Hymn: Have Thine Own Way, Lord

The Lord Jesus put this on my heart to sing this evening in a prayer to the Lord. It would be a good prayer for us who believe in Jesus to pray to him right now.

Have Thine Own Way, Lord

Words by Adelaide A. Pollard, 1907

Music by George C. Stebbins, 1907

Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!

Thou art the potter, I am the clay.

Mold me and make me after Thy will,

While I am waiting, yielded and still.

Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!

Search me and try me, Master, today!

Whiter than snow, Lord, wash me just now,

As in Thy presence humbly I bow.

Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!

Wounded and weary, help me I pray!

Power, all power, surely is Thine!

Touch me and heal me, Savior divine!

Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!

Hold o'er my being absolute sway.

Fill with Thy Spirit till all shall see

Christ only, always, living in me!

*copyright status is public domain

https://vimeo.com/401213349

He is The Everlasting God

Isaiah 40:18-20 ESV

“To whom then will you liken God,

    or what likeness compare with him?

An idol! A craftsman casts it,

    and a goldsmith overlays it with gold

    and casts for it silver chains.

He who is too impoverished for an offering

    chooses wood that will not rot;

he seeks out a skillful craftsman

    to set up an idol that will not move.”

The awe, the reverence, the respect and the honor of God is all but lost in modern-day Christianity here in America. For, God is often painted as our best buddy who gives us whatever our hearts desire, as though he is a doting grandfather or a genie in the sky who will grant our every request.

Regarding our salvation from sin, he is often painted as a God who loves us so much that he sent his Son Jesus Christ to die on a cross for our sins, which he did, and in order to forgive us our sins and to promise us heaven when we die, but who requires no repentance, no obedience, and no submission to him as Lord.

So, those who say they believe in Jesus often times have this entitlement mindset that God is there merely to wipe away our sins so we don’t have to face punishment for our sins, and so we can go to heaven when we die. But, they don’t see that he requires that we honor him, and that we obey him, for us to truly have that salvation from sin and eternal life with God.

And, so they end up worshiping what is created rather than the creator. They end up following after human flesh and the idols of men, because their idols coddle them in their sin, and they make no demands of them for repentance, obedience, or submission to God, or the fear of the Lord.

But, idols are but lies. They will bring no real peace, no real joy, no real deliverance or salvation from sin. But, they do promise you heaven as your eternal home while they leave you still in bondage to your sin. So, their promise is a lie which will send you straight to hell, instead.

So, the point here is that idols which we make for ourselves are no help to us at all. They may bring us some temporary pleasure, but they will bite us in the end. For, they are cheap substitutes for God, who is our ONLY GOD.

Isaiah 40:21-24 ESV

“Do you not know? Do you not hear?

    Has it not been told you from the beginning?

    Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?

It is he who sits above the circle of the earth,

    and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers;

who stretches out the heavens like a curtain,

    and spreads them like a tent to dwell in;

who brings princes to nothing,

    and makes the rulers of the earth as emptiness.

“Scarcely are they planted, scarcely sown,

    scarcely has their stem taken root in the earth,

when he blows on them, and they wither,

    and the tempest carries them off like stubble.”

We need to get back to honoring God as the holy God that he is. We need to see him in all his awesomeness, in all his love and grace – YES – but also in all of his power, his justice, and his righteousness, too. And, we need to walk in the fear of the Lord, not in the ways of our sinful flesh.

And, we need to see ourselves in the light of the awesomeness and the power and might of God, too. Isaiah got that, and so did many of the prophets of old, and so did Paul and the other apostles, including John, when he wrote the book of Revelation, in particular.

I see and hear so many people today who profess faith in Jesus Christ treating God with such disrespect. They think his salvation, his gift to them, relieves them of the punishment of sin and promises them heaven, but makes no requirements of them. So, they feel liberated to now continue living in sin while claiming that God’s grace covers it all. What a slap in the face to Almighty God!

Where is the awe of God in that? Where is the humility, and the contriteness of heart? Where is the bowing before Almighty God, weeping over our sin, calling on God for mercy, repenting of our sinful lifestyles, and turning away from sin to follow Jesus in obedience to his commands?

Too many people are way too casual about God, and they do not take him or his word to heart, and many of them feel that they don’t have to. And, if they should have a twinge of guilt over their sin, they are told to just claim who they are in Christ to console them in their sin, regardless of whether or not they are truly in Christ, according to what scripture teaches us.

But, know this! God hasn’t changed. He is the same yesterday, today and forever! His divine character and will for us has not been altered. He has not gone soft on sin. And, what he said he would do he will do. We can count on it, for he does not lie.

So, please understand this. God’s word teaches that we must walk (in conduct, in lifestyle) according to (in agreement with) the Spirit of God if we want to have eternal life with God. We must forsake our former lives of living to sin and self, and we must now surrender to Christ as Lord of our lives. He is to be King of our hearts, not us. And, we must walk in obedience to his commands (Rom. 6:1-23; Rom. 8:1-17; Eph. 4:17-24; 1 Jn. 1:5-9).

