The Clothes Make The Man - Part Two

  

We have heard it said, "It's what's inside that counts". This is certainly true of the Christian man or woman. Now that we are saved, how does what's inside us become Christ-like? 

Galatians 5:16 "This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh." 

In order to walk in the Spirit of God, we need the Spirit of God within us and upon us, that we may hear God more clearly, that is, with understanding, gaining knowledge and applying Wisdom to our lives on a daily basis. 

It is true that we can change ourselves, but only to a certain degree of change. It is God who changes the heart by His divine power. It is God who leads us by His Holy Spirit with His divine power. It is God who saves the souls of mankind by the blood of His only begotten Son Jesus Christ by His divine power. It is God who resurrects us to everlasting life through the death of our flesh, changing us from a fleshly being to an eternal being by His divine power. 

Now is the time to allow God's Holy Spirit into your life, changing you and I from clay to spirit. For the Word of God tells us that those who worship God must worship Him in spirit and in truth, for God Is Spirit. John 4:23-24 "But a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father is seeking such as these to worship Him. God is Spirit, and His worshipers must worship Him in spirit and in truth.”

It is very simple to receive the Holy Spirit of God into our lives. All we have to do is believe God that when we ask His Holy Spirit to come upon us, we will receive His Holy Spirit. Of course, the Spirit only rests upon the believer; therefore, we must be saved by believing on the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ for our salvation. We must repent of our sins, the unrighteous things we have done and said and thought. 

We read in Acts 2 how the faithful believers, men and women, gathered for fellowship and prayer in an upper room of a house. They were there for 50 days waiting on God to send His blessed Holy Spirit who would give them the power to share the gospel. And arrive He did. Sound of a mighty wind. Flames of Fire. The Spirit could be heard (wind) and seen (flames) by the believers who were waiting for His arrival. How awesome is that! 

When contemplating the trinity, what do you think of? There is God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. Are you smiling? Are tears making their way down your cheeks as your eyes blur? The unsaved and unfilled have only an inkling but no understanding of the things of God. Believe. Be saved. Be filled. Be holy. 

It is the Spirit of God who makes us holy. It is the Spirit of God who creates within us a clean heart. Psalm 51:9-11 "Hide Your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from Your presence; take not Your Holy Spirit from me." (this was David's prayer)

Repentance + Renewal + Restoration = Forgiven & Filled

 O Lord God, I confess my sins before You. Wash me clean and make me holy. As King David said, 'Renew a right spirit within me', too. Draw me close to You. May Your Holy Spirit remain within me. Your Strength is what I need to obey Your Word. Fill me with Your Love and Your Truth that I may walk in Your Spirit and gain strength every day of my life. As I pray Your Word over my life and the lives of they whom I pray for, may Your Name be glorified and Your kingdom advanced. In Jesus' Name, His beautiful Holy Name, Amen. 

 

The Clothes Make the Man - Part One

 I am one of those people who hears God in the middle of the night. There was a time before this time when I could write down what He was saying without leaving the comforts of my bed, for I kept a notebook and a pen near to hand. But over the last few years my beautiful penmanship has dwindled to an incomprehensible scrawl. Now I must either type it all up in here or forego the treasure of hearing God's voice. So I'm in here on the computer typing my treasures up.

As I began to fall asleep the Spirit began to stir my spirit. Mark Twain said "Clothes make the man", meaning how a person dresses determines his level of influence. Another quote I have heard is that "Man makes the clothes", meaning it is who you are on the inside that determines your actions on the outside. Both are right. 

In the sphere of Christianity it is Whom we are clothed with that determines our destiny. Romans 13:14 "But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof." Romans 12 and 13 deal with Christian conduct, how we are to behave ourselves now that we are Christians; ending with Romans 13:14, reminding us to display outwardly the change which Christ has wrought inwardly. 

Galatians 3:27-29 tells us that having been baptized into Christ we are to put on Christ, because what once divided us in the world has no place in the body of Christ. 

