Faith on the Dawn of the New Year

Hebrews 11:  ⁶But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Seeking God is an act of faith. Christians who want to walk in the fullness of what God has for them, must humble themselves as little children and some to God expecting Him to not only hear but to answer and to satisfy. Although we are presently not using the Jewish calender, God still honours our fresh consecration, our fresh seeking of His face as we come to the edge of another new year.

Isaiah 55:⁶Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:

It is not that each year is especially important in any way; however, as we note the marking of time and the marking of God’s faithfulness to us yet another year, we make precious the memories of the past and offer to God the future – this next year and all the years we have left on this earth. This giving of ourselves in entirety is a fresh consecration or a fresh surrendering of oneself to God.

Romans 12

¹I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

²And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

REMEMBER HIM

Jesus commanded us to remember Him as we take the bread and the cup. We as Christians usually do this on purpose at each Communion table.  Usually there is a space of time given for us to examine our hearts to make sure we are right with God. This is a good practice for us everyday – not only in a corporate setting. The start of another year, has for us a multitude of possibilities. Perhaps if we give ourselves fresh – with a willingness to serve the Lord -there will be opportunities to witness, to exhort, to comport, to edify, to use our spiritual gifts. If we give ourselves over to Him for His use much like a bowl or pot is created for a specific purpose, God will fill us, use us and bless others because we said yes to His will for us.

God does not force us to do anything. He has given us free will. This is not only for salvation. This is also for healing, for deliverance, for miracles, for service. A faith filled, willing heart and a heart obedient to the Word of God are requirements to anything and everything in God. Anything of God and of His will, purpose and blessing over our lives comes by FAITH. Only by faith do we receive the Lord as our Saviour. Only by FAITH do we receive anything from God. As Gloria Copeland has said, Faith is the currency of the kingdom of God.

Faith only comes by hearing.

Romans 10:¹⁷So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

If we recount the blessing God has shown us in this past year, we will stoke the fire of our faith. If we remember the promises of God to us in the past, we will fan the flames of faith. If we will grab hold of the Word of God that He is speaking to us right now – we will grab hold of what will surely propel us to the next level in God and to what He has to reveal to us. It is so important that our hearts receive what He is speaking to us right now. It is so important that we hold on with faith even if we do not fully understand. We should pray that God would give us Revelation and Understanding of the Words that He has spoken/is speaking/shall yet reveal.

We should prayerfully search the scriptures that God has given us revelation of in the past and ask for fresh light, fresh revelation of them for this next year.

PRAYER

I prayerfully seek the LORD and what WORD You are speaking to me now and this next phase of my life. I ask for revelation and light of the scriptures. It is not enough to hear the Word of God. God quicken the Word of God to my life so that it profits me 100 fold. Let the Word of God produce life in me and through me. I take it by faith and claim it as my own. I say – Yes LORD reveal yourself to me with this WORD in 2012. I want your WORD, your will, your way. I come into agreement with you and what you have promised me. Give me the grace and give me the anointing to go forward in God. |Let your glory be revealed to me and in me and through me. I give YOU all the glory. Amen.

 

The Giving of Thanks

Rev 7:¹²Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.

Rev 11 :¹⁶And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God,

¹⁷Saying, We give thee thanks, O LORD God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned.

Thanksgiving and Praise and Worship flow together in heaven. We would expect that Heaven would have these because there is no sin or darkness or sorrow or any such thing in the presence of God.In His presence is fullness of joy at at His right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Many Christians have a real and bright hope for heaven. They know that there will be a day when joy will overflow and they will be in the full presence of their Saviour and Lord. This is most certainly true and although there are joys that are unspeakable and full of glory that await us on the other side of this life – in Heaven – we most certainly can partake of that kingdom of life right here in this life.

