The Lord’s Personal Prayer for His Believers

John 17:6 “I have manifested Thy name unto the men Thou gavest Me out of the world: Thine they were, and Thou gavest them to Me; and they have kept Thy word.”

They had been in the upper room where they had had the Last Supper.

Before they left to go to Gethsemane, Jesus “lifted up His eyes” and prayed to the Father for these gathered here. (Judas was gone)

He prays for them to be “kept”

(How much we need this; we are so weak and helpless against sin, self, the malice and temptations of the world, and the devil.):

First, they would be kept through the Word that He had spoken to them when He was on earth.

John 17:8 “For I have given unto them the words which Thou gavest Me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I have come out from Thee, and they have believed that Thou didst send Me.”

Notice that they had “received” it. This is truly an amazing statement about these unlearned men.

Thousands had heard Jesus. But these men had received the words and message that He had given.

They received that He was the Son of God (Matthew 16:15–17).

They received the call that He gave them: Peter, Andrew, James and John from fishing boats; Matthew from collecting taxes; others from the lives they were living.

They received His corrections for their unbelief in the storm (Luke 8:23-25), and when they sought prestige for themselves….being above others. (Mark 10:35-37).

They had received His Words and by these Words of knowledge and guidance, they could be kept safe; when Jesus went back to heaven.

Second, they would be “kept” by God’s Name.

John 17:11 “And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to Thee. Holy Father, keep through Thine own name those whom Thou hast given to Me, that they may be one, as we are.”

When we are said to be under the Name of God, that means that He has declared that we are His, and by His authority, we are under His protection.

“That they may be one, as we are.”

That we may be one with The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; in peace, and love.

John 17:26 “And I have declared unto them Thy name, and will declare it; that the love wherewith Thou hast loved Me may be in them, and I in them.”

What stronger bond, surrounding us, can we have, then that of love?

And that is the bond that Jesus prayed to the Father that they have. God’s bond of love would keep them.

Praise God, Jesus did not leave us out of this prayer:

John 17:20 “Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on Me through their word;”

He prayed for all who would believe the word that was preached and written by these disciples.

He prayed for us.

Next, Jesus would go to Gethsemane, and pray for Himself : “Father, not my will, but Thine be done.”

But, first He prayed for those who believed in Him…..and received His Word.

What a Lord and Savior we have!

He came for us,….lived a perfect life to honor His Father’s Will……He prayed for us….He died for our sins…..He arose to manifest the life we now can have in Him….and….

He is still praying for us before the Father…..with all Authority (Matthew 28:18)

1 Timothy 2:5 “For there is One God, and One Mediator between God and man, the Man Christ Jesus;”

Christ on the Isle of Patmos with John

Revelation 1:1-2 “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him,….and he sent and signified it by His angel unto His servant John:

Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw.”

The Apostle John was on the Isle of Patmos, sent there as punishment….exiled there to keep him away from continuing his ministry.

John was now old…..

….he had been a young man when Jesus called he and his brother James from the fishing boats of their father, to follow Him.

Being so young, Jesus had taken extra care of him,…..Peter, James and John were the three closest to Jesus….His inner circle.

John was the one who was leaning on Jesus shoulder at the Last Supper….who had asked Him,…..”who will betray You?” (John 13:21-26)

John, though he had run away with everyone else in the garden, when Jesus was taken;…..had come back to follow Jesus into the Hall where Jesus was being tried by the Sanhedrin. (John 18:15)

He was the only one of the apostles at the foot of the cross….(John 19:26-27)

The two terms found a lot in John’s gospel and his epistles are: Light, and Love. Light must be first….we must “see” the Lord, and then, we will love Him, and His Word.

But now, he was an old man…..having had a ministry with Peter (Acts 3:1, Acts 8:14-15), and with others…..writing letters, warning of apostasy from Christ (2 John 7)……and the rise of false “authorities” in the church. (3 John 9-10)

…..but then he was arrested, and exiled.

Here, he thought he would die….his public work for the Lord over with….

….but the Lord had other plans….

….manifesting to John some of His resurrection glory and Authority…for His church,…..and for the evil days ahead.

Revelation 1:9-10 “I John, who also am your bother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the Word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.

I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,”

Jesus voice always had authority….but, people were given the choice to receive it or not, when He was here.

But this Voice is speaking in a power not to be ignored….as a trumpet….

…to awaken His church to His Word (“Voice” here means to disclose or lighten. His Voice makes us see the truth.)

Revelation 1:11 “Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last:

and What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.”

John turned to see…”the Voice that spake with me.”

Here standing before him,…..an old, persecuted believer, thinking his work was over…….was Christ, pictured in His manifestive glory, as Ruler of His church.

