Ask, and You Will Receive.

Luke 11:9 “And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you;  seek, and ye shall find;  knock, and it shall be opened unto you.”

The disciples have just asked. “Teach us to pray” after seeing Jesus pray.

Then Jesus tells the story of the friend who comes at an inconvenient time.  “At Midnight.” (Luke 11:5-8)

He has company.  Someone who has come from a long journey and is in need of bread.   But the man has none to give. 

So he goes to his neighbor and knocks.  

“Forget it…it’s midnight,  I am in bed, and I’m not getting up!”  Is basically the word given the knocker.

But he keeps knocking.

So,  not because he is his friend (he might not be, after this);  but because he kept knocking;  the neighbor opens and gives the man what he has asked for.

Then Jesus says,  the way to get from God is the same:

Ask, like you really need it.

Seek,  like you really want the reply.   

And knock, till the answer comes.

When we pray to God, Jesus is saying that we should come believing God will hear, and expecting that He will make known His will.

Ask, and you will receive.   Ask till you receive an answer as to what and how you should ask.   (How many times we think we know what we need, but as we are praying we receive what we really need to know)

Seek, till you get the means of getting your petition answered. (Sometimes there is a verse to claim,  or a prayer promise to use:  Hebrews 4:16, 1 John 5:14-15)

Then knock, using those means, till you get the answer that you were seeking.

Just to be clear,  “means” are those parts of the promise that we must use:

Matthew 11:28 “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy ladened, and I will give you rest.”

“Come unto me”, is the means;   His rest is the promise.

When Jesus healed the ten lepers: (Luke 17:14) “When he saw them,  he said unto them,   Go show yourselves unto the priests.   And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed.”

Jesus healed them by His word,  but they were only healed, as they went to do what He said.  That is the means.

Luke 11:10 “For every one that asketh  receiveth; and he that seeketh  findeth; and to him  that knocketh  it shall be opened.”

As Christians, our lifeline is prayer.  

Paul said:

Philippians 4:6-7 ” Be careful for nothing;  but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

                                And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

The promise is:  you will receive, find, and have an open door set before you.

The means is:  ask,  seek,  and knock.

Faith, Hope, and Charity or Love

It is almost Valentine’s Day.  Let us remember the greatest Lover of our souls, Christ Jesus;  and consider the value of the love He places within us by the Holy Spirit.

[This is a whole chapter about love.   The love God places within us, and what He expects us to do with it.  It is not written for babes in Christ…for it speaks of putting away “childish things”; but it written to those who know their calling, and want to walk in God’s “more excellent way” (1 Corinthians 12:31)]

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

These abide because they are of God, given us for our stability, encouragement, and use.

Faith is a gift of God when we are born again:

If you are truly saved…you will never lose your faith…though it be “little”, still it will lead you to heaven.

Faith abides because it comes from God the Father, to all who receive His Son, Jesus Christ.

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

Romans 3:24-25 “Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

                         Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in His blood, to declare righteousness for the remission of sins that are past,  through the forbearance of God;”

And when we have faith,  God speaks to us through His Word, and from the Holly Spirit within:

Hope rises up within us after we have heard God.

Hope is that confident expectation that God will do what He said.

Hebrews 6:17-19 “Wherein God,  willing more abundantly to show unto the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel,  confirmed it by an oath:

                                That by two immutable things,  in which it was impossible for God to lie,  we might have strong consolation,  who have fled for refuge to lay hold on the hope set before us:

                                 Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast,…”

Romans 5:2, 5 “by Whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand,  and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

                            And hope maketh not ashamed;  because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.”

Hope in God’s Word, stirs our love for God.

Charity or love:  It abides because it comes from God to you.  It is one of the first things we feel, when we are born again.  He loves us.  Wow!

1 John 4:19 “We love Him,  because He first loved us.”

We have lots of emotions,  and affections….all of which affect us.

But when we know the Lord loves us….really loves  us;   it changes things.

Love abides because it comes from God, and it grows as we give it back to God.

Love also is a testimony to others that we belong to Christ.  (John 13:35)

But while they all abide, by the Holy Spirit within us.   They also all work.

Faith makes all things of God, real to us.

Hope keeps us steady in all the storms which come.

Look at what love;  the love God placed within our hearts, does!   It changes our attitudes, feeling, and actions, within us and without us!