We are the temple of the Holy Spirit. Wherever we go we take God’s presence with us. We are a living tabernacle for the LORD to live in and live through. We must wilfully decide to practice the presence of God every where we go. We must be thankful on purpose. Just as in a marriage where one thanks another for the good things done, or ignores the good deed altogether, we can choose to be thankful in each day or we can choose to ignore the blessings given.We get to choose what we will do. God give me a heart of gratitude.

Those who are thankful are happy people. Joy is released as we thank God. The goodness of God is so great that there are not enough words to describe it. God is good. God is always good. He is always good to me. God give me a heart to be thankful.  Make my heart a magnifying glass so that I might magnify YOU and give your glory and honour for all you have done. A cycle of joy and thanksgiving is released when we offer thanksgiving to God – whether it is verbal or verbal with a song, or silent but heart felt or an expression of worship in giving. We can give thanks to God in all these ways.

Revelation 19

¹And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God:

The chorus of Heaven is singing and praising God. This occurs 24/7 because there is no beginning or ending of time in His presence. There is only the eternal present. Thanks Be to God. Let me have a heart that thanks You in the morning for the start of a new day and thanks You for giving me wisdom and grace throughout my day. Every aspect of our day allows room for thanksgiving. Each breath that we breathe gives room for another thought of thanksgiving.

e.e. cummings (US poet)

i thank You God for most this amazing
day:for the leaping greenly spirits of trees
and a blue true dream of sky; and for everything
which is natural which is infinite which is yes

(i who have died am alive again today,
and this is the sun’s birthday; this is the birth
day of life and of love and wings: and of the gay
great happening illimitably earth)

how should tasting touching hearing seeing
breathing any–lifted from the no
of all nothing–human merely being
doubt unimaginable You?

(now the ears of my ears awake and
now the eyes of my eyes are opened)

PRAYER

Thank You God for this Day. Thank you God for eyes that see and ears that hear. Thank you for a heart that loves you and a heart filled with passion for you. Give me a truly thankful heart. Give me opportunity to express my thanksgiving to You in my prayers and songs and praises and giving. Truly you are good and your mercy endures forever. Amen.

 

Why do bad things happen to good people?

If God is good, why do bad things happen to good people? Haven’t you had this question asked to you by someone who thought they had found the key – Eureka – why God can’t exist… There are people who will speak of trial by fire or baptism by fire. They take the words of John the Baptist as follows:

^{Matthew 3: 11}I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance. but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:

¹²Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.

They match them with Peter’s words: 1 Peter⁷That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:

By mixing these things with ideas of men and religious views, they somehow get a theology that God sends trials, sickness, pain and sorrow to teach His children lessons. They interpret Paul’s thorn in the flesh to be a physical illness, or a wound in his soul or some such thing. This is used to try to make sense out of the bad things that happen to seemingly good people. First of all – none of us know the heart of someone, unless God reveals it to us. Even then, all we would have is the revelation God gave us. Only God knows the eternal soul He created.

Nevertheless, there are bad things that attack God’s people. They should be seen as what they are and that is attacks. They are not God’s design or His plan. They are not His tutors. They are “messengers of Satan” sent to beat against us to try to get us to sin. They could cause us to doubt God’s goodness, or His love for us or to deny God’s Word. If there is any ground given in these areas, certainly our faith will waver and we will lose strength.

2 Corinthians 12: ⁷And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.

⁸For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.

⁹And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

Jesus would not die on the cross to save us from sin and then put sin upon us. Jesus would not save us from something just to put it upon us to teach us something. Jesus died on the cross to save us from hell, sin, bondage, sickness, poverty, lack, and every other consequence from the curse of Adam. Jesus paid the price for our total and complete Salvation. He would not then take these elements of the curse (they are all listed as curses in Deuteronomy 28) and inflict them upon His children.

