To Stand

All of God’s People have been called to stand. To “stand” is to hold our position before the Lord. Whether we stand against sin or the wiles of the devil, our position is to stand, holding onto the Lord and His Word, there.

Israel was called to “Stand still, and see the salvation of God.”
Exodus 14:13 “And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will show you today: for the Egyptians that ye have seen today, you shall see them no more forever.”

If they had tried to effect their own salvation: they would have been utterly destroyed or brought back to slavery, for Egypt was still one of the greatest powers on earth at that time.

 

The priests were told to stand in the Jordan River till all the people of Israel had crossed over. And the river was at flood time. All it’s banks were overflowed. They had to get wet, and trust in the Lord, before the miracle of the dry ground crossing was done.
Joshua 3:8 “And thou shalt command the priests that bear the ark of the covenant, saying, When ye are come to the brink of the water of Jordan, ye shall stand still in Jordan.”

Elijah came into the kings’s presence, to announce that there would be no rain or dew, because the people had turned to idols.
As he stood there unafraid (and certainly there were soldiers to guard the king); he said “the God before he stood” sent him.
1 Kings 17:1 “And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Arab, as the Lord God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew or rain these years, but according to my word.”
Because Elijah stood before God, he was not afraid to stand before this wicked king.

Because of their sin, and turning away from God, Israel was led away captive into other lands; even the Temple and Jerusalem was destroyed.

But at the appointed time, God again brought them out; and those who would, returned to the land: to the place of the Name.
Those Israelites which returned after the captivity, and who helped rebuild the temple, stood at the reading of the law.
Nehemiah 8:5-7 “And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people; (for he was above all the people;) and when he opened it, all the people stood up:
And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God. And all the people answered, Amen, Amen, with lifting up their hands: and they bowed their heads, and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.
….and the Levites, caused the people to understand the law: and the people stood in their place.”

 

Paul wrote that we, as Christians, should:
1 Corinthians 16:13 “Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.”
For he said (2 Cor. 1:24) “by faith ye stand”.
Someone has pictured faith as the arms we hold on to Jesus with. As we hold fast to Him, we can stand and be strong.

 

He wrote that we should: Galatians 5:1. “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.”
Liberty is freedom from sin. We are free from the penalty of sin, when we are born again. We are free from sin and it’s power as we yield to the Holy Spirit within. For He gives us the power to choose not to sin, and to be obedient.

 

We are to “ stand against the wiles or tricks of the devil.”
Ephesians. 6:11, 13. “Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.”
“Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”
We stand where He has placed us, as we hold on to God and His Word, using every grace that He has given us.
Not running.
Not charging ahead, but standing.

We are to “stand fast in one spirit”.
Philippians 1:27 “Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ:….that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel.”
As Christians, we are to encourage others to stand with Christ Jesus, and His Word. To strengthen their faith, by prayer and help.

 

To stand is to hold onto what Christ Jesus has given us.
And how much He has given us; and gives us each day, by His presence with us!

We should hold on to Him, in faith. He saved us: He will sanctify us, and bring us home to Him.

We should hold on to the Word of God, His revelation of Himself and works, to us.

We should hold on to His personal fellowship with each of us…for He calls each of us to:
Luke 9:23 “And he (Jesus) said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.”

And we should hold on to fellowship with other Christians:
John 13:35 “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”

 

 

Christ’s Birth

God’s Preparation:
Hebrews 13:20. “Now the God of Peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant,”

God knows everything. He knew before He created the world, that the man he would create, would rebel and sin. So……
God in eternity past, made a covenant with His Son for the Salvation of a people for His glory.

That covenant stated that God the Father, would draw out a people to be saved; if God the Son would come to earth, be born as a man, live a sinless life, and die; shedding His blood as a sacrifice for the sins of the people.
Paying their penalty for their sin.

The Son agreed; and the very first act of creation was the setting aside of a body for His Son.

Hebrews 10:5 “Wherefore, when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me.”

(No animal sacrifice could take away sin; but they could point forward to the only effectual sacrifice of Jesus’ body and blood),

This was God’s Preparation
.

Galatians 4:4-5 “But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,
To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.”

Under the Roman Empire with it’s government and roads, which was access to send out the gospel news to the world; God saw that it was time, and He sent Jesus Christ His Son, to redeem the world.

But how did he come?

As a baby born of a virgin:
Luke 1:26-27 “And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God into a city of Galilee, named Nazareth.
To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.”

When there, the angel Gabriel told Mary that she was favored of God. That she would conceive in her womb, a son; which was to be the Son of God. (Luke 1:28-33)

But she was concerned: How could she? She was a virgin, and had not know a man.
So she asked the angel.