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 “Charity suffereth long,  and is kind;  charity envieth not;  charity vaunteth not itself,  is not puffed up,

(All these have to do with the change God’s love has on our attitude toward ourselves, and others.)

                               Doth not behave itself unseemly,  seeketh not her own,  is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;

(These have to do with our emotions and whether they will spill out;  or if God’s love will have the victory over them.)

                               Rejoiceth not in iniquity,  but rejoiceth in the truth;  

(This has to do with loving the Truth.  How much of our lives before Christ have we wasted in loving [and sometimes living] a lie.   God’s love changes that:  we move away from anything which separates us from the Lord,  and cling to the Truth in Jesus.)

                               Beareth all things,   Believeth all things, hopeth all things,  endureth all things.”

(I must admit, the first time I read this, years ago, I thought;  “What?! Surely the Lord made a mistake!”   But I have come to see:    It is not bearing all the things of the world,  or believing them.   No, it has nothing to do with the world;  but everything to do with God.)

Bearing all the circumstances, people and places God puts me in:   God’s Love does that in me.

Believing all that God says about this person, work, study,  whatever….whether I ever see the “results” I think should be there.

Hoping in God’s Promises, ever.  God’s love within me helps me to “hang on” to that Word.

Endure all things which come to me, because God’s love to me makes me stronger than the anger or resentment which the Adversary of my soul wants me to feel.     And because I can pray for all the changes necessary for my good; the Lord hears me.

God’s Faith, Hope, and Love abide…and they can keep growing in me;  working within me the greatest work:  to love God with all my soul, with all my heart,  with all of me.

1 Corinthians 13:8 “Charity (love) never faileth:…”

God’s love will never fail you…yield to Him:  by faith….be anchored in hope…and receive and keep receiving His love, within you by the Holy Spirit;  and through you. 

Lost

Luke 19:10  “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

Lost.  That which was lost. Lost to God, and all His plans and purposes.

For He purposed life and fellowship for each one of us.  But we are lost to it, by sin.  The sin of Adam, our father in the flesh.  And our sin of choice.

And more we are even lost to ourselves.

Our minds,  which could have thought God’s thoughts after Him;  is now filled with our plans, and desires; all without consideration of what God wants for my life.

Our hearts,  which could have loved God, and our fellow man with respect and care;  is now filled with love of myself, my friends, my…my…my…   Our hearts experience wrath and violence. (We need to test ourselves here:  what do you feel when people cut you off, or speak rudely to you, etc.)

Our wills, which could have willed to do God’s will;  now seeks only to go along in the world. (All going closer and closer to the pit.)

But Jesus Christ came to seek and to save us.

First He seeks us out in our own circumstances.  He sends the Holy Spirit to Awaken us to Christ, and His way;  then to give us truth.

This is usually quite a shock, to see where we are.  Who we are.  And where we are going. 

(No, I don’t mean Hell, here.  I mean the downward spiral of our lives, into selfishness, and confusion: remember the “my..my..my”)

Then,  He draws us to Christ.   The loveliness of the person of Christ, we begin to see.

The fact that He loved us, enough to come and save us, we begin to believe.

The Light that He will save us,  we begin to have.

The Holy Spirit opens our hearts to hear the Word of Christ to us:

John 3:3 “Jesus answered and said unto him,   Verily, Verily,(Verily means Truth.  Jesus is saying: Truth, Truth.) I say unto thee,   Except  a man be born again,  he can not see the kingdom of God.”

Matthew 11:28-30 “Come unto me,  all ye that labor and are heavy laden,  and I will give you rest.

Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me;  for I am meek and lowly in heart:  and ye shall find rest unto your soul.

For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

John 7:37-38 “In the last day,  the great day of the feast,   Jesus stood and cried,  saying,    If any man thirst,  let him come unto me and drink.  

He that believeth on me,  as the scripture hath said,  out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.”

And we reach out in fait (and the amazing thing is God gives this to us so we can!);  receiving Jesus as our Lord and Savior,  to be born again.

John 1:12 “But as many as received him,  to them gave he the power to become the sons of God,  even to them that believe on his name:”

Romans 10:9 “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”

As this happens, we are no longer lost to God,  or to ourselves.   We have a reason to live, and the beginning of a way to go.

We are Found.

We can begin to fulfill the purpose for which we were created:  God’s Purpose for us, personally; for He has one for us.

