Peace on Earth Good Will To Men...

During the Holiday Season there is always one text in the scriptures that rises in my heart and affects me above all other verses ; it is Luke 2:8-14 "And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. 10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. 12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, 14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men."

There are few places in the Word of God that bring such joy and good will to my heart as these verses; they move me and stir me. To me they are like the Hallelujah chorus of Handel's Messiah, it is the very crown of the body of work. Handel said after he wrote the Hallelujah chorus: "I did think I did see all heaven before me, and the great God himself.". This can in a literal sense be said of these verses because here we are seeing the Great God Himself! This verse bespeaks not of the God of vengeance and wars seen in the Old Testament or the God of judgment that will be seen at the Second Coming but rather the God of Goodness, such goodness in fact that He opens the door to man and shows Him the way out of his deplorable condition, misery and woe "... And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people ". He goes on to proclaim that in the city of David is born a Savior which is Christ the Lord! He is the one who will lift man up and save mankind from their sin and bring peace.

These verse remind me that our God is not by nature an angry God, He is full of peace and good will! The only reason we find in the scriptures at all for God to be angry is because of sin (in its simplest form it is man to manifest characteristics of Satan rather than Christ) otherwise He is full of charity and goodwill. His goodwill is not just a benign characteristic He posses for all in a general sense, no His goodwill has in these verses a very specific direction..." and on earth peace, good will...toward men." It is directed towards the earth and more specifically towards men. I am currently writing a commentary on the book of Hosea and in it we see the trouble and woe that comes upon Israel because they have departed from the Lord but when I consider these verses in Luke I see the true Spirit of our God; He is not pleased to be angry His true nature is goodness, mercy, peace and joy towards men.

Let me close this little essay with drawing your attention to this beloved text; even now it warms my heart and can bring a mist to my eyes. Let me convey to you at this joyous Holiday Season...His goodwill is directed to you! If you know Him then take the time to tell Him you love Him and you deeply appreciate His goodwill towards man. If you do not then why not turn to Him in this hour and tell Him you want to walk in the light of His favor and goodwill, why not surrender your heart and life, not to the God of judgment or the God of wars, but to the God who will do everything in His power to bring peace to your troubled soul.

Peace and Good Will!
Pastor Frank Anderson

Be Pleased O' Lord to Deliver Me!

Psalm 40:11 "Withhold not thou thy tender mercies from me, O LORD: let thy lovingkindness and thy truth continually preserve me."

Oh that this would be the place we walk in where His loving kindness and mercies uphold us and the light of His truth preserves us; this is a place of strength and victory indeed. When mankind tries to walk on his/her own they are weak and stumble but when they are upheld by God then they are strong and embrace the right things (doctrines, attitudes, actions, etc...). Those not upheld by Him are easily led off the path and easily embrace things He does not approve of, they fall into pits and snares and find themselves in peril (although, sadly, I have observed they may not even realize they are in peril because they have so very little regard for His ways). We want to do whatever it takes to have his good favor upon our lives and walk in a fashion that pleases Him so we may enjoy His preservation. I have found experientially and through the study of the scriptures that finding His favor resides in basically two things: 1) Our attitude towards His commandments (which are a reflection of His very own core values) and, 2) Our attitude (and speech) as it relates to others and our own circumstances.

12 "For innumerable evils have compassed me about: mine iniquities have taken hold upon me, so that I am not able to look up; they are more than the hairs of mine head: therefore my heart faileth me."

This is the thought of calamity and great grief. David was experiencing distress, troubles were besetting him and he was not feeling the hand of God's favor on his life. In fact it was quite the opposite, life itself was becoming a burden to him. This is instructive; while it is true that those who please the Lord enjoy His favor (as David did in most areas of his life), it is possible to enjoy His favor in one area while He is not pleased in another area. We want to meet with God to such an extent that we do only those things which please Him (as Jesus said of His own walk). It is true that ones iniquities can get the better of them and as a result there is an area that is not blessed of God.

"...mine iniquities have taken hold upon me, so that I am not able to look up;"

This is more than just the plague of the sinful flesh, this is an evil spirit that was making David bow to its wishes (the creature was made subject to vanities, not willingly...Rom 8:20). What is my authority for saying this? First of all V:13-14 almost personify his tormentors but also, David is grieved, he is not a willing participant, he is in prayer, he wants things to be different and he is grieved over this moral weakness (the literal definition of iniquity in this sense -Strong's: From H5753; perversity that is (moral) evil: -fault iniquity mischief punishment (of iniquity) sin.). But it is more powerful than he is, it is forcing him to sin against his will.

"...they are more than the hairs of mine head: therefore my heart faileth me."

This is not, of course, a true statement but rather one that conveys the utter frustration of one who wants to be holy but cannot break the power of sin in their lives.

13 "Be pleased, O LORD, to deliver me: O LORD, make haste to help me."

Be pleased O Lord to deliver me! This is a prayer that goes beyond the ceremony of a typical Old Testament relationship with God. It is not liturgical or religious in any way and gives God full credit for the emotions He possesses; let my deliverance be something you desire, something that you are pleased to do. Look down upon me favorably; let my God say yes to this request. This statement realizes that deliverance comes from God and He can be motivated to deliver by asking Him to do something that He is already anxious to do (maybe anxious is not the right word as God does not get anxious as we understand anxiousness, simply meant to illustrate an eagerness on His part). It is one thing to plead with the Lord to change His mind on an issue as Moses who had to plead with the Lord to spare His people because God wanted to destroy them and make of Moses a new nation but here is a prayer that asks simply "Let my prayer be according to something you already want to do!"

I have many times taught on walking in Gods favor because, really, in the end, everything good happens to us according to His favor, what He delights to do because of either our attitude or actions (either we keep His statutes or we manifest portions of His nature through the fruits of the Spirit to others). But we see from this portion of scripture it is possible for a servant of the Lord to have a bondage, an iniquity, which you would assume brings displeasure to the Lord and therefore, would incur His chastisement; but this verse contradicts that theory and says, one (namely, David here) has an iniquity that dominates him, an iniquity that God could not be pleased with and yet he can ask with confidence for God to be pleased to deliver him. As I seek the Lord over this verse I am impressed with the verse in Heb 5:7 KJV "Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared;" The secret to this equation is in the attitude of the one seeking deliverance, if one regards iniquity in their heart then the Lord will not be pleased and will not hear them; however, if they cry out against that sin (no matter how long it persists) then they might, as David did, pray with full assurance that God will be pleased to deliver them.