For, if we don’t obey his commands, and we don’t do what he says, and we don’t repent of our sins, but we continue living however we want, walking in the ways of our sinful flesh, heaven is not our eternal destiny. Hell is! (See: Gal. 5:16-21; Eph. 5:3-6; 1 Jn. 2:3-6; Gal. 6:7-8; Rom. 2:6-8).

So, don’t take God and his Word and his grace for granted. Don’t be smug thinking that you are good to go and that no harm will come to you just because you prayed some prayer, or just because you acknowledged Jesus and what he did for you on that cross. The saved life is one who walks in obedience to our Lord, in fellowship with God, according to his Spirit.

Isaiah 40:27-31 ESV

“Why do you say, O Jacob,

    and speak, O Israel,

‘My way is hidden from the Lord,

    and my right is disregarded by my God’?

Have you not known? Have you not heard?

The Lord is the everlasting God,

    the Creator of the ends of the earth.

He does not faint or grow weary;

    his understanding is unsearchable.

He gives power to the faint,

    and to him who has no might he increases strength.

Even youths shall faint and be weary,

    and young men shall fall exhausted;

but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;

    they shall mount up with wings like eagles;

they shall run and not be weary;

    they shall walk and not faint.”

This, I believe, can be taken two different ways. One is that these who profess faith in Jesus Christ, but who feel no obligation to leave their sins behind them to follow the Lord in obedience, often have this smug attitude that says that God doesn’t see what they are doing, and that their way is hidden from the Lord, and that he just disregards the fact that they are living in open rebellion against him. They feel he is a “do nothing” God.

The other way has to do with those who have genuine faith in Jesus Christ, but that their faith is weak due to troubling circumstances in their lives, such as what the world is facing right now. They feel they must be forgotten by God, or why else would these horrible things be happening to them. They think God must not see, or he must not know, and so sometimes they feel obligated to inform God of what he “obviously” must be missing.

Either way, God is letting us know that nothing escapes his notice. He didn’t go on vacation. He is still all powerful, all knowing and present everywhere. Nothing is out of his sight. He has not changed. His will for us has not changed, either. He is still a holy and righteous God, and he still demands that we listen to him, that we do what he says, and that we revere him.

He is still completely sovereign, too, and nothing outside of our control can happen to us unless he allows it to happen, and for his purposes. So, he knew this “coronavirus pandemic” was going to happen upon us. He allowed it. He allowed men to lie to us, too, and to deceive us, if we are deceived. He allowed them to trick us, and to manipulate us for their own hidden agendas. But, this will serve his purposes to bring his people back to him.

So, we don’t have to be afraid of what is happening or what is going to happen, for these things were foretold long, long ago. So, they must take place before Jesus returns. So, we need to find our strength in the Lord through it all, and we need to trust him in all things, no matter how this all turns out.

And, we need to wait on the Lord for him to accomplish his purposes through it all, for in that we will find our endurance and our strength to persevere, even if all looks hopeless from a worldly point of view. In him our strength can be renewed in ways we cannot even possibly imagine. For, He is God! And, he isn’t asleep. He has a plan, and it is for our good. We just need to keep trusting him and resting in him, and we will be alright through it all.

Our God, He is Alive

Music and Lyrics by A.W. Dicus

Our God, whose Son upon a tree,

A life was willing there to give,

That He from sin might set man free,

And evermore with Him could live.

There is a God, He is alive,

In Him we live and we survive;

From dust our God created man,

He is our God, the great I Am…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZOycliNiTk

*Caution: This link may contain ads

By Life or Death

Philippians 1:12-14 ESV

“I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.”

Some believers in Jesus Christ, in this world, are literally being imprisoned for their walks of faith and for their testimonies for Jesus Christ. In America, where I live, we have known little of this kind of persecution, so far. But, that doesn’t mean we are exempt from persecution. We are not if we are truly walking with the Lord in obedience to his commands.

For, “imprisonment” can take on many different forms. For, it can be a “putting away” of people who don’t “fit” with the norms of society and with worldly Christianity, either. We can be ostracized, rejected, renounced and invited to leave fellowships because of our stand for Christ and for his gospel message, and/or if we are “too serious” about our walks of faith.

Friends and/or family members may desert us or distance themselves from us, as well as may those who claim to be our brothers and sisters in Christ. For, in America, there is a “socially acceptable” Christianity, which most people appear to adhere to, and then there is a Christianity taught and modeled in the scriptures that the majority appear to reject.

And, so we may find ourselves more and more isolated because we don’t “fit” with the norm (the majority), because they don’t understand us.

But, God can turn this around for good in our lives, and he may use it for his purposes and for his glory in order to advance the gospel. He did in my life, for I am on the internet, not just because of God’s calling on my life to be on here writing each day, but because it took me being rejected and dismissed by so many different groups of Christians before I was ready, I believe, to leave institutional Christianity to go where the Lord was sending me.

So, literally the rejection I have faced pushed me out one door and the Lord then opened up this door for me, and truly this has been for the advancement of the gospel. For, the Lord has me sharing his gospel daily, and the messages are going out to people throughout the world – all glory to God!