Ephesians 4:24 "Put on the new man which God created in righteousness and true holiness."

Galatians 5:16 "This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh."

We see, then, that we are clothed in the righteousness of God, Jesus Christ, through faith in the Word of God. We are also clothed in holiness through the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, clothes not only make the man, or woman, but the changed man or woman is evidenced outwardly by what is happening inwardly. It is nothing we can do of ourselves either. Eventually, the facade  would deteriorate and who we really are would be self-evident to all. 

Only the divine power of God can change a person permanently. Only the divine power of God can eradicate who a person once was to become the person God knows them to be. 

 

 

Garments of Praise

Garments of Praise by Robin Mark

Only one time in Scripture is this definition of garment used and that is in Isaiah 61:3 "To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness, that they might be called the trees of righteousness, the planting of The LORD, that He might be glorified."

Garment here means 'mantle'. A cloak that wraps around the body, usually from the neck to the knees, giving full protection from the elements (wind, rain, snow) and from the enemy (camouflages to match surroundings); where neither can touch us, even to the point where we are not aware of either in our vicinity. For this garment of praise, this mantle of worship, to our God, covers us and brings us into His presence.

We know of another mantle, don't we? Elijah's mantle that became Elisha's mantle. A 'splendid' garment, a 'glorious' garment that covered and protected Elijah until it fell from him as the chariots of The LORD carried him into God's eternal presence. 2 Kings 2:9-13   "9 When they had crossed over, Elijah said to Elisha, “Ask what I shall do for you before I am taken from you.” And Elisha said, “Please, let a double portion of your spirit be upon me.” 10 He said, “You have asked a hard thing. Nevertheless, if you see me when I am taken from you, it shall be so for you; but if not, it shall not be so.” 11 As they were going along and talking, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire and horses of fire which separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind to heaven. 12 Elisha saw it and cried out, “My father, my father, the chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” And he saw Elijah no more. Then he took hold of his own clothes and tore them in two pieces. 13 He also took up the mantle of Elijah that fell from him and returned and stood by the bank of the Jordan."

But a mantle such as these cannot, nor must not, be taken lightly. Elisha had to learn to use his mantle and that takes time. But the mantle of praise given to us in Isaiah 61:3 is the worship we give to God. Most of the Book of Psalms is worship and praise, and we all have our favorites, which have been given to us in our days of trial and sifting.

• Psalm 35:9 "And my soul shall be joyful in The LORD: it (my soul) shall rejoice in His salvation."
• Psalm 34:1 "I will bless The LORD at ALL times: His praise shall continually be in my mouth."
• Psalm 33:1 "Rejoice in The LORD, O ye righteous: for praise is comely for the upright."
• Psalm 32:7 "Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Se'lah."
• Psalm 60:16-17 "But I will sing of Thy power; yea, I will sing aloud of Thy mercy in the morning: for Thou hast been my Defence and Refuge in the day of my trouble. Unto Thee, O my Strength, will I sing: for God is my Defence, and The God of my Mercy."
• Psalm 61:3, 8 "For Thou hast been a Shelter for me, and a Strong Tower from the enemy....So will I sing praise unto Thy Name for ever, that I may daily perform my vows."
• Psalm 63:3,4 "Because Thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise Thee. Thus will I bless Thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in Thy Name."
• Psalm 66:1,2 "Make a joyful noise unto God, all ye lands: Sing forth the honor of His Name: make His praise glorious."
• Psalm 60:30 "I will praise The Name of God with a song, and will magnify Him with thanksgiving."
• Psalm 70:4 "Let all those that seek Thee rejoice and be glad in Thee: and let such as love Thy Salvation say continually, Let God be magnified."

Days of Elijah

• Psalm 71:14 "But I will hope continually, and will yet praise Thee more and more." 
• Psalm 104:33 "I will sing unto The LORD as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have my being."
• Psalm 108:1 "O God, my heart is fixed; I will sing and give praise, even with my glory."
• Psalm 118:14 "The LORD Is my Strength and Song, and is become my Salvation."
• Psalm 118:28 "Thou art my God, and I will praise Thee: Thou art my God, I will exalt Thee."

