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Showing posts with label 2 Timothy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2 Timothy. Show all posts

Tuesday, April 18, 2023

The Devil isn’t Real– Lies of the Enemy #8– Purity 1020


The Devil isn’t Real– Lies of the Enemy #8– Purity 1020

Purity 1020 04/18/2023 Purity 1020 Podcast

Purity 1020 on YouTube: 



Good morning,

Today’s photo of the fading light of day over the St. Vincent Gulf comes to us from author Liisa Grace Baun (https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100086786471730) who shared this view from the lounge room window of her home in Adelaide, South Australia commenting that “Not a day goes by that I’m not grateful for where I live!” With a view like this it’s not surprising that why they “never close those curtains.”

Well, It’s Tuesday and I share Liisa’s photo and sentiments about always being grateful for where she lives and how she never closes the curtains on this spectacular view as a reminder to be intentional about being grateful for what God has given us and by never “the closing the curtains” on the truth that can give a continual source of peace and joy.   

I just happen to have been blessed with a view of the Hudson River which diverts into the Schodack Creek in front of my home and it never fails to remind me of how good God was in brining me through the aftermath of my divorce to give me a home, a hope, and a future.  But unlike Liisa, I do pull the blinds over my windows, (I have neighbors and I like my privacy) and because I do I can sometimes completely forget about that awesome view and just how blessed I am by where I am.   

We can take the good things we have for granted and when we aren’t practicing gratitude the enemy loves to come in to give us a negative perspective about the things we once were very happy to receive.  This can happen with our possessions and with our relationships.   The people and things in our life can become familiar and underappreciated or even viewed as problematic when the enemy sows the seeds of discontent in our minds.  

We can even see the dark train of our thoughts that paints the  world black and wonder what is wrong with us. Why do I hate everything? Why has my heart grown cold? What’s wrong with me?   

Familiarity may cause us to naturally take things for granted and if we aren’t careful with managing our thoughts we could become anxious, discontented, or depressed but when these negative mind states persist we should wonder if those thought cycles are products of ourselves or a demonic campaign to steal our peace and joy and lead us into the temptation of finding happiness through circumstantial means.  These negative thoughts could be the condemnation of the enemy as a precursor for setting us up for sin.  

However, if we don’t believe in the spiritual forces of darkness or their ability to affect our thoughts, emotions, and behaviors, we would have probably come to the conclusion that we are slipping into mental illness which would further depress us and may cause us to seek a medical solution to a spiritual problem.   

However, the good news is that the word of God warns us of the reality of the demonic and when we ‘put on the whole armor of God” which is analogous to intentionally living according to our identiy in Christ, we can “stand against the devil’s schemes”.  But we have to know this and do this. We have to be on guard and take every thought captive.

But the enemy seeks to have us “close the curtains” on the spiritual realities of our lives and his existence in particular.  His schemes are far more effective when we aren’t on guard against his attacks.

And so that brings us to our current series, which is an examination of some of the common lies the enemy tells us to cause us to doubt our faith, steal our peace, or to choose not to follow the Lord with the way we live our lives. 

So today’s big lie is:

Lie # 8:  The Devil isn’t Real. 

It’s foolish to fight someone who doesn’t exist and as much as the enemy is prideful enough to want to be God, he is also wise enough to circumvent the authority that Christians have to resist him by convincing the world that he doesn’t exist.

Surprisingly, the enemy is not only successful in convincing the world he doesn’t exist, he has also convinced a significant portion of people who identify themselves as Christians that he isn’t real.   

In 2009, the Barna research group  conducted a survey and their results concerning Satan stated that:  “Four out of ten Christians (40%) strongly agreed that Satan “is not a living being but is a symbol of evil.” An additional two out of ten Christians (19%) said they “agree somewhat” with that perspective. A minority of Christians indicated that they believe Satan is real by disagreeing with the statement: one-quarter (26%) disagreed strongly and about one-tenth (9%) disagreed somewhat. The remaining 8% were not sure what they believe about the existence of Satan. (https://www.barna.com/research/most-american-christians-do-not-believe-that-satan-or-the-holy-spirit-exist/)

So even among “Christians”, according to this survey, done in 2009 mind you, only 35% would strongly agree or even “somewhat” agree that Satan is real.   And that was before “our present distress” of the post Covid-19 mass departure of the faith and social and moral slippage that indicates that Satan is alive and well in his efforts to lead humanity astray.  

People are abandoning the faith and increasingly identifying themselves as “non-religious” so it’s no wonder that they doubt the existence of Satan. However, paradoxically there are indications that Satanism – the worship of Satan – is on the increase in Great Britain (https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2022/11/29/satanism-devil-worship-rise-according-census-data/) – with a reported 167% increase in people identifying as Satanists between 2011 and 2021. 

So some people don’t need to be convinced!  