In conclusions, some reading this post today are struggling under the weight of sin. There is a powerful enemy that you have not been able to defeat, it has been a weakness to you. Why not come against it with a renewed fervor and begin to seek the Lord as David did saying "Let my deliverance be something you are pleased to do; let it bring you joy to break this iniquity!" I have observed over the years that some of these sins are sins that have been handed down from generation after generation and they are come upon some believer in this generation. The works of the flesh are one thing, they can be starved and put to death but this is something all together different, it is a spirit that has produced a weakness in a believers life, it is a very real enemy whose power must be broke! Why not come to the Lord if this is where you are at and say, "Dear Lord, be pleased to deliver me that I may serve you with all my heart, all my strength and all my mind".

His Favor Brings Life!

Proverbs 16:14 "The wrath of a king is as messengers of death: but a wise man will pacify it.15 In the light of the king's countenance is life; and his favour is as a cloud of the latter rain." In His favor is life! It is as the cloud of the latter rain; What exactly does that mean? It is to have the blessing of God upon one's life; in other words the crippling effects of the Adam nature on the Christian life are broken, there is a beautiful relationship with Him full of peace and joy. He keeps that one who has found His favor on the right path and prospers their journey. What are the crippling effects of the Adamic nature? The Crippling Effects of Adam are bondages from a sinful past (either our past or inherited from our ancestors), pits and snares, which are the direct results of a lack of wisdom in one's choices and perpetual troubles, frustrations and vexations for which there seems to be no remedy. And so what is the criteria for obtaining favor from the Lord? We might say, accepting the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior and we would be partially right, however, that statement does not completely capture it. We certainly must accept Him as our Savior, accept the covering of His blood for our sins but additionally as we grow we must submit our selves to Him in every area of our lives (Note: this is more than one can offer at salvation and more than He requires but as we grow in Him we surrender more and more). For some, they have indeed accepted His free gift but they have not yet yielded every area to Him.

It must be clear that having Gods favor is relevant to growth; what I mean is He does not require everything at salvation but rather strengthens us and allows us to mature. As we are maturing His restraints upon us increase because He is bringing us to the place where every area is free from any remnant of the former life though a complete surrender to His leading, His will and His plan for our lives. As God matures us I want to reveal certain areas that I have observed over the years where one must learn to surrender to Him as they mature in order to have His favor upon their lives:

1.Friendships and companions - I have observed that people generally do not rise above their circle of friends. People who make friends with the world tend to be worldly and people who make friends with the saints tend to be saintly. Additionally, people who make their close companions those who are offended or back bitters or the bitter tend to be those things themselves. The old saying is true "Birds of a feather, flock together". I have seen people rise up against the church, slander it and the leadership and yet those who remain in the church refuse to break fellowship with them; inevitably what happens is they who remained in the church end up becoming disillusioned with the church and eventually leave as well. Prov 13:20 states that those who walk with the wise are wise. Just because someone says they are a believer does not mean they always offer good companionship; we must be wise and discerning. 1 Cor 5:9-11 - do not make fornicators your companions, but deeper than that, if a brother is walking out of order then do not make him your companion - if you walk with dissemblers then you too will eventually dissemble.

2.Attitudes and Opinions Towards Gods Plan (criticism) - Be careful of the opinions you allow yourself to formulate about God, especially in your trials. The Lord painstakingly delivered Israel from their bitter bondage in Egypt; He heard their cries, raised up a deliverer, sent him to Egypt a great personal cost to himself, brought them out, separated the Red Sea in a demonstration of His power. He said,"I was a Father to them" and yet, when the going got tough (and there is no mistake, it got bitter) they turned on the Lord and said "Would to God we died in Egypt; You have brought us out here to kill us!"  One of the evil influences in the wilderness was Korah; Jude called him a "Gainsayer". Jude 1:11 - this word gainsayer or gainsaying actually means contradicting Gods plan. He found fault with Gods plan and he injected that evil opinion into others and many perished along with him. This would become a way with Israel; they again found fault with His plan when Samuel was old and in spite of God expressing His displeasure in rejecting HIs plan they insisted they knew better and demanded a king. In Hosea 13 the Lord confessed; "I gave them a king in my anger and I took him away in my wrath". And so we see finding fault with Gods plan does not release His favor but rather His anger. The point is this, you want His favor then do not find fault with His plan for your life and what it takes to work it out, there will be trials, pain and heartache but do not let this produce in you a questioning of His Fatherly nature.

3.Speech and Confessions - The Children of Israel got it wrong; "you brought us out here to kill us" but Job got it right, "The Lord gives and the Lord takes away, blessed be the name of the Lord". One of the most important disciplines we have in this world is to master our tongues. James tells us that those who bridle the tongue can also bridle the whole body. This is the key to so many things where our deliverance and salvation are concerned: Psalm 50:10  "And to him that ordereth his conversation aright will I show the salvation of God" One of the keys to having Gods favor is the word of our confession, "As you have spoken in my ears so will I be unto you" Num 14

4.Behavior and Actions - There is a misconception in the (mostly Pentecostal) church world; that because of the blood of Jesus our behavior does not matter. One feels they can sin without impunity,after all, Jesus paid it all so what do we have to do. But this is in error; everything we do will be judged, either in this world or in the world to come, therefore God deals with us to straighten us in this life and if we accept this working then we are straigtened but if we do not then we will give account for falling short in eternity. There is a real incentive for being straight and upright, it is one who is upright, truly upright has Gods favor on their lives and they are preserved in life. Prov 11:8 - The wicked are destroyed whilst the righteous are preserved. Proverbs 3:1-4 "My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments: 2 For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee.3 Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart: 4 So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man.". There is one more attribute I have observed that releases the hand of God for good, it is the virtue of goodness itself; we need to be good to our fellow man because this attitude and behavior will bring Gods's favor into our lives. Prov 12:2 - Goodness in a man is pleasant thing before the Lord and that man will find Gods favor

And so let me paint a true picture; for some, they accept Him as their Savior but they say: "We will allow you here, here and here but we do not want you to touch this area, this area or this area"...and in those areas they do as they please. As they willfully do as they please in those areas then they suffer the crippling effects of Adam in those areas, however,if they allow the Holy Ghost to touch those areas and learn the secret of surrender then Gods smile comes upon their lives and with His smile comes His favor and in His favor is life!

