Hold Onto Your Faith

 

    Hebrews 10:35

Hold onto, and maintain your confidence, your assurance, for it holds a great reward. 

HOLDING ONTO OUR FAITH

    Holding onto our faith and maintaining our faith are two separate actions. 
     To hold onto something is to hold it close to our chest with both arms and hands supporting whatever we are carrying in front of us. But it also requires us to have strong backs in order to carry it in an upright position. 
      Our legs may get wobbly beneath the weight of whatever it is we are carrying, but even if we stumble, we cannot allow ourselves to fall, for then it is possible that whatever we are carrying could drop out of its holding position. 
     To hold onto our faith in Christ is to keep it in our hearts and our thoughts at all times. It is to reject anything, however seemingly minor, that would cause us to drop our faith in Christ, cause us to doubt or even disavow our faith in Christ. We must hold onto our faith in Christ Jesus even when everyone is against us, or seems to be against us. 

MAINTAINING OUR FAITH
     To maintain our faith in Christ Jesus is to continue to believe that God's Word is Faithful and True. It is to know that you know that you know this fact. Fear has no place in faith. Doubt has no place in faith in Christ. Even death has no place in faith. 
     To maintain our faith in Jesus Christ is to be obedient to The Word of God and the Voice of The Holy Spirit. It is to seek God daily in prayer and in reading His Word for ourselves. It is also to hear God's Word being spoken by God's anointed ministers. 
     Jesus tells us to "love one another as I have loved you". How does Jesus love us? Amazingly. With a neverending Love. Unconditionally. It is God's nature to love. We know this because we know that "God is Love". 
     And then Jesus tells us to "Love your neighbor as yourself". How do we love ourselves? Well, we make sure we are fed and clothed and housed and healthy. Are our neighbors? And just who is my neighbor? Anyone I meet on this road of life is my neighbor. How can I love them like I love myself? I can pray for them. I'm praying to a powerful, loving God, Who can meet the needs I cannot.

PRAYER OF FAITH FOR OUR NEIGHBORS
     Dear Heavenly Father, 
Thank You for this day and everything in it. Thank You for the many blessings You have given me today. Thank You for clean water, good food, clothes to wear, shoes on my feet. Thank You for Jesus in my heart, a Bible to read, and The Holy Spirit in my life. 
Father, bless those who have none of my benefits, that their needs would be met according to Your Word, Your Will and Your Spirit. 
Strengthen Your people where we stand, Lord, in prison and out. Bind our wounds, heal our diseases and raise our dead to the astonishment, frustration, salvation and deliverance of those who persecute and kill us for Your Name's sake, that Your kingdom would increase and Your Name be glorified.
     In Jesus' Wonderful Name, Amen. 

HYMN OF THE DAY

  BLESSED ASSURANCE
(Fanny Crosby - ca. 1873)
1. Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
    O, what a foretaste of glory divine!
    Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
    born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.
Refrain:
This is my story, this is my song,
praising my Savior all the day long;
this is my story, this is my song,
praising my Savior all the day long.
2. Perfect submission, perfect delight,
    visions of rapture now burst on my sight;
    angels descending, bring from above
    echoes of mercy, whispers of love. [Refrain]
3. Perfect submission, all is at rest,
    I in my Savior am happy and blest;
    watching and waiting, looking above,
    filled with His goodness, lost in His love. [Refrain]

OUR HOPE OF SALVATION

     Our confidence, our assurance, our faith in Jesus Christ as our Hope of Salvation is a major stepping stone in receiving a great reward at the end of our journey. 
     Knowing Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of my life now, and living in His Name now, is the preemptive basis of my life in eternity. It is living a life filled with wonder and awe, even when I navigate unexpected events, with the full knowledge that God still loves me and is with me through it all. 
     Having this kind of faith in Christ is the most important decision any person will ever make in their entire life. It is more important than choosing a mate. More important than finding the right place to live in. More important than whether or not to have children. More important than a job, or even a job promotion. It is even more important than familial ties and who our friends are. 
     The best thing that can come from believing that Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior is the knowledge that when this life is over, and I cross death's threshold, I will be face to face with my Lord and Savior forevermore. 
     But the second best thing that can happen because of what I believe and refuse to stop doing? The people in my family will give their hearts to Christ Jesus, too.

Goodness & Mercy of God

 

Psalm 23:6

Surely Goodness & Mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: And I will dwell in the house of The LORD for ever. 

THE GOODNESS OF GOD

The Goodness of God is visible.
    Psalm 34:8 

O taste and see that The LORD is good: blessed is the man who trusts in Him.