For Biblical support of the existence of Satan, I am providing a link to the Open Bible.ifo’s 100 bible verses about Satan (https://www.openbible.info/topics/satan) and for those interested in overcoming the enemy’s affects in your life,  I would direct you read to Dr. Neil Anderson’s the Bondage Breaker and the Steps the Freedom in Christ or Dr. Karl Payne’s “Spiritual Warfare: Christians, Demonization, and Deliverance” for information and methods for resolving personal and spiritual conflicts that may be influenced by demons.  

I don’t want to just point to the Bible and tell you that the devil is real. I want to direct you to the resources that intelligently guide you through the scriptures to validate the enemy’s existence and his effects on mankind as well as point you to resources that have methods that are proven to be effective in overcoming those demonic influences through repentance, renunciation, and prayer.     

Through my journey of faith on the path of Christian discipleship and through going through  the Steps to Freedom in Christ, I have overcome addictive behaviors and negative mind states that I now realize that were at least partially influenced by the spiritual forces of darkness.  I never knew what freedom was available to me until I was lead by the Lord to follow Him and to cast out and resist the spiritual forces that sought to keep me in bondage to sin and the lies about God, myself, and the world that kept me from knowing the peace, joy, and abundant life that God gives to all who place their faith in Christ.  

I myself have been delivered from the effects of the enemy and through my volunteer work with Freedom in Christ ministries, I have seen other people delivered as well.

So I encourage to not believe the lie that “The devil isn’t real.” But to also know that he is a defeated foe, who is powerless to afflict us when we put our faith in Jesus and act out of the power and authority that Christ has given to us.  

For those who want more evidence for Christianity than my simple apologetic will provide, I offer apologist, Frank Turek’s website, https://crossexamined.org/ .

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Today’s Bible verse comes to us from “The NLT Bible Promise Book for Men”.

This morning’s meditation verse is:

2 Timothy 3:16 (NLT2)
16  All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.

Today’s verse reminds us that all scripture is inspired by God to teach and correct us to do what is right.  

Our resource shared this verse under the heading of “When you want to know the truth…” and it rightfully points us to the word of God – scripture!

IF we want to overcome the lies of the enemy, we have to know what the truth is and the source for truth is the word of God. Beyond facts and figures, the Bible teaches us the truth of the spiritual nature of our universe and through it the Lord teaches us what is right and wrong.   

When we heed the wisdom of the Bible and apply it to our lives, we correct our wrong thinking and change our poor choices to align with the truth according to God. And because God wouldn’t lead us astray, when we follow His word we increasing grow in the fruit of the Spirit and the assurance of God is good and word is true.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

As always, I invite all to go to mt4christ.org where I always share insights from prominent Christian theologians and counselors to assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk.

Today we continue sharing from A.W. Pink’s “The Sovereignty of God.”

As always, I share this information for educational purposes and encourage all to purchase A.W. Pink’s books for your own private study and to support his work.  This resource is available on many websites for less than $20.00.

THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD

By  ARTHUR W. PINK

CONCLUSION continues

 

It now remains for us to offer a few closing reflections and our happy task is finished.

God foreordains everything which comes to pass. His sovereign rule extends throughout the entire Universe and is over every creature. “For of Him, and through Him, and to Him, are all things” (Rom. 11:36). God initiates all things, regulates all things, and all things are working unto His eternal glory. “There is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by Him” (1 Cor. 8:6). And again, “According to the purpose of Him who worketh all things after the counsel of His own will” (Eph. 1:11). Surely if anything could be ascribed to chance it is the drawing of lots, and yet the Word of God expressly declares “The lot is cast into the lap; but the whole disposing thereof is of the Lord” (Prov. 16:33)![1]

---------------------------more tomorrow------------------------

Join our “Victory over the Darkness”, “The Bondage Breaker”, "Freedom in Christ" series of Discipleship Classes via the mt4christ247 podcast!

at https://mt4christ247.podbean.com, You can also find it on Apple podcasts

(https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-mt4christ247s-podcast/id1551615154). The mt4christ247 podcast is also available on Google Podcasts, Amazon Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartradio, and Audible.com. 

These teachings are also available on the MT4Christ247 You Tube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@MT4Christ247

Email me at mt4christ247@gmail.com to receive the class materials, share your progress, and to be encouraged.

My wife, TammyLyn, also offers Christian encouragement via her Ask Seek Knock blog (https://tammylynask.blogspot.com/ ),  her Facebook Group: Ask, Seek, Knock (https://www.facebook.com/groups/529047851449098 ) and her podcast Ask, Seek, and Knock on Podbean (https://feed.podbean.com/tammalyn78/feed.xml)

“The views, opinions, and commentary of this publication are those of the author, M.T. Clark, only, and do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of any of the photographers, artists, ministries, or other authors of the other works that may be included in this publication, and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of any entities the author may represent.”

Encouragement for the Path of Christian Discipleship



[1] Arthur W. Pink, The Sovereignty of God (Swengel, PA: Bible Truth Depot, 1949), 250.