And, it is my hope that through what the Lord has me share each day that it is encouraging others out there to be more bold in their witness for Jesus Christ. For, in the world in which we now live, Christian persecution is going to get worse, so we need to be putting on that armor of God daily. And, we need to be sharing the gospel message in its entirety so that many will believe on Jesus Christ and be saved from their slavery to sin.

Philippians 1:18-26 ESV

“Yes, and I will rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
 “If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again.”

But, we are to rejoice in the Lord in all persecutions that we might face. And, I don’t believe this means that we don’t feel the pain of the rejection and persecution, but that we don’t succumb to it, i.e. we don’t allow it to overtake us to where we want to give up. We choose to rejoice in the Lord even in the midst of pain and suffering for the sake of righteousness.

And, by deliverance, it doesn’t always mean that God delivers us from our painful circumstances. Paul continued to face persecution throughout his life. But, our Lord delivers us from the fear of being persecuted and from the emotional scars related to persecution.

He keeps giving us his strength when we have none. He keeps us going when our emotions scream retreat. He gives us courage when we have none in ourselves. And, he strengthens us to keep on in our walks of faith and in sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ with others, even to the death.

But, our desire should be for the Lord through it all, and we should set as our goal that God would be honored through our lives and/or through our death, as well. For us to live is Christ, and to die is gain, because then we will be with our Lord forever and our suffering will be no more. Amen!

Yet, I totally get Paul’s struggle between wanting to remain on the earth for the encouragement of the saints of God and wanting to be with the Lord in glory. Whenever I hear a song about going to be with the Lord, my heart is truly moved that direction. Part of that, I am sure, is my age. I have lived 70 years, which is a lifetime, and I have had many hardships in my life, too. So, I am ready to “go home.” But, I am ready to stay, too, for the encouragement of the saints of God, as long as God has use for me here.

Philippians 1:27-30 ESV

“Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God. For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.”

Paul’s concern for the saints of God was not just that they be bold in their witness for Jesus Christ, but that they would be those who walk in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. And, that is my concern, as well, that we, the body of Christ, walk with our Lord in all integrity, in faithfulness, in love, and in surrender to our Lord, and that we might be those who listen to his word and who do what he says, for the glory and praise of God.

With regard to this unity of spirit and mind, though, we must be so careful to make certain that the unity is first and foremost with Christ and with his mind and with his Word, and that we are united with those who also have unity of mind with Christ and with His Word.

For, “unity” is a big buzz word these days in the gatherings of the church, in institutional Christianity, and in the government, too, as we move closer and closer to the rise of the beast and the one world government and one world religion. So, make sure that you are united with Christ and not with humanity, and then you will be united with those who are also united with Christ. Learn to discern what “unity” is of God, and what is not of God.

There is strength in numbers, and it certainly helps to have other believers in Jesus Christ walk with us side by side in sharing the gospel and in not being frightened by those who oppose us. But, let me tell you here that as things get much worse, you may sometimes have to stand alone with no one by your side, so don’t put your dependency in human beings. Get your strength from the Lord even if everyone turns against you.

For, it has been granted to us not only to believe on Jesus Christ but to suffer for his sake. And, we have to be willing to stand alone, as Jesus did, when all deserted him. We have to get our strength from the Lord and not from other humans, and then if the Lord blesses us with brothers and sisters in Christ to stand with us, then praise His Name!

But, if they then desert you, don’t let that unsettle you. The Lord will be your strength. Just follow him wherever he leads you, and let his love be your guide. He will not fail you! He will not abandon you, either. So, trust Him.

Footprints of Jesus

Lyrics by Mary B. Slade, pub. 1871

Music by Asa B. Everett

Sweetly, Lord, have we heard Thee calling,

Come, follow Me!

And we see where Thy footprints falling

Lead us to Thee.

Though they lead o’er the cold, dark mountains,

Seeking His sheep;

Or along by Siloam’s fountains,

Helping the weak.

If they lead through the temple holy,

Preaching the Word;

Or in homes of the poor and lowly,

Serving the Lord.

Though, dear Lord, in Thy pathway keeping,

We follow Thee;

Through the gloom of that place of weeping,

Gethsemane!

If Thy way and its sorrows bearing,

We go again,

Up the slope of the hillside, bearing

Our cross of pain.

By and by, through the shining portals,

Turning our feet,

We shall walk, with the glad immortals,

Heav’n’s golden street.

Then, at last, when on high He sees us,

Our journey done,

We will rest where the steps of Jesus

End at His throne.

Footprints of Jesus,

That make the pathway glow;

We will follow the steps of Jesus

Where’er they go.

Copyright status is public domain

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ug0g048Nqes

*Caution: This link may contain ads

He's My Strength, My Song

Psalm 34:1-7 ESV

“I will bless the Lord at all times;

    his praise shall continually be in my mouth.

My soul makes its boast in the Lord;

    let the humble hear and be glad.

Oh, magnify the Lord with me,

    and let us exalt his name together!

“I sought the Lord, and he answered me

    and delivered me from all my fears.

Those who look to him are radiant,

    and their faces shall never be ashamed.