And while these are definitely not all the verses of praise and thanksgiving written in The Book of Psalms, many of these are underlined in my study Bible. I have much to be thankful for, much to give God glory and thanksgiving for. 

Sanctuary by Robin Mark (full album) 

By the way, the two-word phrase "I will" is a promise. A promise given to God from the heart of the believer when reading and applying The Word to one''s life. Not a resolution, nor a light-hearted promise given to just anyone:  I will sing of His love for ever. That's a promise I can keep.

Any promises made to God, God will hold us accountable for. For He keeps His promises and expects us to keep ours. Read through your Bible every year, seeking out that which The Spirit directs you to search for and you will find it. 

To God be the glory, great things He has done. 

Vibrant Faith-Dressed To Overcome

My FAITH in GOD is Vibrant and Alive and Active.
We know that "Faith Comes From Hearing and Hearing By The Word of GOD" (Romans 10:17) and we know that "Faith is the substance of things Hoped for, the Evidence of things not seen." (Hebrews 11:1).

When we apply The Word of God to ourselves, we are covering ourselves with The Word of God, Jesus Christ. We are clothed in Him from head to toe.

Ephesians 6:17 tells the believer to "take (up) the Helmet of Salvation"; in other words, put that helmet on our heads.
And several times we read that we have many crowns: Crown of Life, Crown of Righteousness, Crown of Glory, Crown. We are each other's Crown. We are the Crown of Splendor in The LORD's hand. He is our Crown.

Ephesians 6:13 says we wear Him like armor and goes on to describe what our armor is.
Ephesians 6:14 Belt or Sash of Truth & Breastplate of Righteousness
Ephesians 6:15 Shoes of Peace, not as the world knows peace, but The Preparation of The Gospel of Peace
Ephesians 6:16 The Shield of Faith, which quenches all the fiery darts of the wicked. This shield is actually not held in our hands, but in our hearts. As is
Ephesians 6:17 The Sword of The Spirit, which is The Word of God.

Since we know that The Word of God is Jesus Christ, we learn now that both the Shield and the Sword are articles of clothing. How cool is that?

1 Thessalonians 5:8 also tells us that our Breastplate is not just His Righteousness on us, but His Love, as well.

Are you fully clothed in your Faith before you begin your day? or your night? Or are you dressed like the emperor in his new clothes, who goes out in his birthday suit believing himself to be beautifully clothed, when in fact he is wearing nothing at all.

Hidden Eggs

Imagine what would happen if we sought God and God's ways as earnestly and eagerly as we look for hidden Easter eggs. The things we do for temporal ownership of items is greater than the things we do for eternal items.

Unemployment is up and we are a statistic. Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink. Oil in the Gulf of Mexico fills the waters on several coastlines. Industry and basic sustainability are removed with one blow. Waste drains into local lakes and rivers; medications and bio-hazards clog our water filtration systems causing drinking water to be contaminated.

Even thrift stores suffer when the population is unemployed. Basic skills are required from us to meet our daily needs. And with the majority of us used to buying off the rack or out of the market, sewing, baking, cooking and cleaning are high on the skill list again.

But, wait. There is still one thing that seems to be missing from this list of things to do to keep afloat. What am I missing? God? Yes, God. Where is God in all of these bad things that are happening. He's waiting. He is waiting for each of us to seek Him out, to search Him for direction and what to do. He waits you know. God is not pushy. He will not force Himself on you if you want nothing to do with Him. God waits.

Revelation 3:20 says He stands at the door (of our hearts) and knocks. He waits to be invited in, and welcomed as a guest in our lives. Matthew 6:31 says not to worry about where our next meal is coming from, where to find potable water, where to get clothes to cover our bodies. Why? Because Christ tells us in Matthew 6:33, 34 "Seek you first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and ALL THESE THINGS shall be added unto you. Take no thought for tomorrow: for the morning shall take care of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof."