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Showing posts with label Divorce. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Divorce. Show all posts

Tuesday, January 30, 2024

Relationship Recovery – Three Relationships that Need to End - Purity 1261

Relationship Recovery – Three Relationships that Need to End - Purity 1261

Purity 1261 01/30/2024 Purity 1261 Podcast

Purity 1261 on YouTube: 



Good morning,

Today’s photo of the Temple of Apollo in Ancient Corinth comes to us from my pastor, Roscoe Lily who shared this photo on social media back on January 19th commenting that he “found it fascinating the juxtaposition of the broken down Temple of Apollo facing a church that worships Jesus. The Jesus that Paul preached in Corinth is still worshiped 2000 years later…all around the world. Acts 18:4-11” And although Roscoe didn’t say this, I will, And Apollo? Do people worship him? Not so much.” 

Well, It’s Tuesday and I love that my pastor had a biblical focus even on his vacation, and shared it with his friends on social media,  showing us that there really is no time off from our faith.  Our lives as followers of Jesus Christ are to be an ongoing expression of our relationship to God where we appreciate where it all began – in history, with our salvation, and how it continues right up until today.  Our relationship with God doesn’t end and because He is our Creator and Redeemer it is the most important thing about us. 

Our church was blessed to have Pastor Roscoe back this week and he delivered a message for the ages because it stressed an important application of trying to live as a Christian as it faced the hard truth that while our relationship with God will never end the fact that we are trying to follow the Lord may cause us to need to put up boundaries or even end relationships with toxic people.  I am sharing a link on the blog that will take you to that message and I encourage anyone who has difficult or toxic people in their lives to watch it. (https://starpoint.church/archives/?sapurl=LytlMzE4L2xiL21pLytxcTRxN2hjP2JyYW5kaW5nPXRydWUmZW1iZWQ9dHJ1ZSZyZWNlbnRSb3V0ZT1hcHAud2ViLWFwcC5saWJyYXJ5Lmxpc3QmcmVjZW50Um91dGVTbHVnPSUyQnZycHZkeDg=)

As we follow the Lord on the path of Christian discipleship we will inevitably come to a crossroads in our journey where we will realize that people in our lives aren’t walking with us and will choose to leave us, or we will have to make the decision to leave their company. 

Pastor Roscoe’s message preached on the three types of relationships that need to end stating that we should end relationships where:

1.    People are influencing you negatively.

2.    God is moving people out of your life.

3.    People are Toxic – where they have a “murderous spirit” – where all they seem to do is want to “kill, steal, or destroy” everything good in your life to serve themselves.

Your friends in “low places” - that drag you down, remind you of your pre-Christ sinful life, and want to keep you there – meet all three criteria in my book.  When we come to Christ, we die and become new creations and sometimes we need to say goodbye to relationships that would distract us from the life that God has for us.    

And because we never want to think of our Christian lives as just involving the things we lose or the things we “can’t do anymore”, we look to fulfill our legitimate needs for relationships and fun by replacing our old toxic relationships and habits with new ones that will cause us to grow and thrive in the abundant life that God has for us.

The loss of family and friend relationships that are toxic can be painful but God provides us with the body of Christ to give us a new family and new friends that we can do life with where the people influence us positively, where we can see how God has moved them into our life, and how they are the opposite of toxic – where they have a life-giving spirit that fills your life with peace, joy, and thanksgiving at having them in your life.  

Do you have a lot of relationships like that?  I do and the reason I do, as different as all my friends are from one another, is because we all have Jesus in common. I would have never met any of the people that I consider as friends (or really family – my spiritual family) that I have in my life, with the exception of my biological family, if it wasn’t for Jesus.  Some of them are reading this message or hearing this message right now.  My ministry is one of encouragement because that is what the Lord has done in my life. He called me, saved me, and moved me into a new life and so I encourage my brothers and sisters in Christ, and anybody who will listen, to seek the Lord and His will for your life because of the joy and peace that comes from living with Him at the center of your life.  

It may a lonely road at times, but if you are walking with the Lord, He will bring people into your life – through the local church, social media, and wherever He calls you to go for work or ministry. When we carry the Lord's love and wisdom into our lives, we encourage and remind everyone we meet of the goodness of God and the hope we have in Jesus. 