He stands in the midst of seven candlesticks (each representing a church that was named…..and the seven church dispensations in the Church age)

The Church is to be lights to the world, and Christ is to be the Light within us:

Matthew 5:14-16 “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.

Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”

Who John saw, was “the Son of Man”…..with the authority and power given to Him of His Father (Matthew 28:18)

(Revelation 1:13-16) He stands “…..clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the chest with a golden girdle (as the High Priest wore…He stands as our Mediator, 1 Timothy 2:5….interceding for us)

His head and HIs hairs were white as snow; (He is the Ancient of days, Pure and Lovely)

…His eyes were as a flame of fire; (His eyes see everything where His people are concerned…judging their sin,……and those that come against them.)

…His feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; (As His walk here was in subjection and devotion to the Father, so He judges the walk of His people according to their subjection and devotion to Him.)

…His Voice as the sound of many waters. (No matter the languages used; if we are speaking His Word….He is speaking through them)

….in His right hand seven stars: (the completed number of those called to preach His Word to the churches: called “the messengers of the Lord of Hosts” Malachi 2:7)

…out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword: (His Word is powerful,…”discerning thoughts and intents of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12)

…His countenance was as the sun shineth in His strength.” (When it speaks of His face shining upon us; Numbers 6:24-26, Psalm 80:3; it means blessing to us.)

John sees Him, in His glory…..and “fell at His feet as dead”.

This was the same effect as Isaiah had (Isaiah 6:4-5), as Ezekiel had (Ezekiel 1:28), as Daniel had (Daniel 10:5-9)…….when we truly see the Lord in His power, we die to all our own “glory” or strength…

Revelation 1:17 “….and He laid His right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:”

(Any time in scripture that God says, “Fear not”….there is usually something to fear, though He has taken care of it….and we are to keep our eyes on Him, for that deliverance and help.)

“I am the first and the last”.

He was ruling before all things….and when time, itself is gone….He will be controlling all in eternity….

….He wanted His church to know His unlimited power.

Revelation 1:18 “I am He that liveth, and was dead, and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.”

When Christ Jesus fulfilled His the work the Father had sent Him to do…..all power for life was reestablished with Him by His resurrection from the dead….giving Him Victory over death and hell (1 Corinthians 15:55-57)

Revelation 1:19 “Write these things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter;”

Here are the three divisions of the book:

“these things which thou hast seen”…..the sight of Jesus Christ, as Ruler and High Priest in the midst of His Church…..commanding, judging, and interceding for His Church.

“The things which are”….the Church age. (John was the only Apostle that died a natural death. The others were martyred for their faith in Christ.) The Church age was just really beginning, even now when John is old….and it has continued for two thousand years….

“The things which shall be hereafter”….after the Rapture of the Church out of the world (Revelation 4:1)……then the Tribulation Period.

(It is only seven years, but it will be a horrible period, full of death and judgements on a world that rejected God’s Son and His salvation…..

…..and who strived against God’s Holy Spirit [Genesis 6:3, 2 Thessalonians 2:3-8 “…until He be taken out of the way.”

When the Holy Spirit leaves the world with the saints at the Rapture, the world will be dark indeed!].

The only merciful thing is the calling of the Jewish remnant to go out and preach the gospel….that Jesus Christ was, and is the Son of God which taketh away the sin of the world. The difference being: all who believe,…will seal their testimony with their blood. [Revelation 7:14]

As I said, it is the worst time the world has ever seen.)

John, saw all this….and was to write it down…sending it to the seven main churches….as a warning…..and into the Holy Scriptures for us.

As for John….he was commissioned again….a ministry of repair to the Churches….

Revelation 10:(8-10), 11 “And He said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.”

He was an old man, but he would do it….speaking God’s Word, and letting His Voice through His Word, call others.

For all of us, as Christians, the most blessed sight we can have is of Jesus Christ…..at the right hand of God,….for us.

1 John 4:17 “Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgement: because as He is, so are we in this world.”

John was given new boldness….seeing Christ ruling and overruling in His Church.

1 John 5:20 “And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know Him that is true, and we are in Him that is true, even in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.”

Where are you in your work for Jesus?

A more excellent Way.

1 Corinthians 12:31 “But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet show I unto you a more excellent way.”

Some say there are many “ways” to God. There are not; the only way to come to God is through our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the way, the truth and the life.

But once we have come to Christ and been born again; our gifts and talents are to be for the service of Jesus, to honor the One who saved us.

But it is serving out of love, that is the more excellent way.

We should love Him, for He first loved us. (1 John 4:19)

1 Corinthians 13:1 “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity (love), I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal”

Though I could speak in every language of this earth; proclaiming the gospel far and wide.