Luke 1:35 “And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.”

The angel Gabriel told her that the Holy Ghost would come upon her and deposit within her womb a child, which shall grow within her and be born: the Son of God.
That is how. Would she agree?
She was engaged to Joseph. What would people think? What would he think?

Would she agree?
Luke 1:38. “And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.”

 

And so it happened: But God would see to His Purpose, in every way.

Matthew 1:18-20 “Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together; she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.
Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily.
But while he thought on these things, Behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary, thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.”

So Joseph agreed. He arose, made her legally his wife; but knew her not intimately until her firstborn son was born; Jesus.

All Israel was called to go to the birthplace of their house. So Joseph and Mary, went to Bethlehem, the birthplace of David.

When getting there, the city was so packed with people; that there was no place for them to stay.
The owner of the inn told them they could go into the stable with the animals, only because Mary was going to give birth.

There in the stable, Jesus was born. He was placed in a manger; the feeding trough of the animals, along side the hay, to keep him warm.

But God also saw that people knew that His Son was here on earth:

Shepherds, first were told, and that by angels.

Luke 2:8-12 “…there were in the same country shepherds…And, lo, the angel of the Lord came…and the glory of the Lord shone round about them;
And they were sore afraid.
And the angel of the Lord said….Fear not: for behold I bring you glad tidings of great joy,…….for unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.
And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.”

Wise men were sent to find this new King. They had seen His star, and followed it to Judah. They went to Jerusalem, the capital; thinking He would be found there.
But Herod was king, and tried to trick the wise men. (For he wanted to kill anyone, even a child, which should have legitimate claim to the throne.)

Herod told them to find the king, and then come and tell him, so he could worship too.

But it was only after leaving Jerusalem, and the court of Herod, that the wise men saw the star again. It led them to where Jesus was.
Matthew 2:10-12 “When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.
And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.
And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.”

With this wealth, Jesus, Joseph, and Mary was provided for in Egypt.
God told Joseph to get up and go to Egypt for the safety of Jesus. For Herod would seek to kill him.
Jesus would come back into Israel after that Herod died.

Jesus Christ was born to be the Lord and Savior of all who would come and receive Him.

HIs birth was prepared for, and seen to in every way.

Why wasn’t He born in a hotel room? Or with every luxury?

Because He came to save every person; not just the rich, or powerful, or poor, or trodden down.

He came to save to the uttermost ALL who will come to Him.

His Salvation is personal, and complete.

He asks you simply to, “Come”, and then “Follow”; For He, Himself leads us through our lives with peace with God, and guidance.

He never leaves us, nor forsakes us.

He has prepared for you, for me.

Will we agree?

 

Are we indifferent to God?

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

In the world, there are many gods.
But for the one who is truly born again, there is no other God, but the Triune God.
God, the Father.
God, the Son.
God, the Holy Ghost.

They are three persons in One.

God the Father formulated our Salvation.
God the Son purchased by HIs redeeming blood, our Salvation.
God the Holy Ghost works that Salvation within us; day by day, moment by moment.

Indifference in religion is the worst of attitudes. (Indifference means a lack of decision, for either for or against something.)

Really?! How can this be for a Christian?
We should either be, “all in”; Or “all out”.

When I was younger, many preachers used to mention the proverbial “fence-setters”.
As a true Christian, you really can not be on that fence. You must choose which side you will walk on.

Joshua 24: 14-15 “Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve Him in sincerity and in truth; and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the Lord.

And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whither the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

You see, everyone will serve a god:
Either the true God.
Or a god of their own making. (Which includes themselves…making themselves a god of their life.)

We are not in charge. There are circumstances which come up we are not prepared for.
There are people who have an effect on us, for good and evil, come into our lives.
There is the “bug” that bites: greed, success, and power.
And there is the emotional roll-a-coaster of the choices we make.

As Christians, we should gladly submit ourselves to God.
He has saved, and in a real sense, saves us everyday; as we yield to His Holy Spirit, within.

We should give up the attitude of the world to our God:
Psalms 14:1 “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.”

In the original Hebrew, it means that they say, “No, God.” For they work very hard to say that there is no God, and as they work, they seem to more and more believe it.

We can not afford to be hesitant about our life with God.
We must stand with someone.
We will come with the zealous attitude of following after our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Or, in indifference, we will take on the attitude of the world, and lose our greatest strength.

Where do we stand?
Are we indifferent to our God?

If THOU Wilt

James 4:13-14 “Go to now, ye that say, Today or tomorrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and bye and sell and get gain
Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor, that appeared for a little time, and then vanisheth away.”