The Goodness of God is for those who seek Him.

    Psalm 34:10

The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek The LORD shall not want (lack) any good thing. 

    Hebrews 11:6

But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a Rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.

The Goodness of God is the foundation of our faith in Christ Jesus.

    Proverbs 3:5

Trust in The LORD with all your heart; lean not on your own understanding. 

    Isaiah 26:4

Trust in The LORD for ever, because GOD The LORD is The Rock Eternal.

    1 Peter 2:6, 7

“For it stands in Scripture: “See, I lay in Zion a Stone, a Chosen and Precious Cornerstone; and the one who believes in Him will never be put to shame.

Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient, “The Stone which the builders rejected has become The Chief Cornerstone.”

THE MERCY OF GOD

The Mercy of God blots out transgressions.

    Psalm 51:1, 2, 9

1. Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness: according to the multitude of Your tender mercies blot out my transgressions (willful disobedience which breaks the covenant relationship with God). 

2. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity (guilt), and cleanse me from my sin (the moral breach between God and man).

9. Hide Your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.

The Mercy of God intercedes between judgment and restoration.

    Micah 7:18-20

18. Who is a God like You, Who pardons iniquity, and passes by the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He retains not His anger for ever, because He delights in Mercy. 

19. He will turn again, He will have compassion upon us; He will subdue our iniquities; and You will cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.

20. You will give Truth to Jacob And Mercy to Abraham, which You have sworn to our fathers from days of old. 

    Romans 8:34

Who is there to condemn us? For Christ Jesus, who died, and more than that was raised to life, is at the right hand of God—and He is interceding for us.

    Hebrews 7:25

Therefore He is able to save completely those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to intercede for them.

The Mercy of God never fails.

    Lamentations 3:22, 23

22. It is of The LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not.

23. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.

    Deuteronomy 7:9

Know therefore that The LORD your God is God, The Faithful God Who keeps His covenant of loving devotion for a thousand generations of those who love Him and keep His commandments.

    James 3:17

But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.

    This Goodness and this Mercy not only follow me all the days of my life, but are integral in living a holy and righteous life in Christ while I draw breath and after death claims my body. For in Christ, Who is The Resurrection and The Life, I have Life Eternal, which I have only begun to live on this side of eternity, but will continue to live on the other side of eternity. 

    God's Goodness and Mercy are ever-present in The Person of God The Son, for The Son of God is Eternal, Everlasting. This Goodness and Mercy was sent from God The Father (John 3:16) to save the world from the condemnation of their sins if they would only believe in The Name Above All Names (Philippians 2:9) that is The Name of  Salvation (Romans 10:13). 

    Surely. With confidence I can say, God's Goodness and God's Mercy follows me (walks closely with me) all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of The LORD for ever (John 14:2, 3; 2 Corinthians 5:1; Revelation 21:3, 4; 22:14). 

    

Blessed Are The Righteous - Psalm 1:1

 

Psalm 1:1

Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked, or stand in the way that sinners take, or sit in the company of mockers.

WALKING WITH THE WICKED

    The wicked are themselves deceived and seek only to deceive others, including the righteous, if possible. 

    Proverbs 12:5

The plans of the righteous are just, but the counsel of the wicked leads to deceit.

    Ephesians 5:11

Have no fellowship with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.

THE WAY Of SINNERS - Proverbs 2:12-17

    The way of sinners is the way of evil, and therefore, it is not The Way of the righteous. The evildoer lies and has a hypocritical tongue. The evildoer enjoys evil and takes great pleasure in it. Their path is not strait, and their words are perverse. The prostitute and the adulterer tempt and seduce. Their ways are traps and snares for the unwise, the unsuspecting.  

THE COMPANY OF MOCKERS

    A mocker is a person who derides The Truth of God's Word. The mocker is scornful of righteous ways. Intolerance and hate spew from the mocker's mouth. Pride, arrogance, and self-righteousness rise up in their hearts and violence perpetrates harm and death to the target of their derision. 

    To keep company with such is to keep company with death and destruction. This, too, is not The Way of the righteous. Contempt drips from their lips. Rebellion against The Authority of God has taken up residence in their hearts. Of such the believer is not to align themselves with, for they are corrupt and divisive. 

    The mockers persecute, torment, are scornful of, belittle, and ridicule the righteous. To mock is to lampoon, scoff, jibe, jeer, sneer. It is intended to dissuade the righteous from The Way by speaking words which could torment the mind and cause the weary heart to be discontent, fearful and doubting. 