The Got Their Wish (A King) To Their Own Destruction

Hosea 13:11 "I gave thee a king in mine anger, and took him away in my wrath."

This word anger literally means with elevated breathing and flared nostrils as one who has been aroused in anger; this is how God was aroused when Israel asked for a king yet He gave them their king (1 Sam 8:5-7). They had provoked Him; it does not necessarily mean God bore them ill will, it means in anger he acquiesced He gave them what they wanted against His own better judgment. They forced the issue, insulted Him and with elevated breathing and flared nostrils He said to Samuel..."Give them what they ask for". How foolish they were to provoke God and to violate His will; this is an area we need to be very careful. One thing to learn from this example is that if one forces the issue, God will, at times, give in against what He knows is best for us. It is, of course, exceedingly unwise and foolish to push God so but we have seen this over the years where people blow past what God has revealed as His will and force their own wills, the results are never good.

However, because of this choice the monarchy that followed led Israel astray and led them into sin, disobedience and idolatry. Eventually, because of the path they chose God's fury was stirred up even more. He was angry when He gave them a king, the kings led Israel astray and God removed the kings in His wrath. We need to take a moment to parse this out because it makes a very important point. Israel asked for a king because 1) they wanted to be like other nations and 2) they did not trust the Lord to deal with the unrighteousness of Samuel's sons. However, what they got was far worse than Samuel's sons, they got Saul and a whole succession of kings who did a horrible job of leading the nation. There were a few godly kings in Judah that God loved but the percentages of good vs evil are overwhelmingly against the monarchy as a whole. Here is the point; God was not in the establishment of the monarchy as it existed (this verse bears that out) and so what would have happened if Israel had came to Samuel addressed their concerns about his sons, sought the Lord for answers and followed His counsel? Here is what we would have expected to see; God would have implemented His own plan that He favored and endorsed and the result would have been that ultimately the nation would not have incurred His wrath.

As we stated, the whole nation of Israel was being destroyed because of idolatry, Hosea reflects Gods wrath on the nation and it all began at this point where they forced the issue of a king because they did not want to trust God to guide them. The chain of events runs like this: Israel provoked God by asking for a king, He gave one in His anger. That led to the kingdom eventually dividing under one of those kings, Rehaboam. After the nation divided one of generals of Rehaboam became king and decided to create His own places of worship, Jeraboam I. God was provoked to wrath by that event (He set up a calf in Dan and Bethel for worship. Remember, the book is all about this event and what followed; Israels adultery with other gods) and now God is destroying the monarchy in His wrath and the nation is being judged. The chain of events traces back to the request for a king against Gods will! We must, regardless of how things look on the surface, find out what He wants and hold fast to it, that is where the blessing and approval of God is. For those who force their own will and their own way, He may give them what they want in His anger but the path will not have His blessing and in the end will bring woe.

The Sacrifice of God is the Human WIll

What is the burnt offering in reality?

 

Really, when you boil the burnt offering down to it's meaning, what are we offering? In actuality it is the human will. The sacrifice of God is to do His will over our own will and to delight in doing so. Psalm 40: 6 "Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required. 7 Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me, 8 I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart." To fully surrender our will to His, this is the whole burnt offering, to literally surrender every area! Generally, even in redeemed mankind is a little reserve, areas where one does not surrender to His will and this is generally the origins of many of mans struggles. Now to be fair, one may not always be conscious of an area of reservation or it may not be a conscious attempt to subvert God and chose our own way. No, at times one is just as oblivious to this as they might be for some other blind spot. At times men and women are not delivered right away and have certain struggles because of some area that is not fully surrendered to Him; therefore, He allows the conflict to exist until one is ready to cry out to God and surrender afresh. God is working in us to bring us to this place: I delight to do..."THY WILL". In order for this work to be accomplished we must meet with him and resign "MY WILL". We need the invasion of the Holy Spirit in our hearts to deal with us and point out to us secret and presumptuous sins... Psalm 19:12 "Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults.13 Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression."

The True Blessing of God May Not Be Obvious

Hosea 13:6 "According to their pasture, so were they filled; they were filled, and their heart was exalted; therefore have they forgotten me."

 

The key phrase here: "...therefore have they forgotten me." Israel had, through the blessings, forgot the one who had redeemed them from Egypt and the one who led them through the wilderness and brought them across the Red Sea and the Jordan, who fed them with manna and brought them into victory over the 31 kings in the land of their inheritance. They forgot Him who loved them and cared for them and heard their cries. Why did they forget Him? It was because their pastures were green and the blessings of God abounded. In the midst of their green pastures and in the midst of the blessings of God their hearts drifted away, they became carnal and vain, the Lord and His commandments in their carnality had become unimportant to them. They found it easy to replace Him with the blessings He gave. It is true for some that in reality it is the blessing and love of God upon their life that allows them to suffer in a captivity of some sort, we will not take time to define a captivity all we will say is that we must endeavor, when suffering, to always give God the benefit of the doubt. If He is not moving swiftly to deliver you immediately from some bondage or pit then do not become frustrated with God; it may be He is preventing you from drifting by keeping you crying out. Here is my advice; learn to always give Him thanks in every trial, the point here is that we do not forget our God and cast His commandments behind us. Trials and bondages have a way of keeping us focused on Him.

 

There can be no doubt His desire is to eventually bring us out into glorious liberty but how tragic if He brings deliverance and then blesses and the result is that one forgets God and is condemned in the end. Lamentations three puts it best: Lamentations 3:25-26 KJV  25 "The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. 26 It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD." One of the greatest expressions of love is to wait patiently and without criticism for one's deliverance. Cry out by all means for deliverance but just temper your spirit with a deep appreciation and a knowledge that He does know what is best. After all, perhaps it is that thing that we have no control over that seems to make life so difficult that is, in fact, one's salvation. Perhaps It keeps one from pride and forgetting God.

