Every Wednesday night my wife Pat and I participate in a Small Group study at our Church.  This fall we chose the Apostles Creed and last night we watched a video by the study’s author, Matt Chandler, which covered the stanza “The forgiveness of sins.”

It is the next to last week, and like every week they seem to get better.

Pat and I chose this class seemingly for a different reason than we usually use.  We picked this class because we had never had the opportunity to study the word with Lee who was leading the class and we wanted to get to know him better and did feel the topic would be good.  But the Holy Spirit had a couple of reasons to be in that class besides getting to know Lee.  It seems that there was much we could learn from the scriptures that support the Apostles Creed.

Forgiveness of Sins

Last night we listened to the Matt Chandler on forgiveness of sins, and he took us through God’s Word and discussed the disdain that God had for sin while loving us so much that he was willing for His son to die to pay our debt.  His forgiveness was complete.

The video is excellent but too much for me to cover here.  If you want to listen to it, the video is on YouTube with the other12 videos.  They run about 45 minutes each.  They can be found at The Village Church, The Apostles Creed.  When we finished, we had a short discussion.

Group Discussion

We talked about repentance before God.  We talked about confessing our sins to one another and forgiving each other as God has forgiven us.  Then an interesting discussion came up.  It was short, but it was very pertinent to the discussion.  Someone said sometimes the hard part is forgiving ourselves.

We talked about that for a while.  I think Pat mentioned that she could not find anywhere in the Word where it said we needed to forgive ourselves.  As we discussed it, I think we all kind of agreed that the devil reminded us every chance he got of where we messed up.  But we had to remember God had granted us forgiveness for our sins and we needed to leave them at the cross and not pick them up when he tried to torment us with them and try to make us feel unworthy of forgiveness.

Pat and I both enjoyed the video and the discussion, and it continued the ride home and after we got home.  This morning is when I got some interesting confirmation.

The Book of Secrets

I have “The Book of Secrets” by Jonathan Cahn.  He is a messianic Jew with a deep understanding of Hebrew and the Jewish Bible.  Normally I read this every morning, but for the last 2 or 3 days, it has laid where I keep it opened to the next page undisturbed until this morning.

This morning I was compelled to read it and was it ever worth the wait.  The daily text was titled, “The Asham,” and it could not have been more pertinent to what I was meditating on this morning.

The book is structured as a daily reading with a student and a teacher.  Each day plays out a lesson between the teacher and the student and then gives an assignment with supporting scriptures.  Today’s lesson included Isaiah 53 and defined the meaning of the Asham.

The Asham

The Asham was the Hebrew word for the guilt offering administered by the priests in the temple.  But Asham had a second meaning.  It not only was the offering, but it was also the guilt itself.  In ancient times it was a sheep that was both the guilt offering and the guilt.  Are you confused yet?  The teacher in the book says it better.  “Yes, but it goes together.  The guilt offering could only take away the guilt of the one offering it by first becoming the guilt.”

The other interesting point is that Asham was used in Leviticus to describe the animal sacrifices and that same word was used in Isaiah 53 to describe the Messiah.

Thoughts; Mine and the Book

I had always had this vision of a list of my sins being nailed to the Cross when I brought to Jesus and the Cross.  Now the image has changed for me, and my heart aches as I visualize it.  The teacher said a couple of things I had not internalized.  First, “When you see Him on the cross, you see the Asham, the sacrifice, but also the guilt itself.” That visual humbled me, but the next set me free.

The teacher elaborated on the visual of the cross and Jesus and put to rest for me the discussion of forgiving myself.  The student asked a question about sin being nailed to the cross, and the Teacher replied

Asham and Forgiveness.

This part took my breath away.  The teacher said, “Your guilt (is) nailed to the cross. And if Messiah is the Asham and the Asham is the guilt, then if the Asham dies, so too your guilt has died and all your shame, and all your regrets.  They’ve all died and are gone… completely and forever… it is finished in the Asham.”

Reflection

Now that set me back on my heals in a good way.  It got me to thinking of what God has said in His Word.  I read Isaiah 53 and looked at what was prophesied about the Messiah.  I also got thinking about how the new testament spoke of the forgiveness of sin and Cahn referenced one of my favorite.  2Corinthians 5:21

2 Corinthians 5:21 (ESV)

²¹ For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

I realized that I took this passage at face value because I did not fully understand it until I learned the meaning of the Hebrew word Asham.  I envision the body of Christ Jesus on the cross and shaken.  His body so torn and beaten, a lamb without blemish, torn to near death by lashing and beating and torture before he died on the cross my guilt, (Asham), paid for by Jesus the Asham so that my guilt, shame, sin, and retreats could be killed with Him.  He became sin so that it could die with Him.

Closing Thoughts

Now I see that I cannot forgive myself.  Jesus did that for me.  I must confess my sins and repent turning from them and realize that they are no more.  I know now that they are but a weapon of the adversary to introduce doubt where he can.  But I have the Full Armor of God, (Ephesians 6:10-20) and God defends me.  When the devil cast a flaming arrow at me of an old memory of sin.  My shield will deflect it and my Sword, (God’s Word), will cut it down.