THE RIGHTEOUS ARE WISE

    But the faithful, righteous, born-again believer who is filled with The Word of God daily and listens to God's Holy Spirit, The Voice of Wisdom, will not be so easily dissuaded, nor overcome by the evildoers, the workers of iniquity, of this world. The righteous are blessed by their God because they walk in His Way of Holiness, in The Path of Righteousness. 

    Psalm 40:4 - The righteous trust in The Lord. They listen not to the prideful, nor to the liars

    Psalm 112:1 - The righteous fear The Lord and greatly delight in His commandments

    Proverbs 3:13 - The righteous find wisdom and acquire understanding

    Proverbs 12:5; 16:3 - The plans of the righteous are just

    Proverbs 11:30; Daniel 12:3; James 5:19, 20; Jude 1:22, 23 - The righteous win souls to The Lord 

BLESSED ARE THE RIGHTEOUS - A Few Scriptural References of Such:

    Matthew 5:3-11 - Be Attitudes

    Psalm 144:15 - Who Choose The Lord

    Psalm 128:1 - Who Fear The Lord & Walk in His Ways

    James 1:12 - Who Perseveres Under Trial

    1 Peter 3:14 - Who Suffer For What Is Right

    Luke 11:28 - Who Hear The Word & Obey It

    Romans 4:7, 8 - Whose Sins Are Covered & Forgiven 

            And, ultimately,

    Revelation 19:9 - Who Are Invited To The Marriage Supper of The Lamb

    

    

    

God Is Light

1 John 1:5

This then is the message we have heard of Him, and declare unto you, that God is Light, and in Him is no darkness at all. 

    God Is Light. Jesus Is Light. There are not two Lights, but one Light. For God is Father, God is Son, and God is Spirit. One Light. One magnificent Light. 

    Isaiah 42:6

“I, The LORD, have called You in righteousness, And will hold Your hand; I will keep You and give You as a covenant to the people, As a Light to the Gentiles."

    Isaiah 60:19, 20

No longer will the sun be your light by day, nor the brightness of the moon shine on your night; for The LORD will be your Everlasting Light, and your God will be your splendor. Your sun will no longer set, and your moon will not wane; for The LORD will be your Everlasting Light, and the days of your sorrow will cease.

    John 8:12

Then spoke Jesus to them, "I Am The Light of the world: he that follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have The Light of Life."

    John 9:5

"As long as I am in the world, I Am The Light of the world."

    John 12:46

"I Am come a Light into the world, that whosoever believes on Me should not abide in darkness."

    John 13:35

Then Jesus said to them, "Yet a little while is The Light with you. Walk while you have The Light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walks in darkness knows not where he goes."

    Revelation 21:23

And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon to shine in it: for the glory of God did Light it, and The Lamb is The Light thereof.

    Revelation 22:5

And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for The Lord God gives them Light: and they shall reign for ever and ever. 

    Everlasting Light is that which emanates from The Everlasting God, Who created all things and has caused light to radiate from Himself into a world that would otherwise be completely dark. But even more so, into this world occupied by spiritual darkness and spiritual blindness, God has sent His Everlasting Light in The Person of His Only Begotten Son Jesus Christ. 

    Sent He Him here to open the eyes of the blind that we may see The Light of God's Love for ourselves. We each must make an independent, individual choice to believe that Jesus Christ is Lord, and give this Light our hearts and minds, choosing to walk in His Light instead of in darkness and sin. 

    When we have The Light of God's Love shining within us, we glow with Love and God's Light shines through us. We speak of the grace which God has prepared for each one who believes, that more people would see The Light and believe It for themselves. 

    When we have The Light of God's Love filling us with Himself, He overflows into our words and our actions. We are compelled by The Love of God to go into the streets and share the gospel message of salvation through Jesus Christ and none other. We share the whys and wherefores, the how and the hope, of grace and redemption. We speak Love. We speak Light. We speak Grace, Hope, Mercy, Peace and Joy. 

    Even when we warn of the consequences of refusing God's Light, of denial of God's Love in the face of Jesus Christ, we are speaking in Love. For The Love of God both lights up a dark heart and reveals a dark heart. Light shines in the darkness and darkness cannot overcome it. [John 1:5]. Where The Light penetrates in the heart and in the mind, darkness must flee, taking its companions with it. 

    With The Love of God's Light shining brightly within us, we urge you, we beg you, Come to Jesus. Come and drink of His Living Water and live forever with Him. Come and feed on His Bread of Life and live forever with Him. Come to Jesus. Before it's too late. 

