Full Pardon

Have you read Isaiah 53 lately? In it he writes about Jesus years before He comes to earth. He indicates what will happen to the Messiah who is to come. 

I was floored by the revelation in verse 7 where it is prophesied that he would not open His mouth. In Dr. Chuck Missler’s book “Learn the Bible in 24 Hours” he says, “He made no defense because He couldn’t; He was in our shoes and we are guilty.” I am undone by this. 

I always thought how hard it would be to remain silent when you are being accused unjustly. But He chose to be unjustly accused because He chose to stand before His accusers and take on each one of our guilt and shame. We are the guilty party. Receive it or not, we are the guilty ones worthy to be condemned. But because the innocent Lamb did not speak up for His own innocence, we are offered a full pardon from God for our crimes against Him. FULL PARDON.  Let that sink in.  We will not be held to account for all the wrong in our lives if we accept what He did for us, humbly confess we are sinful, and turn to Him in repentance. 

Deep in each of our souls, we know our own depravity. We know our own evil thoughts. We recognize our own frailty. We just allow the world system to keep us too busy and distracted, so we do not have to face these facts about ourselves. 

If we will humble ourselves and receive what He has done for us, we can be set free to enjoy all that this silent lamb did for us. He was silent so He could pay our sin debt so we could be free.  That is crazy. Crazy love, crazy grace and crazy mercy.

Hold Back the Wall

Prayer is the strong and mighty weapon we have at our disposal in the body of Christ. The church is able to press back the forces of darkness by bringing down His kingdom to earth. We are part of the army of God that is warring on behalf of people that will come into the kingdom. Many in the body are too ill-equipped to defend themselves and too ignorant to know they are deceived. It is the army of God that is to be the wall that holds back the tidal wave of attack and assault against the people. (Remember Jesus said the gates of hell would not be able to prevail against the body that rest under this mantel of who Jesus is: “You are the Messiah/Christ, Son of the living God” – the very proclamation made by Peter to Jesus) 

 

We are to gear up. We are to be alert. We are to be prepared for the battle at all times. We are to be dressed and ready not only for our sake, not only for the sake of our family and not only for the sake of our church; but for the sake of those that do not even know the Lord yet. But why must we? How will they get to know, how will they learn and who will live it out in front of them? We must demonstrate and grow up in our salvation. We must teach them by walking with them and discipling them. I see the church holding back the tidal wave of harsh judgment. I see the body of Christ holding back the tidal wave of curses that will come upon all the people. I also see the blessings that can come as the wall is holding back the curses but bringing forth the blessings on all behind that wall.

 

Those in and of the world hate the Christian. They persecute us and misunderstand us, but the world needs to comprehend and understand that believers are the very force that stands between the world and the judgment of God that is coming upon it. It is standing between the plans that Satan has for this world and his forces of evil. His plan is for utter destruction, and I am certain of that. Nonbelievers may despise the believer, but I tell you there will come a day when the church will no longer be able to hold back the inevitable judgment to come. When it comes like a powerful tsunami, many will long for the day the church was holding back this disaster of evil. And in those days, you will desire for the peace, joy, and salvation but it will not be found. 

 

The earth and the sins of many have brought forth curses. We are standing currently in the outpouring of the blessings of those that have gone before us. Those blessings came from the covenants made that were honored by those that laid the foundation of faith in Jesus Christ and walked in loving obedience. We need to comprehend the magnitude of that which the church is responsible. I cannot overstate this especially to the believers. We have to take our role seriously. We need to wake from our slumber, rest, ease and time of complacency. We no longer can sit in the sterile, sanitized, impotent useless state any longer. This was never true, fulfilling or worthy of our calling. We are free at this point in history not for our sake but for the privilege of carrying the message of hope, peace and love of our savior to the world. We truly need to take up our call! Get up out of your seat. Activate your faith. Pray like never before. Be strong and courageous. And today, choose the one you will serve. I choose to serve the Lord. Join me!

 

Pray for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Pray for believers to rise up. Pray for the army of God to be activated. Pray for the warring angels in the heavenly realm to be activated and charged. Pray for and cry out for deception to be exposed like never before. Pray for revelation and light to be brought forth and for all to see clearly. Pray that those who will receive the Lord will begin to seek Him and turn to Him. Pray church pray.  Be the army of Almighty God. War on behalf of those that do not yet know Him. And Pray for the enabling power of the Holy Spirit to fill you now. Pray for protection for the Body. Pray especially for believers to start walking in integrity, righteousness and loving obedience. Pray for the equipping of the saints. Be bold, strong and courageous; and do not fear.

What is Truth

I wrote this March 2019...  

In the last few months I have been working through a bible study entitled "Living in Truth".  I am not finished but it is a really good study of how to talk about truth.  How to share the truth with others.  It along with lots of videos from RZIM have really been helping me sort through what it is I believe to be truth.

I believe we can walk through life never analyzing what we believe and never challenging the basis of why we believe it.  I have even watched while people With good intentions make decisions based on emotions and assumptions and call it an educated decision.

Why?  I wonder if we have elevated our emotions to sit alongside the counsel of facts to advise our decisions.  Is it possible that we have abandoned deep study of facts for a hyperemotional supercharged way of evaluating our environment?

What is truth?

We need to ask ourselves this question.  I ponder this with a deep counsel from the Word of God as I do with all of my study.  I do this because I believe that the God of the universe created me and my surroundings.  I do this based on that which I can observe, that which I have studied and because it takes less faith to believe this as opposed to the evidence that a huge random act of chaos created such entricate details and organization and order. where in creation do you see evidence that chaos creates order?

While science is a fascinating form of study, it is not complete with all the answers.  Science has to make a few assumptions and hypotheses just as Christianity is doing.  I believe science has been an amazing field which when we take that which another has worked a lifetime to establish, we can study and build on what they determined.  However, you have to consider the fact that in order to make a scientific evaluation, you have to be able to also make a few assumptions.

Science is fascinating.  However, there are areas in life that go beyond our ability to apply science.     

What on earth is this thing that drives me?

What on earth is this thing that drives me?  Religion vs Relationship...  Morality vs Freedom...  

I began my current world view as a young teen.  To see my life in those early years, you would have really wondered if I really believed in the world view I claimed.  Why is that?  Well I was in process.  I thought this world view required me to be moral and so I began this pursuit.  Along with it, I also began to look around at anyone who was not being "moral" and either felt superior, shunned them or corrected them.  What on earth is wrong with this you may ask...

In my early thirties I began an in-depth pursuit of this world view and it all began to make more sense.  The more I study the word of God and say under sound teaching the more I came to grow and understand that it was the work of God in me by the power of his spirit that lived in me produced the work of making me more and more in the likeness of Jesus Christ. 

Jesus came in the flesh to demonstrate how to live a life in connection with Father God. Jesus lived a perfectly pleasing life to God and paid for our sin debt with his life. His death and resurrection paved a way for us. He is the way the truth and the life. He is the way to the Father. He is the sacrifice we were unable to pay for our sin. But if we receive it we are rescued and made right with God. Our transformation comes by the connection we have by being filled by the Spirit. 

There is the relationship. 

There is the freedom.   

Hope

1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11
Ever wonder what happened to believers of Christ when they die?
According to this scripture reference it explains why those of us in Christ grieve differently for our loved ones who are saved than for those who are lost and dying and are without hope.  

In verse 15 it tells us about the Lord's return.  I get chills when I read it.  Oh the power that comes from him.  Oh if he returns before I die, I will be CAUGHT UP in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.  Man I have literally dreamed of the day.   I'm serious, it is the best dream!  Then we will be with the Lord FOREVER.   Then it says "So encourage each other with these words."

In 5:1 it talks of the How and When it will come about.  It says "it will come unexpectedly, like a thief in the night."  Verse 3 says "people will be saying 'Everything is peaceful and secure', then disaster will fall on them as suddenly as a pregnant woman's labor pains begin.  And there will be no escape."

But then verse 4 tells us we will not be surprised.  Verse 5 tells us we are "children of the light and of the day" and tells us to be "alert", "clearheaded" and "on guard".  Verse 8 tells us our "armor of faith and love protect us and our wearing the confidence of our salvation like a helmet."  I get excited about verse 9 because it says "God chose to save us through our Lord Jesus Christ, not to pour out his anger on us."

We truly deserve his anger.  He is our creator. He wants to dwell with us.  To be known by us and to know us.  He wants intimacy with us, so he made a way for us.

Verses 10 and 11 "Christ died for us so that when he returns, we can live with him forever. So encourage each other and build each other up."

He designed us and had a perfect plan for each of us.  But all of us have chosen to go our own way.  We all fall short of His plan, purpose and intent for us.  If you were to climb up a mountain and find me at the top as a 'guru' and ask me what the meaning of life is, I would say you are created to know God, your creator, to be in an intimate relationship with Him and to walk so closely with Him that you reveal him to the world around you because of that proximity.  

I think if we miss that and never connect with Him, it is the most dissatisfying life imaginable.  Beyond that, there is the matter of eternity.  Most people sense there is a god and eternity, but I do believe it is not a matter of belief but rather a matter of autonomy.  At the heart of the matter is that you want to be your own god.

To lean heavily on the wisdom I have gleaned from Ravi Zacharias, he answers the existence of God in this manner when the following question is posed to him. How can I believe God exists with so much evil in the world? to quote from the link:  "When one asserts that there is such a thing as evil, one must assume there is such a thing as good. When one assumes there is such a thing as good, he or she must also assume there is an objective moral law by which to distinguish between good and evil. When you assume an objective moral law, you must posit a moral lawgiver—the source of the moral law."

Search yourself and see if you too choose to ignore God's existence because you do not want a higher being to tell you what to do.  I choose to believe that He exist and has made a wonderful way for me to be in connection and fellowship with Him.  He paid all the price required.  I have received it, I have had communion with Him.  I know my redeemer lives, for he lives inside of me.  We talk often.  

So confess to Him, repentant and be one with God because Jesus made a way and the Holy Spirit will lead you, guide you and enable you.

That's all for today!