Ephesians 6:12 (ESV)

¹² For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

I am thankful for the wisdom God shares with me every day and the discernment He gives me to trust and verify in His Word.

Prayer

Father, all that I can say this morning is Thank You for your love!  It is deeper and broader than I can imagine.  Father help me hold onto nothing that might get between you and me.  I pray I am always quick to listen and obey.  In Jesus name, I pray, Amen!

 

Last night Pat and I met with some friends in a small discussion group to enjoy a meal together and discuss God’s Word.  It was a wonderful night of discussion and a pretty diverse group in regards to age.  The discussion began with the book of Acts and quickly moved to trust.

Well, that issue is one of those that I wrestle with on occasion; even with God.  But God has shown me the foolishness of not trusting Him over and over.   This morning He reminded me again as my prayers led me to a few passages in His Word.  The first was in Psalms.

Psalms 28:6-9 (ESV)

The Psalm came from a K-love verse of the day.  It started the rock rolling along the hillside.  The title of the Psalm is “The LORD Is My Strength and My Shield,” and David writes it.  I especially liked verses 6-9

Psalms 28:6-9 (ESV)

⁶ Blessed be the LORD!

For he has heard the voice of my pleas for mercy.

⁷ The LORD is my strength and my shield;

in him my heart trusts, and I am helped;

my heart exults,

and with my song I give thanks to him.

⁸ The LORD is the strength of his people;

he is the saving refuge of his anointed.

⁹ Oh, save your people and bless your heritage!

Be their shepherd and carry them forever.

I read the Psalm, and these last few stanzas just reminded me of God’s power and His love for me.  As I reflected on these words I remembered a fundamental truth of God –  He keeps His promises, and He cannot lie.  How do I know that?  He tells me in His Word.

Reflection

I thought over all of this and was reminded that God has never let me down.  There have been moments of uncertainty when things did not happen in “MY TIME, ” but they always happened in God’s time.  There were times when I thought he was doing one thing, and it was simply preparation for a bigger thing, but always I was in His hand.

As I pondered these things, my focus shifted to God’s Word.

I noodled over the old testament and the new. As I considered all that it contained my heart filled with thanksgiving.  I realized how lost I would be without it.

Sure, if we did not have it God could find other ways to communicate with us, and he already does, through the Holy Spirit, and the body of the Church and Godly Friends, but He gave us His Word.  The source of absolute truth that speaks to every need.  This morning after Psalms I went to Colossians.

Colossians

Now I read Colossians this morning and it is a short book, but in it, I saw nothing that we do not face here today in our world.  Some may say the distraction is less relenting.  Some may say the evil is more pervasive, but at its root, it is the same.  Paul talks about the preeminence of Christ Jesus.  He talks about as a Christian we are alive in Christ, and he reminds us of all that from which Jesus saved us.  He also warns not to let anyone disqualify our salvation using false doctrine.  In chapter 3 he reminds us to put on our new self.

Colossians 3:1-4 (ESV)

¹ If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. ² Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. ³ For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. ⁴ When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

In verses 5-11 He reminds us to put to death all the worldly things about us.

Colossians 3:5-11 (ESV)

⁵ Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. ⁶ On account of these the wrath of God is coming. ⁷ In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. ⁸ But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. ⁹ Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices ¹⁰ and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. ¹¹ Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.

Reflections

As I thought about the trust discussion, we had last night and the prompting I got from the Holy Spirit to spend some time in Psalm 28 and the Book of Colossians I could not help but fall back to how important the Word of God is in all aspects of my life.  It is our only source of truth.  It is also not a word of man but The Word of God.

John 1:1-5 (ESV)

¹ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was in the beginning with God. ³ All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. ⁴ In him was life, and the life was the light of men. ⁵ The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

God has given us the Holy Spirit to teach us and guide us and the Holy Word to teach us about Him.  It lead me to Hebrews 1:1

Hebrews 1:1-3 (ESV)

¹ Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, ² but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. ³ He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power.

What a glorious gift we have in the Holy Spirit and God’s Holy Word.  But they are only of value if they are used to grow personally, and in small groups as well in the body of the church.  If not used they are like an old motorcycle left to sit.  It may be all shiny, but after a while, it is nothing more than a lawn ornament because all the internals has gone to rust.

Closing Thoughts

I give thanks to the Lord for all His provision.  It amazes me how much I grow every time I open the word.  I look at the Epistles and think about that first-century church and am amazed at how familiar I am with their struggles and how much comfort I get from a letter written 2000 years ago is so current and helpful in my walk.  I look at the old testament and read a book, and an even older lesson helps me in a time of trial.  I am simply reminded of Isaiah 55.

Isaiah 55:8-9 (ESV)

⁸ For my thoughts are not your thoughts,

neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.