    

Grace & Peace to You

 

Grace and Peace to You

    Of the twenty letters written to churches and people, there are only sixteen salutations which include this phrase in the beginning of each letter. Of these sixteen, twelve are written by Paul. The other four are written by Peter, John, and Jude.

Paul:

1 Corinthians 1:3

2 Corinthians 1:2

Galatians 1:3

Ephesians 1:2

Philippians 1:2

Colossians 1:2

1 Thessalonians 1:1

2 Thessalonians 1:2

1 Timothy 1:3

2 Timothy 1:2

Titus 1:4

Philemon 1:3

Peter:

1 Peter 1:2

2 Peter 1:2

John:

2 John 3

Jude:

Jude 1:2

    It is more than just a lovely greeting. It is a glorious reminder from the pen of the church-planter to the churches. From the pen of a brother in Christ to other brothers in and sisters in Christ: 

    When Paul writes to Titus, he writes to his 'son of common faith'. A Gentile Greek whom Paul had led to Christ. This son he entrusts the care and setting up of the churches in the area where he left him. Titus is both a brother in Christ and a son in the faith in which they had in common: faith in Jesus Christ "our" Lord and Savior.

    When Paul writes to Philemon, he writes also to Apphia, Philemon's wife, and Archippus (fellow soldier of Christ), and the church in their house. He writes regarding Onesimus, who at one time was not of the faith but now is through Paul's ministering to him. This Onesimus is now a son of faith and Paul is sending him back to Philemon and the house church to be received as man of faith, and not as a runaway, thieving servant. 

    Peter writes to "the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia". Strangers, perhaps, to Peter, but definitely strangers set apart from the world. For we know that this world is not our home, that our home is in heaven. We are the 'aliens', the 'foreigners', lights shining the love of God through Christ into a rapidly darkening world. To us, as well as them in their day, this letter is sent. 

    In 2 John 3, the aging John addresses his letter to 'the elect lady and her children'. To a woman who has chosen to belong to Christ and to her children, whom she has raised in this faith in Christ for their own. A short letter encouraging them to continue to walk in this faith, to be aware of deceptions and to avoid people who profess not that Jesus Christ is Lord. 

    Although Jude does not send greetings of Grace and Peace, he does, however, send "Mercy and peace and love, multiplied". And to whom does Jude send this greeting? To them that are sanctified by God The Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called. (v1)

    Why do I bring up to whom these letters are written? Because if the person reading any of these letters, these Epistles, is not a son or daughter of the common faith, they will not receive said letters. If the woman reading is not a woman of faith who is raising her children in The Lord, she won't receive it. 

    If the person reading is not a stranger to this world, is not a foreigner or alien, they won't receive the letter written to such. If the one reading is not sanctified by God The Father, not preserved in Jesus Christ, and not called, then that person will not be able to receive the letter written. 

    From the pen of one who is a stranger, a daughter of faith, in an alien world; from the heart of one who is sanctified by God The Father and preserved in Jesus Christ, who has been called not only to salvation but in the service of God through Christ Jesus, I, too, send Grace and Peace to you who also are of our  common faith in Jesus Christ. I send Mercy and Love multiplied. 

    Grace: the favor of God extended outwards from Himself to anyone who wants to receive it [John 1:16]

    Peace: the gift of God in wholeness, completeness in Him through Christ and His Holy Spirit [Romans 5:1]

    Mercy: God gives us new birth into a living/lively hope in the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead [1 Peter 1:3; Ephesians 2:8]

    Love: the love of God revealed in Jesus Christ and applied to the hearts of believers by The Holy Spirit [Romans 5:5; John 1:14] 

THE WORDS OF JESUS - Indie Folk Worship Set

    

Names of Jesus - I AM THE WAY

 

HAYAH HODOS

(pronounced ha-YAH ho-DOS)

I AM THE WAY

John 14:6

Jesus said to him, “I Am The Way, The Truth, and The Life. No one comes to The Father except through Me."

    Do you want to get close(r) to God? Jesus is The Way to do so? He is the only Way, all other ways are fruitless. God's Way, God's Word, is Faithful and True. [Revelation 22:6]

    He is The Road, The Path, by which we must all travel. He is The Way of Holiness on which our travels begin when we believe that Jesus Christ Is Lord, that His Name is our Salvation. Which, indeed, is true, for His Name--Jesus--means "He Saves". 

    Matthew 1:21

“And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His Name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.” 

    Matthew 1:25

And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called His Name JESUS. 

    God's Eternal Presence is The Most Holy Place in the tabernacle. Only the high priest could enter there once every year and only if he met strict requirements. Jesus is our High Priest. 