And if I could testify of the gospel story in angels language:

If love for Jesus is not the motivation for all that preaching…

It would be just so much noise.

Loud noise; “sounding brass” like trumpets. “How great!” man will say; but to God it would be just noise.

Soft noise; “tinkling cymbal” like the end of a orchestra piece. Empty and just noise.

1 Corinthians 13:2 “And though I have the gift of prophesy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.”

This is the one that used to shake me up. I am a preacher; and I study a lot. But all of that study and knowledge would be useless if I don’t use this knowledge, so I know Jesus, the lover of my soul, more.

And faith to remove mountains; that’s something that everyone wants….but without love to Jesus as our motive; we will be nothing.

Remember Paul was writing this; and he had great knowledge, and understood many mysteries.

But Paul also understood, that to do for God, without love to God; is really doing for a reward from God.

Which is another way of saying, you are doing it to please yourself.

1 Corinthians 13:3 “And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.”

If I give all my possessions to God’s work of feeding the poor; and if I die a martyr’s death: burned at the stake, as many down through the ages have.

Though it cost me everything, as well as my life; if love for Jesus is not the reason; then it profits me nothing, with God.

I am none the better, for eternity, for it.

You say, surely that can not be!

But let us consider what love is. We love, when we prefer a certain One, over others.

Love is willed. We think of emotions and surely, they are there.

But love is a choice, and our choices come from our wills.

God is asking, “Will we love Jesus?”

He does not ask the world; they hate God and Christ.

But He asks Christians, those who have been saved from sin; will you love Jesus?

There is a price for love.

It is certainly, a turning away from others, to the One loved.

It is giving time and effort to please the One loved.

And most of all, it is standing with that One, even till death.

1 Corinthians 12:31 “But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet show I unto you a more excellent way.”

The “more excellent way” is to love the Lord with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. The first and greatest commandment.

And the Holy Spirit within us gives us that fruit of love, if we will.

1 Corinthians 13:13 ” And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.”

To truly love God is the greatest work we can do.

It is time to Come, for all things are Ready

Luke 14:16-17 “Then said He unto him, A certain man made a great supper, and bade many:

And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready.”

Who would refuse a great supper, unless they wanted to dishonor the One giving it?

Luke 14:18-20 “And they all with one consent begin to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused.

And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused.

And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I can not come.”

These are ridiculous excuses:

Who would examine a piece of ground in the night? With torches? What would you be able to see?

Or who would check on five yoke of oxen, to see if they pulled together, in the night?

Wouldn’t they take a chance of hurting some of them?

And this last was the worst: In Israel, when you were first married, all you did was go to parties, and dinners. Relatives, and friends, all sought to have you come, to honor your marriage.

But they all refused the invitation; and forfeited the privilege of feasting with Christ.

Luke 14:21-22 “So that servant came, and showed his lord these things. Then the master of the house being angry said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind.

And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room.”

The call has issued down through the ages. All who would, have come.

To the world: they were the poor, downtrodden; and the maimed, halt, and blind. Those who realized they were lost and hopeless without Christ.

They were ushered in, to sit at the table, and feast with Jesus.

But there are places yet to be filled.

The last invitation is now going out.

There is an urgency to this last call, as the feast can not begin, until every place is filled.

Luke 14:23 “And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highway and hedges, And compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.”

So, he sends his servants again. It is late, there is no time now. They must compel them to come in.

“Compel them” means constrain them, or stop them in their tracks and bring them in.

2 Corinthians 5:14-15 “For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead:

And that He died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto Him which died for them, and rose again.”

To stop them in the highways……going on in their own ways, unknowing or uncaring of Christ and His invitation of grace.

To make them hear the invitation.

Stop them in the hedges……hiding out, from all the chaos of the world; and speak to them of the invitation, which is being offered to them.

And the Holy Spirit will bring them in, “compel them”; that every place in the feast will be filled.

Luke 14:24 “For I say unto you, that none of those men that were bidden shall taste of my supper.”

We don’t like to think of God’s Voice this way.

We don’t like to think of the “down side” to our rejection of God’s invitation to us: the fact that we have put off doing anything,…even though we know we should do something.

We have given excuses for our lack of desire; to know God, or even about Him. Wanting instead to pretend He does not exist, or that He is cruel and not to be yielded to.

But, unfortunately, one day, we will hear His Voice very clearly.

What we hear Him say will be most important, then.

We think of the merciful God; and He is. That is why this invitation is still going out.

The invitation to fellowship with Him is still be given out.

Some are being stopped, now, in their ways, and being presented with it.

What will you do? “Come, for all things are ready.”

There is a place for you, at Jesus table…..if you will come, at His invitation.