Ephesians 2:8-10 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves:  it is the gift of God: 

                                 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

                                 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus (this means molded into the same image in the Greek) unto good works,  which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”

Ephesians 1:13 “In Whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation:  in Whom also, after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise.”

The Holy Spirit is placed within us the moment we are born again.  He will never leave us;  but we are told to “quench not the Spirit” (1 Thessalonians 5:19).  Simply, do not stifle the fire of His life and love within you.

1 John 4:19 “We love him,  because he first loved us.”  

And by His life and love, we are guided through this world and all it’s traps, and taken to heaven.

God saves us spirit, soul, and body…to the uttermost;  for He is faithful.  

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 until the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

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

From Lost to Found by Christ Jesus!  Hallelujah!  What a Savior!

There is a famine in the Land

Amos 8:11 “ Behold,  the days come,  saith the Lord,  that I will send a famine in the land,  not a famine of bread,  nor a thirst for water,  but of hearing the words of the Lord:”

Have you heard God lately?

Have you heard Him in your Bible reading?   Or in your Church services?  Or in your innermost spirit, where the Holy Spirit dwells and speaks?

Well,  if you have not heard Him lately,  you are starving.

1 Peter 2:2-3 “As new born babes,  desire the sincere milk of the word,  that ye may grow thereby:

                        If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.”

All our growth comes through Him;   by the interaction of His Word to us by the Holy Spirit,  and our receiving it.

This verse in Amos was given to Israel when they were turning from God, to idols.

And Amos was sent as a prophet to speak to Israel to warn them, so they would repent:  turn around and choose God.

Amos 7:14-15 “Then answered Amos, and said to Amaziah,    I was no prophet,  neither was I a prophet’s son;  but I was a herdsman,  and a gatherer of sycamore fruit:

                           And the Lord took me as I followed the flock,  and the Lord said unto me,    Go, prophesy unto my people Israel. “

So he did,  but those around the king were afraid that the people would believe him,  for he told of God’s promise of judgement on those who followed the idols.

So they just wanted him to go away.   Go back to Judah and live a normal life there.  

Prophesy there, if you must  speak God’s Words;    but not here.

How ridiculous!    How could Amos be obedient, and not do what he had been told?

How could the people have a chance of repenting, and returning to the Lord,  without hearing His Word to them? (Romans 10:14-15)

Well, Amos did not leave,  but gave out the Word of God to His people.   He stood fast in a land that was turning to idols, and forgetting everything God had taught them about His love of justice and truth.

Instead they turned to stones, and wooden stocks covered with silver and gold,  but no life.

This is what they wanted.  This is what they looked to.  

How sad, to exchange true life,  for illusion;  to exchange the love of God, for the love of things. (Isaiah 44:9-11)

Amos 8:4-7 “Hear this,  oh ye that swallow up the needy,  even to make the poor of the land to fail,

                       Saying,  when will the new moon be gone,  that we may sell corn?  And the sabbath,  that we may set forth the wheat,  making the ephah small,  and the shekel great, and falsifying the balances of deceit?

                       That we may buy the poor for silver,  and the needy for a pair of shoes; yea, and sell the refuse of the wheat?

                       The Lord has sworn by the excellency of Jacob,  surely  I will never forget any of their works.”

The merchants were cheating the buyers.   Giving less for more; by changing the balances.   Saying they had got what they paid for,  when they did not.

It was all so that they could have more power over people,  to have greater leverage in bargaining,  because of this wealth.

The idols that they worshipped were not only images to bow down to;  but the idols of silver and gold in their hearts.

Amos preached God’s Word,  and not many listened and turned;  but he had warned them faithfully, and God was pleased with him, for his faithfulness to Him.

Amos warned them that there would be a day,  when God would stop speaking and calling them to repentance;  then would come the day:

Amos 9:1, 10  “I saw the Lord standing upon the altar:  and he said,   Smite the lintel of the door,  that the post may shake:   And cut them in the head,  all of them;  and I will slay the last of them with the sword:  he that fleeth of them shall not flee away,  and he that escapeth of them  shall not be delivered.”

Who is He talking to?

“All the sinners of my people shall die by the sword,  which say,   The evil shall not overtake or prevent us.”

All those who think to get around God and His Word,  won’t.

We, too, in this Church age have been warned against turning from God to idols of our own making.