    Hebrews 10:19-22

 Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter The Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 

    Jesus is The Way. 

He is The Way of Holiness. Isaiah 35:8

He is The Way of Righteousness. Psalm 116:5; Jeremiah 23:6; Malachi 4:2

He is The Way of Justification. Romans 5:9, 18

He is The Way of Sanctification. Job 23:10; Malachi 3:3

The Way of The Lord is perfect and flawless. Psalm 18:30

The Way of The Lord is Strength for the upright, but destruction for the workers of iniquity. Proverbs 10:29

The Way is narrow. Matthew 7:14

The Way is Life. John 11:25

    1 John 5:10-12

Whoever believes in The Son of God has this Testimony within him; whoever does not believe God has made Him out to be a liar, because he has not believed in The Testimony that God has given about His Son. 

And this is that Testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.

Whoever has The Son has life; whoever does not have The Son of God does not have life. 

    

TAKE ME IN - Kutless

Seeker's Heart - Strait and Narrow

 

Matthew 7:14

Because strait is The Gate, and narrow is The Way
that leads to Life, and few there be who find it.

Luke 13:24

Strive to enter in at The Strait Gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.

    Why won't people be able to enter The Strait Gate and The Narrow Way? Because that Gate and that Way is through Jesus Christ. 

    John 10:9

I Am The Door (The Gate). If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. 

    Just like in a garden fence there is a gate to open and go in, go through, there is also One Gate, One Door, to go through to get into Eternal Life Through Jesus Christ.  Right now this Gate is open, but the day is near and close at hand, when this Door will be closed. And many who will be left out will not be able to get The Door open on their own. 

    Just as the ark's ramp/entryway/door was closed by God, so, this entrance into the spiritual ark will be closed by God. God ordains events to happen at certain times of His calendar. Just as Noah could not open the door to let people in when the earth flooded, so, too will God's Door not be able to be opened to let 'just one more' in. 

STRAIT IS THE GATE

    A fine line to walk on and live in according to the plan of Salvation and Sanctification which God has laid out for us. Luke writes that we are to strive to enter in at The Strait Gate. A few translations say, "Make every effort". 

    Strive: Earnestly pursue, endeavor to accomplish, labor intensively

But do so now, while we still have our faculties. While our minds can still comprehend and understand the need to enter in. While our eyes can still read The Word. While our ears can still hear The Word. While our hearts can still pursue The Word. 

    While we have preachers who are not afraid to preach The Whole Word of God according to The Word of God. While we, as yet, have teachers and expositors, who break down The Word, sometimes one word at a time, just to know that we know what we know. 

    Let us seek The Lord "while He may be found". [Isaiah 55:6]. Once The Gate closes, The Lord will not be found anywhere on this earth. Nor will The Holy Spirit of God be here. For when The Bridegroom comes to get His bride, His Best Friend will go back home with Him. [Matthew 25:1-13; John 3:29]. 

NARROW IS THE WAY

    Narrow does not mean what you may think it means. 

    Narrow: suffer tribulation, suffer affliction, distress, trouble

 Luke 9:23, 24

Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whosoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whosoever loses his life for My sake will save it."

    Carrying a cross requires an inordinate amount of strength and self-discipline. While we will carry whatever our cross may be for the most part, there will be times when we need someone to help us carry it. Regardless, the cross we carry will be heavy and we may want to lay it down and just stop. Don't. The destination is worth the journey. 

    The cross we carry is designed by God. We may not always recognize it as such, but the burden of carrying such a load surely weighs on us just the same. Taking up the cross daily means we have set aside worldly desires and goals, so that we can accomplish godly goals. 

    I've Got My Mind Made Up my heart is fixed, I'm going with Jesus all the way!

        

FEW THERE BE 

    Why will only a few find The Gate and The Narrow Way? The Way of Holiness means anything unholy cannot be found in it. No sin of any kind can touch it. No unrighteousness may enter The Narrow Way, for The Way is holy and pure. The one who believes he or she is not a sinner is lying to themselves. 

    Who cannot enter in at The Strait Gate: 

John 8:19; 14:7; 1 John  - Those who do not know Jesus cannot know God

John 3:5; Titus 3:5 - Those not born of water and of blood

Revelation 20:15 - Those whose names are not written in The Book of Life

Revelation 21:8 - The fear-driven [lacking fortitude {determination and dedication in following Christ}, they who give into persecution and deny Christ], and unbelieving [faithless, the unpersuaded soul], the sexually immoral, the unrepentant, the murderers [those who willingly shed innocent blood], sorcerers [incantationers, those who practice witchcraft & make magic potions, illusionists who deceive by twisting Scripture], idolaters [both those who make idols, those who sell and buy idols, those who worship idols], liars [deceivers, opposers to divine Truth] 

    Everything Jesus is, The Narrow Way and The Strait Gate are. Because JESUS CHRIST IS THE STRAIT GATE. JESUS CHRIST IS THE NARROW WAY. 