God is not an abusive parent.He does not send trails, temptations, sickness or poverty to teach us lessons. Truly these things exist and may attack a Christian but we must dig into the Word of God and what God says about these situations; read the Word; confess the Word; resist self pity or hatred or any other temptation to sin; we must press on with the knowledge that God is for us. He is giving us supernatural strength to continue and press on. God is able to empower us to go through attacks or trials. God can most certainly turn these things for our good; God can most certainly teach us and use everything in our lives to teach us. What He is going to teach us is His goodness, His faithfulness to His Word and His character and His ways. There is no mystery about the will of God as though it is some form of the occult. God clearly gives us a revelation of His will in His Word. The Word of God is the Will of God for all people.

Now if someone has stepped outside of God’s protection, and willfully sinned and is continuously sinning, there are consequences for sin. There is sin, and hell and death. The soul that sins will die. First and foremost there is spiritual death, but there are also physical consequences. The truth is – if we sin, we should immediately run to God and ask forgiveness. We should plead the blood of Jesus over us and continue believing for that blood to cover us and keep us. Having God’s grace on our lives does not give us a license to sin.

Romans 6

¹What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?

²God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?

Truly the purpose for this message is to encourage you to believe that God is who He says He is in His Word. His will and character and plan for us can be known by reading, meditating on and studying the Bible. God does not send temptations or trials to afflict us. We most certainly have an adversary on this earth and Satan will attack us if he finds any area to do so.  Sometimes we suffer persecution or consequences of other people’s sins. It is in those moments God wants us to draw from the supernatural supply of His grace to pass through this life more than a conqueror through Christ who loved us and gave Himself freely for us.

PRAYER

LORD, help to to learn of your will and your WORD and your ways. Help me to live a godly life for your glory and honour. Strengthen me to live a holy life. Give me grace to repent quickly if I sin. I plead the blood over me. Forgive me for accusing you of anything that is not scriptural. Thank you that you have my best interest at heart, Thank you that you make clear what is under the curse and what is under the blessing. Help me to share the abounding grace of God with others. In Jesus name. Amen.

 

Tell it to the Generations that Follow

Psalm 48:¹²Walk about Zion, and go round about her: tell the towers thereof.

¹³Mark ye well her bulwarks, consider her palaces; that ye may tell it to the generation following.

¹⁴For this God is our God for ever and ever: he will be our guide even unto death.

About 25 years ago I found myself pressing into the faithers and mothers of the Christian faith. What I mean is that anybody who knew God personally and that lived through some type of revival – I pressed in to know. I had an awesome priveldge of taking an older sister out for dinner or buying an older brother a cup of coffee. I knew God had taught them some things. If you got close in any way to them – you would know too. They didn’t talk about praying or reading the Bible – they did it. It was 24 hours a dfay/ 7 days a week with them. They were God’s 100%. There was no holding back for them.

When we talked – I would ask them questions about the latter rain movement. I would ask them about the healings and the miracles they had personally experienced and seen. I wanted to know as much as I could. God put a deep desire in me to have Christian parents. You seen I was the first Christian in our family and I did not grow up with the things of the LORD. But God gifted me greatly with a tremendous thirst for the Spirit of God and for the WORD of God and for the parenting of God. I initiated contacts with these dear seasoned saints. I wanted to learn from them so I pressed in. I called them and I drove them here or there. Always I would ask them about what it was like to see the awesome glory of God as they had seen.

My dear friend who has long since preceded me to heaven spoke the above scripture to me. Somehow I did not understand the importance. It is hard to believe but I did not understand what I was doing. I knew I wanted to know these people who knew God but I did not understand God was blessing me with the ability to press in.

I have grown and am still growing in my faith. I do not see as many seasoned generals of the faith in my church anymore. What I have noticed is that I do however notice that I understand that it matters not only to me but to the generation that follows – that I take note of the building of God’s house. It is important to me that I am an accurate witness to the mighty things God has done and is doing and yet will do. I must memorize it not only for me and to bless me. I must know it so that I might tell those who will come press in to me wanting to know their God.