So if your peace and joy in the Lord is being hindered by people who influence you negatively or are toxic, realize that God may not lead them out of your life but may be indicating that you will have to do your part to find your freedom by making the difficult decision to end the relationship yourself.  

Acts of faith and sacrifices are “a thing” in our walk with the Lord. When we act in faith and do the difficult things to be true to our relationship with God, rather than man, we grow closer to the Lord and we are invariably blessed by the absence of negative things and people, and addition or presence of the good people and things we choose to focus on as part of our new lives in Christ. 

So go into “relationship recovery” by having the difficult conversations to say “It’s finished” and putting up the appropriate boundaries to either limit or eliminate completely the presence of people in your life who impact you negatively, are being moved out of your life by God, or who are, let’s face it, toxic.  

God makes us new creations in Christ so say goodbye to the old and keep walking and talking with God to say hello to the abundant life of love, peace, and joy that He has for you.

 

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

Today’s Bible verses come to us from “The Quick Scripture Reference for Counseling” By John G. Kruis.

( While Bible verses on various topics of Counseling can be found with a quick Google search, we encourage you to purchase this resource to support the late author’s work. (https://www.amazon.com/Quick-Scripture-Reference-Counseling-Kruis-ebook/dp/B00CIUJZT2?ref_=ast_author_dp )

This morning’s meditation verse come from the section on Communication, Gossip, and Lying.

Proverbs 17:28 (NASB)
28  Even a fool, when he keeps silent, is considered wise; When he closes his lips, he is considered prudent.

Today’s verse is the fifth of five passages of scripture that fall under the fifth point of our counseling reference guide resource’s section on Communication, Gossip, and Lying.

5.     Be quick to listen, slow to speak.

Today’s verse encourages us to at least appear wise, by choosing to remain silent. Oh the stupid things that I have said that I wish I hadn’t said!  Remember, you won’t regret the stupid things you don’t say!  Wiser people than I have indicated that we should stop and take a pause before everything we say. We pause to think about what we are going to say and whether or not we need to say it at all, or whether we need to say it now.  Asking those questions in our minds – do I need to say this, do I need to say this now – could save us a lot of grief and we may even see that we are wiser by choosing to remain silent.  

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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 “According to Your Word: Morning and Evening Through the New Testament” By Stephen F. Olford – A Collection of Devotional Journals: 1940-1941.

As always, I share this information for educational purposes and encourage you all to purchase Olford’s books for your own private study and to support his work.  This resource is available online for less than $10 at many sites.

MORNING READING: MATTHEW 21

“He was hungry.” – Matthew 21:18

Truly, great is the mystery of godliness – God was manifested in the flesh! That He, the Jehovah Jireh, should hunger is a mystery that baffles the finite mind.

Yet it is a precious thought and fact. For having passed the way of all men, He can now be touched with every feeling of my infirmity. Having been tested, He can now succor.

Yes, my blessed Lord hungered, slept, wearied, wept, sorrowed, suffered, and died – Praise His wonderful Name!

Give me the power and grace, O Lord, to walk
even as You did walk in this scene despite the fact
that You were perfectly human. Amen.[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 YouTube 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

Thursday, December 28, 2023

The Joy of Finished Business and Looking Ahead - Purity 1233


 The Joy of Finished Business and Looking Ahead - Purity 1233

Purity 1233 12/28/2023 Purity 1233 Podcast

Purity 1233 on YouTube: 



Good morning,

Today’s photo of a pink and blue morning sky over a roadway that is lined with Christmas lights comes to us from an unknown FB friend who captured this scene, presumably near their home, back on Christmas Day of 2020.  

Well, it’s Thursday and I share this blast from the past because of its simple beauty, it features a pathway, and as we get closer to a new year I tend to take a look back to reflect on and resolve things from the past.  

So by sharing this photo on the blog, I will delete it from my phone’s photo archive and be one “photo space” free-er going forward.  It is good to reflect on the past from time to time and it is absolutely wonderful to get rid of things we no longer need and to tie up loose ends.  Every problem we solve is one less burden to carry as we go forward in life, and I am happy to report that yesterday I had a humungous burden lifted from my shoulders, mind, and credit report that I previously had only hoped and prayed for deliverance from.  