Is the Holy Spirit compelling you with Christ’s love, today?

Thou Wilt

Isaiah 26:3 “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee: because he trusteth in Thee.”

This peace is not the result of our self determination….trying to “be calm”,……but it is ministered to us by God.

Peace of mind is freedom from anxiety, worry, fear, and panic…

….God gives this to us, as we commit ourselves unto Him.

The word “mind” here is imagination….and how easily they can carry us away.

(A funny story: when my daughter was small (about 35 years ago)….a member of our congregation gave us a old rooster they had to get rid of.

We braised it with vegetables….very tasty. Evidently their family did not want to try and eat it.

Well, when my daughter heard we were having rooster, she asked what it tasted like.

“Like chicken”, I said, not thinking anything about it.

“Yea, well somebody said rattlesnake taste like chicken (where she heard that, I have no idea!)….are we eating snake?”

“No, no” I said, laughing, “a rooster is a boy chicken.”

“Oh….ok”……but she sure looked at it when it came on her plate.

We still laugh about….”Is this real chicken,chicken?”)

How often we “imagine” scenarios in our minds, with the knowledge we have….when what we need to do….is trust Jesus….

…..He knows everything…and is prepared for everything…..and will guide us, if we will let Him.

Trust is to hang on to.

When our hearts are looking to Christ, and our minds are trusting Him for our lives…..we have peace.

It garrisons us…..like a fortress; we are kept from the chaos of worry and from the desire to “do something”…..when we do not know what to do.

Colossians 3:15 “And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.”

For those that love God;….who are listening for His Voice,….when we are doing His Will….it brings peace to our lives, like nothing else.

There is a settled rest within us…..no matter what is around us.

Isaiah 48:18 “O that thou hast harkened to My commandments! Then had thy peace been as a river, and they righteousness as the waves of the sea:”

Our peace comes to us through Christ:

Romans 5:1 “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:”

“Thou wilt”. God will….amazing promise…

John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”

Isaiah 26:3-4 “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee: because he trusteth in Thee.

Trust ye in the Lord forever: for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength.”

“Stayed” has the meaning of longevity…..it is a decision to keep before our thoughts…..this one particular thought…..”I am God’s, and He is here with me”

And this is personal. “Thou wilt keep him….”

I love this verse in Psalms:

Psalm 20:7 “Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the Lord our God.”

Chariots and war horses lined up in battle make a grand sight….and many have trusted in them, only to be broken and defeated by God.

(Pharaoh’s army at the Red Sea, the five kings Joshua 10:11, the siege of Samaria 2 Kings 7:4-7, Singing instead of fighting 2 Chronicles 20:17,21-22, and others,….because they believed in God.)

But the Name of my God, if remembered (that Name suggesting all of His character and attributes)…..will stay our hearts and minds in the battles we face….today.

He will give us peace.

Oh foolish heart…

A fool is he who through this life,

pursues the clouds he cannot own.

And leaves a wealth of things undone,

his tomb a final stepping stone.

What are we pursuing? Who are we following after?

Proverbs 1:7 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.”

(When I was a child, my Grandmother made it very clear…..both in word, and in her life….that God was real,….and that He personally knew me.

Yes, I went to Sunday School,…..I had aunts that were missionaries….who traveled through jungles, and taught the children there. It was exciting to hear their “adventures” with God….

….but no one taught we so well as Grandma. She prayed….and worked for others (including me)….loved her family….but it was always clear, God was first for her.

Though I have met many Christians in my life, it is true….I never felt the same reality of God in everyday circumstances, till I met my husband. He has the same personal presence of God with him, as my Grandmother did.

God is real, He is here, and by instruction, correction, and care….God will see His Will done.)

“But fools despise wisdom and instruction”

We mostly think of foolishness in the lost…..and they certainly are.

So foolish as to ignore or reject Christ, as Lord and Savior….”The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God…”(Psalm 14:1),…..when He is the only Way of Salvation from sin and the Lake of Fire.

(I believe we are not to call men fools…Matthew 5:22 esp. in anger…..but we can call their actions foolish.)

Foolishness is acting without regard to God,….and His Will.

(We can be foolish when we follow some man and not God’s Word, we can be foolish when we think we can get along with out the Holy Spirit’s guidance….for these things and others, are actions are without regard to God, and His Will.)

Proverbs 1:5 “A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels:”

Are we hearing and learning….and attaining in Christ?

After Christ’s resurrection, Jesus appeared to many of His disciples (as Paul would say later in 1 Corinthians 15:6….up to 500 brethren saw Him)….

…but at first many refused to believe what the scriptures had said….(death, yes, but also resurrection and glory Psalm 22:22-31)….. and what He had told them (Luke 24:6-7)…..