Thursday, January 19, 2023

A New Road – A Disciple of Prayer - Purity 945

 

A New Road – A Disciple of Prayer   - Purity 945

Purity 945 01/19/2023 Purity 945 Podcast

Purity 945 on YouTube: Coming Soon!

Good morning,

Today’s photo of a dashboard view of a blazing sunrise on the horizon comes to us from a friend who shared this photo on social media Tuesday declaring: “Coming in hot Charleston! Ready to Rock this week!”   You just have to love the enthusiasm of our friend who presumably after recharging their batteries with an extended three day weekend was ready to “seize the day” and face and triumph over all the challenges the new work week had to bring.  

Well it’s Thursday again, and as is my habit I share my friend’s photo because I absolutely love his attitude and because his Charleston highway sunrise is a more than adequate visual representation of a pathway and can be utilized to not only encourage us in the upcoming week but can be used as an encouragement to get on or to stay on the path of Christian Discipleship, to live by faith in the power of the Holy Spirit, not just this week but from here to eternity!   

I’m especially excited this morning because this evening I begin yet another journey with the Lord as I will be attending the first meeting of the Deeper Walk International’s School of Prayer Ministry program that will occupy my Thursday evenings throughout the year.  This will be a switch for me as I am used to leading discipleship courses online for Freedom in Christ Ministries. So now I have to switch gears as I take on the role of a student, a disciple of prayer – I suppose, as I will be educated and trained with the goal of becoming a certified Deeper Walk Prayer Minister.  

I am somewhat familiar with a great deal of the material that will be covered, I think, and although that could lead you to believe that would put me at ease the opposite seems to be true as I am contemplating having to show that “I know what I know” with the course work. I am also reminding myself to take the courses as they come, to slow down and to remain humble and be open to hear what is being taught, to not fall into the trap of pride and believing that I “already know all this”.   

I am also mentally preparing myself to only “answer what is asked” with the upcoming assignments. Because I blog 6 days a week, writing comes naturally for me now but I have to be mindful to submit the appropriate amount of text – to answer the questions and share my thoughts adequately but not to be too verbose or write a doctoral dissertation for an essay assignment.

Education, knowledge, and wisdom is a funny thing.  There is a big difference between learning something mentally and knowing it experientially. And sometimes you can know something “like the back of your hand” but can struggle to express your knowledge verbally.   As a teacher or online course facilitator, I haven’t had to study and do assignments.

While I answer questions and make illustrations in every course session I host, I’m drawing from the material I already know and the experiences I have already had.   While I have already read the two books for the first course in their entirety, I’m not sure if I “know” the material.  As a student, you don’t know what will be asked of you before hand and even though I’ve read all the material, I don’t know what specifically will be asked and if I retained any of what I did read!

Since reading the two books for the first course, I have gone on to read a couple of other books and am not sure that I “know what I know”, you know?

I am currently facing the fact that I will have to read them again and do the reading assignments for each week because the assignments won’t be on the overall books – they will be geared to each week’s reading, as we slowly walk through the material over several weeks.  So much for prepping!   

The expectations of being a student are a lot different than for that of an instructor! As an instructor it is assumed that you know what you are talking about for the most part, whereas being a student it is assumed that you don’t know the material and have to prove you do.  Oh yes, it’s a performance based paradigm.   Show me what you know.

I’m used to grace! But although God has graced me with intelligence and the ability to learn new things, I will have to demonstrate my knowledge and proficiency in performing as a prayer minister in order to be certified. In fact, Deeper Walk has you sign a statement upon acceptance in the program stating that you understand that just because you are accepted into it, it doesn’t guarantee that you will be certified!  With that disclaimer, Deeper Walk International is saying:

“This is the ”real deal” guys!  Sure, you can read books and write essays, but do you have what it takes to be a prayer minister. Can you meet someone in their struggles and counsel and lead them through the various prayer practices in which they can receive the resolution of their personal and spiritual conflicts or lead them beyond the traumas of their past to receive healing?  Do you have the heart for this ministry? Do you have what it takes?”  

Obviously, I am taking this training quite seriously and even though I already have some education and experience in these areas through my degrees and work with Freedom in Christ ministries, I am not taking anything for granted.   This is service to the Lord Most High for the body of Christ and I will endeavor to be equipped for this as I feel it is a part of the Lord’s calling on my life.  In

2 Timothy 2:15 (NKJV), Paul encouraged Timothy, and all of us, to
15  Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

So as much I look forward to making new friends, to learning new things, and to acquiring new skills, I am not resting on my laurels of what I have already done. I am a student, a disciple of prayer ministry, and I will be diligent to present myself approved to God, God willing, and to be used by God for His service in new ways.  I am excited to learn new things and to do new things for God and His kingdom    So I’m coming in hot, Deeper Walk International, and I’m ready to “rock” because I know The Rock and I know that finding our purpose in God’s kingdom and being used by God is best thing we could possibly hope for in life.  