PRAYER

O LORD. Teach me and let me have a teachable spirit so that I might learn of you. O LORD! Fill me with your spirit and your grace that I might impart to others the great and mighty things you have shown me and the awesome things you have done. O LORD! Make me a faithful witness of your glory so that I might pass it on and teach it to those who follow. Amen.

 

Abide In Me

John 15

King James Version (KJV)

John 15

 ¹I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.

 ²Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.

 ³Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.

 ⁴Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.

 ⁵I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

Leviticus 17 :11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.

We have our new life in Christ because of Jesus’ shed blood for us. We have spiritual life because Jesus paid the price for us to have eternal life. Man was commanded not to eat or drink the blood of any creature, because the life of a creature is in the blood.

The trunk of a tree or the main body of a vine carries all the nutrients of that plant. The life of the plant is in the nutrient fluid that runs through the core of that plant. Branches carry these nutrients – but if they are cut off from the main plant, they will wither and die.

Our identity in Christ is the core of our being. Our connection with Christ is essential for spiritual life and growth. We must be abiding in Christ to bear the fruit of the Spirit. Abiding is not something we do because we have to.  It is the joy and flourishing of a LOVE relationship with God. Because He loves us so tremendously, higher, wider, deeper, greater than we can conceptualize or imagine, we are compelled to love Him in return.

In fact it is only through the love of God released in us that we can truly love Him in response. It is only through His love in us and flowing through us that we can truly love others as ourselves. The secret of abiding is that we wholly submit spirit, soul and body to God each and every day, all throughout the day. When the Apostle Paul said “Pray without ceasing”, it was not just figurative. It was not just a bunch of words. He was giving us a key to a successful life. Prayer and communion with God – abiding in His presence 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, is necessary for us to live successful Christian lives. Abiding in Him means living our lives with the awareness of living before God – openly living in light of eternity. By inviting Him into our lives to commune with us 24/7, we tap into the source of our lives. Jesus is the vine. We are the branches. We can only bear fruit if we abide in the vine.

PRAYER

LORD help me to abide in your presence. Come Holy Spirit. Breath on me and fill me with You. Come flow in me and through me. Reveal your love to me for me. Let me catch a glimpse of the ocean of your love so that I might be compelled to love you more. Release the love of God in my heart for you. I want to love you with all my being. Come fill me. Come love in me and through me. Let me dwell in your presence, living my life abiding in You. Amen.

 

The Sower Soweth the Word

^{Isaiah 55: 11}So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

Mark 4:⁸And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some an hundred.

Mark 4:¹⁴The sower soweth the word.

The words that we speak can bring life or death, blessing or cursing. We must consider our words because they are like seeds that are sown. They will bring forth a crop. Right now in our neighbourhoods dandelions are growing and their fluffy white balls are blowing all over people`s yards. The truth is they are seed pods being scattered on the winds.

The words we speak are seed pods. We must sow them wisely.The sower in the parable of the sower was sowing everywhere – on rocky ground, and thorny ground and on good ground. The sower had a purpose and that purpose was to sow the word. We too should have a determination and a purpose as we sow.

Kind words, loving words, words that produce the blessing of Abraham, words that produce faith, words that encourage or transform or give hope…these are our precious seed. God`s Word is the seed of ever lasting life. Is we speak God`s word, we have an opportunity to be used by God to touch someone`s life for eternity.

It is important for us to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit and be lead by God as we are speaking with somebody. God looks at the heart of the person. He can quicken us to speak words, that will touch the heart of that person and impact him by turning him to Christ. We can make a difference. We can be vessels used by God to pour forth life.

PRAYER  God help me to have the Word to give today. As I am speaking with people, show me their hearts and quicken the scriptures to me so that I might sow something of eternal life. Show me who to encourage. Show me who to bless. Put your words in my mouth so that they will not return void – but accomplish the thing that I send to do – and You LORD direct my sowing. Amen.