 

"According to their pasture, so were they filled; they were filled, and their heart was exalted..." They were filled and their heart was exalted, they became selfish and vain; therefore, they forgot their God and those things which are important to Him (His words, His commands and their treatment of the poor and their neighbors). I have seen over the years that the wilderness does indeed claim many victims, those who turn against God because He did not cater to them or pamper them just so; however, that is not as tragic as one who who has come to know Him with a little more depth, one who has broken through and begins walking in the blessings of God who then turns to the world and carnality and forgets God. This should be our final prayer: Proverbs 30:7-9 KJV "7 Two things have I required of thee; deny me them not before I die: 8 Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me: 9 Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the LORD? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain."

Mercy, Judgment and Wait on Him Continually



For a moment they stood looking at each
other the barefoot beggar girl in her rags
and the King in his jewelled crown

Hosea 12:6 "Therefore turn thou to thy God: keep mercy and judgment and wait on thy God continually"

The Lord speaking to backsliden Israel gives them specific advice on how to find grace and mercy in their current state. He says it is now your turn to seek the Lord for a mighty transformation as did your father Jacob; you have character flaws and sins that can be removed. Here He gives them very specific advice; I have always found Gods specific advice is relevant to the ones standing before Him, It is not just a general piece of information for us to consider, it is the very advice we need. So what does God tell them to do in order to impress God of their seriousness with Him?

Keep mercy - this is pointing directly towards their fellow man; we never show mercy to God because He is not in need of it. You show mercy to someone who has offended and God is not beholden to anyone for doing anything worthy of being called and an offense. Men do offend, either intentionally or unintentionally but offenses come from our fellow man not from God. When an offense comes we are left with a choice, will I hold them to the technicality of the law and make them pay the uttermost farthing or will I show mercy and let them go free. God is saying where it is in your power to do so then consider letting them go free, especially if the offense was unintentional. There are instances where the merciful thing to do is to allow justice to run its course (for instance, if parties have been intentionally harmed and it is in your power to do something about it to make sure things are put right, Consider Job 29 where Job saved the oppressed) but it all boils down to the heart attitude, if it is your power to how mercy then consider it.

Keep judgment - this is not the sense of passing judgment on your fellow man but rather the thought of doing what is right, judging righteousness judgment (without regard for your own selfish interests). We again bring in Job 29 which is a beautiful summation of how God desires us to be. Lets look at a portion for example: Job 29:11-17 KJV "When the ear heard me, then it blessed me; and when the eye saw me, it gave witness to me: Because I delivered the poor that cried, and the fatherless, and him that had none to help him. The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon me: and I caused the widow's heart to sing for joy. I put on righteousness, and it clothed me: my judgment was as a robe and a diadem. I was eyes to the blind, and feet was I to the lame. I was a father to the poor: and the cause which I knew not I searched out. And I brake the jaws of the wicked, and plucked the spoil out of his teeth." This is the kingdom God is looking for, it is a kingdom where people are engaged in righteous activities not in self serving self centered judgment.

Wait on God continually - this is not the sense of a servant waiting on His Master (although that is appropriate) but rather the expectation of a beggar waiting at a gate looking expectantly at passers by for some kindness or offering.Wwaiting for Him, look to Him expectantly for His benevolence, for His look into your direction. In order to illustrate this we might refer to blind Bartimaeus, let's read the account because it implies the need, the humility in waiting realizing you are at the mercy of another: Mar 10:46-49 KJV "And they came to Jericho: and as he went out of Jericho with his disciples and a great number of people, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the highway side begging. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, and say, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me. And many charged him that he should hold his peace: but he cried the more a great deal, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me. And Jesus stood still, and commanded him to be called. And they call the blind man, saying unto him, Be of good comfort, rise; he calleth thee."

Therefore, this is the advice of God to the backslidden Israel and it is very telling, firstly because it highlights their breakdown (which was not just idolatry against the One True God but also a breakdown of their treatment of their fellow man). God gives them specific advice that will bring them back into His good graces, They, of course, dismiss this advice and will continue on their wilful sinful ways; never the less God would be true to His promises if they would only accept His counsels...sadly history betrays the ending, they did not heed His counsel.

What about us, will we consider the things He has said in this verse? The secret to finding His grace and favor are in these verses, can we see clearly enough to benefit from this advice? Why not come before the Lord and ask Him to work these characteristics out in our own lives so we might enjoy unbroken fellowship with Him and with His people.

Seeking, Waiting and Staying equals Strength

Isa 40:29-31 KJV "He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."

To whom does He give power to? Is to a man or woman who is building their own empire or is it to those who are going their own way, no, it is to those who fear the Lord and seek to go the right way; to do those things approved of God. Yet by reason of a hindrance (weakness) of their own flesh or from molestation of the enemy they are short on strength. The Lord can strengthen this weary man or woman, the ones who are hungering to do what is right and yet find themselves in a struggle. God is not giving this strength spoken of to those who turn back to Egypt or a running from Him, He is strengthening the upright who lack the power by reason of the enemy or a weakness in themselves even though they desire the right way. The days we are coming into the spiritual pressure will be immense and the spirit of the age will war against the saints, we want to be free from unholy attachments and loves. And so to them that have no might He increaseth strength. I suggest this is one who is aware that he does not have the power to overcome and yet somehow his strength is increased. Somehow, although he is weak in some area, he finds the power to overcome because the Lord blessed him with strength renewed.

How did this strength come? I want to suggest three verses to the weary saint that will direct them on the right course once they become aware they desperately need strengthened from the Almighty (as the saint in this portion of scripture did).

1) They seek the Lord with all their heart - Jer 29:12-13 KJV "Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart." Then ye shall find me when you seek for me with all your heart. I have experienced this and this is not simply "O' Lord I take a few minutes to call upon your name"; this is a man or woman who is desperate to meet with Him, they seek Him with an urgency and a focus in prayer that pushes out distraction and takes hold of God. This is one of the conditions I have observed to those who receive strength...