⁹ For as the heavens are higher than the earth,

so are my ways higher than your ways

and my thoughts than your thoughts.

And every time I read this passage I am thankful for my great and powerful God that loves me.

Prayer

Father, Thank you for your word.  Thank you for the insight I gain every day as the Holy Spirit guides me through its passages.  Lord God what a gift it is to help me draw closer toward you every day and to gain the strength to face the trials of this world.  Lord, I pray all this in Jesus name, Amen!

 

This morning a friend of mine posted something on Facebook that my wife Pat and I discuss a lot.  She and I struggle with the ugly way people tear each other down.  My friend, Machell’s post, was simple and to the point. I liked it.  Show kindness.

“Life is so much better when people are kind to each other. It isn’t that hard to do. We all should be building each other up, not tearing down.” 

I read that, and I immediately got a nudge by the Holy Spirit reminding me that there is a scripture that speaks to that very thing.  So I searched for the passage.  Frankly, Google is quicker than the concordance.  I found the passage that Machell had paraphrased.  It was in Ephesians.

Ephesians 4:29 (ESV) ²⁹ Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.

Now I love Machell.  She is a very sweet and tender-hearted person, and what she said is something we should strive for, but when Paul says it the phrase carries with it authority. It is not just a good idea, but a command from the Word of God.  Now I pondered this a long time before I decided to use this on my blog today.  It all just rolled around in my head like a ball in an empty room; once in a while it hit a wall, and I would remember the thought.  But I continued with my study, and I read “The Book of Mysteries” by Johnathan Kahn.

“The Book of Mysteries” Day 39

Day 39 was titled “Celestial Seed.”  In the one page story or devotional the teacher was holding a bag of seeds, and he spoke of how the seeds did no good in the bag.  They needed to be planted where they could grow.  He talked at length about the sowing of seed, but halfway down the page, he tells the student that is not why he brought him there.  He stops talking an pulls a Bible out of his pocket and begins to equate the seed to the Word of God.

“If the Word stays on the pages and is never sown to life, then its life stays unlocked, unrealized.  So the Word must be sown. “

“Sown to what soil?”  I asked.

“Sown into the soil of life, ” He replied.  “Sown into the lives of others… and to the soil of your own life.  The seed must become one with the soil.  So the Word must become one with your life.  So you need to sow the Word into every situation of your life and let it become one with the soil-the soil of your heart, your thoughts, your emotions, your life. For when the Word becomes one with your life, then its shell will break open, its plan will be activated, its promise unlocked, its life released, and its miracle begun.”  “The Book of Mysteries” by Jonathan Kahn Day 38

I pondered this passage from the book for a long time this morning.  You know how I am always talking about the need to be in the Word.  Well, this morning I was reminded that I could use any words to make a point… any, but if I use the Word of God, there is power in those words.  The Lord also reminds me of Isaiah that there is something else special about His words.

Isaiah 55:10-11 (ESV)

¹⁰ “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven

and do not return there but water the earth,

making it bring forth and sprout,

giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,

¹¹ so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;

it shall not return to me empty,

but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,

and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.

I do not know about you, but as I read that passage, I got a cold chill or goose bumps or whatever you call it.

Reflection

As I ponder these passages and how the Holy Spirit used the writing of a dear friend to prompt all this I am overwhelmed.  There is such a subtle difference between what my friend wrote and what the Holy Word says that one could almost see the first in a contemporary translation of the Word save for one thing.   The text from Ephesians ends on grace, and if you go to the Word of God to get the context of that one sentence, you get this.

Ephesians 4:30-32 (ESV)

³⁰ And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. ³¹ Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. ³² Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

Jonathan Kahn is right.  The Word of God left on the page cannot grow or bear fruit.  These Words are “celestial seeds”  that must be planted and to do that we must first plant them in our hearts.  If they are not there, we cannot accomplish anything.

1Peter

At the end of day 35, Jonathan Kahn prompted the reading of 1Peter 1:23 but I needed the context, and it is powerful.

1 Peter 1:22-25 (ESV)

²² Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, ²³ since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; ²⁴ for

“All flesh is like grass

and all its glory like the flower of grass.

The grass withers,

and the flower falls,

²⁵ but the word of the Lord remains forever.”

And this word is the good news that was preached to you.

I look at this passage, and I see the path of the Christian and our dependence on the Word of God and the Holy Spirit to help me understand it.  What a gift he has given us and what great news we have to share.

Closing Thoughts

As I consider this flood of information that God shared with me through His Word with a simple prompt of a godly woman I am overwhelmed with thanksgiving.  It simply further fuels my hunger for God’s Word so that I might know it better and listen and act in accordance with His  Will; the Truth of His Word.

 

I cannot help but be reminded of the Lord’s command for the King of Israel in Deuteronomy 17.

Deuteronomy 17:18-20 (ESV)

¹⁸ “And when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself in a book a copy of this law, approved by the Levitical priests. ¹⁹ And it shall be with him, and he shall read in it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord his God by keeping all the words of this law and these statutes, and doing them, ²⁰ that his heart may not be lifted up above his brothers, and that he may not turn aside from the commandment, either to the right hand or to the left, so that he may continue long in his kingdom, he and his children, in Israel.

