing power.  And yet I continue to find pockets of unbelief in my heart.  And I found myself in tears this morning and crying out to God to have mercy on me,  and on my children,  and my children's children. You know most of us when are children are ill would gladly take their place. How much more should we live for Him knowing that one way or the other we are leaving them a legacy? 

Father, You reminded me this morning that “The LORD is longsuffering and abundant in mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression; but He by no means clears the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation.” And I pray Lord please pardon the iniquity of us Your people “according to the greatness of Your mercy, just as You have forgiven this people ... even until now” (Numbers 14:18,19; 1 John 1:9). Lord keep us, keep me, close to the flame, and please burn off all unbelief in Your consuming fire. Help me Lord, for I want to leave a positive legacy for my children, and my children's children, and my children's children's children in Jesus Name Amen

When pride comes, then comes shame

.... But with the humble is wisdom (proverbs 11:2). Pride is said to be the excessive belief in one's own abilities, it interferes with the individual's recognition of the grace of God. It is said all other sins arise from it. I remember in my pre-Christian days being accused of pride, and being told it was a sin. I was angry and called that person naive. But why was I angry? “Like water off a ducks back is an insult undeserved.” Clearly it was deserved! It was my pride denying I was proud! We must not fail to see the destructive nature of pride, it leads us to think that we know best. I did that, and it lead me down a very destructive path. Pride was the Devil's sin he told himself “I will be like the Most High.” But Jesus told us “whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted” (Matthew 23:12). To exalt oneself in this sense is to think more highly of oneself than he aught (Romans 12:3). The same verse suggests that we aught to measure ourself in accordance with the faith God has given us.

The word translated shame in this morning's proverb also means personal dishonour or disgrace. Another proverb puts it this way “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18). Rick Warren rephrases part of the first step of twelve step programs as “Admitted that I am not God.” In fact trying to play God in our lives is at the very root of our destructive habits. We reap what we sow (Galatians 6:7). And again as we have been saying these things lead to shame and humiliation. As much as we like to think of ourselves as independent of God, we are in fact dependent on Him, even for the very air that we breath. He is the potter and we are the clay (Isaiah 64:8). And He has designed reality in such a way is that life only goes well when we are in right relationship with Him.

Humility is the opposite of pride, but there is also such a thing as false humility. And there is a lot of it in the Church! Pride is the excessive belief in one's own abilities, but timidity and pride are not the same thing. Timidity is thinking less of myself than what is true. Humility does  not deny what's true, it does not think less of myself than what's true. Humility does not deny the gifts that God has given, and it's not thinking less of myself than what God thinks of me. And like the loving Father He is, He thinks you are I are amazing. When somebody complements you, the correct and humble response is “Thank you.” To say “It was not me, it was Jesus,” is to invite the response “It wasn't that good!”

Father, I want to come back to Romans 12:3 where Paul admonishes us “not to think of himself more highly than he ought, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.” In terms of faith I have certainly not arrived Lord, and I am immune to neither pride nor false humility. But I want to thank You this morning Lord that I am not what I once was, and that You who have begun a good work in me will keep right on working on me in Jesus Name Amen

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit

.... A broken and a contrite heart O God, You will not despise (Psalm 51:17). Last day we were talking about the sacrifice of thanksgiving and praise. And these things are sacrifices when we we are doing them in spite of the negative circumstances in which we might find ourselves. This morning it is a different kind of sacrifice, the type that needs to accompany true repentance. I love it that the Bible does not try to sugar coat its heroes. David had messed up big time. He commuted adultery with the wife of one of his warriors,  and then tried to cover it up by having him murdered. The Lord had sent Nathan the Prophet to uncover his deception the the way only the Lord can (2 Samuel 11, 12).  And this Psalm is what David penned about his repentance.

The Old Testament sacrifices were but a shadow of things to come, for “it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins” (Hebrews 10:1, 4). And here in this Psalm, in the face of his blood guilt of a man murdered (verse 14), David sees their inadequacy. He prays “You do not desire sacrifice, You do not delight in burnt offerings” (verse 16). And he goes on to pray the verse in the title. Please don't get me wrong here, I am not advocating sin, but what I want to say, is that there is an advantage to having utterly failed. In verse 4 he says “Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight; so you are right in your verdict and justified when you judge.” And the advantage is that we start to truly see that what he says about us, about our fallen human nature is true. We start to see the little old me is capable of the most heinous of sins, and that given the right (or perhaps the wrong) circumstance, we could do almost anything. So yes, God would be right and just to condemn each and every on of to hell!