A Man of Sorrows

Good Friday is a day we should remember the sufferings of our Saviour. He is a man of sorrows because of His suffering. In some churches only the resurrection is talked about and though certainly we can not forget the resurrection – we most certainly can not forget his suffering. It is not a clean death. It was not a quick death. His abuse was severe.

It began by the religious Jewish leaders blindfolding him and hitting him and mocking him. It continued with the Roman army abusing him and mocking him. They beat him until he was so badly beaten that he was almost unrecognizable. If they would have just physically abused Him that would have been humiliation enough. But they taunted Him and mocked Him until he breathed his last breath. The religious leaders hurled insults at him until he died.

Isaiah 53:²For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.

³He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

⁴Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

⁵But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

⁶All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

The agony of His suffering is tremendous but how it becomes revealed to us is when we understand that He did no sin. He never sinned. He was the Holy Son of God who surrendered His life taking upon Him all our sin and shame and guilt. He took on Himself the curses of the law – for every sin that was ever committed or any sin that could ever be committed. He willingly paid the price of sin which was death. He paid that price that cost Him His life – in the prime of His life. He could have resisted. He could have called for angels to fight for Him. He could have performed miracles and consumed his enemies. The miracle was in His obedience to God His Father. He went willingly to suffer and die for our sins.

Matthew 27: 27     Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the common hall, and gathered unto him the whole band of soldiers.

28     And they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet robe.

29     And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews!

30     And they spit upon him, and took the reed, and smote him on the head.

31     And after that they had mocked him, they took the robe off from him, and put his own raiment on him, and led him away to crucify him.

Matthew 27:35     And they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots.

36     And sitting down they watched him there;

37     And set up over his head his accusation written, THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.

38     Then were there two thieves crucified with him, one on the right hand, and another on the left.

39     And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads,

40     And saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross.

41     Likewise also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said,

42     He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him.

43     He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God.

44     The thieves also, which were crucified with him, cast the same in his teeth.

Even their cruel mocking did not change His obedience. He did not deter from His purpose. He suffered and bled and died. There was above His head written – his crime – Jesus-King of the Jews.

The only way to truly remember the LORD is to remember all that he has done for us. When we identify with His death for us and because of us – His willing gift to us it will ignite a depth of love in us unlike any other. How could He love us so much to go through this entire humiliation? There is no love greater than for a man to lay down His life. I invite you to remember the sorrows of the Lord. He was touched with the feelings of our infirmities – He knows all manner of human suffering. His experience of agony – caused Him to identify us in the most personal way possible. He knows our sin, yet He loved us. Even because of our sin, He died for us. As we take the communion table of the LORD – remember the horror of His death. Remember the glorious power of His resurrection.

PRAYER

LORD I thank you that you took my sin and guilt and shame and sorrow. You were a man of sorrows. I thank you that you took all my pain on yourself. Thank you that you that you suffered and died for me. Thank you for setting me free because of your great love for me. Your love is higher, wider, deeper, longer, more vast than I can comprehend. Let the mystery of this great love you have for me wash over me and overwhelm me. Let my heart respond with love and passion for you. Let me remember your death, burial and resurrection – all of it. I receive your atonement for me. Amen.

LENT: Seek the LORD

Lent is the period of 40 days between ash Wednesday and Easter. It signifies the 40 days that Jesus fasted in the wilderness before starting His ministry. Lent is a period of time where Christians examine their hearts in preparation for Easter celebration. The denominational churches often fast ( from all food or a Daniel fast  – no meat – or a fast from favourite foods) to help them remember how good God is to provide us with so much. If we do without, we will be thankful when we have it again.

As long as we fast with the purpose of seeking God – not earning anything in the kingdom of God – we will be doing it with faith that God can honour.

We can learn about God as we fast. We may sacrifice a meal or a food and use that time to draw close to God. We set our hearts to seek the LORD. We purpose in our will to pursue God. This is a form of worship in itself. We set our hearts to seek the LORD.