A command for a king.  A king that did not yet reign, but one that God knew would.  If he needed the book of the law to keep him humble why wouldn’t I, and given the gift of the new covenant and the gift of the Holy Spirit to guide me in prayer and study of the Word why would I not hunger to know more?  What a gift we have in God’s plan.  I give thanks for the living water of His Word.

Prayer

Father, today my prayer is so simple.  I am really at a loss for words.  My only thought is Thank you for all provision; both physical and spiritual.  To you, Lord be the Glory!  In Jesus name, I pray, AMEN!

 

This morning as I prayed and studied I got caught up in the power of the Lord and the wonder of His love for us.  My prayers, like always pushed me to the Word.  Not that I needed the push, but more than the Word, as well as prayer, praise, encouragement, and meditation, are essential parts of a balanced meal for the soul.

The body needs sleep, food, water, and exercise.  I can get by without some of these things for a while, but over time the body suffers.  The same is true of my soul.  I need prayer, worship, meditation, and the Word.  I can get by without some of these for a while, but my soul suffers.

This morning the Lord used Philippians to point this out to me.  I will tell you that was NOT what was on my mind this morning to discuss, but it is now!  I read all of Philippians this morning after prayers, and after some struggle, I realized my plans had changed.

Prayer and Encouragement

Paul almost always opens his letters with a prayer of encouragement.  Philippians are not different.  You can feel the love that he has for the Philippians as you read Phil 1:3-11.  I love verse 6 in this passage and verses 9-11

Philippians 1:6 (ESV)

⁶ And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

Philippians 1:9-11 (ESV)

⁹ And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, ¹⁰ so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, ¹¹ filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

Paul is in prison, and this is the prayer he has for the Philippians; one of love and encouragement to keep them focused on the love Jesus despite their circumstances.  From there he speaks of his condition.

The Advance of the Gospel.

Paul is in prison, and he does not complain.   Instead, he explains that God has made it work out for the good.  It has served to advance the Gospel.  It has made most brothers bolder in their teaching, and it has given him a chance to share the Gospel with the whole imperial guard.  He knows he has little time left, and he struggles with that too. Philippians 1:21 is such an amazing thing to ponder.

Philippians 1:21 (ESV)

²¹ For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. 

Paul had suffered so much in his life, but He knew the value of each path.  To live meant to continue to spread the gospel and to die to mean rest and he was sure that he was destined to live longer.

 Philippians 1:24-26 (ESV)

²⁴ But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. ²⁵ Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, ²⁶ so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again.

Humility

I read on in Philippians and Paul spoke of humility.  The example he chose was Jesus.  When I look at what he wrote I struggle to find words to describe how it impacts me.  I think of things I have tried to surrender, and they pale by what Jesus did for me.

 Philippians 2:1-7 (ESV)

¹ So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, ² complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. ³ Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. ⁴ Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. ⁵ Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, ⁶ who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, ⁷ but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.

I read this passage over and over, and I am humbled because of Paul’s plea in the first few verses than after he reminds me how I should live he reminds me of what Jesus sacrificed.  That is humbling, and that is the ultimate example of placing others before myself.

Paul doesn’t limit it to people we like.  He talks about everyone, as Christ Jesus did.

Philippians 2:8 (ESV)

⁸ And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Reflections

I worked my way through the whole book this morning.  I found new passages that I had not seen as significant before.  My focus on others was slightly different than before.  I looked at Paul’s declaration in chapter three and God’s provision in chapter four, and I was thankful for having this Holy Word.  I was also happy to have a church family to worship with on Sunday and Wednesdays and small groups of believers that just enjoy getting together to discuss God’s Word. I ached for those that were alone whether they believed or not.  I also thought how blessed I am to have the Word of God to fill my spirit.

Closing Thoughts

You know in the first century when the Apostles were taking the message of the Gospel to the world they gave their testimony to the people, and people believed.  They were baptized and received the Holy Spirit and, yet it is obvious that in the absence of the teachers the churches need encouragement and correction and the letters from the Apostles was the tool to do that.

Today we hear the Gospel and testimony of believers to bring us to Christ.  But just like the ancient church, it takes more than a one-time event to keep our faith growing.  We need the Word, Prayer, Worship, and Meditation as well as discussion to grow our faith and keep it strong against the distractions of the world.

Without it, we leave ourselves open to the attack of the adversary.   Paul reminds us:

Philippians 2:12-18 (ESV)

¹² Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, ¹³ for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

¹⁴ Do all things without grumbling or disputing, ¹⁵ that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, ¹⁶ holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. ¹⁷ Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. ¹⁸ Likewise you also should be glad and rejoice with me.

I cannot help but seek the strength and truth that I find in God’s Holy Word.

Prayer

Father, I pray simply that my hunger and thirst for your Holy Word never be satisfied. In Jesus name, I pray, Amen!