There is a “but” here, but God is not willing that any should perish but all come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). And since all sin is ultimately against Him (verse 4 again), He can forgive us of anything, no matter how bad or evil. He does require repentance of course, heart felt repentance. The sacrifice God desires is a contrite heart that is willing to put the self life to death, that is willing with His help, to crucify the deeds and the desires of the sinful nature (Romans 8:13; Galatians 5:24). He is talking about a brokenness that out of love and gratitude for the deliverance from self, produces a zeal for the Kingdom and  lives that are no longer all about me. Indeed, it is because of the tender mercies of our God that Paul admonishes us to be living sacrifices (Romans 12:1).

Father, I want to offer a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving this morning, as well as presenting myself as a living sacrifice. Thank You Lord that my name is written in the Lamb's book of life. Thank You Jesus that You were willing to come and live and die, so that the Father could be just and the justifier of all who believe (Romans 3:26). Break our hearts Lord with what breaks Yours, and give us the Grace to bear it, in Jesus Name Amen

Sacrifice to God thanksgiving .....

...... fulfill your vows to the Most High, Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me” (Psalm 50:6, 7). The concepts of thanksgiving and praise, and of glory and honour, are closely linked to each other, but also together in Scripture. In particular the word translated here as thanksgiving, is translated praise in verse 23 (NKJV). But it is also translated as thanksgiving elsewhere. The NIV translates 23a as “Those who sacrifice thank offerings honour me,” while the NKJV translates it as “Whoever offers praise glorifies Me.” There things are, of course because the Hebrew words have both of the respective meanings. But the two concepts are also linked in the New Testament. I quote “because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools” (Romans 1:21, 22). Paul is saying here that the slippery slope to reprobation, the process of a person becoming unprincipled or depraved, starts by failing to be thankful, and by not glorifying God.

This is pretty scary, I mean who has not been there at times? I certainly have. And I am thankful this morning that I don't have to earn my salvation by being perfect in this, or any other way. But what these thoughts are doing this morning, is brining my attention how important are thanksgiving and praise and honouring and glorifying God. In particular, to fail to do these things is the start of a darkened mind. It is interesting to me that the Bible talks of thanksgiving and praise in terms of sacrifice. Under the old Covenant of course they were actual costly sacrifices on the alter. A sacrifice could consist of bull or a sheep. But there is a real sense in which in times of difficulty and distress that it costs us to give thanks and praise, because many times we might not feel like it! Choosing to give thanks at such times certainly feels like a sacrifice.

But the alternative is to wallow in negativity and self pity. And the attitude that pleases God is that of Job who, when his wife told him to curse God and die (Job 2:9). Job refuses saying “Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?” And in all this Job did not sin with his lips (verse 10). The Joseph story too shows how with God's help we are able to rise above the circumstances. And the Christian is commanded to count it all joy when we find ourselves in manifold and diverse trials (James 1:2).

Father, these things are very challenging, and I find myself needing to repent again this morning for allowing the trails of life to take away my joy. I need Your help Father, please restore the joy of my salvation, and grant me a thankful heart to praise honour and glorify You in Jesus Name Amen

Are you not therefore mistaken (II)

The Sadducee had asked a question and Jesus has essentially answered that they were wrong because they “knew nether the Scriptures nor the power of God” (Mark 12:24). Last day we discussed the fact that questions themselves can be wrong. This morning I want to talk about the question I get asked all the time “Can't you make the Bible say anything you want?” Well certainly people do, they even take a clear “no,” and turn it into a “yes.” I sometimes give the tongue in cheek answer “Yes you can, and using the same rules of interpretation you can make the dictionary say the very same thing! And since I discovered this, I have stopped using the dictionary!” So there are good interpretations and bad interpretations and a whole host of in between ones too! Last day we were saying sometimes you need to interpret literally, and other times not? But how are we to know?