    John 14:6

Jesus said to him, “I Am The Way, The Truth, and The Life. No one comes to The Father except through Me."

Warrior of The Word - The Tongue of Discipleship

 

Isaiah 50:4 (ESV)

The Lord GOD has given Me 

the tongue of those who are taught,

that I may know how to sustain with 

a Word him who is weary. 

Morning by morning He awakens Me; 

He awakens My ear to hear 

as those who are taught.

    Though the prophet Isaiah is speaking here, it is Christ who speaks through him. That's prophecy, The Word foretold through the writings of one of God's faithful servants and friend, Isaiah. Because Isaiah was willing to learn what God had to say. 

    Are we in a place where we are willing to learn what God wants to say to us? The word 'disciple' means learner, one who learns what is being taught. In other words, disciple is student. 

    A disciple listens to the teacher, taking in the words of wisdom and instruction, as a thirsty man slakes his thirst at a cool spring. The thirsty never get their fill of godly instruction. The hungry are never satisfied with just the crumbs. The true disciple goes back to the teacher for more instruction, more learning, more learning to apply what is being learned. 

    Here Jesus Christ is telling us that He is learning the tongue of discipleship. The tongue that He will speak to the weary soul, calling that soul to strengthen it and give it rest, true rest. Rest in Christ Himself. 

    Matthew 11:28

"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."

     Just as Isaiah learned to listen to God, to hear what He had to say through Isaiah's mouth and writing, so, too does Jesus listen to God that He may speak what The Father would have us to know.

    John 12:49, 50

“I have not spoken on My own, but The Father who sent Me has commanded Me what to say and how to say it. And I know that His command leads to eternal life. So I speak exactly what The Father has told Me to say.”

    Hebrews 4:9, 10

There remains, then, a Sabbath rest for the people of God. For whoever enters God’s rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from His.

    The  tongue of discipleship has a learning ear. Instruction enters it when morning awakens the listening soul. O soul, are you eager to rise when the voice of The Lord enters your hearing? Slumber falls into the shadows of dawn and the listening heart rejoices to hear its Master's voice.

    But too many hear The Word of The Lord without hearing The Word of The Lord. Their ears are deaf and their hearts are hardened. They receive about as much instruction from The Word as a wooden idol. A pebble hears better than they do. 

    The tongue of discipleship drips like honey. Each Word that The Teacher speaks enters sweetly into the ear of the learner. Proverbs 16:24 says it best. Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, Sweetness to the soul and health to the bones. 

    The Law of The Lord comes from The Lord GOD. For He it is Who gave us The Law to begin with. And note, it is ONE LAW. One Law composed of many regulations. And this Law of The Lord GOD is sweet and desirable to the faithful disciple. The Law is The Word, and The Word is Jesus Christ. One Law, One Word, One Savior.

    Psalm 19:10

More to be desired are they than gold, Yea, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.

    Psalm 119:72

The Law from Your mouth is more precious to me than thousands of pieces of gold and silver. 

    How can The Law come from The Lord's mouth unless that Law is spoken. In order for that Law to be spoken, The Words must be orated. And The Word accomplishes Itself, for It does not return to The Father without having done so. 

    Isaiah 55:11

So shall My Word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But It shall accomplish what I please, And It shall prosper in the thing for which I sent It.

   John 19:30

 So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.

    Mark 16:19

After The Lord Jesus had spoken to them, He was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God.

    We praise You, God, for all that You speak to Your disciples. O Lord, help us to be able learners of Your Word, applying it to our daily lives. Open our ears and our hearts to receive Your instruction, that we might become holy vessels of honor for Your use. Fill us with Your precious Holy Spirit right now, O Lord, that You may find us faithful servants and friends. You have made us Your sons and Your daughters through the precious blood of Your Son Jesus Christ. We have received Your Word knowing the consequences of such obedient faith and we long to see Your face when we have run our course. 

    To You be all the glory and honor and praise! Amen. 

     

    

Lord, Teach Us To Pray - Part Twenty

Colossians 1:9

For this cause, we also, since the day we heard it,

do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that you

might be filled with the knowledge of His will

in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.