 

I am a firm believer in participating in small group study at my church.  NCC organizes some classes in the spring and fall, and you can pick the one that suits you.  Today is a day of confession for me.  First I confess the classes are all so good it is hard to pick one.  Second, Pat and I thought we chose the class we did based on the teacher Lee because we had not studied with him before, but the Holy Spirit helped us understand the real reason, especially last night in my case.

The class is a twelve-week video and handbook study of the Apostles Creed.  I grew up with this creed in the Lutheran Church, but for the most part, they were just memorized Words.  But, Matt Chandler, the author of the course and videos, took each phrase of this creed and tied them to the scriptures, and that has had an impact that I did not anticipate.  I guess the best way to describe it is that I have been surprised every week by the significance of each line of the creed.

I guess I should start with including the Apostles Creed and note that I am only going to talk about one line dealing with the Holy Spirit and the conviction that I was left with last night as we studied.

The Apostles Creed

The Apostles Creed

I believe in God, the Father almighty,

      creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,

      who was conceived by the Holy Spirit

      and born of the virgin Mary.

      He suffered under Pontius Pilate,

      was crucified, died, and was buried;

      he descended to hell.

      The third day he rose again from the dead.

      He ascended to heaven

      and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty.

      From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,

      the holy catholic church,

      the communion of saints,

      the forgiveness of sins,

      the resurrection of the body,

      and the life everlasting. Amen.

 

I know that there are parts of this creed that cause people to pause.  Parts like Jesus descending into hell and the holy catholic church, and I promise you Matt Chandler discusses all of these topics in depth with scripture to back it.  But I want to focus today’s Blog post on “I believe in the Holy Spirit.”

Limits We Place on the Holy Spirit

Chandler speaks of the limits that we place on the Holy Spirit.  He speaks of the gifts of healing and tongues, and prophecy and healing and how so many want that and that is great, but there is so much more that He gives us.

The Holy Spirit is an illuminator of the scriptures, opener of hearts, a bringer of the heat of love for Jesus and a sealer that holds us fast over eternity.  He also helps us realize that we alone can never be good enough and OUR best will always fall short of being good enough.

Confession Part 1

When I was lost, I was certain that I was ten feet tall and bulletproof.  I knew that to be the best all I had to do was push harder and seek out help from the pros in my field.  I was certain that there was not any answer that I could not find.  Work was my primary source of encouragement and satisfaction.  But I pushed hard at everything.

My off time I worked hard at having fun and partying like a rock star.  When I had my kids for the weekend, I thought I was showing them a good time by teaching them the things that I liked.  But all those things took a toll on me.

I rode motorcycles and loved being in a club.  I did everything as if nothing could happen to me, but it did.  In 2008 I had mini strokes that slowed me down some.  But I was still able to ride and work just as hard.

Confession Part 2

I came to the Lord the day after Ponytail Bob’s funeral.  He was a brother in another club, the Vietnam Vets Motorcycle Club.  We buried him on Saturday, and I found Christ on Sunday and started my walk.  It was slow and steady, and I surrendered my life to God in many ways, but last night I realized that I had not surrendered completely.  I still hung on to the lie that my best could be good enough. I realized that I never really let go of that while I was working and it cost me my health and mobility

Reflection

I worked for a guy that knew only how to manage by pushing and applying pressure, and the only way I knew to respond was to work harder and push others, and that was what I did until my body gave up.  I realized last night as Matt Chandler read out of John 14 and some out of Romans 8 that the Holy Spirit was there and warning me that I could not do this on my own and that my best was not going to be good enough, but I would not listen.

See I had allowed my work to get in front of God, and I told myself that I had to fix this program I was in charge of and jobs depended on it.  To remind me I was not good enough my boss’ boss every week told me my best was not good enough.  So I tried to fix it ON MY OWN.

Realization

I came to realize my body had a limit and I stroked.  It was not as bad as it might have been.  I was so blessed.  It was just bad enough that I ran into the arms of my Heavenly Father.  I had two verses that struck me after the stroke.

Matthew 11:28-30 (ESV)

²⁸ Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

 Ephesians 2:10 (ESV)

10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Both help me realize that I was not alone.  I could go to the Father for help in anything, and he would carry me through any trial or any struggle, and He gave me tasks to do that gave me the joy to do in obedience.  But there was one more realization that I needed to get my head around, and that was in

John 14

It starts in verses 15-17

John 14:15-17 (ESV)

¹⁵ “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. ¹⁶ And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, ¹⁷ even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.

The helper is the Spirit of truth that dwells with you and will be in you!  What an amazing promise.  But Jesus does not stop there.  He continues in verses 18-24

John 14:18-24 (ESV)

¹⁸ “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. ¹⁹ Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. ²⁰ In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. ²¹ Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.” ²² Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, “Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?” ²³ Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. ²⁴ Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father’s who sent me.

Make Our Home with Him

In verse 23 Jesus promises:

“If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.