Only God can say “So be it”. For it is His Will alone, that stands every test.

We, as Christians, may say, “If God wills”, we will do this or that.
How many plans have been destroyed or laid aside, because we have not considered what God wanted with our time?

That we should not walk through life “Willy nilly”, this way then that way; is right.
We should have a definite goal to head toward, and God’s way to get there.

Philippians 3:12-14. “Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.
Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, Forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”

This should be the goal we are headed for: what Christ Jesus has saved us for.
How can I grow up into Him? (For we are all called to go from babes in Christ to full grown Spiritual Adults)
What is our calling?
How should I witness of Him? (A witness is a personal testimony of what Christ has done for me.)

 

And this should be the way we go: forgetting those things which are behind me—really putting them behind me—failures and successes;
And reaching forth (in heart, in mind, and in will) to those things He has before me, today, tomorrow, and on.

We have family. We have jobs. We have friends. All of these we are not to neglect.

But before all of these, as Christians, we have our personal duty to God, and His Will.
1 Corinthians 4:2 “Moreover it is required of stewards, that a man be found faithful.”

God’s stewards, are Gospel Stewards. Their duty is to live the Truth of the Gospel.

Truly, if we put God first, He will see to it, that all the others, are not neglected.

Matthew 6:33 “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”

God never forgets our faithfulness to Him. Never.

 

 

 

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 one housing 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; he opens and gives 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 come to God to pray, 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 or have answered.)

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 only as they went to do as 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.”

Prayer gives us that peace in all situations, so we can be without the care which burdens.
The promise is: you will receive, find, and have an open door set before you.
The means is: ask, seek, and knock.

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, 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 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.

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.

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 4:1-4 “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.
For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
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.

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

The Sieve of Preconceived Ideas

We all know what a sieve is.    It lets somethings through, while blocking others.

Well, the sieve of preconceived ideas, is where we let some of what God is telling us through; but blocking other things, because of an idea we had about what He was going to say.

How many of our children, turn us parents off? Because they know what we are going to say, and they just do not want to hear it again?

This is the sieve of preconceived ideas.

We think we know what God is talking to us about, so we just sort of, stop listening along the way.

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

The “perfect day” is the time of day when the sun is at high noon, straight overhead. There are no shadows then, but full light shines upon us.

So our walk with Jesus, starts at the dawning light. Just light enough to start to walk.
Then the Light grows within us, by our yielding to Him in obedience, and we are headed for the perfect day of nothing between us, and our Lord.

But along the way, we often put our own limitations on that Light to us.

How many have said, “Lord Jesus, you can talk to me about anything, but that. I’ll deal with it.”
But we never do. Or do it little; just enough to get by, we think.

See the sieve of preconceived ideas?

Well, we can overcome this by the power of the Holy Spirit’s honesty.
He will enable us to see what is truth, but we have to will to see it.

There was a Pastor I knew once, who used to say to his wife, when they would disagree, “I will accept the correction.”
Sounds good, but it still places the parties at distance points; not together.
Acceptance is not yielding; but simply acknowledging another’s viewpoint.

No reconciliation there.

But “I will submit to the correction.” ; as we should do to God, brings us into the reconciliation to Him, that we need.

When we are reconciled to God, we are placed in that position to receive full power from Him.
If we are accepting His word, we can still be far from Him, and not receive the power He wants to give us.

There must be an absolute surrender to God, as my Ruler.
Then, there can be many reconciliations to His Word, for now.
And there will be more power in my life now.
We will know His will and be enabled to do His Will, that we might be blessed in His Will.

Matthew 16:5 “And when his disciples were come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread.”

This sets up an example of preconceived ideas getting into the way of our hearing what Jesus really is saying to us.

Matthew 16:6-7 “And Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.
And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have taken no bread.”

They were afraid Jesus was correcting them because they forgot to bring food for the trip across the sea.

But Jesus was not concerned about food. Had He not fed five thousand with a few loaves of bread and a few fishes?

Matthew 16:8,11-12. “Which when Jesus perceived, he said unto them, Oh ye of little faith, why reason ye among yourselves, because ye have no bread?

How is it that ye do not understand that I spake it not to you concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees?
Then understood they how that he bade them not beware the leaven of the bread, but of the doctrine (teaching) of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.”

Christ Jesus will lift us up, enlighten our path, give us courage, and so much more; But we must draw near, and hear Him.
Giving up our preconceived ideas; and REALLY hearing what He is saying to us.
There is so much He wants to give us, so much we need to receive; let us come close by yielding to Him, and hear.