This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him

    and saved him out of all his troubles.

The angel of the Lord encamps

    around those who fear him, and delivers them.”

The Lord our God should be our everything. He should be on our minds and in our hearts throughout the day and night, not just on occasion. For those of us who have trusted in Jesus to be our Lord and Savior, we should be conscious of his presence with us at all times. And, our passion and our desire should be for him.

He should be who we want to talk about with others. We should want to lift him up and to give him praise always. Since he is our life, and we share our lives with others, then he should be on our lips a lot. And, we should delight in the fellowship of the saints with whom we exalt him together.

Oh, how I love my times with the saints of God who love Jesus and who want to share about him, too. Those are precious times to me.

We need to especially be encouraging one another right now because the world is going crazy. We need to encourage one another to not be afraid of what is happening or of what may yet come. We need to help strengthen one another in our walks of faith, and urge one another to call on God in our suffering and to believe that our Lord will deliver us from our fears.

We need to reach out to one another in love and help one another to walk through these trying days in the strength of the Lord and in his power. And, we should be sharing scriptures like this with one another to encourage one another to walk in the fear of the Lord, and not in the fear of man.

Psalm 34:8-14 ESV

“Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!

    Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!

Oh, fear the Lord, you his saints,

    for those who fear him have no lack!

The young lions suffer want and hunger;

    but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.

“Come, O children, listen to me;

    I will teach you the fear of the Lord.

What man is there who desires life

    and loves many days, that he may see good?

Keep your tongue from evil

    and your lips from speaking deceit.

Turn away from evil and do good;

    seek peace and pursue it.”

With all that is happening in this world right now, and with all the confusion, the uncertainty, and the upheaval of our lives, we need to taste and see that the Lord is good. For, he most certainly is!

Even in the bleakest of times, he is still good. For, he is allowing what he is allowing so that we will take part in him, and so that we will feed on him, and so that we will make him our refuge and our strength, and so that we will cease looking to humans and to the gods of this world to satisfy the deep longings of our hearts.

He is allowing what he is allowing so that we will walk in the fear of the Lord, and so that we will honor, glorify and magnify him as the Holy God that He is. For, he wants us surrendered to him, with our lives on the altar, holy and pleasing to God. And, that we be no longer conformed to the ways of this sinful world, but that we be transformed in heart and mind of the Spirit of God away from sinful practices to walks of obedience to Jesus Christ.

And, he will provide what we need, not necessarily all that we want, or that we think we need, but what we really need, i.e. what is most essential to our lives in him in light of eternity with God.

God is allowing us to go through some hard times right now so that we will listen to him, and so that we will follow his lead. He is taking us through a trial right now to prune us, and to purge us of all evil, so that we will forsake our sinful ways, and so that we will walk in his truth, in his ways, and in his holiness, and so that we will now do good and not evil.

Psalm 34:15-22 ESV

“The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous

    and his ears toward their cry.

The face of the Lord is against those who do evil,

    to cut off the memory of them from the earth.

When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears

    and delivers them out of all their troubles.

The Lord is near to the brokenhearted

    and saves the crushed in spirit.

“Many are the afflictions of the righteous,

    but the Lord delivers him out of them all.

He keeps all his bones;

    not one of them is broken.

Affliction will slay the wicked,

    and those who hate the righteous will be condemned.

The Lord redeems the life of his servants;

    none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.”

Who are the righteous? They are not merely those who are saved by faith in Jesus Christ, who were made righteous by the blood of Christ shed on the cross for our sins. But, they are those who live righteously in the power of God, by his grace, in his strength, and because of what Jesus did for us on that cross in delivering us out of our slavery to sin (Rom. 2:13; Rom. 6:15-20; Rom. 8:4; Eph. 4:17-24; 1 Jn. 2:29; 1 Jn. 3:7).

So, the eyes of the Lord are toward those who are walking in (living to) his righteousness by faith in Jesus Christ (1 Pet. 2:24). His ears are attentive to their cry. And, the Lord’s face is against those who do evil (Gal. 5:16-21; Eph. 5:3-6; Gal. 6:7-8; Rom. 2:6-8; Rom. 8:1-17; 1 Jn. 1:5-9).

When we go through difficult times, which we are certainly all going through right now, as the people of the world, the Lord will deliver us out of our troubles if we call on him in truth, and if we are walking in his righteousness. But, he may not deliver us from the circumstances themselves, for he may be using those to purify our hearts, to prune us, and to make us more like him.

So, if you call on God to deliver you from all this stuff that is going on in the world, don’t be upset with God if things only get worse, which they may. But, realize that God called us to a life of suffering for righteousness’ sake, and our deliverance can be from fear or worry or doubt or despair. He may deliver us by giving us his strength and endurance to make it through the trial rather than to escape the trial. We just have to put our trust in Him.

In Christ Alone

By Stuart Townend & Keith Getty

In Christ alone my hope is found,

He is my light, my strength, my song;

This Cornerstone, this solid Ground,

Firm through the fiercest drought and storm.

What heights of love, what depths of peace,

When fears are stilled, when strivings cease!