Amos 5:⁴For thus saith the LORD unto the house of Israel, Seek ye me, and ye shall live:

Psalm 105

¹O give thanks unto the LORD; call upon his name: make known his deeds among the people.

²Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him: talk ye of all his wondrous works.

³Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the LORD.

⁴Seek the LORD, and his strength: seek his face evermore.

⁵Remember his marvellous works that he hath done; his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth;

Celebrating LENT does not mean we have to deprive ourselves of something. If we want to fast because we want to draw closer to God- this is good. If we believe that it makes us more worthy of His love – we are in error. If the focus of my heart is on magnifying the LORD and thanking Him for what He has done for me, we will find the LORD in our seeking and He will bless us with His presence. Whatever we do in faith, God will honour. Whatever is not of faith is sin.

We can add something to our celebration of LENT such as reading more scripture or praise God more or doing something to promote our relationship with God. This again is not to earn points with God but is done in faith to show God – LORD I set apart this time remembering you and what you have done for me and I just want to honour you in this that I do.

1 C^{orinthians 11: 24}And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.

²⁵After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, this cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.

²⁶For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come.

Communion is an excellent way to remember Him. We are commanded to remember Him. This time of remembering what He did for us encompasses all He did for us -

He left His throne in glory to be born as a human. He lived a holy life without sin obeying the laws of God and the rules of man. He suffered the betrayal of a disciple. He was falsely judged and sentenced. He was beaten and abused by people in authority. He was humiliated by the Romans. He was beaten and abused and nailed to the cross. He died an agonizing death – not for His own sins but for mine, and yours and everyone who would believe and receive His gift of love. He died on the cross and descended into hell. He rose from the dead on the third day. He showed Himself to over 500 witnesses. He ascended into heaven. He promised to return again. This is the gospel or good news that we remember. It is worth remembering. We should never take the gift of God as a common thing. Truly His sacrifice was tremendous. It had eternal consequences for all of us. Because my Saviour died for me, I can live forever.

LENT is a time that we can consecrate ourselves fresh to God to remember God and to seek Him in a special way. It is a pleasure for us because as we seek Him, His presence comes and fills us with His love. The goodness of God is beyond any comparison. The ocean of His love that is higher, wider, greater, deeper, more than anything we can imagine – will wash on us afresh as we purpose in our hearts to seek the LORD and remember His goodness to us.

PRAYER

LORD I purpose in my heart to draw closer to You. I desire to know you. I want to draw closer. Holy Spirit draw me so that I can go after you. Holy Spirit fill me with the revelation of your love so that I might respond in love back to you. Fill my being with divine love so that I might love you more. Give me revelation of your goodness so that I might respond with thanksgiving and praise and worship. You are the reason that I live. I purpose to seek you and to find you and to honour you with all that I am. Amen.

 

 

A Temple of the Holy Ghost

Romans 12

¹I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

²And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Each communion service that we celebrate as a CHURCH – both local and universal – we have opportunity to remember Christ and what He has done for us. We also have opportunity to offer ourselves afresh – to give ourselves in a recommittment to God. We can offer ourselves – spirit, soul and body that we may be preserved blameless until the coming of the LORD.

I want to encourage you that as you take the LORD`s supper, you remember Him but also give yourself to Him again. Give Him your all – we used to call this making an altar to the LORD – making a fresh commitment. This is not important only if we are far away from the LORD – but it is important as we are constantly renewing our vows to God – we give ourselves because He gave to us – we love HIM because He first loved us.

I Corinthians 6:

¹⁹What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

²⁰For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.

Fresh Consecration

Giving ourselves wholly to God means we hold nothing back. We rededicate our bodies as a living sacrifice to God. We do not do it because we have to – or because we are forced to – but we do it because we LOVE HIM.