He does not say He will stop by for a visit or spend the weekend; He says He will make his home with those that love him.  Now for me, I started thinking about our old farmhouse and how it is a fixer upper and that farmhouse is a lot like my spirit has been.  God does not expect it to be perfect, and like my old farmhouse I cannot fix it myself, but he can do what I cannot.  Nothing can stop Him.  My best is not good enough, but His least is more than enough.  As I write this, the Holy Spirit reminded me of this passage.

2 Corinthians 12:9-10 (ESV)

⁹ But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. ¹⁰ For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

You see, until last night I was an unconscious competent.  I recognized a lot of things like without the Holy Spirit I could not make my way through God’s Word and understand it.  I knew that He interceded for me and I knew that after the last stroke He drew me nearer to God, but I did not fully grasp everything.

Closing Confession

I had been born again back in 2009, and that began my journey, but that was just the beginning, and I was more reluctant than I thought.  I grew in my faith, but I still allowed fear of worldly things, like losing my job push me into forgetting that my best was not ever going to be good enough that fear and anxiety blinded me to the freedom and joy that God desired for me.  That fear and anxiety lead to me pushing harder than my body could take and resulted in a stroke that took me out of the workforce.

After the disability was initially granted, I still had several trials where the Holy Spirit showed me Pat, and I would be ok, but it took about two years for me to realize that and surrender and last night, a good year and a half later to show me what I had put myself through.

God had it all the time, but I was like a horse that got the bit in his teeth fighting to do things my way.  I give thanks for God’s grace and mercy.

Closing Thoughts

There is this passage in Romans that sealed it for me.  I had been blind to it during the last couple years of my work life and the first couple years after the stroke.  God provides for us all the things that we need.  He knows us better than we know ourselves.

Romans 8:14-17 (ESV)

¹⁴ For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. ¹⁵ For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” ¹⁶ The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, ¹⁷ and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

Chandler explained last night that Abba was a term of endearment for our Heavenly Father but also was a term of strength and power.  Like my dad can whoop your dad kind of thing.  That is pretty powerful.

I wish sometimes that I could learn things without having to break stuff like my brain and such.  But then I remember Peter and Paul and David and a bunch of others in the Bible and seems they often learned things the hard way as well.  But they learned.  I am thankful to still be learning.

Prayer

Father, thank you for the wisdom you share with me through your Holy Spirit.  Thank you for opening my eyes when you know I am ready.  Lord, I pray that we all might draw closer to Your Word every day and rely on the Holy Spirit recognizing our best will never be good enough.  God, I love you and praise you for all that you are, in the name of your blessed Son Jesus Christ, Amen!

The last week or so I seem to have been off my game a bit.  That happens sometimes, and it is especially true when I have an unusually active period.  But you know that is when the adversary is most apt to strike or try to knock you off your game; when you are weak or run down.

When I have had a week that wears me out, I remember Christ Jesus at the end of His 40 days in the wilderness and how the adversary waited until then to confront Him with temptation.  I also remember how He responded.  He turned to the Word.

Now I was doing things I love, but even so, my strength and stamina are not what it once was, and my recovery time is ten times longer.  But during those times I have to be vigilant and hold onto my hope.

Many folks see me and see someone with speech and balance issues but do not see the difficulty I have discussing things with passion.  I am kind of like an old motorcycle.  I can go a good distance loping along at 50-60 miles an hour with a few stops to cool down.  Riding like that I will get 50 miles to a gallon of gas.  But if you crank that throttle to wide open and drag the floorboards in every turn the motor gets hot, and the gas mileage will drop to 30.  If you push her like that for too long things, start to break.

Well, these past couple weeks I loped along mostly for a bit more distance than usual, and as I was tiring, I had my throttle twisted, and a lot of things came at me far too quickly.  But folks don’t know it is not something they can get their head around. For them, it is a spirited discussion for me it is wide open and floorboard dragging with sparks flying, and at the end, I am overheated and exhausted.

Last night I was on Facebook, and I saw this Psalm 71 posted, and I thought, “hmm… that is pretty good.” It was just one verse, so I looked it up to get more context.

Psalm 71

The title of the Psalm was ” Forsake Me Not When My Strength Is Spent, ” and I just said AMEN.  I read the first six verses and felt such contentment.

Psalms 71:1-6 (ESV)

“Forsake Me Not When My Strength Is Spent”

¹ In you, O LORD, do I take refuge;

let me never be put to shame!

² In your righteousness deliver me and rescue me;

incline your ear to me, and save me!

³ Be to me a rock of refuge,

to which I may continually come;

you have given the command to save me,

for you are my rock and my fortress.

⁴ Rescue me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked,

from the grasp of the unjust and cruel man.

⁵ For you, O Lord, are my hope,

my trust, O LORD, from my youth.

⁶ Upon you I have leaned from before my birth;

you are he who took me from my mother’s womb.

My praise is continually of you.