My Comforter, my All in All,

Here in the love of Christ I stand…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENtL_li4GbE

*Caution: This link may contain ads

If We Walk in The Light

1 John 1:1-4 ESV

“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us— that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.”

Jesus Christ was with God in the beginning, he is God, and all things that were made were made through him. He became flesh and he dwelt among the people of the world. John the Baptist said of him, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (See John 1:1-29).

Jesus Christ, God the Son, left his throne in heaven, humbled himself “by taking on the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (See Phil. 2:5-11).

Jesus was/is the Word, the Word of Life and the Eternal Life. And, he came to give us life in him free from slavery to sin, and free to walk in his holiness and righteousness in the power of God, who is living within those of us who are his by faith in him.

He died on that cross that we might die with him to sin. And, He died on that cross that we might no longer live for ourselves, but for him who gave his life up for us (2 Co. 5:15, 21; Eph. 4:17-24; Rom. 6:1-23; 1 Pet. 2:24).

Through God-given faith in Jesus Christ, which is crucified with Christ in death to sin, and is resurrected with Christ to newness of life in Him, we have fellowship with God the Father and with the Son Jesus Christ. And, through faith in Jesus Christ we also have fellowship with others like us who have also given their lives to Jesus Christ in surrender to his will.

1 John 1:5-10 ESV

“This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.”

This is essential truth here. And, it is critical that we get it. For, too many people these days are teaching a false grace gospel which permits its adherents to continue in their sinful lifestyles while promising them heaven as their eternal destiny, and that is just wrong!

For, God is light. He is truth. He is righteousness, holiness, purity, and faithfulness, etc. And, in him is no darkness – no wickedness, evil, idolatry, adultery, sexual immorality, betrayal, or lies or deception of any kind.

So, if we claim to be in fellowship (intimate relationship and communion) with God, through faith in Jesus Christ, but yet we live (walk, conduct our lives) in darkness – idolatry, immorality, evil and deception – then we are liars who do not live by the truth. We are not in fellowship with God.

In the Light

BUT… If we walk (in conduct, in lifestyle) in the light (righteousness, holiness, godliness, uprightness, self-control, purity and truth), we have fellowship with one another. And, that means we also have fellowship with God the Father and with Jesus Christ, the Son, too.

And, what we need to really get here is that this is talking about our walks, how we live our lives day in and day out. This is not talking about some one-time decision we made to accept Jesus Christ as our Savior.

For, if we walk (in lifestyle) in darkness, we are not in fellowship with God, with Jesus. But, if we walk (in conduct, in lifestyle) in the light, then we are in fellowship with God the Father and with the Son Jesus Christ (Rom. 6:1-23; Rom. 8:1-17; Eph. 4:17-24; Lu. 9:23-26; Tit. 2:11-14; 1 Jn. 2:3-6).

And, then what? IF we walk in the light, as God/Jesus is in the light, not only do we have fellowship with Christ and with his other followers, but the blood of Christ cleanses us from every sin. And, this is consistent with other New Testament scriptures, too (Rom. 6:1-23; Rom. 8:1-17; 1 Jn. 2:3-6).

So, we don’t “get saved,” and then we are good to go, and then one day we get to go to heaven when we die. For, our salvation is ongoing. We are saved (past), we are being saved (present), and we will be saved (future) when Jesus Christ returns and our salvation is complete (Ro. 8:24; 1 Co. 1:18; 1 Co. 15:1-2; 2 Tim. 1:8-9; Heb. 5:9; Heb. 9:28; 1 Pet. 1:5, 8-9).

Our faith in Jesus Christ is also not a one-time experience. It is also ongoing. And, we must continue in that faith if we want to have eternal life with God (Jn. 8:31-32; Col. 1:21-23; II Tim 2:10-13; Hebrews 3:6, 14-15).

Confession of Sin

To have faith in Jesus Christ, we have to admit that we are sinners, and we have to confess our sins. But, confession of sin is not a mere acknowledgment of sin. It is to be in full agreement with God about our sin. It is to reach the same conclusion as him. And, it means we are aligned with God regarding our sin.

So, if we were to be in agreement with God regarding our sin, then that would mean that we would not merely acknowledge that we are sinners, but that we would repent of our sins, that we would turn away from them, and we would die with Christ to them, that we might live to Christ and to his righteousness (Rom. 6:1-23; Rom. 8:1-17; Eph. 4:17-24; Lu. 9:23-26).

If we, then, with contrite hearts, confess our sins, turn from them, and turn to God to follow him in obedience, then he is faithful to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

But, as is noted above, this is ongoing. We must walk in the light as he is in the light, and the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from every sin. If, by the Spirit, we are putting to death the deeds of the flesh, then we have eternal life with God. But, if we walk according to our sinful flesh, then we will die in our sins (Rom. 8:1-17; Gal. 5:16-21; Eph. 5:3-6; Gal. 6:7-8; Rom. 2:6-8).

Soldiers of Christ Arise  

Lyrics by Charles Wesley, pub. 1741

Soldiers of Christ, arise, and put your armor on,

Strong in the strength which God supplies, through His Eternal Son.

