I Come to do Thy Will

I Come to do Thy Will

Hebrews 10:8-9

Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and [offering] for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure [therein]; which are offered by the law.  Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second.

               Do we live Old Testament or New Testament lives?  Do we live to please and appease our God or are we like our Lord who came to do His will.  Much of the Old Testament thinking was about pleasing God, making amends and sacrificing objects to Him.  It wasn’t the motions of keeping the Law that the Father longed for, it was the sacrifice of “will”.  When Jesus came into His ministry there were more than a few times he offended the religious people by not “keeping the law”.  What they didn’t comprehend is that this man was the fulfillment of the law.  He was what they could never be or ever accomplish, because of the inherent weakness of the creature that tried to live up to it.  Creatures weakened by a state of sinfulness.   It wasn’t through the offerings and burnt sacrifices that God took pleasure in, it was in the sacrifice of His Son that took away the first order to establish the second. 

               We think of Calvary as being the sacrifice that Jesus offered, but it was only the consummation of the sacrifice of a life that “came to do Thy will.”  Romans 6:5 –7 says, “For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also [in the likeness] of [his] resurrection: Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with [him], that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.”  For he that is dead is freed from sin.”  When we became identified with Christ, we became identified with His death to sin.  Sin comes forth out of the will of man; therefore, our will was crucified together with Christ that we might no longer live to the will of the flesh, but to the will of God.  We took up the identify of Christ in that “we came to do Thy will, oh God.”  King David caught the revelation of this truth in Psalm 40:6-8, “Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but my ears you have pierced; burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not require. 7 Then I said, “Here I am, I have come— it is written about me in the scroll. 8 I desire to do your will, O my God;

your law is within my heart.” According to Exodus 21:6 if a servant willing gave himself to serve his master the rest of his life his ear was pierced to mark him as free will servant.  That is what we are called to become, free will servants, having offered our will for His, not my will, but Thine be done.  2 Corinthians affirms this calling upon our lives, “And [that] he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.”  Again, in Galatians 2:20 Paul defines the sacrificial life, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”

                              The Father is not looking for our offerings, our works and our tributes of religious service, He is looking for the hearts that are saying, “Here I am, I have come and I desire to do Your will, oh my God!”  The place I start is on my face, emptied of self and seeking You to fill me and order the steps my life each day.

Blessings,

#kent

Faithfulness to Gifts and Callings

Philippians 3:3

For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.

Faithfulness to Gifts and Callings

               The hands that led me and guided me are the hands that held me, changed me and loved me.

Those hands didn’t have a lot of experience and wisdom when they started.  They didn’t have all the answers or even know all of the rules, but they were faithful with the entrustment that God had given them.   They weren’t rich, greatly educated and were not of any position as the world regards such things, but they worked hard, they kept the faith and they didn’t give up.  They were faithful in what they knew.  It was that lack of self-dependence and the need for God dependence that taught them faith, trust, and reliance upon the One whom is steadfast and faithful.  It is the struggles, the trials, and the continual reaching out to God that develops that patience and steadfastness that turns into wisdom, understanding, giving and sacrifice.  It teaches us to look beyond ourselves, to place no confidence in our flesh, but to rejoice in Christ Jesus who is our life provision. 

               God has placed an infant of responsibility into each one of our hands.  We may want to withdrawal from it because we lack wisdom, understanding or natural ability.  We can not withdraw from our God-given responsibilities or we end up denying the gift and the Giver.  When God gives us something or calls us to something, we can depend upon Him being faithful to teach us how to be a good parent and steward over it, if we will simply keep our reliance and faith upon Him.  Sometimes we want to abort or give our infant of responsibility to someone else, because it doesn’t fit into our plans and it’s not what we want.  Most of us have discovered by now that what we want isn’t always what is best for us even if we think it is at the time.  God gives us what we need, to be who He has created us and destined us to be.  All we have to do, to fulfill His destiny for us, is to be faithful to do what He has placed in our hands to do and be what He has placed within us to be in Him.  The motive in us must be for His glory and not our own.  He didn’t create us for our glory, but for His. 

               Some of us are still pregnant with the gift and calling of God within us.  If we are to fulfill our destiny and calling, we must be willing to enter into labor and by God’s grace working in us, bring it forth.  Which of us feels qualified to deal with all that is entailed with a newborn, especially our first?  Parenthood develops in us as we assume the responsibility and care for that child one-day at a time.  We are so proud of our kids because they are the products of what was birthed out of us and by God’s grace, we are raising them or have raised them to maturity where they might continue the cycle. 