I read this Psalm and said to myself, YES, this is the vigilance that I need when I am worn down.  Then I thought this is something we all go through.  The only difference is the threshold at which it occurs.

Before my health issues, I could go a long way before I even got winded.  I could have passionate discussions until dawn, and often then I was only winded.  Now, I can hit that threshold at 20-30 minutes, but my mind still tries to operate like the old days, and by the one hour mark I am spent, and this Psalm is a good reminder of where I am to turn.

Reflections

I think about all the options we have as people in this world.  We can turn away.  We can turn to anger.  We can give up, or we can retaliate, but those things are not God’s desire for us.  I am reminded of a passage in Hebrews.

Hebrews 10:35 – 11:3 (ESV)

³⁵ Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. ³⁶ For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised. ³⁷ For,

“Yet a little while,

and the coming one will come and will not delay;

³⁸ but my righteous one shall live by faith,

and if he shrinks back,

my soul has no pleasure in him.”

³⁹ But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.

By Faith

¹ Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. ² For by it the people of old received their commendation. ³ By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.

 God reminds us of this passage that He wants us to hold on to Him.  He has promised many things to us, and He is faithful.  He does not want us to allow the things of this world to cause us to shrink back but to have faith, and then He reminds us of what that means.

As I thought more about the frustration and anxiety that comes with these times, I was reminded of some passages in 1John.

1John4 – Test

I read 1John4, and the Holy Spirit reminded me that I do need to hold fast to God at all times and not let my emotions lead me.  Test everything I am unfamiliar with against the Word of God and confirm the source.

1 John 4:1-6 (ESV)

¹ Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. ² By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, ³ and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already. ⁴ Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. ⁵ They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. ⁶ We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

There are many that will mislead us.  Some do so intentionally.  Some unintentionally.  It is not wrong to test and question when we are unsure.  It is biblical.  The Lord directs us to test.  Just as He reminds us to love.

1John 4 – Loves One Another

John goes on from testing in this letter to love again.  I have always found that interesting.  I am not sure why, but it is interesting to me how he reminds us to be vigilant in testing spirits but not to forget about love.  In verses, 7-12 John reminds me how I learned to love.

1 John 4:7-12 (ESV)

⁷ Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. ⁸ Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. ⁹ In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. ¹⁰ In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. ¹¹ Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. ¹² No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.

What a wonderful gift.  What a joy it is to know that true love comes from God.  I know that I look at everything differently now that I am born again.  How I love is the biggest change.  I am glad John explains it because I cannot.

1John4 – No Fear

The last passage in John 4 I want to cover may be my favorite.  It talks about fear, love, and punishment.  It talks about how with love perfected there can be no fear.

1 John 4:18-21 (ESV)

¹⁸ There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. ¹⁹ We love because he first loved us. ²⁰ If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. ²¹ And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.

This passage rolls around in my head a lot.  Fear is one of those emotions that used to drive me.  It did not drive me to run, but it pushed me to take action.  To do my best at my job.  To stand up to that guy that would not back down.  To NOT back down and give rise to anger.  But when I read this passage I realize how wrong that whole idea is.

If you just reread that passage a few times, it makes so much sense.  It is like turning the burner off on a stove under a pot of boiling water.  In just a few minutes that water stops bubbling, and it is not too long, and you can put your hand in it.

Anger against a brother or sister fades quickly when we remember the truth of God’s love.

Closing Thoughts

You know every one of us has this point where we feel we are pushed too hard.  Our motor is run wide open and we cannot seem to even slow down for the turns, but our limits are all different.  Some of us are well-tuned race bikes and other a little more vintage. The thing is

we need to be conscious of each other’s limits.

I look back on this past couple weeks, and I am more convinced of the need to constantly find time for God.  I need private prayer, and I need to seek the answers to our questions in His Word.  We all need that time.

If we approach our days prayerfully, God will reveal what we need when we need it.  But if we rely on our own reasoning it is so easy to be pulled off course, and we will get run down and become more susceptible to the attacks of the adversary.

He reminds us to test everything.  He reminds us how and why to test.  He also reminds us of our need to love one another and why.

I take great comfort in the council of God’s Holy Word.  I am overwhelmed at how He will point me just where I need to be based on my circumstances.  I pray I never stop being amazed by Him.

Prayer

Father, thank you once again for leading me out of my circumstances to focus on you and your plans for me.  Lord God I am amazed at your patience with me and my struggles.  I thank you for putting up with my doubts and giving me the gift of Grace and Repentance.  In Jesus name, I pray, Amen!

 

This week has been one of interesting character.  I have had some circumstances that years ago would have knocked me off my game.  But thankfully God’s word has sustained me through it all and He has reminded me that the Cross is enough.

Yesterday was the most challenging for me.  I had a blog post draft written, but it was not finished, and I was caused to pause and seek counsel and pray.  I went to talk to my preacher Terry about a struggle I was having.  We had a discussion centered around the word and prayed together setting my mind at ease; not to write, but to meditate on what we had discussed and take it to the Lord; sometimes formally and sometimes just churning it over in my head.  But keeping it before God.