We give ourselves as a temple – dedicated to God for His use. We ask Him to fill us with His Spirit and use us. We offer ourselves for 24/7 praise and worship and prayer.

Isaiah 56^{: 6}Also the sons of the stranger, that join themselves to the LORD, to serve him, and to love the name of the LORD, to be his servants, every one that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of my covenant;

⁷Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people.

Our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit of God. We are to be vessels that carry the glory of the LORD wherever we go. I am a house of prayer. If you are a true Christian  -  you are a House of Prayer.

This means that just as there was an eternal flame burning on the altar, just as there was incense rising up for God 24/7 or in Davidic worship the praise and worship team was 24/7- we are living and communing with God 24/7. We will be singing on the inside and it will overflow so that we have a song in the day and in the night. We will speak to ourselves in Psalms and Hymns and Spiritual songs – singing and making melody to the LORD. We will be living in this world but not part of it. We will be marching to a different drummer – the new song of the LORD from heaven.

There will be praise and worship going on in the inside of us – no matter what we are doing. We will be one breath away from our next prayer.

1 Thessalonians 5:¹⁷Pray without ceasing. This is possible only if we are constantly abiding in the vine. We must be in communion with Him to draw the life of the Spirit to live in the Spirit. Do you see it? Do you have a glimpse of how God has created us to live a lifestyle of praise and worship and prayer? We are ambassadors of the Kingdom of God. We carry Him wherever we go. We also carry His presence, His purpose and His heart. O that we might consecrate ourselves fresh today – wholly committing ourselves to Him who is worthy!

PRAYER

Thank you for living in me LORD. I take this moment to commune with You. I remember what you have done for me and I give myself to you – fresh today. I consecrate myself for your purposes and plans. I give my spirit, soul and body to live for you. Fill me and use me. Let the song of the LORD roll around inside of me that I be praising and worshipping you throughout my days and nights. Give me a spirit of intercession and prayer and supplication that I might carry your heart and pray your will to be done, your kingdom to come on earth as it is in heaven. Give me revelation of your will. Amen.

Keeping Christian Fellowship

1 Corinthians 12:27
Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.

I thank God for Christian friends.  I thank God for a local church where I may praise and worship God with freedom. Thank God for the preached word from the pulpit. I thank God for Christian tv and media of every kind. I have fellowship with the saints because we are joined by Jesus blood.

Acts 17:26
And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;

We are joined by faith in the Word of God. We also feel communion when we gather at various Christian inter denominational gatherings and guest Evangelist and other ministries.

Acts 2:⁴²And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.

It is so important that we do not neglect the discerning of the body of Christ. By this I mean of course, we should not offend or hold offence against any member of the Body of Christ but we should in fact have an active motivation of love towards all those who are our brothers and sisters in Christ.

John 13:³⁴A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

³⁵By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

This love that we have for the Body of Christ will cause us to purposely do good to those of the household of faith. We will pray for ways to be a blessing to the people around us. We will want to supply their needs and bless them in any way that we can.

Acts 2:⁴⁴And all that believed were together, and had all things common;

⁴⁵And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.

⁴⁶And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,

We will want to share and to give to meet their needs if we truly love them. We will continue in celebrating the sacraments and Christian fellowship. We will spend time together around the Lord;s table and in prayer and in studying and talking about God’s Word. These essential elements of the early church are still litmus evidence to show our love for Christians around us. We should cherish our time praying and taking communion together. I a advocating that we don’t only do it in a church building. We are the CHURCH whreever we are if two or more of us is gathered in His name. Let us renew our fellowship. Let us break bread together. Let us love one another with the love of God burning in our hearts – first towards HIM and then towards each other.

PRAYER

LORD I want to love you with all of my heart, soul, mind and strength and my neighbour as myself. Show me how to love. Show me how to give and how to express your love to those around me especially to the household of faith. LORD make me a magnet for blessing to those in my spheres of influence. Bless them and let me be a blessing to them showing your love. Amen