In this beginning of this book Paul is writing to the young church in Colosse, which is being built by Epaphras, commending them for the good report he has received of them. The 'we' refers to Timothy, who traveled and ministered with Paul while he was in Roman custody.

Though Paul had never met the saints in Colosse, their reputation as faithful servants of Christ, reached his ears. Even as he writes to encourage them in their fruitfulness, he also tells them how he and Timothy are praying for them:

*Unceasingly
*Filled with the knowledge of His will
>In all wisdom
>Spiritual understanding

Are we praying for each other in this way? Unceasingly. Always. Without end. Watchful. Alert to danger.

Are we encouraging saints we have never met, and may never meet, to grow in wisdom and spiritual understanding?

Paul praises them for their obvious belief in God and the evidence of said belief in God: faith, hope and love, which are the hallmarks of any born-again Christian. For their faith in Christ Jesus as Lord and Savior of their lives and souls.

For their abounding love to all saints, not just the ones they know. For the love they show to the people around them, who are not saints, yet are being shown the true love of Christ by the Colosse church. [John 13:34 {agape}]. It is a mark of the grace of God that we are able to love the people around us, even if they are not Christians. For God loved the world, even when the world did not love Him back. [John 3:16-18]

For the hope they profess to others regarding the gospel of salvation. [Titus 2:3]. It is our faith in Christ, and our love for saints everywhere, that keeps our focus on our hope of heaven.

And then, he lets them know that he and Timothy are praying for them. Such encouragement! Someone they knew of but did not know personally was praying for them unceasingly! That's empowering to the soul of the saint.

But then he writes that he is praying that they would become more fruitful. First, that they would be filled with the knowledge of God's will. Even now every saint must first be filled with the knowledge of God's will so that we can obey God's will. The Word of God never changes, but the transforming power of God's Spirit will change us if we let Him, if we know God's will for us. [2 Peter 3:18].

Secondly, Paul and Timothy are praying that this church would be filled with spiritual wisdom and spiritual understanding. This is vital to a saint's spiritual growth. It is not enough to know The Word, for many false prophets can quote Scripture but they speak it to their advantage, not to the increase of the kingdom of God. There are Biblical scholars who claim to know 'secrets' hidden The Word that cannot be revealed to those who do not believe as they believe.

Spiritual wisdom and spiritual understanding are not spirituality; spirituality has nothing to do with God or Christ Jesus or The Holy Spirit. Spirituality is evil and against God and His Administration. Spiritual wisdom and understanding are sought after by God's saints to increase God's kingdom.

Spiritual wisdom is discernment: having a God-given knowledge about who is telling the Truth and who is not; who is a faithful servant of Christ and who is not; what is Truth and what is not. [Proverbs 4:5-7; 2:10-11; Ephesians 1:17]

Spiritual understanding is a working knowledge of The Word of God. [Colossians 2:2-3]. It is a basic building block of a Christian's faith. We can memorize Scripture but unless we put what we are learning into action, it is just a block of information we keep sequestered in our memory bank.

We should desire, as Paul did, for all Christians, all saints, everywhere to be filled with Spirit-filled knowledge, Spirit-filled wisdom and Spirit-filled understanding. Let us pray for that to be fulfilled in us and in each other, unceasingly.

Lord, Teach Us To Pray - Part Nineteen

    

 

Psalm 83:16, 18

 Fill their faces with shame, 

That they may seek Your Name, O LORD.

That they may know that You alone, 

Whose Name is The LORD, 

are The Most High over all the earth.

    Israel being under attack is nothing new. But there is coming a time when all of Israel's enemies will cease to exist. Until that time, knowing who they are may be a big help in aiding her. And while it may not seem  so on the surface of The Word, Asaph is, indeed, praying for Israel's peace. But in order for Israel to be at peace her enemies must be destroyed. 

    In Psalm 83, Asaph sings a prayer to God, asking first off that God not be silent at this time. 
Psalm 83:1
A Song. A Psalm of Asaph. Do not keep silent, O God; Do not hold Your peace or be still, O God. 

    Second, he asks God to see the tumult going on down here. And who is making all this great noise against Israel.

Psalm 83:2

For behold, Your enemies are in tumult, And those who hate You have raised their heads [in hatred of You]. 

    The word 'tumult' is derived from the Aramaic word 'hamah', which means: clamorous, concourse, cry aloud, be disquieted, loud, mourn, be moved, make a noise, rage, roar, sound, be troubled, make in tumult, tumultuous, be in an uproar;  roar, boisterous, become disturbed, disturbed, howl, make an uproar;  to be in great commotion, to rage, war, moan, clamor. 