SO, keep walking and talking and God and look to the horizon for what He is calling you to. When you walk with the Lord and seek to do His will with your life, you won’t be luke warm or cold.  When you follow Him your life takes on new meaning and purpose and you will be “on fire” for the Lord and the life He has for you. You will accept the challenges with enthusiasm and endeavor to do you best for Him, you’ll be “coming in hot” to show yourself approved and to walk into all the good things He has prepared for you.  

 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Today’s Bible verse comes to us from “The NLT Bible Promise Book for Men”.

This morning’s meditation verses are:

Psalm 18:31-32 (NLT2)
31  For who is God except the LORD? Who but our God is a solid rock?
32  God arms me with strength, and he makes my way perfect.

Today’s verses remind us that there is no one like our God and that He prepares us for His purposes. The Lord is God alone. God alone is THE solid Rock. He is omnipotent – all powerful and He arms us with His strength and makes our ways perfect.   

The PERFECT WAY is Jesus, Course, and so when we follow Him our ways, no matter how much we may stumble, is made perfect too.  

Our walk is about progress, not perfection. The only perfect One is Jesus so as much as we try we have to realize that in our own strength we will undoubtedly not be able to do everything perfectly.   

However, when we make Jesus our life, abide in Him, and allow Him to live through us we can do and accomplish things we otherwise would have thought to be impossible.  

It was only after coming to Christ and surrendering to His will that I was able to overcome my addictions.  It was only because of my desire to surrender to the Lord’s will did I volunteer to serve at my local church or to do any “ministry” work.  It was only through following Jesus and having a desire to share His love did I ever decide to evangelize, write this blog, do this podcast, or go into the mission field.  

While I didn’t do any of these things flawlessly, the Lord gave me the strength to follow His “perfect way”.  Things weren’t always easy following this “perfect way” and I have lost many things in its pursuit, but I can say it’s a perfect way because I was God’s lead to the best of my abilities and I have no regrets.  

So rest in the fact that there is no one like our God and go to Him to receive the strength you need to follow the “perfect way” that He has for you.  

___________________________________________

As always, I invite all to go to mt4christ.org where I always share insights from prominent Christian theologians and counselors to assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk.

Today we continue sharing from A.W. Pink’s “The Sovereignty of God.”

As always, I share this information for educational purposes and encourage all to purchase Bonhoeffer’s books for your own private study and to support his work.  This resource is available on many websites for less than $20.00.

THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD

By  ARTHUR W. PINK

CHAPTER FOUR

THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD IN SALVATION, continues.

2. The Sovereignty of God the Son in Salvation - continues

(2) The very nature of the Atonement evidences that, in its application to sinners, it was limited in the purpose of God. The Atonement of Christ may be considered from two chief viewpoints—Godward and manward. Godward, the Cross-work of Christ was a propitiation, an appeasing of Divine wrath, a satisfaction rendered to Divine justice and holiness; manward, it was a substitution, the Innocent taking the place of the guilty, the Just dying for the unjust. But a strict substitution of a Person for persons, and the infliction upon Him of voluntary sufferings, involve the definite recognition on the part of the Substitute and of the One He is to propitiate of the persons for whom He acts, whose sins He bears, whose legal obligations He discharges. Furthermore, if the Lawgiver accepts the satisfaction which is made by the Substitute then those for whom the Substitute acts, whose place He takes, must necessarily be acquitted. If I am in debt and unable to discharge it and another comes forward and pays my creditor in full and receives a receipt in acknowledgment, then, in the sight of the law, my creditor no longer has any claim upon me. On the Cross the Lord Jesus gave Himself a ransom, and that it was accepted by God was attested by the open grave three days later; the question we would here raise is, For whom was this ransom offered? If it was offered for all mankind then the debt incurred by every man has been cancelled. If Christ bore in His own body on the tree the sins of all men without exception, then none will perish. If Christ was “made a curse” for all of Adam’s race then none are now “under condemnation.” “Payment God cannot twice demand, first at my bleeding Surety’s hand and then again at mine.” But Christ did not discharge the debts of all men without exception, for some there are who will be “cast into prison” (cf. 1 Peter 3:19 where the same Greek word for “prison” occurs), and they shall “by no means come out thence, till they have paid the uttermost farthing” (Matt. 5:26), which, of course, will never be. Christ did not bear the sins of all mankind, for some there are who “die in their sins” (John 8:21), and whose “sin remaineth” (John 9:41). Christ was not “made a curse” for all of Adam’s race, for some there are to whom He will yet say, “Depart from Me ye cursed” (Matt. 25:41). To say that Christ died for all alike, to say that He became the Substitute and Surety of the whole human race, to say that He suffered on behalf of and in the stead of all mankind, is to say that He “bore the curse for many who are now bearing the curse for themselves; that He suffered punishment for many who are now lifting up their own eyes in Hell, being in torments; that He paid the redemption price for many who shall yet pay in their own eternal anguish the wages of sin, which is death” (George S. Bishop). But, on the other hand, to say as Scripture says, that Christ was stricken for the transgressions of God’s people, to say that He gave His life “for the sheep,” to say that He gave His life a ransom “for many,” is to say that He made an atonement which fully atones; it is to say He paid a price which actually ransoms; it is to say He was set forth a propitiation which really propitiates; it is to say He is a Saviour who truly saves.