Strong in the Lord of Hosts, and in His mighty power,

Who in the strength of Jesus trusts is more than conqueror.

Stand then in His great might, with all His strength endued,

But take, to arm you for the fight, the panoply of God;

That, having all things done, and all your conflicts passed,

Ye may o’ercome through Christ alone and stand entire at last.

Leave no unguarded place, no weakness of the soul;

Take every virtue, every grace, and fortify the whole.

From strength to strength go on; wrestle, and fight, and pray;

Tread all the powers of darkness down and win the well-fought day.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44GUiMdFApA

*Caution: This link may contain ads

What God Said to Me At...

In the year 2004, my husband and I were church planters. He was going for his ordination, and I was going for my consecration with the C&MA (Christian & Missionary Alliance).

In September of that year, we were both to attend our district’s Prayer Conference, I believe it was called. All who were pastors or official workers with the C&MA in our district were invited to the conference. And, my husband was supposed to speak at the conference, representing our little congregation.

But, before the conference took place, my husband injured his back, and he could not attend, so I ended up going to the conference without him in order to represent our small congregation. And, while I was there, the Lord spoke to me in a very powerful way, and from that moment on my life course was drastically altered.

This is one quote from the conference that God used in my life to let me know he was about ready to take me in a different direction:

“Loving God’s work means letting it go – it’s not ours – it is his. He may have something else for us to do that we have not even thought of.”

And, by November of that same year the Lord had me on an entirely different course. I was no longer going for my consecration, and we were no longer church planters, but the Lord brought me to the internet to share what he was teaching me through his Word each day, although it was not every day until mid-2006.

Well, this evening I was asking the Lord if he wanted me to write anything to share with you all, and he reminded me of my notes on the district conference, so I am going to now share them with you, and I trust he will use them in your lives according to his purposes.

WHAT GOD SAID TO ME AT DISTRICT CONFERENCE

September 13-16, 2004

Monday night: Rev. Ferrell Towns spoke. He said something like this: “The word of God is ‘contemporary.’ We need to call on God and hear from God and then we need to preach the word of God, because that is what people need to hear – that is what will satisfy the hunger of their souls, not the teachings of man. We need to hear what God is saying to us and then we need to tell the people what God tells us we should tell them. And, we need to not fear their response. We need to trust God with the results.”

Tuesday morning: During my quiet time, God said to me: “Call on my name. If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? Walk with God. Do everything I command you. I will remember you and no harm will come to you.”

Tuesday Morning Devotions: Rev. Peter Nanfelt spoke. He quoted the passage in Acts which said, “David served God’s purpose in his own generation.” Rev. Nanfelt said, “what we’re going to do we need to do NOW!”

Then, he quoted from I Tim. 2:7: “And for this purpose I was appointed a herald and an apostle… and a teacher of true faith…” He said Paul had a clear sense of God’s purpose for him and an urgency for getting it done. He continued by saying something like this:

“Because of God’s grace we want to serve him. Christ’s love compels us. Because of God’s grace we are liberated. Loving God’s gifts means loosing his power within us. God has made us unique by giving us a special gift set, but sometimes we are afraid to allow God to use us in our gifted areas. God urges us and presses us to be what he wants us to be.

“It’s a conspiracy of adults that keeps us trapped into thinking we cannot be who God created us to be. God knows what gifts we have and our state of limited usefulness, and he wrestles us out of our beds of self-doubt and into His light. Fan into flame the gift of God within you. Loving God’s work means letting it go – it’s not ours – it is his. He may have something else for us to do that we have not even thought of.”

Tuesday morning business meeting: Rev. Nanfelt shared the President’s report in the form of a video presentation. He showed some clips from The C&MA Annual Council. Among the speakers at the Council were Ann Graham Lots and a man whose name I did not get, but who was not from the C&MA.

Ann preached on being called, not to ministry, but to Jesus. The man I referred to preached about the C&MA’s need to plant more churches state-side. He said that C&MA churches overseas outnumber the USA churches 7 to 1. He said that obviously our efforts overseas are successful, so maybe we should look at what we are doing right over there and do it here. He (I believe it was him) said that we don’t need to ask God to send more workers, but that we need to use the workers we have.

I could not help but think, in light of the fact that Ann Graham Lots spoke at Council, and the fact that we utilize women more in leadership roles in churches overseas than we do stateside, that if we would just release our US women to do what we allow our overseas women to do that God could do a mighty work here in the USA in the C&MA in our church planting efforts.

If we would just release our women to prophecy as God said he would pour out his Spirit upon all men and women and his daughters would prophecy, that we could reach a whole lot more people for Jesus Christ and not so many of our churches would be closing their doors, perhaps.

Tuesday evening: The speaker spoke from Habakkuk 2:1-4. Verses 2-3 spoke to me: “Then the Lord replied: ‘Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it. For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay.”

Wednesday morning: During my quiet time with God I was going back over my notes from Tuesday evening and I remembered reading something like that passage from Habakkuk in my grandmother’s journals. She said it often: “We are not to become discouraged and feel that God has forgotten his promise to us or has failed to fulfill our vision. For if the vision tarries, wait for it, for it will surely come and will not tarry.”