Instead of staying true to God, and His Word:

2 Timothy 4:1-2, 4 “I charge thee therefore before God,  and the Lord Jesus Christ,  who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;

                                  Preach the word;  be instant in season;  out of season;  reprove, rebuke,  exhort with all long suffering and doctrine.

                                   And they shall turn away their ears from the truth,  and shall be turned to fables.”

Fables might instruct,  but only God’s Word gives life—true life.   Do you want it?

Have you heard God,  or His Word to you,  lately?

To Fall on, or to be Broken by.

Matthew 21:44 “And whomsoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken:  but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.”

Jesus is this stone:

Matthew 21:42 “ Jesus saith unto them,  Did ye never read in the Scriptures,  The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner:  this is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes?”

Here Jesus sets forth the action of our will:

Come to Him and “fall on”.   Subject yourself to Me.

Or, in the day of judgement; that same stone will destroy.

How do we fall on that stone?  Here we begin to consider brokenness.

I like to think of horses:  to break a horse, you do not brake it’s spirit, but it’s will.   You want the horse to be the beautiful spirited animal it always was;  but not the wild, willful animal which will not be our companion in work.

It is the same with us.   God wants us to be us.  Not the rebellious, willful us.  But the beautiful spirit which He created….our personality.  

We may think we are nothing,  or little;  but Jesus never sees us as this.   He sees a beautiful spirit.   Our personalities may be cluttered with anger or hurt;  but He sees us…the real us…and loves us.   And wants us to be free to work with Him.

Romans 7:18, 22 “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing:  for to will is present with me;  but how to perform that which is good I find not.

                                For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:”

It is odd to me that Paul ever had this experience.   But it shows that each Christian has an inward man, which wants the Lord’s Will.    And an outward man which still has the desire to do it’s own will….at least part of the time.

2 Corinthians 4:16 “For which cause we faint not;  but though our outward man perish,  yet the inward man is renewed day by day.”

The “outward man” or “my flesh” must be broken:  and for the Christian,  it is a willed action.   We must will with God,  which is to fall on the stone.

John 12:32 “And I,  if I be lifted up from the earth,  will draw all men unto me.”

This is the work, we and the Lord are to do, together.   Lift Him up.

But how?

Well, we must manifest Him in us,  so that others see the Lord when they see us.

And this only happens as our wills are “broken” and the inward man of Christ and us,  is seen.

Again, how are they broken?   It is broken in willed experience as the Holy Spirit touches every strong point in our personality,  until we become “poor in spirit”, as Paul testified of himself.

We all want to hang on to some asset;  some ability;  some good point in our life;  but what Jesus wants is you to will wholly and completely with Him.

Paul wrote of his further experience, for he had found the secret of Spiritual life:

(If you read Romans 7:7-24 there are thirty “I’s”.   But in Romans 8:1–16,  the Spirit replaces the I’s.  It is written fifteen times!)

Romans 8:11-14 “But if the Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you,  He that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by His Spirit that dwelleth in you.

                              Therefore,  brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh,  to live after the flesh.   

                               For if ye live after the flesh,  ye shall die;  but ye if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body,  ye shall live.

                               For as many as are led by the Spirit of God,  they are the sons of God.”

It is yielding to the touches of the Holy Spirit in us that we gain all that Jesus has for us.

1 Peter 2:7-8 “Unto you therefore which believe He is precious:  but unto them which be disobedient,  the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner,

                         And a stone of stumbling,  and rock of offense,  even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient:  where unto also they were appointed.”

What do we think of Christ and the Spirit?  Can we trust ourselves to His Way?

He always has the end goal in view:  He always sees us working together.

He never Slumbers. 

Psalm 121:1-2 “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills,  from whence cometh my help.

                           My help cometh from the Lord,  Who made heaven and earth.”

As Christians where should we look for help?  There is only One who can really help us.

And our testimony should be:  “my help comes from the Lord…”

He is the creator and sustainer of heaven and earth.  

He rules and overrules in the affairs of men,  whether they acknowledge Him or not, for He is God, and there is none else.

Isaiah 45:22-23 “Look unto Me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth:  for I am God, and there is none else.

                               I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return,  That unto Me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.”

Isaiah 50:7 “For the Lord God will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded:  therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed.”

And how does He help us?  By a guidance in the Holy Spirit,  which keeps us from “being taken” in the devil’s traps.  And gives us courage to follow Him.

And if we are tripped up;  He keeps us from being “utterly cast down”.