Two of such disciples were going from Jerusalem to Emmaus, when Jesus (though they did not recognize Him at the first) walked with them and talked to them.

Luke 24:25-26 “Then He said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken:

Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into His glory?”

Remember foolish behavior regards not God….

…..and here on the road to Emmaus….these two disciples, who had heard of Christ’s resurrection….from witnesses who went to the empty tomb….were foolish…

….because they were “slow of heart to believe”.

They were leaving Jerusalem….without waiting to see if what they had heard about Jesus resurrection was true! They would miss out on the Lord’s appearing to them, and the Holy Spirit’s coming!

But the Lord did not just “let them go”….but as a good Shepherd, He went after them…and instructed them.

(How often our attitude is: No use waiting for the Lord any longer….what I expected did not happen.

We may not leave the place of duty…but become defeated in our minds. Proverbs 8:33 “Hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not.”)

They obviously knew the Scriptures…..but had been hesitant to believe…for it was not what they had expected to happen.

Luke 24:21 “But we trusted that it had been He which should have redeemed Israel:…”

Though the Lord withheld their eyes from seeing Him at first….

….yet these two disciples became wise, as they listened to the Lord,…first on the road in discussion of Scripture….then when He gave thanks for the bread that resurrection evening….

Luke 24:30-32 “And it came to pass, as He sat at meat with them, He took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them.

And their eyes were opened, and they knew Him; and He vanished out of their sight.

And they said to one another, Did not our heart burn within us, while He talked with us by the way, and while He opened to us the scriptures?”

Then they hurried back to Jerusalem and met with the other disciples and saw Jesus again…

Luke 24:36 “And as they thus spake, Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.”

How often our hearts are foolish……slow to believe the Lord, and what He has said to us.

But we can become wise….hearing the Lord’s instruction…believing in our hearts…

Luke 24:45-49 “Then opened He their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures,

(Praise God, He does this for us as well!)

And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day:

And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.

And ye are witnesses of these things.

And, behold, I send the promise of My Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.”

Here was proof…..here was the gospel message…here was promise for their future….

….yet they would have foolishly missed all of these blessings….by being slow to believe.

We, too, can let the circumstances of the times discourage us….

…we, too, can walk away from what God is working…..because we are “slow of heart to believe”.

Or we can wait on the Lord to show us what is next….for He will lead us on, and give us grace, by the Holy Spirit, to take that next step.

The Almighty

Job 5:17-18 “Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty:

For He maketh sore, and bindeth up: He woundeth, and His hands make whole.”

Some of the times when I have know the most reality in my Christian experience, have been when I was corrected by the Lord.

It is amazing how He can get our attention about things….and how He speaks to us, to correct what is wrong….there is so much love there.

That He should bend down and bother with me at all…..is an amazing thing!

Happy indeed that He should end my rebellion against His Will!

To turn my:

…..”I do not want to”…

…..into…..

……”I want all You have for me. But there is within me that which will not let me respond. What You offer, is all I have ever hoped for…

….and yet…

…..I am unbending,….unless You bend me, Lord Jesus.

All my reasons against….all my plans of what should be….all my fears…all my thoughts that I can win an argument with God!…..all, are here within me….yet…

…yet, Your Word, and love can melt all of this, Lord….for what can stand before it?”

Job 5:18 “For He maketh sore, and bindeth up: He woundeth, and His hands make whole.”

The name for God, most found in Job, is Almighty!

I find that interesting….because of all the calamities which came to him….yet he did not stop calling God, Almighty….just because bad things happened.

(Thirty-one times…..more than in any other book….the Almighty is used here!)

Almighty means sufficient for anything…..all powerful….able to complete.

And certainly, our God is that!

There is a lot of back and forth in Job….everyone’s opinion and knowledge….and Job’s complaint….yet in the end….the Lord spoke…

….and Job humbled himself in awe, and love of the Almighty.

God certainly did correct Job….to make him more than he was….”wounded, and made whole”….(Job 42:6 “Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.”)

Job 42:10, 12 “And the Lord turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before.

So the Lord blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning:…”

But the Almighty works in our life, as well…….to complete the work of sanctification within us.

2 Corinthians 6:17-18 “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,

And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.”

He corrects us to make us wholly His…..in practical living:

1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 “And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Faithful is He that calleth you, who also will do it.”

“Blameless” has to do with the fact of knowledge. To know to do well,….and not do it….makes you blameworthy.

To know to do well….and do it, even unperfectly, makes you blameless.

God is saying, “I will help you to know what to do…..and help you to do it……as you set yourself aside to Me.”

For this is what Job did…..he argued with God about “things”….but in the end….Job was God’s servant….and would always be so.