 

 

 

 

 

The Family Prayer

Matthew 6:9 “After this manner therefore pray ye:…”

Here Jesus is speaking in the Sermon on the Mount. He had just corrected the view of prayer, which was to stand on the street corner to be seen of men. Or the view of prayer, which says to repeat and repeat something over and over, as though God was hard of hearing.

Both of these were not what the Heavenly Father wanted.

Then he begins to teach them the right way to pray:

Matthew 6:9 “After this manner therefore pray ye:…”
Luke 11:2 “And he said unto them, When ye pray, say,…”

Jesus said that we should pray this prayer. (I believe, and we do pray this prayer in our Church services, for we want His kingdom to come within us, and through us, in all our lives)
(It is also a model of the prayers we should come to God about, as a reminder of what Jesus said was real prayer. It has all the elements, briefly stated, that we need to pray.)

Prayer is talking to God about His will; to know it, and to get the ability and means to do it. It is telling God our needs, confessing our sins, and asking for help against the many pitfalls and enemies in this world.

“Our Father which art in heaven,”
The first thing Jesus teaches, is that we need to come to God on the basis of relationship.
Our relationship to His Son. We are to believe and receive Christ Jesus as our Lord and Savior, and then His Father is our Father. (John 20:17)
And we can come to Him as “our Father which art in heaven”; He is in Heaven, far above every situation; and it charge of them.

“Hallowed be thy Name.” This is to acknowledge His Holiness and give reverence to Him. His Name signifies all He is; so we are to reverence and to honor it, because it represents Him.

“Thy kingdom come.” This is to pray for His kingdom coming within our hearts, now. That we would be obedient subjects of our King Jesus; and show how wonderful being His servant is.
And we should pray for His kingdom to come to this world, which will come at His second coming.
(The world will know no peace, until Christ rules.)

“Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” We are to pray for His will to be done in our lives, “in earth”; that we would know it, and fulfill it. In heaven it is done joyfully, and speedily. So are we to pray for it to be done with in us, the same way; and seek to do it in the same manner: with joy.

“Give us this day our daily bread”. We are to ask for our daily needs to be met. This is not the luxuries; but the needs we have each day. This teaches us that today we may have plenty; and tomorrow we may be in want. Or the opposite. Our asking each day, brings us before His throne, with today’s needs. It gives us the opportunity to realize what He did for us yesterday; and in faith, believe Him for today.

“And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors”. We are asking that the trespasses we have committed against His Will, would be forgiven us. They are debts against His Holiness, and goodness. We are to seek forgiveness for them.
We are to also forgive others, as He forgives us; which has been in abundant mercy.

“And lead us not into temptation”. This is asking for the Holy Spirit’s protection against the things which tempt us everyday; and those, especially, which we are prone to.
We are asking Him to keep us out of harms way; and away from those things or people which lead us into harms way. (Of course, having prayed it, we need to heed the warning given by the Holy Spirit in each situation).

“But deliver us from evil”. Some believe it means the evil one, the devil. We have three enemies: the world, the flesh, and the devil.
So we ask for deliverance. When we have been tricked, and sinned; we ask that He will let us not fall any further; but deliver us from the sin, and the wiles of the devil concerning it.

“For Thine is the Kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever.” Christ received His kingdom, and the power of it, and the glory He had with the Father before He left heaven and came to earth to save us; and further glory, for fulfilling the Father’s Will in everything. In this we are to acknowledge His authority and power; and praise Him for it.
Matthew 28:18-20″ And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

“Amen”. Let it be. This is to ask, that all the things we have prayed for will be brought to pass.

 

 

Today!

Hebrew 3:15 “While it is said, Today if you will hear his voice, harden not your hearts as in the provocation.”

All our lives comes down to ‘Today’.    Tomorrow is not yet.    Yesterday, with its success and failures, is done.

But today we have. Today we have the opportunity to turn to God and do His Will.

We never know what a day will bring. We should, therefore, determine which direction our lives will go, while we have today.

So today, if you will hear His Voice.
We can hear God’s voice in nature; many have seen the changing seasons and heard God speak to them:
Psalms 74:17 “…Thou hast made summer and winter.” If the seasons change, all over the world, surely that means that the sadness of today is not permanent; but will give way to rejoicing.

We can hear God through His Word. It is His revelation of Himself and His Ways to us. The Holy Spirit will help us understand it, when we ask Him.

And we can hear His Voice to us, by the guidance of the Holy Spirit within. He is Light, and will make known to us HIs Will.
John 7:17 “If any man will do His will, he shall know of the doctrine (teaching) whither it be of God, or whither I speak of myself.”

Jesus said, If we really want to know His Will, we can know.
God considers our “heart” the seat or throne of our mind, emotions and will.