(3) Closely connected with, and confirmatory of what we have said above, is the teaching of Scripture concerning our Lord’s priesthood. It is as the great High Priest that Christ now makes intercession. But for whom does He intercede? for the whole human race, or only for His own people? The answer furnished by the New Testament to this question is clear as a sunbeam. Our Saviour has entered into heaven itself “now to appear in the presence of God for us” (Heb. 9:24), that is, for those who are “partakers of the heavenly calling” (Heb. 3:1). And again it is written, “Wherefore He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them” (Heb. 7:25). This is in strict accord with the Old Testament type. After slaying the sacrificial animal, Aaron went into the holy of holies as the representative and on behalf of the people of God: it was the names of Israel’s tribes which were engraven on his breastplate, and it was in their interests he appeared before God. Agreeable to this are our Lord’s words in John 17:9—“I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which Thou hast given Me; for they are Thine.” Another scripture which deserves careful attention in this connection is found in Romans 8. In verse 33 the question is asked, “Who shall lay anything to the charge of God’s elect?” and then follows the inspired answer—“It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea, rather that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.” Note particularly that the death and intercession of Christ have one and the same objects! As it was in the type so it is with the antitype—expiation and supplication are co-extensive. If then Christ intercedes for the elect only, and “not for the world,” then He died for them only. And observe further, that the death, resurrection, exaltation and intercession of the Lord Jesus are here assigned as the reason why none can lay any “charge” against God’s elect. Let those who would still take issue with what we are advancing weigh carefully the following question—If the death of Christ extends equally to all, how does it become security against a “charge,” seeing that all who believe not are “under condemnation”? (John 3:18).

(4) The number of those who share the benefits of Christ’s death is determined not only by the nature of the Atonement and the priesthood of Christ but also by His power. Grant that the One who died upon the Cross was God manifest in the flesh and it follows inevitably that what Christ has purposed that will He perform; that what He has purchased that will He possess; that what He has set His heart upon that will He secure. If the Lord Jesus possesses all power in heaven and earth then none can successfully resist His will. But it may be said, This is true in the abstract, nevertheless, Christ refuses to exercise this power, inasmuch as He will never force anyone to receive Him as their Lord and Saviour. In one sense that is true, but in another sense it is positively untrue. The salvation of any sinner is a matter of Divine power. By nature the sinner is at enmity with God, and naught but Divine power operating within him can overcome this enmity; hence it is written, “No man can come unto Me, except the Father which hath sent Me draw him” (John 6:44). It is the Divine power overcoming the sinner’s innate enmity which makes him willing to come to Christ that he might have life. But this “enmity” is not overcome in all—why? Is it because the enmity is too strong to be overcome? Are there some hearts so steeled against Him that Christ is unable to gain entrance? To answer in the affirmative is to deny His omnipotence. In the final analysis it is not a question of the sinner’s willingness or unwillingness, for by nature all are unwilling. Willingness to come to Christ is the finished product of Divine power operating in the human heart and will in overcoming man’s inherent and chronic “enmity,” as it is written, “Thy people shall be willing in the day of Thy power” (Psa. 110:3). To say that Christ is unable to win to Himself those who are unwilling is to deny that all power in heaven and earth is His. To say that Christ cannot put forth His power without destroying man’s responsibility is a begging of the question here raised, for He has put forth His power and made willing those who have come to Him, and if He did this without destroying their responsibility, why “cannot” He do so with others? If He is able to win the heart of one sinner to Himself why not that of another? To say, as is usually said, the others will not let Him is to impeach His sufficiency. It is a question of His will. If the Lord Jesus has decreed, desired, purposed the salvation of all mankind, then the entire human race will be saved, or, otherwise, He lacks the power to make good His intentions; and in such a case it could never be said, “He shall see of the travail of His soul and be satisfied.” The issue raised involves the deity of the Saviour, for a defeated Saviour cannot be God.[1]

---------------------------more tomorrow------------------------

Join our “Victory over the Darkness”, “The Bondage Breaker”, "Freedom in Christ" series of Discipleship Classes via the mt4christ247 podcast!

at https://mt4christ247.podbean.com, You can also find it on Apple podcasts

(https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-mt4christ247s-podcast/id1551615154). The mt4christ247 podcast is also available on Google Podcasts, Amazon Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartradio, and Audible.com. 

These teachings are also available on the MT4Christ247 You Tube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@MT4Christ247

Email me at mt4christ247@gmail.com to receive the class materials, share your progress, and to be encouraged.

My wife, TammyLyn, also offers Christian encouragement via her Ask Seek Knock blog (https://tammylynask.blogspot.com/ ),  her Facebook Group: Ask, Seek, Knock (https://www.facebook.com/groups/529047851449098 ) and her podcast Ask, Seek, and Knock on Podbean (https://feed.podbean.com/tammalyn78/feed.xml)

“The views, opinions, and commentary of this publication are those of the author, M.T. Clark, only, and do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of any of the photographers, artists, ministries, or other authors of the other works that may be included in this publication, and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of any entities the author may represent.”

Encouragement for the Path of Christian Discipleship

 

 



[1] Arthur W. Pink, The Sovereignty of God (Swengel, PA: Bible Truth Depot, 1949), 68–71.


Thursday, January 12, 2023

Just Breathe… and Follow Him - Purity 939

 

 Just Breathe… and Follow Him - Purity 939

Purity 939 01/11/2023 Purity 939 Podcast

Purity 939 on YouTube: 



Good morning,

Today’s photo of an ascending boardwalk bridge bathed in sunlight underneath a clear blue sky comes to us from a friend who shared this scene from “Port A” back on May 7th of 2022 with the simple caption: “Ahhhhh… just breathe”.  

Well it’s Thursday again, and as is my habit I share my friends’ photo as a visual representation of the path of Christian Discipleship and I share her sentiment to encourage anyone who would hear or read this message to pause and rest in the moment and to consider drawing closer to God with the way you live your life.

One of the biggest stumbling blocks to a life of peace and joy is the tendency for us to think of our relationship with the Lord as being separate from the rest of our lives. Our society and even our “church culture” can paint the picture that God is to be enjoyed in the four walls of a church and be left there to be visited once a week or on special occasions.  The belief that there has to be a separation of “church” and the rest of our lives seeks to put God in a box but invariably keeps the ones who hold such a view in a doubleminded world view and limited in their faith and in experiencing the fruit of the Spirit from growing in their lives.   

Such a categorization and division of the holy and the secular would have us serving two masters and unfortunately the time spent in each realm would reveal that we might relate to the world more than we do to God.  

So how do we resolve this?

Do we pack up our stuff and camp out on the church’s front lawn or let the pastor know that we are officially drawing closer to God so we will be setting up house in whatever space they can provide us?  

While those ideas would certainly show where your heart is, a better idea would be to welcome the Lord to move in with you and to ask Him to go with you as you walk through life.  

The good news is that you won’t be disrupting God. He’s omnipresent, everywhere at once, so He doesn’t even have to pack a bag to be your travelling companion through life.  The truth is that if you have made Jesus Christ your Lord and Savior, His Holy Spirit  lives in you already and He will be happy to pour out into all the aspects of your life.

Now the idea of going on some spiritual journey might be a little scary to some, as we don’t know what that is like or because we fear what the Lord will have us do. Or we could fear that following the unseen God is just crazy.  To that I would echo the Lord’s sentiments from His word in:

Joshua 1:9 (NKJV) where God said
9  Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go."

And

Deuteronomy 31:6 (NKJV) where Moses encouraged:
6  Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you."

And in case you are one of those “that was written to the nation of Israel” guys. Here is a verse directly concerning “us” -  the church, Christians:

2 Timothy 1:7 (NKJV) where Paul, writing about Christians said:
7  For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

It is the Same God from the Old to the New Testament, and His word encourages that:

God is with us wherever we go, So let’s talk to Him. 

God will never leave us or forsake us, So let’s draw on His presence, strength and guidance to lead us.  

And God’s Spirit lives in us, to give us the power to overcome our fears, to love like He loves,  and He assures us that following Him can be done with a sound mind.   

So just breathe and follow Him.

I’m sharing a link from open bible dot info’s list of “Do not fear” verses on the blog today (https://www.openbible.info/topics/do_not_fear)  to encourage you and to assure you that you need not fear developing your relationship with the Lord.   He will teach you through His word and His presence, if you just stop, take a deep breath and decide to follow where ever He leads you. 

Don’t worry. He will most likely lead you to a body of Bible believing Christians where you can grow and discover His purpose for your life.   

If you are local to the capital district I am sharing the link to this week’s “Pray Together prayer event. ( https://starpoint.church/events/?fbclid=IwAR2Bi4rGW8KfvIZKXwIe8njRlmmYvMb8MRTESB5b2WDLvRdCytqKB9_oQ-g?sapurl=LytlMzE4L2xiL2V2Lyt3MzNoM3ljP2JyYW5kaW5nPXRydWUmZW1iZWQ9dHJ1ZSZyZWNlbnRSb3V0ZT1hcHAud2ViLWFwcC5saWJyYXJ5LmNhbGVuZGFyJnJlY2VudFJvdXRlU2x1Zz0lMkI5emdrZ3I1) Consider it my invitation to you to “Come and See” what the Lord may do in this event.   And to possibly join one of the four churches represented here.  

If you are not local and yearn for a deeper walk with God and to experience your freedom in Christ, I am sharing a link to Freedom in Christ Ministries where you can boldly step out and join an online class (https://www.ficm.org/courses/level-1-get-started/ ). I will be leading the Freedom in Christ course for Men, on Tuesday nights, but there are many to choose from and I know that any one of them can help you in further developing your relationship with God. Classes begin near the end of the month, so sign up today.   

Whether you can make it to the local prayer event, sign up for a class, or not, let me encourage you to “just breathe” and to make the daily decision to keep walking and talking with God and to discover the life of abundant peace and joy, and the other fruit of the Spirit, that He has for you.

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Today’s Bible verse comes to us from “The NLT Bible Promise Book for Men”.

This morning’s meditation verse is:

Ephesians 3:19 (NLT2)
19  May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.

Today’s verse encourages us that we are made complete when we experience God’s love that provides us with all the fullness of life, even though it may be too great to understand.  

I remember a worship song that considered the question of God’s Amazing love.   There are others but Chris Tomlin’s “Amazing Love” states: 

“I'm forgiven because You were forsaken,

I'm accepted, You were condemned.

I am alive and well, Your sprit is within me,

Because You died and rose again.

Amazing love,

How can it be?

That You, my King would die for me?

Amazing love,

I know it's true.

It's my joy to honor You,

In all I do, I honor You.”  

(https://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/c/chris_tomlin/amazing_love.html)

It's difficult to understand why God would send His Son to die us, but He did and He did it because of His love for us. 

And when we know God’s love, and make Jesus our Lord and Savior, it fills the empty our lives that only God was meant to fill.  God’s love gives us the fullness of life and so I echo Paul’s prayer that even though you may not be able to fully understand it: I pray that you experience the love of Christ and allow Him to give you the fullness of life and the power that only comes from God.

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As always, I invite all to go to mt4christ.org where I always share insights from prominent Christian theologians and counselors to assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk.

Today we continue sharing from A.W. Pink’s “The Sovereignty of God”

As always, I share this information for educational purposes and encourage all to purchase Bonhoeffer’s books for your own private study and to support his work.  This resource is available on many websites for less than $20.00.

THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD

By  ARTHUR W. PINK

CHAPTER THREE

SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD IN ADMINISTRATION continues

3. God governs the children of men

We fully appreciate the fact that this is the most difficult part of our subject, and, accordingly, it will be dealt with at greater length in the pages that follow; but at present we consider the fact of God’s government over men in general, before we attempt to deal with the problem in detail.

Two alternatives confront us, and between them we are obliged to choose: either God governs, or He is governed; either God rules, or He is ruled; either God has His way, or men have theirs. And is our choice between these alternatives hard to make? Shall we say that in man we behold a creature so unruly that he is beyond God’s control? Shall we say that sin has alienated the sinner so far from the thrice Holy One that he is outside the pale of His jurisdiction? Or, shall we say that man has been endowed with moral responsibility, and therefore God must leave him entirely free, at least during the period of his probation? Does it necessarily follow because the natural man is an outlaw against heaven, a rebel against the Divine government, that God is unable to fulfil His purpose through him? We mean, not merely that He may overrule the effects of the actions of evil-doers, nor that He will yet bring the wicked to stand before His judgment-bar so that sentence of punishment may be passed upon them—multitudes of non-Christians believe these things—but, we mean, that every action of the most lawless of His subjects is entirely beneath His control, yea that the actor is, though unknown to himself, carrying out the secret decrees of the Most High. Was it not thus with Judas? and is it possible to select a more extreme case? If then the arch-rebel was performing the counsel of God is it any greater tax upon our faith to believe the same of all rebels?

Our present object is no philosophic inquiry nor metaphysical causistry, but to ascertain the teaching of Scripture upon this profound theme. To the Law and the Testimony, for there only can we learn of the Divine government—its character, its design, its modus operandi, its scope. What then has it pleased God to reveal to us in His blessed Word concerning His rule over the works of His hands, and particularly, over the one who originally was made in His own image and likeness?

“In Him we live, and move, and have our being” (Acts 17:28). What a sweeping assertion is this! These words, be it noted, were addressed, not to one of the churches of God, not to a company of saints who had reached an exalted plane of spirituality, but to a heathen audience, to those who worshipped “the unknown God” and who “mocked” when they heard of the resurrection of the dead. And yet, to the Athenian philosophers, to the Epicureans and Stoics, the apostle Paul did not hesitate to affirm that they lived and moved and had their being in God, which signified not only that they owed their existence and preservation to the One who made the world and all things therein, but also that their very actions were encompassed and therefore controlled by the Lord of heaven and earth. Compare Dan. 5:23, last clause!

“The disposings (margin) of the heart, and the answer of the tongue is from the Lord” (Prov. 16:1). Mark that the above declaration is of general application—it is of “man,” not simply of believers, that this is predicated. “A man’s heart deviseth his way: but the Lord directeth his steps” (Prov. 16:9). If the Lord directs the steps of a man, is it not proof that he is being controlled or governed by God? Again: “There are many devices in a man’s heart; nevertheless the counsel of the Lord, that shall stand” (Prov. 19:21). Can this mean anything less than, that no matter what man may desire and plan, it is the will of his Maker which is executed? As an illustration take the “Rich Fool.” The “devices” of his heart are made known to us—“And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there I will bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.” Such were the “devices” of his heart, nevertheless it was “the counsel of the Lord” that stood. The “I will’s” of the rich man came to nought, for “God said unto him, Thou fool, this night shall thy soul be required of thee” (Luke 12).

“The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water: He turneth it whithersoever He will” (Prov. 21:1). What could be more explicit? Out of the heart are “the issues of life” (Prov. 4:23), for as a man “thinketh in his heart, so is he” (Prov. 23:7). If then the heart is in the hand of the Lord, and if “He turneth it whithersoever He will,” then is it not clear that men, yea, governors and rulers, and so all men, are completely beneath the governmental control of the Almighty!

No limitations must be placed upon the above declarations. To insist that some men, at least, do thwart God’s will and overturn His counsels, is to repudiate other scriptures equally explicit. Weigh well the following: “But He is one mind, and who can turn Him? and what His soul desireth, even that He doeth” (Job 23:13). “The counsel of the Lord standeth for ever, the thoughts of His heart to all generations” (Psa. 33:11). “There is no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel against the Lord” (Prov. 21:30). “For the Lord of hosts hath purposed, and who shall disannul it? And His hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back?” (Isa. 14:27). “Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else! I am God, and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure” (Isa. 46:9, 10). There is no ambiguity in these passages. They affirm in the most unequivocal and unqualified terms that it is impossible to bring to naught the purpose of Jehovah.

We read the Scriptures in vain if we fail to discover that the actions of men, evil men as well as good, are governed by the Lord God. Nimrod and his fellows determined to erect the tower of Babel, but ere their task was accomplished God frustrated their plans. God called Abraham “alone” (Isa. 51:2), but his kinsfolk accompanied him as he left Ur of the Chaldees. Was then the will of the Lord defeated? Nay, verily. Mark the sequel. Terah died before Canaan was reached (Gen. 11:31), and though Lot accompanied his uncle into the land of promise, he soon separated from him and settled down in Sodom. Jacob was the child to whom the inheritance was promised, and though Isaac sought to reverse Jehovah’s decree and bestow the blessing upon Esau, his efforts came to naught. Esau again swore vengeance upon Jacob, but when next they met they wept for joy instead of fighting in hate. The brethren of Joseph determined his destruction but their evil counsels were overthrown. Pharaoh refused to let Israel carry out the instructions of Jehovah and perished in the Red Sea for his pains. Balak hired Balaam to curse the Israelites but God compelled him to bless them. Haman erected a gallows for Mordecai but was hanged upon it himself. Jonah resisted the revealed will of God but what became of his efforts?

Ah, the heathen may “rage” and the people imagine a “vain thing;” the kings of earth may “set themselves,” and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against His Christ, saying, “Let us break Their bands asunder, and cast away Their cords from us” (Psa. 2:1–3). But is the great God perturbed or disturbed by the rebellion of his puny creatures? No, indeed: “He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision” (v. 4). He is infinitely exalted above all, and the greatest confederacies of earth’s pawns, and their most extensive and vigorous preparations to defeat His purpose are, in His sight, altogether purile. He looks upon their puny efforts, not only without any alarm, but He “laughs” at their folly; He treats their impotency with “derision.” He knows that He can crush them like moths when He pleases, or consume them in a moment with the breath of His mouth. Ah, it is but “a vain thing” for the potsherds of the earth to strive with the glorious Majesty of Heaven. Such is our God; worship ye Him.

Mark, too, the sovereignty which God displayed in His dealings with men! Moses who was slow of speech, and not Aaron his elder brother who was not slow of speech, was the one chosen to be His ambassador in demanding from Egypt’s monarch the release of His oppressed people. Moses again, though greatly beloved, utters one hasty word and was excluded from Canaan; whereas Elijah, passionately murmurs and suffers but a mild rebuke, and was afterwards taken to heaven without seeing death! Uzzah merely touched the ark and was instantly slain, whereas the Philistines carried it off in insulting triumph and suffered no immediate harm. Displays of grace which would have brought a doomed Sodom to repentance failed to move an highly privileged Capernaum. Mighty works which would have subdued Tyre and Sidon left the upbraided cities of Galilee under the curse of a rejected Gospel. If they would have prevailed over the former, why were thy not wrought there? If they proved ineffectual to deliver the latter then why perform them? What exhibitions are these of the sovereign will of the Most High?[1]

---------------------------more tomorrow------------------------

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Encouragement for the Path of Christian Discipleship



[1] Arthur W. Pink, The Sovereignty of God (Swengel, PA: Bible Truth Depot, 1949), 47–51.