Psalm 121:3-5a “He will not suffer thy foot to be moved;  He that keepeth thee will not slumber.

                            Behold, He that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.

                             The Lord is thy keeper:…”

He, who numbers the hairs of our head, will watch the steps that we take.

The illustration here is as children are watched by their parents; ever ready to intervene if needed.

And as sheep are watched by their Shepherd to protect, as well as guide into right paths.

He is called the Keeper of Israel…He guides and preserves those that are His.

(It also suggests that He fights for us: as David did against the lion and the bear. [1 Samuel 17:34-36])

Proverbs 3:23, 26 “Then shalt thou walk in thy way safely, and thy foot shall not stumble.

                                   For the Lord shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken.”

Psalm 37:23-24 “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way.

                                 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down:  for the Lord upholdeth him with His hand.”

God neither sleeps nor slumbers.

He neither sleeps at night….so we can.

Nor slumbers during the day….when it is time to work,  He is right there to help us.

The Keeper of Israel is a covenant Name of God.    When He looks at us,  He sees us in Christ, covered by His blood and righteous in Him.

His eye is ever toward the righteous.

Psalm 33:18 “Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear Him,  upon them that hope in His mercy;”

Psalm 121:7-8 “The Lord shall preserve thee from evil:  He shall preserve thy soul.

                            The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth,  and even for evermore.”

Three times in these two verses, it says:  preserve.     Preserve means to hedge about with thorns, so nothing can come in to harm.

He shall preserve from all evil.  From sin, the world, and the devil.  (“The Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptation…” 2 Peter 2:9)

He shall preserve thy soul.  With all its emotions, thoughts, and actions;  He shall keep us by His Spirit.  (1 Peter 1:5 “Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to revealed in the last time.”)

He shall preserve thy going out and coming in.  Our every day life is here spoken of.  We go out of our prayer times to face the world and all that comes to us;  and we come in to seek Him for strengthening fellowship and love.

(John 10:9 “I am the door:  by Me if any man enter in,  he shall be saved,  and shall go in and out,  and find pasture.”)

The Lord our Keeper shall preserve “thee”.   It is always personal.  

He shall preserve you.  He shall preserve me.

Praise Him for all His wonderful works.

Through the Knowledge of Him

2 Peter 1:1-2 “Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Savior Jesus Christ:

Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord.”

How much we need grace (the unmerited favor of power), and peace in these days for our individual lives.

It is to be had, in Christ.  

If you are born again, you have access to it by the Holy Spirit within.

But you get it “multiplied unto you”,  through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord.

(You will notice that our “faith” is through our Savior Jesus Christ;  but the grace and peace multiplied is through  Jesus our Lord.  Is Jesus Christ Lord of your life?)

He is our Savior as we believe and receive Him, through  the faith that is given us by the Holy Spirit. (John 1:12)

He is Lord,    but He is only “our” Lord, by our submitting our wills to Him, in obedience.

And we only do this as we get to know Him, and submit to His character through the Holy Spirit.

2 Peter 1:3 “According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us unto glory and virtue:”

(“According as His divine power”;  It is not according to my miserable ability.  But according to His divine power.  The limitless, and Almighty power of God.)

“Hath given” means they are given us in Christ Jesus.  They are ours to have and use by the Holy Spirit within us.    They are all the things we need to have Christ’s character formed in our everyday lives.  “All things” means all things.

Again, it is through the knowledge of Him.

How important it is that we know Christ, and continue to gain knowledge of Him.

He has indeed called us to “glory and virtue”;  to manifest His glory (His light and goodness), even here in these circumstances, and among the people we know.

And called us to the virtue of His Holy Spirit within us:  The Artea of His power.

Artea means “force”.  He is that force within us, “working in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13).

So we manifest His glory–the glory of His salvation, of His calling, of His love by the force of the Holy Spirit within our spirits; helping us to obey, and joy in it.

2 Peter 1:4 “Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises;  that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”

Christ has given us promises….His Word to claim and obtain for yourself; they are ours , but we must get them into our experience. That is what obtain means; to get them for ourselves. 

They are given to us, that you might have the character of Christ, and escape the corruptions (envy, anger, lying)that the world’s system lives in.  We each have our own lusts.  Whether they be spiritual, mental, emotional, or physical;  we lust after what we don’t have.    

Until we make Christ Lord of our lives, and yield to His will and way for our lives.