At the beginning of Job,…even after tragedy and loss, pain and suffering….Job blessed the Lord….

….”the Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” (Job 1:23)

….(Job 2:10) “…shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.”

Through the trial….the argument about things that were happening to him,….was never about God’s right to do,…

….but about Job’s desire to know what God knows….

…And at the end, Job bowed again….in newer understanding and subjection, and humbled himself to God….and God’s Will….in faith…

…whether he understood it or not.

As Christians, we are called to go through many trials of our faith….to bring us through them, to the other side…

James 1:2-3 “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers (different kinds) temptations (trials);

Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.”

Someone has said, that we are not really learning anything from the trial….if we can not find joy from God, in it.

(Joy comes from the Holy Spirit within….it is the Presence of God in my life….and has nothing to do with circumstances, or people, or anything but God and me. Joy lifts us up out of ourselves, that we might view God, more.)

James 4:10 “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He shall lift you up.”

The Almighty did for Job….and He will for us as well,….if we will yield to, and listen to Him.

Jesus’ lesson on Prayer

Matthew 6:5-6 “And when thou prayest,

thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the street, that they may be seen of men.

Verily I say unto you, they have their reward.

But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut the door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.”

This is pretty straight forward,….Jesus said that praying for admiration, or attention from others is not anything God will answer….”they have their reward”……in the applause from others.

But to pray aright, is to go to God “in secret”.

Or where others can not hear, and “shut the door” on the world….and talk to God alone about everything.

Our Father in Heaven, shall hear such a prayer, and will answer you.

(Yes, there are hurried prayers….any where….”Lord, I need calm now…”. Or “Lord, help me say the right thing.”

But the general tenor of our prayers should be between us and God, in the quiet times of our lives….or making quiet times for Him.)

Then Jesus tells us the way in which we should pray…this is not just a form-prayer….pray these words……but the pattern for all prayer….beginning with:

Matthew 6:9 “After this manner therefore pray ye; Our Father which art in Heaven, Hallowed be Thy name.”

We come before God as our Father….and honor His blessed name, for He is worthy of our praise and of our all.

For it is in His presence, we gather together….and to Him, we ask our requests. (John 16:23)

To praise and honor God, lifts our spiritual affections and prepares our souls to hear from Him concerning our requests.

Philippians 4:6 “Be careful for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”

Matthew 6:10 “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.”

Here is our first request, and we should always consider God’s glory, first……that Christ will rule and reign in us. His kingdom will come “in earth”….in us….for today, and every day.

We are asking that His Holy Spirit work within us….”both to will and do of His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13).

Matthew 6:11 “Give us this day our daily bread.”

Here, the Lord, tells us that we should come to Him for all our needs….this includes physical…both health and financial.

For help with our emotional wellbeing,…..and, we should pray for our family and friends, the same way.

This teaches us that the Lord is ever mindful of our days….we should be, too.

Today is important…we may not even know all the things we will need for this day…but we can bring what we know to Him, and commit whatever else the day brings into His hands.

Matthew 6:12 “And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.”

Sins are “debts”.

As His creatures, made in His image, we owe God perfect obedience and love.

But since Adam fell, this has not happened….sin entered, and marred the work of God in us.

Even when we are born again, we often fail to hear, or respond to God and His Word as we should; but He has made provision for us in Christ Jesus.

All our sins are forgiven the moment we are born again;……but for fellowship’s sake, we are told to confess our sins….bringing them before Him in honesty, and knowing they are forgiven, and our conscience cleansed. (1 John 1:9)

Hebrews 9:14 “How much more shall the blood of Christ, Who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?”

And He shows us that we should forgive others, as Jesus Christ has forgiven us….how important this is for fellowship with other Christians, and that our prayers are not hindered…(Mark 11:24-26)

Matthew 6:13 “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil:…”

He alone can uphold us….we can and are exhorted, to “hold on” to Him and His Word….but it is His grace (the unmerited favor of power) by His Holy Spirit which can show us the right way to go….

(We have been told to “watch”….Mark 13:35-37)

And to pray that He will deliver us from the wrong path we have wandered into…..by error or choice….sending us help (Jude 22-23)…..or pulling us out of it, Himself.

1 Corinthians 10:13 “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, Who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”

Matthew 6:13 “…For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.”

Here, we tell God that we know He is, and He has all authority to do. We praise Him, that He is our God….His kingdom rules over the world we see, and that which we do not.

He is All-powerful…and therefore He is worthy of all our confidence and trust. He never slumbers, or is weary of us….nothing is too hard for Him.

And we give Him glory for all His excellencies: His character is all glorious, for He is everything we need. (1 Corinthians 1:31)

Here we are telling God that because He reigns supreme, we know He is able to grant our requests.

“O Father, how many enemies are against us….from within our own heart…and from without….from the world, and the devil.

We come to You, because we belong to You,…..and we ask for strength and courage to overcome by Your faith the corruptions of our habits and old nature within…and to stand with You, in Your protection, against our enemies without.

We pray for Your Will done in us,…help us to know it and do it; that we might be to Your praise and glory.

In Jesus Name. Amen.”

“Forever. Amen.”

When we pray, we can look beyond time, and begin to measure the things of now, in the scales of eternity,….which helps us see things clearly.

Amen…so let it be.

Colossians 4:2 “Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving;”

Psalm 67:5-6 “Let the people praise Thee, O God: let all the people praise Thee.

Then shall the earth yield her increase; and God, even our own God, shall bless us.”

Sneaky Sins

I call this “sneaky sins” because these sins creep in with other things…..

…sort of behind them…and become a snare to us.

Sleeping when we should watch:

You could have gone through a trial….been watchful….then it is over, and you just want to rest….a little…

Proverbs 6:10 “Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep:

So shall thy poverty come as one that traveleth, and thy want as an armed man.”

(Notice all the “little”s, here.)

sleeping,……when we should be alert and working for Christ.

It may come from over confidence in our position, or what we know,……

…..or it may come from fear; it is better to close our eyes and wait the battle out.

Anyway…..the “rest” we seek, becomes sleep…..

We are not going on with God, here…..only agreeing to go on.

There are several examples of this rest turned into sleep….

David “rested” at Jerusalem, when he should have been at the head of his army…..and grievously sinned with Bathsheba. That sleep cost him a great deal….all through the rest of his life.

The disciples slept for sorrow…..and ran when they arrested Jesus and took Him away.

Ephesians 5:14, 16 “Wherefore He saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.

Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.”

Resentment:

Anger is a sin you can easily recognize…..

…..but resentment is that whispering voice which reminds you of the hurt you experienced a day, a week, a year ago…or longer…anytime you are around this person, or remember it.

Resentment says: “I don’t know how you can put up with them…..after what they did.”

Frankly, we should not be “putting up with” anyone…..we should be forgiving them….even if they never asked us, or admitted their wrong.

“Putting up with” is the attitude of the world…..a sort of superior, “I am better than you”, looking at people…..especially those you do not want to be around.

Hebrews 12:15 “Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;”

Pride….

In the Bible, pride is never in a good sense.

Pride means “arrogance, swelling, ornament”. It is that which we put up for all to see….to make us more than we are…better than another.

…..whether ability, or looks, or intelligence…..those things are not us….they are part of our make-up, which God gave us….

….but our character/soul is the real us….that which is developed by choosing God’s Will…or ours….

…..and for a Christian, we are to have the character of Christ….so that He may have the glory in all things.

1 John 2:16 “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.”

Like Eve, we are often tempted to pride (Genesis 3:5-6)…..to be “like” someone else…

….When God wants us to be us….sanctified to Him….but always us.

Lying… God is the God of Truth. (John 1:17)

The best example of lying, to me, is Peter….

Matthew 26:69-70, 74 “Now Peter sat without in the palace: and a damsel came unto him, saying. Thou also wast with Jesus of Galilee.

But he denied before them all, saying, I know not what thou sayest.

(Maybe Peter thought, “This was a half-lie,….not really denying knowing Jesus…..just not knowing what she said…”)

Then began he to curse and to swear, saying, I know not the man. And immediately the cock crew.”

Peter got himself into this lie, by being in the wrong place….with the wrong people….

We are to get honest with ourselves…..and get honest in our dealings with God, and with others….and of course, the Holy Spirit helps us to do that.

Colossians 3:9 “Lie not one to another, seeing ye have put off the old man with his deeds;”

James 3:14 “But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.”

To refuse correction:

The Lord corrects us as His children….often many times,…to show us how to act.

But when we refuse His correction….we are double sinning…for we are not just refusing His Word,….which is terrible….but we are refusing Him.

Proverbs 13:13 “Whoso despiseth the Word shall be destroyed: but he that feareth the commandment shall be rewarded.”

Proverbs 15:10, 32 “Correction is grievous unto him that forsaketh the Way: and he that hateth reproof shall die.

He that refuseth instruction despiseth his own soul: but he that heareth reproof getteth understanding.”

Hebrews 12:5 “And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of Him:”

Worry….

We often let our concern for something or someone (which might be of God….to pray for)……become worry. (This usually happens when we do not pray, but think about the problem)

Worry is to let something in between us and God’s Word.

It is to let emotion or reasons, wear away our peace….then our trust….then it effects our belief in the Lord.