               Don’t be afraid about what you don’t know how to do.  Just do what you know and trust God to show you and teach you how to do the rest.   Most importantly, we must not deny what He has placed within us by the Holy Spirit.  We must do what the Lord has placed in our hearts to do and be what He has placed in our hearts to be.  Just as we must assume responsibility for what the Lord has given us, we must not assume ownership of that gift or calling for which we have been called to be faithful stewards.  The ownership is always the Lord’s.  When we see the fruition and success of that which God has birthed through us, it is easy for us to lifted up in pride over what we have done.  This will be a stumbling block to us if we allow that to happen.  We have been given the privilege to be an overseer of God’s gift, but always remember that it is for God’s glory and not for our own.  Even Jesus who has been given all authority and power in heaven and in earth, when all things have come to full subjection under His feet, then will He yield it back up to the Father.  All things that come out of the Father must return back into Him. ‘We rejoice in Christ Jesus and place no confidence in the flesh.’

Blessings,

#kent

The Lighthouse

The Lighthouse

Matthew 5:14

Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.

The old man lived in the base of the lighthouse,

From the time he was young he faithfully kept his keep.

Every night he lit the candle that warned men of the sea,

“To come too near is death, so stay out in the deep.”

Through the years and the countless storms,

No doubt many a man had been spared.

The old man did not do it for the excitement or gain,

He was faithful in his task because he really cared.

Long ago, as a young man, he committed his life,

When he saw how brutal the darkness could be.

Before the lighthouse, lives he loved were lost,

When it was built, he came forward to take the key.

What many would consider a lonely, insignificant job,

This old man has joyfully borne of faithfully lighting the light.

For souls have sought him out that were lost in a storm,

To tell him, “except for your light, I would have perished that night.”

Are we a lighthouse, a light upon a hill,

Placed by God to faithfully watch and warn the lost?

Are we a beacon to show forth the truth of God;

Are we there to faithfully show the way no matter what the cost?

Are the lives we save worth the time we gave,

To be faithful through every night and storm?

You and I are the keepers of God’s lighthouse,

We are to be there to guide and warn.

Blessings,

#kent

Silence Before Me

Silence Before Me

Isaiah 41:1

Keep silence before me, O islands; and let the people renew [their] strength: let them come near; then let them speak: let us come near together to judgment.

               One of the most difficult areas for us to come into relationship with our God is in the area of silence.  It is hard for us to be still and wait.  We are used to activity and chatter.  Most of our ideas of worship are involved in going somewhere, listening to somebody, reading someone’s book, watching Christian programming or coming to God in prayer while we do all the talking.  We rarely take time to just listen and meditate.  We’re like the cat on the hot tin roof.  We don’t know how to be still.  We are so used to high gear and rushing through life with all of it flurry of activity and demands that we never take the time to get silent before the Lord.  We need to pencil that into our appointment books, for it is essential to our really hearing what the Lord has to say to us.  In your prayer time, have a pencil and paper.  Listen and write down what He speaks into your heart.

               Habakkuk 2:20 tells us, “But the LORD [is] in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him.”  We have become so busy in an idolatrous world, where our confidence is in those things which cannot speak and have no breath that we don’t take time to listen to Him that does.  Today, the Lord is speaking to us to begin to take the time to be silent before Him.  Meditate on His Word.  Ponder His majestic glory and wondrous ways.   Who can say what the Lord wants to speak into your life and how will you know if you don’t take the time to be silent before Him.  Rise up and enjoy the sunrise with Him, take a walk with Jesus, spend some time in the swing watching His sunset and enjoying the stillness of an evening.  Get alone with the Lord, be silent and listen.  The Holy Spirit has much to say, much to teach you and can only begin to reveal insight into your life if you are silent before Him.  Psalms 4:4 encourages us, “Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah.”  Psalms 46:10 commands us, “Be still, and know that I [am] God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.”  When God truly does speak then we can be assured that all the world will stop to listen.  Right now, He is speaking in a still, small voice.  That is where we want to learn to hear Him, not in the thunder of judgment, but in the house of prayer.  We are His sons, His workmanship, created for His glory.  Doesn’t He desire to speak into us that which concerns Him and that which concerns our lives in Him?  Be still, listen and be silent before Him.