2) They that wait upon the Lord renew their strength - As mentioned above in Isaiah 40:29-31, waiting on Him cannot be overstated; very few things communicate to the Lord a love for Him more than a willingness to wait upon Him. It is, however, more than just physically waiting on Him, it more of a having a confidence in waiting that He will come. In other words, not becoming discouraged or accusatory but simply waiting til He is pleased to speak. Not becoming frustrated with Him but in confidence waiting. God has His own reasons for not speaking immediately and we must be patient. Consider the trouble that Saul caused himself when he could not wait for the prophet of God to come; he forced himself and sinned against the Lord. I have seen others do similar things, God does not speak and so they take up their own endeavors. No, in order to receive the touch from the Lord we need we must in patience wait for Him, yes it can be very painful but there must be a knowing in our spirits of the nature of God and how He is there for his children and hears their groaning and will come to their aid.

3) He stayed upon his God until the strength came - he did not turn back nor did he kindle his own sparks - Isa 50:10-11 KJV "Who is among you that feareth the LORD, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light? let him trust in the name of the LORD, and stay upon his God. Behold, all ye that kindle a fire, that compass yourselves about with sparks: walk in the light of your fire, and in the sparks that ye have kindled. This shall ye have of mine hand; ye shall lie down in sorrow." This idea of staying upon his God means he did not turn back to Egypt or to the enemies of the Lord for help. He stayed upon his God, verse seven of the same chapter emphasizes this point. Isa 50:7 KJV "For the Lord GOD will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed." The point of staying upon our God is that though we are weak and weary we stay upon Him and we do not turn back to Egypt.

So to summarize the weak man sought the Lord then waited on God, they would not be deterred but stayed upon his God until He brought certain deliverance and strength. I have seen this pattern repeat itself over and over; sometimes God allows one to be tested and tried, they have a weakness that cannot be overcome or a trial that seems to have no end. God has ordained to help them but not until He has tried them to see if they, like the children of Israel, will turn back to their roots in Egypt. This is what I have observed, those who do not turn back but stay upon their God come forth with such strength that the weight and pressure of the trial is eventually melted away and forgotten but those who turn away to other things diminish more and more and eventaully they no longer take thought for Him at all. No matter what, let us be diligent seekers no matter what let us stay pointed in the right direction. My attitude is this, even if I leave this world never having touched Him as I supposed I should I want to die pointing in His direction with my hand extended to Him, waiting on Him because I know when I awake on the other side He will be holding my extended hand!

The Rich Young Ruler and the Royal Law

Let me start of this post by thanking everyone who prayed for us this last week in the Dominican Republic; the teachings were a success because of hungry hearts in the students and friends who cared to pray and we are very grateful!!

Pastor Frank & my youngest daughter Leah

Mat 19:17-24 KJV "And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet? Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions. Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God."

1) Do not murder
2) Do not commit adultery
3) Do not steal
4) Do not bear false witness
5) Honor your mother and father
6) Love thy neighbor as thyself...this is the end result of the 5 previous commands

 

It is interesting that all the commandments Jesus recited to this man dealt with man to man relationships, not one was God to man. This man, therefore, had a problem with his fellow man (Jesus would not advise him like this if it were not so, He counsels according to our need). James Royal Law is as much about loving your neighbor as yourself as it is about loving God with all your heart. He replied, "All this have I done from my youth, what lack I yet?" Well, he may have done it from his youth from his own perspective but God saw two things,

• Pride - who else would be bold enough to approach Christ and say all this have I done already, what else?
• Covetousness (he obviously loved being rich more than he wanted to follow Jesus).
•  

And so Jesus, discerning his need, added two other commands which were meant to either expose him or liberate him:

 

 

7) Sell all you have and give to the poor - Interestingly enough, the one commandment this man needed the most (concenring coveteousness) was not recited in the list above but was broken out separately when the Lord counsels him to sell everything, it was as though the Lord knew what he would say (all this have I already done...and it probably was true, externally). In a sense he was being lured in, Jesus was going to deal with the one thing that would have set him free and would have fulfilled the New Covenant in him had he cried for grace to do it.

 

This begs that we ask the question...what part of the Royal Law do I need worked out in me? Certainly we are not deficient in all of it but what "addendum" would God speak into my life? Careful here, tread sincerely now, if He tells us will we do it or will we be grieved because it strikes at the very core issue of our lives? Perhaps God would call us to obscurity, to servitude, to penury, to suffering or to a thousand different things to try and get at some hindrance in our life. We may look disdainfully at this poor wretch but how are we going to fare when Jesus, in love and compassion, tries to point out what we need most? Well let's use this fellows misfortune to put us on the right track.

8) Come follow Me - I believe this bears out that Jesus loved this man; He was going to make him a disciple. The Lord offered him great treasure in heaven, to be a follower of the Lamb and to fulfill the Royal Law...but sadly, he declined. Let us give this serious consideration, what is our greatest hindrance in our walk? What is the one thing, that if it were broken, would make us feel so much better in our life? Is it anger, resentment, lust, covetousness, hatred, hardness...etc? Now take it one step further, what part of the Royal Law does it cause us to violate? Is it breaking the command to love Him alone (idols) or the command to love our fellow man as ourselves? Let's ask God for direct counsel and plead for the grace to receive it and to follow its mandate to us so we might rejoice the heart of God and reflect His wonderful image as the true sons and daughters of God.

Two Masters (Delight Yourself in the Lord)

Psalm 37:1-6 KJV A Psalm of David. "Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb. Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. Delight thyself also in the LORD: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday."

Over the years I have been a Christian I have come to realize something, it is that everyone does, in the end, what they desire. In other words a man or woman may struggle with things in their lives (bondages, hangups, besetting sins) and yet if in their heart of hearts they desire to please the Lord, God gives them promises they can hold onto and those promises keep then and eventually they do triumph (we will suggest the life of Jacob for this example). However, we have seen the other side of this coin as well, no matter how well someone seems to be doing if they cleave to their sins and idols then in the end no matter how good their show they go off in the wrong direction and in some cases are even given over to other spirits. However, in the final analysis it is still this, they have been led by a desire and have done what they have desired to do, this law is never broken.