What you must not do is use the Bible as a kind of magic book closing your eyes opening it and putting your finger on a verse. One man did that and got “Judas went out and hung himself.” Shaken he tried again “Go and do likewise.” A third time he got “What you do, do quickly” (Matthew 27:5; Luke 10:37; John 13:27). I am talking of course about the need to read things in context. In fact there is a whole science of interpretation it's called hermeneutics, and clearly we are not going to get too much into that in three paragraphs and a prayer. But perhaps what I do need to say, is that the Bible is its own best interpreter. In particular, as Jesus says, we tend to be mistaken when we don't know the Scriptures. Take last day's verse about hating father and mother. It is not only necessary to understand that there are different genres (Google it), this is hyperbole (over exaggeration). But it is also necessary to compare scripture with scripture (1 Corinthians 2:13). So for example in this case we need to see the command to love one another and to honour father and mother. But then we also needed to see that Jesus would not be put off by his mother an brothers trying to prevent His ministry.

But to come back to the question of making Scripture say what you want it to say. I need to say that Scripture itself condemns this. Peter telling that some of the things Paul says are hard to understand says “which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures” (2 Peter 3:16). We need to be particularly careful when we want to do something the Scriptures condemn. Scriptures speaks about the deceitfulness of sin, and we can easily “suppress the truth in unrighteousness” (Hebrews 3:13; Romans 1:18). It is called rationalization and denial. There is wisdom in many counsellors (proverbs 15:22)

Father, Peter says of prophecy that it is of “no private interpretation” (2 peter 1:20). The same is true of Scripture. Help us Lord to study to be approved unto God a workman who does not need to be ashamed rightly dividing the Word of Truth (2 Timothy 2:15). Keep us from error Lord we pray,  in Jesus Name Amen

Are you not therefore mistaken (I) ..

... because you know nether the Scriptures nor the power of God (Mark 12:24)? The Sadducees had taken their turn trying to trap Jesus with their questions. The Sadducees said that there is no resurrection, and they had a story about a woman having seven successive legal marriages with seven brothers, each one dying before the next marriage. The question is “In the Resurrection whose wife shall she be?” And the above verse is the start of His answer. You can read the rest of it yourself, but what I want to start to do this morning is to draw from this, among other things, that questions can be wrong. I hear two wrong questions all the time. Firstly “Do you take the Bible literally,” secondly, usually by unbelievers, “Can't you make the Bible say anything you want?”

Concerning the first consider the question “Have you stopped beating your wife yet?” Whether I say yes, or no, I'm in trouble. What I am saying, is that the question hides an assumption, in this case at the very least, that the wife has at some point been beaten. There is an assumption too behind the “literal” question, and it is that the there are only two possible answer yes, or no! Consider two verses, firstly “Unless you hate your mother and father, you cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:26). Secondly “You shall not commit adultery” (Exodus 20:14). Obviously this last one is meant to be taken literally, but what about the first? Well the statement is hyperbole, an “obvious exaggeration not intended to be understood literally.” Taken literally it would contradict the commandment to honour father and mother (Exodus 20:12). It is meant to be startling and cause us to pause and think. Thinking, is about loving the Lord with all our mind, and it is about knowing the Scriptures.

The NLT paraphrases the Luke reference with “you must, by comparison, hate everyone else.” And well yes, but this is to spoon fed us. When Jesus makes such outrageous statements, it is meant to catch our attention, and to cause us to interact with the text. You can read the NLT without pause, and it is likely gone in the next five minutes. Certainly we must honour our father and mother, but how far are we to go with it? As adults should we allow them to overrule what we understand to be our calling? Well maybe, I mean we can get things wrong, and there is wisdom in many counsellors (Proverbs 15:22). But certainly not always, Jesus told us “a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.’ He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me” (Matthew 10:36, 37). In fact there was a period when his mother and His brothers “went out to lay hold of Him, for they said, 'He is out of His mind'” (Mark 3:21).

Father, Your Word tells us that we are to study to be approved unto God (2 Timothy 2:15), and that the Holy Spirit will lead us into all truth (John 16:13). It is not by Word only, but it is by the Word and the Spirit, and it is in iron sharpening iron sharpening iron that we lean the truth. Forgive us Lord for our arrogance and pride. thinking we are the only ones who know truth. Bring us together Lord in unity and humility to the foot of the cross in Jesus Name Amen