Another passage Grandma quoted often was: “The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion – to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.” This is God’s calling on my life!

Wednesday morning devotions: The speaker said we don’t have a right to question God. We don’t have a right to say “why” when things don’t turn out the way we think they should or when a trial lasts longer than we think it should.

He preached from the book of Job. He said that Job initially trusted God but as time progressed he began to question God. He said that it was absolutely imperative that Job did not know why. Otherwise it would have nullified the test.

He said that whatever we are going through is so much bigger than we could ever imagine. Then, he went on to encourage us to stand firm, to press on and to not lean on our own understanding. He said that this all happened “for such a time as this.” He said, “It is NOW your time! Blessed be the name of the Lord!”

Wednesday evening: Fred Hartley was the speaker. He said something like this: “Have you climbed any trees lately? God is asking this of all of us. He has a tree he wants us to climb. How big is your Jesus? The Church is in crisis – the crisis of Supremacy. It is indistinguishable between the lives of evangelical Christians and the world. The only hope for the Church is revival.

“We need tree climbers who want to get a closer look at the Supremacy of Jesus Christ. We have an enemy. Revival will come when we return to the Supremacy of Jesus Christ. Churches are relying too much on the teachings of men. Col 2:8: ‘See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.’ Jesus Christ is the head of the Church.”

In summary:

1. Preach the Word of God, not the teachings of man.
2. Listen to God, hear what he is saying, and then obey him.
3. Tell the people what God tells you to tell them and leave the results in his hands
4. Walk with God and obey his commands.
5. What you are going to do, do it NOW.
6. You were appointed by God as a herald and a teacher of true faith
7. God has given you a clear sense of his purpose for you and an urgency…
8. Fan into flame the gift(s) of God within you.
9. Give your ministry over to God – it is not yours, it is his
10.  God may have something else for you to do that you have not even thought of
11.  The C&MA had Ann Graham Lots speak (preach) at Council
12.  Another non-Alliance speaker at Council said: C&MA churches overseas outnumber USA churches 7 to 1 – find out what you are doing right overseas and do it here – we do not need to call more workers, we need to use the workers we have – that includes empowering our women like we do on the mission field
13. Write down what God shows you and then wait on him to bring it about
14. Don’t ask God “why,” just trust him – stand firm, press on
15. What you are going through is much bigger than you can imagine
16. NOW is your time! – For such a time as this I was placed upon the earth…
17. Be a tree climber and get a closer look at the Supremacy of Jesus Christ
18. The Church is in crisis – the crisis of Supremacy
19. It is indistinguishable between the lives of evangelical Christians and the world
20. We need to get back to the basics – we need to put our focus on Jesus and the cross of Christ instead of on the teachings of man

Wonder Upon Wonder

Isaiah 29:13-14 ESV

And the Lord said:

“Because this people draw near with their mouth

    and honor me with their lips,

    while their hearts are far from me,

and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men,

therefore, behold, I will again

    do wonderful things with this people,

    with wonder upon wonder;

and the wisdom of their wise men shall perish,

    and the discernment of their discerning men shall be hidden.”

So, for many years now it has become apparent that the church at large, at least here in America, has gone the way of the world. They have joined forces with the world in order to attract the world to their gatherings. They have turned worship services into stage productions, and many of their pastors have become comedians and entertainers instead of preachers (ministers) of the Word, of the whole counsel of God, the gospel of Christ.

Thus, the gospel of our salvation has also been diluted and misrepresented in order to give people a “quick fix” which guarantees them forgiveness of all sins, and which guarantees them heaven as their eternal destiny, but which makes no demands on their lives for death to sin, obedience to Christ, and submission to Christ as Lord of their lives (See Rom. 6:1-23; Eph. 4:17-24).

The Holy Spirit has been shoved out of most of these churches, and he has been replaced with marketing books on how to build or to grow your churches, i.e. your businesses. Bible studies have largely been replaced with studies of books written by mere mortals, some of which teach a false gospel of grace and/or which are manipulative, deceptive, and which mingle Christianity in with other religions and their practices.

Church fellowships are more about eating and talking and playing games or watching movies or sports on TV, and Jesus may not even be mentioned. Conversations in these fellowships are often no different that conversations among those who make no profession of faith in Jesus Christ. For, these fellowships are merely for social purposes, and not for the glory of God.

So, the church gatherings, when they were happening, turned more into Christianized versions of what the world was offering, and that is why the world enjoyed the gatherings, too. But, Jesus was no longer the head of most of these gatherings, and most of them were not being led by the Holy Spirit, for now they were being led by men and their marketing schemes.

Where We Are Now

So, a good picture of where the church, at large, is right now, is mainly a bunch of empty buildings across the country which are whitewashed on the outside to give the appearance of righteousness, but they are empty inside, void of the Holy Spirit, and void of the power of God, because they are drawing their strength from the world and humans, and not from God.

And, since this has been apparent for a very long time, the Lord has sent many messengers to his people to point this out to them, and to call them to repentance and obedience to Christ. And, this was and is a call for revival of God’s church here in America, and many of us have been praying for this for a very long time.