And the way that happens is to :  Know Christ more and more, for ourselves.

This not to know about Him (although that is not bad), but to know Him.  

It is to know what He requires of me.       

It is to know  the force of the Holy Spirit , and how we are to yield to Him.    

It is to know what He will do for me in the temptations, and trials that I go through.

It is to know Him.  Through the Knowledge of Him, we multiply grace and peace.

The Walk of a Christian should be “Onward”.

1 John 2:12-14 “I write unto you, little children,  because your sins are forgiven you for his name’s sake.

I write unto you,  fathers,  because ye have known him that is from the beginning.  I write unto you,  young men,  because ye have overcome the wicked one.   I write unto you,  little children,  because ye have known the Father.

I have written unto you fathers,  because ye have known him that is from the beginning.  I have written unto you,  young men,  because ye are strong,  and the word of God abideth in you,  and ye have overcome the wicked one.”

Here, the Apostle John is writing to the Church; and to the different spiritual ages of believers in the Church.

Some are little children in the faith.  They know the Father through Jesus Christ their Lord, and their sins are forgiven.

Some are young men in the faith.  Overcoming by the Name of the Lord, and becoming stronger in the faith;  leading others on in it.

Some are fathers in the faith.  They have experienced the life of faith through trial and joys,  and can show forth the knowledge of God;  Who He is and what He will do for a believer,  because He has done it for them.

These are the stages of the Christian walk:

The child stage,  the servant stage,  the warrior stage, and the elder’s stage of union and communion.

Genesis 17:1 “And when Abram (Abraham) was ninety years old and nine,  the Lord appeared to Abram,  and said unto him,   I am the Almighty God;  walk before me,  and be thou perfect.” 

Though Abram was ninety-nine,  he was still a babe in walking with God.   He had much to learn,  so God comforts him with His Name.

“I am the Almighty God”,  what a comfort to Abram,  who was living with his family among the unbelieving nations of Canaan.

“Walk before me”,  is as a child before his Father,  would walk and run ahead, playing in the presence of his Father;  conscious of his safety and security, because his Father is just behind him.     This is the child stage of our walk.

Then he tells him to “walk before me, and be thou perfect.”    In the scriptures, when perfection is mentioned it means complete, or to be finished.  Perfection, then for Abram, meant that he was to walk before God,  and complete the purpose God had for him.

(Of course, perfection for God, is His completeness in Holiness, Power, Grace, and every attribute! He is Sinless, and Complete in Himself….Perfect.)

As children of God, we are to grow in grace, and the knowledge of God.  This Abram was called to do, and so is everyone who believes.

2 Peter 3:18 “But grow in grace,  and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  To  him be glory both now and forever.  Amen.”

We are to walk before as children, and grow; conscious of His love and care.

But some never leave this stage.  They want to remain children, just taken  care of; without the stewardship which comes by learning to be a servant of Christ.

This, God never intends.  He want us to walk through life with Him.  

Yes, it is step by step.  And the steps may be small;  but it should always be forward.

The next stage is covered by “young men, who are strong and overcoming”.

This does not just happen.  We grow in grace when we use the knowledge of Christ we gain,  and then apply it to our own lives. 

This is how we become strong in faith.

But it happens in two stages:  first, there is the servant stage.

This begins as we realize our calling, or He calls us to follow Him. (Usually this is in some specific thing, where He calls us to obey Him, and come after Him, and not the world.)

Matthew 16:24 “Then said Jesus unto his disciples,  If any man will come after me,  let him deny himself,  and take up his cross, and follow me.”

To learn to deny ourselves is the servant stage.

We “walk after”,  as a servant following his Master, being told to do.

And yes, at times, sadly, being made to do through circumstances or the correction of the Holy Spirit.

We must learn this to grow up into Him and have more of His light of life.

John 8:12 “Then spake Jesus again unto them,  saying,  I am the Light of the world,  he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”

“Light of His life” is amazing description of both knowledge and power coming to us from Him.  He enlightens our situation;  then empowers us in it.

(If we will not obey Him,  we do not love Him.

John 14:21 “He that hath my commandments,  and keepeth them,  he it is that loveth me:  and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father,  and I will love him,  and will manifest myself to him.”

Amos 3:3 “Can two walk together,  except they be agreed?” 

No, we can not walk with Jesus,  if we will not agree with Him.   