Blessings,

#kent

Be Encouraged

Be Encouraged

Matthew 11:28

Come unto me, all [ye] that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Every action of the Father is an action of Love.  The Lord God hovers over His beloved as a hen over her chicks.  Though we do not see it, His arms of love and comfort surround us constantly.  The souls of men are the object of His affection and desire.  Each one of you who read this must know that your God loves you individually.  There is nothing outside of His knowing, concerning your life; no area is hidden and no emotion is unfelt by Him.  Jesus became identified with us in our infirmities and weaknesses.  He experienced every hurt, pain and heartache, as well as temptation, just like you and I.  He is our high priest that ever lives to make intercession on our behalf.  Can you think of anyone you would rather have praying you through than Jesus?  The Father isn’t against us, He is for us.  The Holy Spirit has been given to each believer to help, comfort, come alongside and instruct us in the way.  The Lord sees your discouragement today.  He sees your efforts and your heart.  Whether you sense Him or not He is there with you in the valley of the shadow of death and despair. 

In your spirit, just crawl up on Daddy’s lap today.   Just hold Him and release your heart to Him.  Let Him just put His wonderful arms of comfort and love around you as He lets you know everything is going to be okay.  He’s got the whole world in His hands and has your problems and concerns as well.  Lay your head on His bosom and rest your weary soul.  Let God have control of all those areas of worry and concern.  Enter into His rest and as you rest in Him He is already at work in your circumstances to meet your needs. 

Yes, we grow weary, we get tired and we can become discouraged.  Come aside and take your rest in Him all of you that are weary and heavy-laden and “I will give you rest”, says the Lord. 

As we come to the end of ourselves and learn to rest in our Father we learn the joy of our salvation.  We find that He is more than able to meet all our needs according to His riches in glory.  In our weakness He is made strong.  “And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me (2 Corinthians 12:9).”  Today, rest and find comfort and strength in Him who is your life, your blessing and your portion.

Blessings,

#kent

The Groan Within

The Groan Within

Romans 8:18-24

I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. 19The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. 20For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. 22We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? 25But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.

               As much as we can love the Lord and desire to be filled with the fullness and glory of His divine life, we find that as long as we are still of this earth we are still tethered to our body of flesh.  It is this body of flesh that poses our limitations; it is the dust to which we are bound and upon which the serpent feeds.  This flesh is ever demanding our attention and our care as it provides the earthly housing for our spirit man.  Yet it is the spirit man within us, redeemed and conformed to the image of Christ, that so groans to be set free from the limitations, the hindrances, the weakness, the sin and the failures that the flesh prompts and facilitates.   Every day must be a recommitment to crucify this flesh, hold fast our faith in Christ and walk in a manner that glorifies Him.  Yet every day it seems the enemy is at work in our lives to undermine, to seek some avenue of darkness that he might exploit in us.  Everyday, it is necessary to set ourselves in array with our spiritual armor to combat our spiritual foe.  The battle is waged not so much without as it is waged within.  We battle our thoughts that are impure or out of alignment with the Word of God.  We war with our passions and our impulses to act out of our flesh rather than our spirit.  We war with the individual weaknesses that are characteristic and inherent within us.  “Oh wretched man that I am, who will deliver me from this body of sin and death (Romans 7:24)?”  Isn’t that our groan and cry to the Lord?  We often hate what we are still manifesting in our flesh, but we seem so powerless to gain the victory and righteousness that we so desire to see.  It is this reality that we continually face that causes us to know that we are the products of God’s grace and mercy alone and through no righteousness of our own.  It is His righteousness and life with which we now relate and identify.  The answer to our cry and groan for the deliverance from this body of death is still Jesus Christ. 

               We groan to see that full deliverance from the influence and power of our body of sin, but God in His infinite wisdom has chosen that even in salvation that we must walk in faith and trust for the in-working of righteousness and deliverance in us.  God has structured it in such a way that it is only in a holy and sustained union with Him and identification with who we now are in Christ that we walk each day in faith, working out our salvation with fear and trembling.  Our day to day victories are only accomplished as we walk in the Spirit and not in the flesh.  It is the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus that has set me free from the law of sin and death.  There are two laws operational in your life today.  Whichever law you make the choice to serve that is whose servant you are.  We know that, in ourselves, in this flesh, dwells no good thing.  We know that the heart is deceitfully wicked and who can know it?  This is why we need an ally to prevail over this body of sin. 