I know of young people who all their life struggle constantly; at one time in and on fire for the Lord then off and you wondered even if they were saved, they needed constant encouragement to do the right thing. This can go on and on, they will be in one day and they will be out the next. Then an event takes place in their life that offended them and they rise up and leave the good path to walk in a broad way inspired by their offence (an easy Christianity). The interesting thing is this, they generally renounce the way they were on and say things like this,"It was never really in my heart to walk in that way anyways, I did things I know the leadership and my parents would not approve of and I lived in fear of being caught all the time but now I can do what I desire" 

In the Last Days this point of loving and desiring the right things becomes even more important than in any other generation because we are living in the times when God begins to separate people based on their desires. Let's emphasize this point by the very famous portion of scriptures in regard to deception of the Last Days. 2 Thessalonians 2:8-12 KJV "And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness." Note this very last statement "but had pleasure in unrighteousness" In other words they desired wrong things, therefore, It is very very critical that we nourish the right desires. No matter what our state it is very important that we seek God for the right desires so that in the end we find ourselves set free and overcomers by the grace of God.

Matthew 6:24 states no man can serve two masters, he will love the one and despise the other... This is a very important key in our walk with God. Let's take this out of it's original context for just a moment (God vs mammon) and apply it globally to anything that might be considered an idol and cause one to have a desire in the wrong direction or divided loyalties. Here is the point in a nutshell; God, through the prophet Elijah, basically said to Israel make your choice, who are you going to be loyal to; God, the Lord or Baal? Get you affections and  loyalties in the right direction! 1 Kings 18: 21 "And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word." The people were trying to serve the Lord and their idols and God was saying, "who will you serve?" And so God desires to bring us all to the place where David came when he said "One thing have I desired and that will I seek after..."

Let's look at this from another perspective as well, the perspective of being wholehearted for the Lord and the affairs of His kingdom. I want to turn our attention to the book of Judges and the song of Deborah. Deborah was fighting the battles of the Lord and the expectation was that the tribes would fight with her. Ephraim came down to fight, also Benjamin and Zebulun. The princes of Issacar were there to fight as were those of the tribe of Naphtali. However, there was great questioning as to why the following tribes were uncommitted and did not come down and fight with their brethren; Reuben, Gilead and Dan. They were not resolved as what to do and did not engage in the battles of the Lord. We can read the account:

Judges 5:12-18 KJV "Awake, awake, Deborah: awake, awake, utter a song: arise, Barak, and lead thy captivity captive, thou son of Abinoam. Then he made him that remaineth have dominion over the nobles among the people: the LORD made me have dominion over the mighty. Out of Ephraim was there a root of them against Amalek; after thee, Benjamin, among thy people; out of Machir came down governors, and out of Zebulun they that handle the pen of the writer. And the princes of Issachar were with Deborah; even Issachar, and also Barak: he was sent on foot into the valley. For the divisions of Reuben there were great thoughts of heart. Why abodest thou among the sheepfolds, to hear the bleatings of the flocks? For the divisions of Reuben there were great searchings of heart. Gilead abode beyond Jordan: and why did Dan remain in ships? Asher continued on the sea shore, and abode in his breaches. Zebulun and Naphtali were a people that jeoparded their lives unto the death in the high places of the field."

In this song of Deborah we see the tribes sized up before the Lord, there were some who were wholehearted and received commendation but there were others who did not participate because they had no resolve to fight. This is what happens when one has two loves, their heart is divided and therefore they do not engage the enemy. This is what becomes of having a divided heart, they are unable to fully participate in the affairs of the kingdom. In other words, their heart is divided between the Lord and other things and so they do nothing for the kingdom, the accomplish nothing for the kingdom but rather are on the sidelines and for all intense purposes they are impotent Christians that produce no fruit and accomplish very little.

Finally, we will wrap all of this together now. There are specific times that God brings His people to the point of decision (just as He did with Israel through the prophet Elijah), "Who are you going to serve; what do you really desire?" His expectation at that point is that we will make the right decision to forsake all other loves and cleave to Him that the  heart will no longer be divided but will desire Him and His ways. Here is the caution though; when God brings His people to this point of decision it is His intention to set them free from the wrong desires (loves); If one successfully surrenders that area of their heart then God forever sets them free and their walk is one of wholeheartedness and commitment. However, if they cling to their idols in love then they will never rise to the fullness of their calling and experience in the Lord. The secret really is in always choosing to delight yourself in the Lord then He gives us the right desires to pursue and we enter into all God has for us. And so, in our hour of decision let us say "I delight myself in You Lord, give me right desires that I might pursue them and find you!"

Dear Pastor Bailey,

I want to thank you (posthumously) for the many years of faithful service and the faithful example you have led before us all these years. I can only imagine the wonderful reception that awaited you when you finally laid your burden down and took up your eternal reward. The day after the final prayer meeting we had for you the Lord made it clear to several of us that the weight had been lifted. 

I am so happy for you seeing your dear Audrey once again and being re-united with your parents and I would have loved to see your reunion with the Savior you have loved, served and portrayed all these years. News of your passing today made me try harder today and to commit my life afresh to the call of God on my own life; it has also made me commit afresh to serve my own pastor who is my faithful father in the faith. It has been a pleasure to know you and I cannot wait until we meet again in eternity, although we lost a part of ourselves and we are grief struck by your passing I am very happy for you!!

Pastor Frank R. Anderson

Your Spiritual Grandson

Before and After...

Read Exodus 25:10-22

Shittim wood was an essential wood used in the making of the Tabernacle of Moses; it was part of the furniture of the holy place and the holy of holies. We know that wood and trees in the word of God speaks of humanity (i.e. tree's of righteousness) and so it is interesting that the part of the ark that speak of deity (the mercy seat above the ark) is solid gold but the part that housed the commandments, the manna and Aaron's almond rod that budded was made of shittim wood and overlaid with solid gold. 