So when we hear Him, we are to “soften” our hearts by yielding to His Will.

To “harden” our hearts is when we will not to do it; for whatever reason.

Zechariah 7:9-11 “Thus speaketh the Lord of Hosts, saying, Execute true judgement, and show mercy and compassions every man to his brother:
And oppress not the widow, nor the fatherless, the stranger, nor the poor, and let none of you imagine evil against his brother in your heart.

But they refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they should not hear.”

A hardened heart is not caused by circumstances, or birth; but a choice of will, to the circumstances or birth.

When Israel hardened their heart:   they first refused to listen, for they did not want to be responsible.   They thought that if they had not heard, God could not require His Word to be obeyed.

They pulled away from the work of “shouldering” the burdens of prayer, faithfulness, and love.

Finally they stopped their ears, or filled their ears with other voices, so they would not have to know God’s Voice in the circumstances.

Again, God considers our heart the throne of our mind, emotions, and will.

But He can give us “hearts of flesh”; or tender hearts which return the love He gives us to Him.

Ezekiel 11:19-20 “And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stoney heart out of the flesh, and will give them a heart of flesh:
That they may walk in my statues, and keep mine ordinances, and do them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God.”

The Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Godhead, is given to us in our hearts to make alive again, and guide.    He rules and over rules in circumstances which affect His People.

Without Him we can do nothing.
But with His Almighty energy, the most extraordinary results can be produced.

Everything depends upon His manifesting or concealing His Power.

Are we anxious to obtain His help?
Are we watching so we will not provoke Him to be silent? Oh how much we need Him to speak to our inner man and give us courage!

The Holy Spirit is not a temporary gift; He abides with us.
He does not weary of us (Amazing Love!); But waits to be gracious at times, till we really see our need, and seek Him.

It is love which makes a hard heart into a softened heart, yielding to God’s Spirit.
God’s love placed into our hearts, returned to Him.

In love, He speaks of “Today”, if…..

Turn to Christ Jesus, and yield to HIs Spirit within.
Receive His love, and return it to Him.
He wants to bless each heart given to Him, let Him, Today.

 

Elisha and the cruse of Salt

2 Kings 2:19 “And the men of the city said unto Elisha, Behold, I pray thee, the situation of this city is pleasant, as my lord seeth: but the water is nought, and the ground barren.”

The city of Jericho was situated near the Jordan River; it was a beautiful city, but the spring water that watered the land was bitter and caused the crops to fail.

Jericho was rebuilt under a curse. (Joshua 6:26). I am only mentioning this because the world system we live in is also under a curse. One day there will be a new heaven and earth, but now we are called to live here for Christ Jesus.

To “build” here, as though this was our final home; and not keep our hearts for Heaven, will cause any Christian to be barren, and not produce the fruit of joy and peace in the soul.

The men of Jericho, hearing that Elisha had been anointed by the Holy Spirit to be prophet after Elijah, came to him and asked that he would seek God for help to heal the waters.

2 Kings 2:20 “And he said, Bring me a new cruse (jar) and put salt therein, and they brought it to him.”

Salt, we know is a preservative. We, as Christians, are to be the salt of the earth (Matthew 5:13), to preserve it from God’s Wrath, until the day appointed.

We are to honor the Holy Spirit within us, and witness to Christ’s Gospel without us.

But this healing the waters was not to cost them nothing. They were to buy a new cruse (jar) and the salt, and bring it to him.
The Lord was not going to heal, till they did this. It would have cost them little, but it would have showed their willing diligence to be obedient to God’s requirements.

When they did this, Elisha was instructed to:
2 Kings 2:21-22 “And he went forth unto the spring of the waters, and cast the salt in there, and said, Thus saith the Lord, I have healed these waters; there shall not be from thence any more death or barren land.
So the waters were healed unto this day, according to the saying of Elisha which he spake.”

The salt, itself, was not the healer. Nor was Elisha.
The salt was the means God wanted used, and Elisha was the instrument the Lord used, for that time.

This is a picture of how we, as Christians, can be fruitful in this barren world.
The world looks good, but without the “living waters” of the Holy Spirit springing up in us, we won’t bring forth fruit.

The Lord requires new, clean vessels; by being born again. And we need to be salt; the preserving power of the Holy Spirit working through us to a sad world.
That is simply doing what were told by God, and that will preserve us and those around us.

The waters were healed, not just for a day or two. They could have harvests of plenty.

God wants that for each life He saves: To bring forth the fruits of the Holy Spirit within (to have His joy and peace, even in this world); and to manifest His gospel without.

(Galatians 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance….”)