What I came away with this morning is the simplicity of the Gospel and the accessibility of God and His Word.  It is not a revelation, but another confirmation of the glorious gift of the Holy Spirit in me and the desire for Him to guide me through the answers of life found in God’s Word.

Prayer

Every time I pray the Holy Spirit will, in His time, remind me of a passage that I need to ease my concern.  It may be a few minutes it may be a week, but He is faithful.  He may also use the same passage on the same problem to reveal to me more detail as my understanding grows. But there is one thing that He reminds me daily, and that is to be able to find these answers I need to be in God’s Word.

Prayerful Study

There is a passage in Deuteronomy that I love that talks about the King that God will place over Israel.  It is a command He gives to the people through Moses.

Deuteronomy 17:18-20 (ESV)

¹⁸ “And when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself in a book a copy of this law, approved by the Levitical priests. ¹⁹ And it shall be with him, and he shall read in it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord his God by keeping all the words of this law and these statutes, and doing them, ²⁰ that his heart may not be lifted up above his brothers, and that he may not turn aside from the commandment, either to the right hand or to the left, so that he may continue long in his kingdom, he and his children, in Israel.

 God’s desire for His Kings was that they write the law so that they know it word for word; and why? So that they may rule with a humble heart and obey the Law.

God has given us His Holy Word.  A living document that holds all the wisdom we need to grow closer to our God and to gain wisdom and understanding.  Why are we so reluctant to study it?

Wisdom of the Cross

I have no decent memory.  I can paraphrase passages, but I cannot yet quote chapter and verse.  My memory was weakening before the strokes.  But computers and phones are great for taking my poor paraphrase and helping me find the right passage.  I am thankful that the Holy Spirit helps me recall those.  This morning I found a passage in 1Corinthians, and I take great joy in this passage when I read it and think myself and the difficulties I have with focus when it comes to reading and my friends that tell me they struggle with reading the Bible.  I read this passage, and I am comforted.

1 Corinthians 1:20-25 (ESV)

²⁰ Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? ²¹ For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. ²² For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, ²³ but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, ²⁴ but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. ²⁵ For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

You see I thought I was all of these… debater, scribe,  even wise when it came to my career, but I was so driven and so ambitious that I would not slow down and my passion brought on a stroke or two.  When it came all the skills, I had used in my career left town.  But God was not done with me by any stretch.  He showed me that He could use me when no one else could and he gave me wisdom and understanding, and though I cannot work a job He gives me just enough to pray, study, understand and write a little and all of it from His word.

He showed me that with a willingness to pray and study, relying on His guidance, I could get through one passage at a time of His Word and in His time that would build as He felt that I was ready.  And as my understanding grew so did my faith, trust and understanding in God grew, and my relationship became stronger.  It is beyond my words to describe the joy that brings.  But there is another that desires steal and destroy that joy.

The World

Peter said the adversary, “prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”(1 Peter 5:8 ESV).  The thing is it takes so little to be deceived.  If we do not know God’s Word, we can be so easily deceived.  Some of the largest churches in the World do not teach the whole truth.  They teach just enough for those that know no better to be deceived, and it is not unique to today.  Paul struggled with it in Galatia. He opened the book with this passage.

Galatians 1:6-10 (ESV)

 ⁶ I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— ⁷ not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. ⁸ But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. ⁹ As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.

¹⁰ For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.

Paul was adamant about this issue.  He goes on to explain where the gospel he teaches came from and what is different.  If we read Galatians, we learn what upset Paul.  But the thing is we may not have Judaizers to deal with, but we have enough that add just a little or take away just enough that they are no longer preaching the Gospel and if we do not study we can be deceived.

Test the Spirits

John is equally adamant in 1 John 4 he warns us that not all spirits are from God.

1 John 4:1-6 (ESV)

¹ Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. ² By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, ³ and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already. ⁴ Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. ⁵ They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. ⁶ We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

It seems that many of my prayers and concerns of late seem to focus on knowing God and testing everything against His Word.  I just seem compelled to talk about this subject.

Closing Thoughts

You know there are so many distractions in this world.  So many people are trying to get your attention.  Even Christian radio and TV is trying to get your attention but is it all accurate?  Do all those that have a program preach the whole Gospel? In today’s environment, we cannot even be sure that each church is teaching by Gods Word.

Now more than ever we need the full Armor of God.  That includes the Word of God.  To test everything against the scriptures, we need to know them.  We also need to know people that we trust to know them as well, so we have someone to discuss them with that will not mislead us.  That is how we grow.  It is also easier to deceive one man alone than a group that prayerfully studies God’s Word together.

Prayer

Father God, thank you for your Holy Word and the wisdom that is contained within.  Thank you, Father,

for sharing it with us when we prayerfully seek to know you.  Lord, you are our mighty King and Loving Father and I thank you for Your strength and patience You share with me.  Heavenly Father I thank you, and I pray all this in the name of your precious Son, Jesus Christ, Amen!