    Does any of this sound familiar in our day now? Those who hate God will always come against God's people, both His elect and His church. When they raise their heads, they are not humbling themselves to God. God's enemies defy Him and refuse to recognize His Authority. They repent not, nor do they see any reason to. 

    Asaph tells God how their enemies have come against them. 

Psalm 83:3, 4

They concoct crafty schemes against Your people, And conspire together against Your hidden and precious ones. They have said, “Come, and let us wipe them out as a nation; Let the name of Israel be remembered no more.”

    Scheming and conspiracies always begin in the dark, in the hidden realms, where men's eyes cannot see clearly, and the heart holds deceit and treachery. A person may say one thing with their lips, but their true self is hidden. However, when many oppose the few, the many congregate and plan their modes of attack and domination together.     Since they care not for Israel's God, they care little for Israel and Israel's allies. 

But God knows all hearts, and even Israel's enemies will eventually fail and fall permanently. Until then, we must stand together against them and with her. 

    Asaph speaks of alliances formed amongst the ten nations who have come against Israel. They are people of one mind: destroy Israel and wipe it off the face of the earth (vs4). The desire of Israel's enemies will never be fulfilled. Though many of us will die in conflicts with her enemies, we will never fully be destroyed, for we are God's people and Christ is our Hope and Salvation.

Psalm 83:5-8

For with one mind they plot together; they form an alliance against You—the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites, of Moab and the Hagarenes. Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek; the Philistines with the inhabitants of Tyre; Assyria also has joined with them; they have become an arm for the sons of Lot. Selah. 

    Ten nations, ten kingdoms, whose uniform desire is to destroy Israel. And ultimately The Holy God she worships. These kingdoms Asaph is praying against. He lists her enemies and in so doing tells God that all of these nations have formed an alliance against Him, against His God. (God knows who His enemies are, but this last prayer of Asaph is for our benefit, as well).

    God's desire is for all to be saved from eternal damnation. That's why He sent His only begotten Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross. [2 Peter 3:9; John 3:16-18] But not all will desire God's salvation plan because God is Holy and His people need to be holy to stay in His holiness. That's why we are given God's Holy Spirit, Who reveals God to us through God's Word. 

    Our enemies do not want to be holy and they rage against us in every evil way they can. Not just in warfare with guns and knives, but in warfare of the mind and heart. If the enemy of our souls can get a foothold in the door of how we think and what we think, then his whispers penetrate our decision-making. Our enemies use words that incite violence and death to be perpetrated upon us. 

    But let's return to the ten kingdoms here. The descendants of these nations who were fighting against Israel in Asaph's time are still fighting against Israel in our time. Their kingdoms were of great size and their armies were strong. But in their unified goal to destroy Israel, their armies and armaments increased. They were 'Goliath' against 'David'. They still are. And we know how that battle turned out. What is there to fear when God fights for His people? 

    In Psalm 83:9-17 Asaph asks God to bring down these ten nations, to destroy them completely. Not just for Israel's benefit, but that these kingdoms would 'ever be ashamed and terrified' of Israel's Holy God. But just before that verse (17), Asaph says something about these nations that seems to be out of context, but isn't. 

    Psalm 83:16

Fill their faces with shame, That they may seek Your Name, O LORD.

    Asaph prayed for deliverance on God's enemies. He prayed for their salvation through God. He prayed for them to know the shame of their ways and to repent of their wicked ways. He prayed that they would seek God's Name. Seek to know God. Seek to know God for their God, that they would be God's people. He prayed for them to come to the knowledge of saving grace. For all of these things happen when we seek The Name of The LORD. And speak It. [Romans 10:9-13]. 

    Those who refuse to seek The Name of The Lord even today are only seeking their own undoing. Their time will come when every knee will bow and every tongue confess that JESUS CHRIST IS LORD. Every eye will see Him Whom they pierced. [Revelation 1:7; Zechariah 12:10; Isaiah 53:5]. Those who seek to destroy God will find themselves destroyed in the end, unless they repent now and believe that Jesus Christ is Lord, is God's plan of salvation, is God's only begotten Son, is God's Right Arm of Righteousness. 

    Psalm 83:18

That they may know that You alone, Whose Name is The LORD, are The Most High over all the earth.

    We, like Asaph, are to pray for our enemies. We are to ask God to bless them with our blessings. Namely, salvation and deliverance. But also in ministering to their needs: with food, drink, and clothing; with medicine and shelter; with visiting the imprisoned. To console and comfort. To share what we have been given by God with those who do not yet know Him personally. [Matthew 25:31-40]. Why? That they may KNOW that God Is The Lord.