This is very interesting once you see the shittim tree (the before picture on the left); of all the wood to use it seems the most unlikely candidate for use in the Holy Tabernacle of God. It is very very hard and it is very twisted and contorted, almost a tormented wood. Here is a quote from the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE) - SHITTAH; TREE "...They are most picturesque trees with their gnarled trunks, sometimes 2 ft. thick, their twisted, thorny branches, which often give the whole tree an umbrella-like form...) Yet this twisted, contorted wood was what God commanded Moses to use to make the very ark of of the covenant which speak of the literal presence of God. It is a quite beautiful wood once proceesed (the after picture on the right).

There is a distinct message here and it is one of reclamation and being straightened for use; this wood speaks to us of the contorted and even twisted nature of man (even after salvation) and yet God uses man in His plan and to be a part of His holy dwelling place. This wood must have been very difficult to work with and required someone with a long suffering nature as it would have to be painstakingly straightened for use (this process of straightening wood usually requires heat, moisture and pressure) . This process tells us what God does to deal with mankind in the construction of His temple, He takes the crooked and makes them straight. God was the one who made it this way (He planted the Shittah tree at Sinai and required Moses to use it). Now the intent of this little commentary is to encourage us all; we all have twists and turns in our nature and have to be straightened out for use. This process is illustrated for us in people like Jacob who was deceitful with his brother and his father and yet he was so straightened out by the dealings of God that at his end he reflected the nature of God. We might think that Jacob was unique but he represents us all to a certain degree because we all have fallen short of the glory of God and we all have turned to our own way and the iniquity of of us all was laid upon Christ. He had to atone for every man woman and child. 

You may feel at times like this: "O' God, I have so many flaws in my nature and in my character, how can you ever use me?" But, in actual fact God seems to have indicated to us that we all have natures that need straightened and issues that need to be dealt with and we must conclude that He has committed to work with such people because He told us so in the Tabernacle of Moses through the use of the shittah tree . So be encouraged, yield to the workings of the Holy Spirit, cry out for grace as God brings you through His straightening process because in the end you will reflect the nature of Jesus Christ.

Hosea 10:14 - Therefore Shall A Tumult Arise...

Therefore shall a tumult arise... This is the fruit of the last verse (Hosea 10:13 - they have done wickedly), because they have done wickedly there will be turmoil. This is the fruit of wickedness, tumultuous situations arise and people end up in turmoil. Troubles arise, relationship are destroyed, enemies arise and people are in turmoil over it all because they have forsaken the Lord and have turned their back on Him. This battle that is referred to in this verse is unclear; some feel it was a battle Shalmanesser fought against this place but the real point is that there was great cruelty and turmoil (mother and child were not pitied and were slain with brutality). The Assyrians were merciless. The enemy of our soul is merciless and when people turn against the Lord, break His commandments and walk contrary to His ways many times they open themselves up to "enemy invasions". Like Gomer they do not appreciate the protection of her husband (a type of the Lord) and now she is at the mercy of her enemies and they will cause turmoil (eventually Gomer said, it was better for me with my husband...turmoil led her to this conclusion).


Hos 2:6-13 KJV "Therefore, behold, I will hedge up thy way with thorns, and make a wall, that she shall not find her paths. And she shall follow after her lovers, but she shall not overtake them; and she shall seek them, but shall not find them: then shall she say, I will go and return to my first husband; for then was it better with me than now. For she did not know that I gave her corn, and wine, and oil, and multiplied her silver and gold, which they prepared for Baal. Therefore will I return, and take away my corn in the time thereof, and my wine in the season thereof, and will recover my wool and my flax given to cover her nakedness. And now will I discover her lewdness in the sight of her lovers, and none shall deliver her out of mine hand. I will also cause all her mirth to cease, her feast days, her new moons, and her sabbaths, and all her solemn feasts. And I will destroy her vines and her fig trees, whereof she hath said, These are my rewards that my lovers have given me: and I will make them a forest, and the beasts of the field shall eat them. And I will visit upon her the days of Baalim, wherein she burned incense to them, and she decked herself with her earrings and her jewels, and she went after her lovers, and forgat me, saith the LORD."


Some, who leave the protection of their loving Lord, say "Why is God letting this happen to me" or "God is punishing me for disobeying Him". I am not sure that is always correct, perhaps what has happened is that they have left themselves exposed, as did Gomer, when they departed from His protection. Because they have left Him He no longer intervenes and allows them to eat of the fruit of their doings. I know there are some reading this who can relate to what is being said because they have departed; please take time to seek the Lord and ask Him to once again bring you under His wing. The enemy will not stop until you are destroyed but with God there is respite, there is forgiveness and there is mercy. Remember Hos 10:12 KJV "Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you."

"I Will...Be Thou Clean"

Matthew 8:1-4 - "When he was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him. And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. And Jesus saith unto him, See thou tell no man; but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them."

This poor soul sought out Jesus with one hope, the hope that Jesus could remove his leprosy and make him clean again. He came worshipping and with a single prayer he got his wish; note the prayer, "if it is Your will, You can make me clean." The Lord's response was marvelous: "It is My will; be thou clean". How splendid and how amazing that God did will to make this poor man clean. This illustrates to us one of the secrets of prayers and miracles; this should be our focus in prayer. First of all, what is the need and secondly what does God will to do about it? In this instance He wanted to remove it.

To further illustraate this point let's consider again the miracle of Peter walking on the water in Matt 14:28 (we focus, at times, too much on his sinking but the man walked on water!) Peter who said, "Lord if it be you [implied, Lord, if it be your will] then bid me to come" and Jesus said only one word; He said "come [implied, Peter, It is my will so come]." Peter found the expressed will of God and walked into his miracle by faith; so too this poor leper was able to find the expressed will of God when Jesus said "I will, be thou clean". Within those words "I will" or "come" is contained such power (through faith which comes by hearing the Word of God; Romans 10:17); it is something that if embraced with tenacity will compel one into the miracle they need. It does not matter if it is an issue of blood, leprosy, walking on the water, calming the sea or one a of a thousand different scenarios. Once God has given a word that reveals His will you reach out and take it!