So, as a servant, we learn these “agreements”,  for our lives.

If He rules within our hearts, then we will agree with His paths, and ways for our lives.

If we like stubborn children, do not agree, we stop all progress forward, and can, in some cases, go backward.

Jeremiah 3:14 “Turn,  O backsliding children,  saith the Lord;…”

But this is not what He would have for us:  “Come unto Me all ye that labor and are heavy laden,  and I will give you rest”.  

Real “rest” is being yoked with Him)

The servant stage is the time we learn that we are completely dependent upon God,…..while using everything He gives us to His glory, and not our own.

These are hard lessons for proud men and women,  but necessary,  for God to trust us with His power.   

He will empower those who continue to grow up into Him,  and continue to obey (despite many failures), and continue to follow Him(despite the trials, and temptations of their way).

Which leads us to the second half of the “young men who are strong and overcome” stage:

Becoming soldiers, and walking with as friends.

To do this we need to “Quench not the Spirit.” (1 Thessalonians 5:19)

“Quench” means to put out the fire of the Holy Spirit within you.  

(Oh, that can’t be for me.        No, I don’t think I should do that now.).    These, and other thoughts or attitudes,  “quench” or “stifle” the Spirit of God.

His power is there for you now, with the guidance;  will we hesitate and lose the fullness of it?

I often have:   Again it is a learning time.    Will we learn of Him? 

(I thought I would never learn:

When the Lord showed me that I was quenching the Holy Spirit,  I said,  Yes, I was doing it;  but what was I to do about it?

Then He showed me that the answer was in the verse up above.  It is right up there, He said.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 “In everything give thanks:  for this the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”

To give thanks for everything;  to accept,  as from the Father’s Hand all that comes to you.  This is to quench not the Spirit.)

As friends, we know what God wants us to do, by His Holy Spirit within. (Whether He uses Scripture,  Preachings,  or an internal Voice;  He speaks, and we seek to obey.)

John 15:14-15 “Ye are my friends,  if ye do whatsoever I command you.

Henceforth I call ye not servants;  for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth:  but I have called  you  friends,  for all things I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.”

To become soldiers, we need to stand.  For this is how we overcome.  We hold the ground won for us by Christ Jesus.  We hold;  not go out and take territory;   But hold on to what Christ, by His Victory, on the Cross,  has won for us (individually, and as a Church).

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.”

We stand, as good soldiers of Jesus Christ, against the tricks and temptations of the devil,  the world system, and the weakness of the flesh. (That is why we need His might,  and His armor)

2 Timothy 2:3-4 “Thou therefore endure hardness,  as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.

No man that warreth   entangleth himself with the affairs of this life;  that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.”

Then there is the father stage,  or the elders of the faith:  Those who have known Him that is from the beginning.

These have come through many battles,  and are still standing.  They know–and this is the word that is stressed for them–they know Him.

They have been born again, and as children of God, sought to grow in grace and the knowledge of Christ.

They have learned to know His Will for themselves, and obeyed.

They have learned to stand, leaning heavily on the Lord’s Arm of Strength, and fight the good fight of faith.

And they continue to know Him: there is not an end to this knowledge; for His love know no bounds.

Here are the stages of our walk onward.   And it is a Progressive Walk,  with Christ.

Onward!  “Hold fast till I come” (Revelation 2:25)

The Way that I must Take

Proverbs 4:18 “But the path of the just is as the shining light,  that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.”

Picture the gray before dawn…then the dawn and the light seems to pierce open the day.   It brightens, and illuminates.  It widens unto the “perfect day”,  or high noon….when there are no shadows.

This is what our “path”  of following Christ Jesus, should be like.

In the New Testament, Jesus says the same:

John 8:12 “Then spake Jesus unto them,  saying,  I am the Light of the world:  he that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness,  but shall have the light of life.

Follow Him and get the light you need,  and more light.   It is called “light of life” for it gives sight, courage, and joy;  when yielded to.

But if this is not your case, then….

It is time to consider at what you stumble.

Proverbs 4:19 “The way of the wicked is as darkness:  they know not at what they stumble.”

“The way” of the wicked.  This is the path they take, when they choose sin.

They can not even see at what they stumble.

How many times have we thought:  Oh, this is just a little thing.  A small error,  or something that probably isn’t right….but not too wrong.

Oh!  We know not at what we stumble!   This “small thing” can blow up in our faces,  and sometimes we do not even know how it happened!