Psalm 37:1, 3 “Fret not thyself because of evildoers,….

Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.”

Luke 8:14 “And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection.”

I called this “sneaky sins”, because for the most part we are not aware they are sins…..until they have a hold on us, or have led us into a fall.

There used to be a saying…..I like it, because it is practical….

“Anything which disturbs our peace in Jesus, should be dealt with right away.”

We sometimes are unaware of the way we are walking…..everything seems fine.

But we should be aware of any dimming of our light…

…of any time we feel further away from Christ…

Luke 11:34 “The light of the body is the eye:…

(To see, we need both sight and light)

….therefore when thine eye is single, they whole body also is full of light;

(“Single” means keeping our eye on One….the Lord Jesus Christ)…”

That is what we need to do….Keep our eyes on Him:

If He is guiding….follow Him.

If He is awakening us….let us rouse ourselves to the work.

If He is correcting…looking at Him, Who loves us….we will yield more easily.

In His light, we will recognize these “sneaky sins”…..and be free of them.

The means of Deliverance

Matthew 5:21-22 “Ye have heard that it was said of them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever will kill shall be in danger of the judgement:

But I say unto you, that whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgement: and whosoever will say unto his brother, Raca (silly person), shall be in danger of the counsel: but whosoever will say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.”

Sin, self, and the World are connected. They are our “enemies”. For they work to lead us away from Christ and His Will.

Sin is wrong doing (we all agree here, although we may not agree with what “wrong doing” consists of).

But it is also wrong being, which includes all the inward sins of resentment, a flash of anger which never leaves the mind, and wrong attitudes.

Jesus set this forth in the verses above.

And so sin always involves self.

Self is the term for the old nature.

The old nature is our fallen man from Adam.

It is our nature which claims your right to rule yourself: your right to decide and lead yourself (morally or not), your right to feel what you want, your right to think what you want.

It is you, as your own lord.

1 Corinthians 3:3 “For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men? (The natural man)”

And so we see, the old nature is always open to the influence of the World around us: and the wiles of the devil.

Ephesians 6:10-11 “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.

Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.”

The World’s influence comes, as we walk in it everyday.

(When the Bible speaks of the World, it is talking of the “spirit of the times”.

It does not mean the birds, trees, etc.

But the attitudes, and the rage, of the times we live in)

As Christians, we are to be in the World, but not of it.

John 17:14-16 “I have given them thy word: and the world hath hated them; because they are not of the world; even as I am not of the world.

I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.

They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. “

The World’s system wants no part of Jesus Christ as Lord.

They may accept or praise Him as a holy man, a great teacher, or a good guy;…..but they will not submit and yield to Him as Lord.

1 John 2:15-17 “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but of the world.

And the world passeth away, and the lusts thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever.”

These are formidable foes. But we are not left to ourselves, thank God, but are enabled to live and work in the World, as it is, by the enabling of the Holy Spirit within.

1 John 4:4 “Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world.”

To overcome is to still be standing with God, when the battle against the influence of the World for today, is over.

(How many of us hear horrible swearing, filthy suggestions, dirty jokes, hatred filled speeches).

It is to still be hanging on to God’s Word. To still be looking to Christ, for everything.

It is deliverance in the situation, as well as out of it.

It is to be energized within, given strength and comfort.

It is to know what to do, here and now. (not just for next week, or next year)

1 John 5:4-5 “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.

Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?”

And how does faith give us victory?

Faith centers our life around Christ Jesus. And if He is the center, all other things must take their rightful place.

Faith receives the Word of God, and by the Holy Spirit places within us the power to do it. (Grace is the unmerited favor of power)

Faith makes us aware that we are not alone in this fight; on the contrary, we are made to know His presence in a real way. (Remember the servant’s eyes being opened to see who was for them, 2 Kings 6:12-17)

We have a much more powerful friend.

Romans 8:37 “Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.”

God’s grace is provided through the Holy Spirit, that we may do the task at hand.

It is power we receive in our spirits, our souls (our mind, heart, and will), and our bodies.

It comes as light for our walk, so we will not stumble, or be tripped up.

Overcoming should be our everyday experience.

It usually isn’t. We fail to hear. Or we give in to self.

But Christ Jesus has supplied all we need to overcome; we must yield to Him in the situation we are in.

1 John 3:22 “And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things which are pleasing in his sight.”

1 Corinthians 10:13-14 “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above which ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

Wherefore my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry.”

The means of deliverance for any Christian is yielding to the Holy Spirit within.

Receiving and using the grace given, in the situation.

Reading His Word, letting it give us all He has for us in it. ( all the promises, and commandments)

Overcoming by faith in Him.

Walking in His Light.