Well, historically speaking, the way the Lord often brought his wayward people to revival, especially after he had sent his messengers to the people and they would not listen, was to bring judgment upon them in order to get them to wake up spiritually and to call on God in repentance and faith.

And, I believe the Lord is saying now that this is what he is doing with this global pandemic. He has allowed this to take place to get the attention of his adulterous and idolatrous people in order to bring them to repentance so that he can revive their hearts. He has been warning about this for many years through his messengers, and now it has come into being.

But, how it is to all be played out is in God’s hands, and in his timing. For, this could be the final play, or this could be just another step or phase in the process of the final act. But, what I am certain of is that God is allowing this in our lives right now because he wants us to call on him in truth. He wants us to seek his face, to humble ourselves, to pray and to turn from our wicked ways so that he can heal us and so we can be revived.

Isaiah 29:15-16 ESV

Ah, you who hide deep from the Lord your counsel,

    whose deeds are in the dark,

    and who say, “Who sees us? Who knows us?”

You turn things upside down!

Shall the potter be regarded as the clay,

that the thing made should say of its maker,

    “He did not make me”;

or the thing formed say of him who formed it,

    “He has no understanding”?

There are a whole lot of people who call themselves Christians who do not take God and his Word seriously. So, they continue to play with fire believing that they will not get burned, because someone has convinced them that their sins no longer matter to God, or that God can’t even see when they sin, and that God will do nothing about their continued sinful practices, either.

They think that because God is a God of love, and he is gracious, merciful and forgiving, that he will not discipline or judge them for their many adulteries and their idolatry. But, they forget that he is also a God of justice and righteousness, and he is a God of his Word. And, he warned the worldly, adulterous and idolatrous church in Revelation 2-3 to repent of their sins or else he would bring judgment upon them. And, the rest of Revelation is about those judgments.

So, if you are claiming faith in Jesus Christ, but you are still living in sin, according to your flesh, doing what your evil heart desires without regard for God and, in fact, right in his face, then don’t be surprised when judgment comes upon you. If you are putting on a show of righteousness on the outside while you secretly sin against God and others, thinking that no one sees, not even God, then your thinking with regard to God is way off.

Isaiah 29:17-21 ESV

Is it not yet a very little while

    until Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field,

    and the fruitful field shall be regarded as a forest?

In that day the deaf shall hear

    the words of a book,

and out of their gloom and darkness

    the eyes of the blind shall see.

The meek shall obtain fresh joy in the Lord,

    and the poor among mankind shall exult in the Holy One of Israel.

For the ruthless shall come to nothing

    and the scoffer cease,

    and all who watch to do evil shall be cut off,

who by a word make a man out to be an offender,

    and lay a snare for him who reproves in the gate,

    and with an empty plea turn aside him who is in the right.

I find much hope in these words. This encourages my heart that good is going to come out of our world crisis, at present. Satan means it for evil in our lives, but God means it for our good, for the salvation of human lives, and for the revival of his wayward people.

Again, I don’t know the timing of all of this, for I am not God. I just believe that, biblically speaking, God uses times such as these in our lives to correct, to rebuke, to chastise, to discipline, and to encourage, to train in righteousness, to make us holy, to prune us, and to get us ready to meet him in the air. And, so I believe this is what is happening now.

Isaiah 29:22-24 ESV

Therefore thus says the Lord, who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob:

“Jacob shall no more be ashamed,

    no more shall his face grow pale.

For when he sees his children,

    the work of my hands, in his midst,

    they will sanctify my name;

they will sanctify the Holy One of Jacob

    and will stand in awe of the God of Israel.

And those who go astray in spirit will come to understanding,

    and those who murmur will accept instruction.”

Again, I see revival of the church in these words. I believe this is an encouragement from the Lord that what appears now to be devastating and tragic will bear fruit for God’s eternal kingdom. Hard times are used of God in our lives to prune us and to make us holy. So, this is for our good.

I know that what we are going through presently is not pleasant. And, I know that it could get much worse, depending on how far this is taken at this time. But, I hope and I pray that each of us will take this opportunity to call out to God in our suffering, to seek his face, to repent of any known sin in our lives, and to walk now with our Lord in full surrender to his will.

Seek the Lord  

An Original Work / July 20, 2012

Based off Isaiah 55

“Come to Me all you who thirst; come to waters.

Listen to Me, and eat what’s good today,

And your soul will delight in richest of fare.

Give ear to Me, and you will live.

I have made an eternal covenant with you.

Wash in the blood of the Lamb.”

Seek the Lord while He may be found; call on Him.

Let the wicked forsake his way, in truth.

Let him turn to the Lord, and he will receive mercy.

Freely, God pardons him.

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,

Nor are your ways My ways,”

declares the Lord, our God.

“My word that goes out of My mouth is truthful.

It will not return to Me unfulfilled.

My word will accomplish all that I desire,

And achieve the goal I intend.

You will go in joy, and be led forth in peace.

The mountains will burst into song… before you,

And all of the trees clap their hands.”

https://vimeo.com/379408296