And so it was that Peter walked on water and so it was that this man was made clean by knowing and believing the words of Christ; they had a one on one meeting with God and His word made everything different. We have struggles and cares, dont we? What is it really that we need? Do we need counseling? Do we need phone calls of encouragement? Perhaps, these things have their place but what we really need is a one on one encouter with the risen Christ where we ask Him one very focused question and He answers us in a word such as "I will" or "come". And so what happened to this man? He was made clean of his death sentance of leaprosy. "...Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean And immediately his leprosy was cleansed..."

Where are you at today, my friend? We are coming into a time in the history of the church where God is about to release His power as never before. Having you been like the man at the pool of Bethesda waiting thirty eight years for a miracle? Have you been like the woman with the issue of blood who inspite of her efforts in twelve years grew worse and not better? Are you like this poor man who was gripped with a leprosy that threatened his very existance? Well, let me say this, take heart because God is about to move and when He does He is going to speak into areas that have been bound for years, areas that have kept people in bondage for years and when He does the prison doors are going to swing open and the captives will be set free. Don't faint, keep your ears and you heart open because God is about to move!!

Let me conclude with the following old chorus:

"Got any rivers you think are uncrossable?

Got any mountains you cannot tunnel through?

God speciaizes in things thought impossible

And He can do what no other power can do..."

When being a Christian is like being an ant!

Col 2:11 KJV "In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:"

Rom 8:20 KJV "For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly..." Striving against sin can be like the ant trying to climb out of a indentation in the sand dune; it is very precarious and he has to progress carefully and just when you think he has reached the top and will escape then the unstable ground gives way and he tumbles all the way to the bottom again. For many, this is the normal everyday Christian experience The reason this is so is that the heart itself is sinful, it wants to do the wrong thing and to go the wrong way; only as Christ comes forth in us in a greater measure and gives us holy desires (a truly transformed heart desires holiness) can we beat this cycle (Col 2:6). The traction we need in order to get ahead of this vicious process is a circumcised heart. It all begins in the desire realm, the desire to do the right thing, the holy thing, this needs to exceed the desire to sin. We cascade down to the bottom of the dune as it were because our foundation is still on sin, the core of our heart is still sinful and bent on sinning. However, once the operation of God is completed in us (Romans 6:6) our very desires are changed and we have the traction to get out of sin.

Rom 6:12 KJV "Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof."

Rom 6:16-22 KJV "Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness. I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness. For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness. What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death. But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life."

This cycle can be broken if we begin to seriously cry out to God to meet with us in this realm of desires. There are practical things we can do (Study His Word, Prayer, Seeking His face, etc...) but the operation is of God and the Holy Spirit, let's cry out afresh to be truly changed at the desire level!

O' the cost of backsliding, there is no joy.

Hosea 9:1 "Rejoice not, O Israel, for joy, as other people: for thou hast gone a whoring from thy God, thou hast loved a reward upon every cornfloor."


Rejoice not for joy as other people do... In other words, they did not increase themselves honorably but rather instead of trusting the Lord and leaning on Him they sold themselves out to other nations, other idols so their joy is diminished and is turned into shame.


 When saints get off the good path to mix with the world and cast off the good things of God they are worse off than those who never knew the way; they may try but they cannot joy as others do, it is because they know they are in violation of everything sacred and holy. They try and they try but deep down they know they have departed from the good path and their joy will never be complete. Those who never knew the good way do not know any better and since they have never tasted anything better they think they have joy and success. Those who once knew a better way know what could be so the result it that their joy is greatly diminished. 


In the good and holy path there are pleasures and joy that the sinner never knows. For the modern believer he will experience the true joy Jesus was talking about when He declared "I am come that they might have life and have it more abundantly." and "That my joy might remain in you and that your joy be full." as they continue on the good path. But the way of the transgressor is hard and fraught with many difficulties and they cannot joy as do other men. Dear reader strive for the good path, preserve the sanctity of the way and good conscience in order to maintain a blood washed conscience and true peace and joy.

The King, His Authority and His Commandments!

4 “Where the word of a king is, there is power: and who may say unto him, What doest thou?”

The arrogance of fallen man questions leadership, even God Himself is questioned; he ascribes to God sin and casts dispersions on everything He does questioning His very judgment. However, the power of life and death are in the word of the king; Proverbs 14:35 and the wise servant entreats His favor while the wicked are destroyed. Proverbs 20:2 whoso provoketh the king sinneth against his own soul. One must nourish the fear of the Lord and respect the office of those who have been appointed to His leadership. Even in cases when a natural king’s judgment was off track (as was the case with king Saul), the wise (king David) fear to touch him. How much more should one fear to stick their finger in Gods eye by questioning His judgments? Mankind too quicky criticizes the judgment of leadership; one who is wise will be careful in this realm.

5    “Whoso keepeth the commandment shall feel no evil thing: and a wise man's heart discerneth both time and judgment.”

Proverbs taught us that the curse causeless shall not come (Proverbs 26:2); he that keepeth the commandments shall not experience the curse (Duet 28 - the curse and blessings reside in our relationship with His commandments, to obey or not to obey them). Mankind tries to study and educate to roll off the effects of a curse. They try and compensate for the effects of the curse by programs and "sensitivity" training. In reality, however, no evil befalls one who keeps Gods commandments and if there are areas that have been cursed because of previous conduct before ones salvation, as one endeavors to walk in His commandments then these too can be broken and removed (Dan 4:27 Breaking off your sins with righteousness). My dear reader, if there are areas of your life where you feel you are bound by sin from your former lifestyle because it has been contrary to the commandments of God why not cry out two things:

 1) O' God, show me that area and the commandment(s) that might be being violated by this area of my life. Josiah was seeking the Lord as the young king and yet was walking contrary to Gods commands but he was ignorant to it. There was a curse prescribed because he and his people were breaking the commandments (albeit through ignorance). But when the revelation of Gods law came to him he was enlightened and wept bitterly for forgiveness. Even though the curse of God still came upon the land for their violations, Josiah was spared because he took the sins of his heart against the commandments seriously and because of his tenderness towards Gods laws he was delivered.

2) O’ God, Let the fear of the Lord overtake me in that very area and grip me at my core until I come to Heb 5:7 and have a holy crying and mourning for sin. When we meet with God in these area’s He will break off our sins with righteousness and set us free.