Romans 8:12-13 tells us, “Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation—but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. 13For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, 14because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.”  The key to a victorious life in Christ is living and walking in the Spirit and by the power of the Spirit putting to death the passion and misdeeds of the flesh. 

               It is not often an easy walk.  Sometimes we grow weary or complacent.  Sometimes we allow the moldy corruption of our sinful desires to have place under a cloak of righteousness, but eventually the stink of our misdeeds will be revealed.  Yes, we are often weak and we can all stumble.  We need to pray for one another.  We need the ability to be transparent with one another without judgement so that we can minister grace and encouragement to each other.  We are the body and with the life of Christ within each of us we must minister and function to the good and health of the whole.  As we hold fast our faith and hope, one-day that groan will be turned to the shout of victory, as we will triumph fully in Christ Jesus.

Blessings,

#kent

The Heavens of Desolation

The Heavens of Desolation

Habakkuk 3:17-19

17 Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails

and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, 18 yet I will rejoice in the LORD , I will be joyful in God my Savior. 19 The Sovereign LORD is my strength;

he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights.

What becomes of our faith and confidence in God in the midst of our trials, testings, and perhaps desolation, even when we have sought to put our faith in God?  Has He failed us, is His arm short that He cannot save us?  Has He forgotten us, forsaken us or cast us aside?  As I read this passage in Habakkuk this morning I was moved by the attitude of the prophet in the midst of his desolation.  Here He is saying if all else collapses, if everything around me fails to produce and if I lose all that I have; “yet, I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior.”  One of the biggest hurdles we have, to get over, is that natural circumstances really have nothing to do with God and His faithfulness.  We most often want to use our circumstances as a barometer and thermometer of how close we are to God, by how much we are blessed and how well things are going.  What do we do then with those desolate times, when circumstances would indicate that God has forsaken us?  All the natural indicators around us would tell us God isn’t with you in your desolation.  Was God in Job’s desolation?  Was He in Joseph’s desolation in Egypt?  Was He in David’s desolation as Saul sought and hunted him like an animal to take his life?  Was God in Christ Jesus’ desolation at Gethsemane and the Cross?  Even Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4:7-12, “7But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all surpassing power is from God and not from us. 8We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. 10We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. 11For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body. 12So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.”

We have no problem thanking God and recognizing Him in our blessings and when life is good.  What do we do when the times come that try our souls, test our faith and our head is filled with voices of God’s unfaithfulness?  It is the winepress and the crushing of the grapes that determines the true nature of the wine.  These are the times and the places we must, like the prophet Habakkuk, know how to walk upon the high places and in the heavenlies when calamities befall us.  We must come to know heaven even in the times of desolation and despair.  Much of the Psalms were written in this very place.   In them we can hear each one of our own cries to God, as at the same time we are reminding ourselves of God’s great salvation.  In them we can see the encouragement that can be derived and the faith that can be stirred up, by remembering our God and His mighty acts.  We remember that He said He would never leave us or forsake us.  Psalm 73:23 says,” Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand.”  Jesus tells us in Matthew 28:19-20, “19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

               We must not ever let the circumstances around us dictate the presence of God in our lives.  Our feelings are not the best indicators of our spirituality.   Our spirit man within us, that in-Christed-One within us, is the anchor of our souls.  It is from the wells of His life within us that we draw forth the living waters in the days of drought. It is the living Word and manna that we eat in the days of our wilderness and hunger.  Matthew 24:35 says, “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.”  This is why Habakkuk could sing, “Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation The LORD God [is] my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds’ [feet], and he will make me to walk upon mine high places…” Only the people of God can truly know the place of heaven in such times.  Only they can know the joy of their God and rejoice in His salvation when calamity fills the earth around them.  Our circumstances are not our God.  Our God is the Lord of our circumstances no matter what they may proclaim to the contrary. 

               If your circumstances and desolation are bringing you down today, come rejoice in the Lord, come up into the heavenlies with the spirit of praise, worship and remembrance of His wonderful acts.  Let faith arise in your hearts.  The Lord is your strength and He will cause you to stand.

Blessings,

#kent

Changing Directions from Death to Life

Changing Directions from Death to Life

Romans 5:17

For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.

               Christ came to change the direction of our lives and from the moment that we came to the decision to receive Christ into our heart our lives were translated from darkness into light and from death to life.  Outwardly or in our conscious mind things might not have seemed that different, much like when a woman first becomes pregnant she probably isn’t even aware of the life that has just started within her.

               We were born into a realm and place of death.  Romans 5:12-14 tells us, “Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned— 13for before the law was given, sin was in the world. But sin is not taken into account when there is no law. 14Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who was a pattern of the one to come.”  Just as the sin of one man brought all of humanity into this realm of death, the obedient act of righteousness in Jesus Christ has brought back to us an entrance into the realm of life.  These are spiritual principles that work in our lives as we give place to them and as we respond either to life or death.  Romans 8:1-4 identifies these two laws or principles under which all men live, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. 3For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering And so he condemned sin in sinful man,4in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit.”  Through faith in Christ we have stepped into a realm of life that should be changing our life and thinking.  Many of us live in the delusion that true spiritual transformation and divine life doesn’t begin till we leave this body and go to heaven.  We continually need to be reminded and aware that heavenly life begins when the Spirit of Christ comes in.  How we experience that quality of life depends a great deal on our faith and vision to recognize who we are in Christ and begin to lay hold upon that as we walk in these principles of life.  We may still inhabit a body of death, but Romans 8:11 says, “And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.”  That speaks to me that the law of life can affect even my natural body.  While the Word says that I am to die to the passions of the flesh, God calls us to live unto him using our bodies as instruments of righteousness and no longer of sin.  We can read all these words and mentally agree with them, but they never really get past our minds and into our spirits.  In order for me to truly live in the law of life that is in Christ Jesus, I have to change the way that I think, no longer reasoning as the world thinks, but bringing my thoughts and thinking into conformity with the mind of God.  Romans 12:1-2 exhorts us, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. 2Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.“  If we want to dwell in the principles of life then we have to change the direction of our thinking and begin to conform it to what God’s word tells us.  In every place that we find it contrary we are to bring it into conformity through the way that we speak, not just looking to the things that are seen, but at the things that are not seen.  The realm of life is not a sight and sense realm; it is a realm that operates out of faith in the Word of God. 

               Are we experiencing all that we should be in our spiritual walk with Christ?  Are we laying hold of and living out of the principles of life in Christ Jesus or do we just mentally acknowledge it while we continue on living our natural lives.  If we want to see and lay hold of LIFE we have to live out of the life principles of God’s word, bring ourselves in agreement and alignment with it.  Is there a dimension of life that we are not fully experiencing because we have a mindset that is still geared and operating out of the realm of sin and death?  Perhaps we really need to be conscious of the need for us to change the direction of our thinking and to conform ourselves to the mind and will of Christ.  That change comes through the meditation and practice of His Word.  It comes as we yield ourselves in prayer and in deed to be the instruments of righteousness that He has called us to be.  Let’s be aware of who we are in Him and what mindset that we are operating out of so that we might enter into, possess and experience God’s life to the fullest, even now in this earth. 

Blessings,

#kent

Set Your Mind on Things Above

Set Your Mind on Things Above

Colossians 3:1-3

 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.  Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.

               Where do we live in our thoughts and affections?  What is the nearest and dearest thing to our hearts?  What do we truly worship, spend our money on, and spend our time and energy in pursuing?  An honest thoughtful answer may bring to us a revelation of where we are at in relationship with our God.  Can we honestly say that He is at the foremost of all these questions?  If our pursuit is truly a closer walk with God, a greater sense of His presence and an increasing revelation of who He is?  Then this is a key to where we can start.  I have heard it said that, “we become what we worship”.  What are you becoming today?  In order to walk close to our God, we must abide in His presence.  This is the place we find holiness, communion, and the presence of God.  Christ doesn’t want to be just a part of our lives; He wants to be our life.  That is why we die to natural affections, that He may live in us and through us.  

               In order to be accomplished at any thing you must practice it over and over again.  In the process of learning and perfecting a skill you will make many mistakes and experience some setbacks.  That should not discourage us, but cause us to persevere the more.  The Lord wants us to apply this principle to “practicing His Presence”.  It becomes that place where we are ever mindful of Him, whether consciously or subconsciously.  He becomes constantly a part of our thoughts.  We are constantly filtering the world and activities around us through Him and through that mind of Christ that we have put on.  We are constantly in silent or verbal conversation with Him.  He becomes a unified part of our daily life and breath.  We are in constant heavenly communication and communion.  This is abiding in Christ.  This is setting your mind on things above.  This is the place where we enter in beyond the veil of the outer court things and we begin to commune with our God heart to heart, mind to mind and spirit to spirit.  In this place, our lives have become centered on His will, His purpose, His design and plan for us.  It is no longer about us; it is all about Him.  Our family, friends and those in the world around us get to become the recipients of God’s grace and love working through us.  They may not always respond in a positive way.  Jesus said your enemies might be those of your own household.  When satan throws all he has against you, the blood of Jesus covers you.  You simply rest, in humility and love.  Matthew 5:44 says, “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.” When you find yourself in this place, you will know that you have left off friendship with the world and you have become a friend of God.  In this place of spiritual pursuit, guard against spiritual pride that wants to enter in.  It is easy to begin judging others, seeing yourself as better, more spiritual and alienate yourself due to that spiritual pride.   Jesus became as one of no reputation.  He became the servant that got under the lowly and lifted them up.  He was always bringing up the low places while He resisted and brought down the high places of spiritual arrogance and pride.  His focus was always first to God and then to men.  He didn’t isolate Himself, but became the servant of all.

               Think what it is to set your mind on things above.  Paul states it well in Philippians 2:5-8, “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God, But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”

Blessings,

#kent

Faith that Separates Us unto God

Faith That Separates Us unto God

Hebrews 11:24-29

24By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. 25He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. 26He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. 27By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible. 28By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel.

29By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned.

               There is something in most of us that causes us to shrink back from the rejected, the unacceptable or unpopular ones of our society.  We may even have a compassion for them, but we don’t want to be identified with them because by association we fear the same rejection, ridicule and reproach they are suffering.  Our inclination is to be among the acceptable, the popular and well regarded of people.  We have seen this type of social behavior from the time we were little children all the way through into adulthood.  Think how Jesus’ life might have been different had He not chose to associate with sinners and tax collectors, if he would have just hob-knobbed and got in good with the upper religious class of His day.  Perhaps life would have not turned out so harsh for Him and perhaps we would still be perishing in our sins because we would have had no Redeemer of all  mankind.  If our Lord had been a respecter of persons, where would that have left many of us?

               In this passage in Hebrews 11 we view an example of an individual whose whole life was a diadem of faith.  Often, we associate Moses with the law and legalism, but his life was an Old Testament parallel of Christ.  Moses, even like Christ, had it all, authority, power, riches, might and dominion concerning earthly kingdoms.   Even like Christ he chose to be identified with the slaves and downcast people of God rather ‘than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season.’  It says, “accounting the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt.”  Egypt was a representation of the world and all that it has to offer us.  Many of us spend our whole lives trying to gain what Moses already had and gave up. 

               Moses was a man of vision.  If we have no vision then we will only pursue that which is directly in front of us.  Faith gives us vision to see with the mind and heart of God in order that we may pursue that which is eternal, but which is often ludicrous to natural minded men.  When by faith we begin to gain a God perspective of our world, our values and our goals change.  We begin losing our fear of what men think, what is popular or what will get us into the right social circles.  All of that becomes shallow, empty and hollow in the light of God’s vision.  By faith, we too, can begin accounting the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt.  The world is caught up in the lie that life is all about our personal success and us, when nothing could be further from the real truth.  Moses truly discovered life when he discovered a relationship with All Mighty God.  The world could have never given him, what he gained and experienced in God, but it personally cost him everything.  He bore the reproach of men, even the people of God, but the favor of the hand of God rested upon him.  He knew a relationship and friendship with God, that most men can only dream of, but Christ has made it possible for each of us through the Cross. 

               Today God’s call upon our lives is not to pursue the world or the things of the world, but to pursue Him and seek first the kingdom of God with all our heart.  Jesus tells us in John 15:18-25, “18“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. 19If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. 20Remember the words I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. 21They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the One who sent me. 22If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. Now, however, they have no excuse for their sin. 23He who hates me hates my Father as well. 24If I had not done among them what no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. But now they have seen these miracles, and yet they have hated both me and my Father. 25But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: ‘They hated me without reason.’

That badge of rejection and shame in the world is a badge of honor in the kingdom of God, for it declares that we love and care more of the praise and approval of God than we do of men. 

               Faith has the vision to bear the reproach and separation with the world that it might be identified with Christ and His eternal kingdom.  Our faith must not be one duplicity, but singleness of heart and purpose.  He bought us with the price of His blood.  We are no longer our own, but His.  Draw near in full assurance of faith, despising the shame and looking unto the ‘recompense of reward’ even as Moses.

Blessings,

#kent