It is this “way”, that is dark.     Stay out of it!

2 Corinthians 4:4, 6 “In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ,  Who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

                                 For God Who commanded the light to shine out of darkness,  hath shined in our hearts,  to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”

Ephesians 4:18 “Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them,  because of the blindness of their heart:”

1 John 1:6-7 “If we say we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness,  we lie, and do not the truth:

                        But if we walk in the light,  as He is in the light,  we have fellowship one with another,  and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin.”

Darkness comes when we refuse to believe or obey the light God gives us. 

God gives us the right to question whether we understood His Word to us (Acts 9:10-17)….but never, to refuse to believe His Word, or Him.

His Light comes by impression of the Holy Spirit,  by the Word of God, and through the preaching of His faithful ministers,  and teachers.  (A good Sunday School teacher who leads their charges into a knowledge of the Word of God, is worth their weight in gold, to the children in their care.)

Proverbs 4:25-27 “Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee.

                                 Ponder the path of thy feet,  and let all thy ways be established.

                                 Turn not to the right hand nor to the left:  remove thy foot from evil.”

In other words,  “Stop looking around to see “something better” than what God has put before you.

Keep your eyes where God is leading, and you won’t stumble, or fall.

Ephesians 5:15 “See that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,”

Circumspectly means to walk exactly.  To shine a light on your path, and make sure your not walking into any traps.

We deal with a God of Purpose,  a sure Purpose;  Who will see His Purpose accomplished.

Ephesians 1:11-12 “In Whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of Him Who worketh all things after the counsel of His own will:

                                  That we should be to the praise of His glory,  who first trusted in Christ.”

And Light,  His marvelous Light is one of the means He uses for us.  Light,  think of it!  No more to walk in darkness.

Ephesians 5:8-9 “For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord:  walk as children of light;

                               (For the fruit of the Spirit is all goodness, and righteousness, and truth;)”

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

When our walk begins to darken, by neglect, or sin;   we often get “sleepy” in our Christian life.  The Lord would have us:    Awake,  arise,  and receive the light He offers us.

We enter into the strait gate, when we are born again….but the way is an enlightened way, as we walk with the King of Kings.

This is the Way He would have us take….will we?

Settle You

1 Peter 5:10 “But the God of all grace, Who hath called us unto His eternal glory by Christ Jesus,  after ye have suffered a while,  make you perfect,  stablish, strengthen,  settle you.”

Life is full of ups and downs, people who are friends and people who are enemies.

Yet the way of the Lord for you is life.  Life is not a dream,  or an illusion of some feeling. 

Though all of us have, one time or the other,  followed illusions, mostly to our hurt.  

The Lord gives us truth and reality.  

We think of that as hard;  but to yield to the truth is freedom.  Freedom from darkness or shadows into light.  Freedom to know and move on.

Life in Christ is a action-packed adventure in reaching forth in faith;  and then obtaining what you reach for. (Hebrew 11)

To “settle you” is to put in order and establish on a permanent foundation.

Our foundation is Christ Jesus.  He is the Rock on which we can build our life.

Matthew 7:24-25 “Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of Mine,  and doeth them,   I will liken him unto a wise man,  who build his house upon a rock:

                                  And the rain descended,  and the floods came,  and the winds blew,  and beat upon that house,  and it fell not:  for it was founded upon a rock.”

To “settle” things, we need to bring them out into the light of God.  We need to tell Him exactly what we think,  and let Him tell us what He knows.

Then we can become grounded upon His Truth, upon Him for us.

David said that he poured out his complaint before the Lord:

Psalm 142:2-3a “I poured out my complaint before Him,  I showed before Him my trouble.

                              When my spirit was overwhelmed within me,  then Thou knewest my path…”

Why did he need to do this?  He felt completely deserted by true friends.  Only God could help.

Psalm 142:4-5 “I looked on my right hand and beheld,  there was no man who would know me:   refuge failed me;  no man cared for my soul.

                            I cried unto Thee,  O Lord;  I said,  Thou art my refuge and my portion in the land of the living.”

Peter wrote “settle you”;  but he started the verse with:  “The God of all grace”.

Grace is the unmerited favor of power, which God gives us.

Power to help us get honest with God.

Power to hear the truth.

Power to build on His Word to us.    

And Freedom to enjoy the adventure ahead,  with Him.