In 2019, my divorce agreement was signed and finalized and among the terms of the agreement was the sale of the house at 7 Birch Hill Rd in Craryville.  I vacated that home in what I think of as “my Exodus” to Stuyvesant as the Lord used my determination, hard work, and other fortuitous circumstances to give me the means to buy a house for my children and I to go to in 2020.  My ex remainder behind but basically refused to sell the house until yesterday. The house has been sold  and the closing is completed. And even though I expected to receive next to nothing from its sale, when I signed the divorce agreement in 2019, the Lord was faithful to move all things together for my good as I was blessed with a buyer who paid us more than we did for the property, enough to cover all the associated costs and expenses and to give me 66% of the money that I had paid off of the principal on the mortgage.  While I didn’t walk away rich, I did walk away with enough to pay off all of my debt and to bankroll a trip to Disney World in February.  So I’ll take it and I will thank the Lord every day, as is my habit, for who He is, what HE has done, and what He continues to do.  

I am far from perfect and still have many areas to improve in, but I will do my best to follow the Lord’s will for my life and I will praise and thank Him all the days of my life for the new life He has given me in Christ. 

The path of Christian Discipleship has not always been easy. I have suffered loss and have been challenged to rethink everything I knew about life as I have tried to understand who the Lord has made me to be and to turn from my ways of doing things to His way and while it has been difficult at times I have no regrets and earnestly encourage any and everyone who is reading or listening to this message to make Jesus their Savior and to completely surrender to His Lordship and to follow Him with the way you live.   Christ’s is definitely the path less travelled these days, but I will proclaim with my dying breath that it has made all the difference and leads to peace, love, and joy.

So with 2024, right around the corner let me encourage you to get on the path of Christian Discipleship to become the person God created you to be, the person you always wanted to be, but never thought you could be, and watch and see just how good and faithful God is when you decide to live with and for Him.   

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

Today’s Bible verses come to us from “The Quick Scripture Reference for Counseling” By John G. Kruis.

( While Bible verses on various topics of Counseling can be found with a quick Google search, we encourage you to purchase this resource to support the late author’s work. (https://www.amazon.com/Quick-Scripture-Reference-Counseling-Kruis-ebook/dp/B00CIUJZT2?ref_=ast_author_dp )

This morning’s meditation verses come from the section on Comfort.

Psalm 139:1-12 (NASB)
1  O LORD, You have searched me and known me.
2  You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You understand my thought from afar.
3  You scrutinize my path and my lying down, And are intimately acquainted with all my ways.
4  Even before there is a word on my tongue, Behold, O LORD, You know it all.
5  You have enclosed me behind and before, And laid Your hand upon me.
6  Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is too high, I cannot attain to it.
7  Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence?
8  If I ascend to heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there.
9  If I take the wings of the dawn, If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea,
10  Even there Your hand will lead me, And Your right hand will lay hold of me.
11  If I say, "Surely the darkness will overwhelm me, And the light around me will be night,"
12  Even the darkness is not dark to You, And the night is as bright as the day. Darkness and light are alike to You.

Today’s verses fall under the fifth point  of our counseling reference guide resource’s section on Comfort.

5. God knows us most intimately; he holds and guides us by his hand.

 

Today’s verses tell us of the One who never leaves us or forsakes us, who follows us wherever we go throughout the earth, and who knows us completely. 

 

God is all knowing and ever present.  No matter where we go – there we are- and there God is. He knows our location physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually at all times.  He knows us better than any other and knows where we were and where we are going.  

 

So why not walk with Him and trust Him to help you with the rest of your life.   God is with us whether we like it or not.  So why not make peace with Him by putting our faith in Jesus and trusting Him to guide us into the future. Trust me when I tell you that His plans are better than your plans.  

God is with us, so make peace with Him and be comforted by His presence.

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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 are sharing from “God is in the Manger- Reflections on Advent and Christmas” – By Dietrich Bonhoeffer.   

As always, I share this information for educational purposes and encourage you all to purchase Bonhoeffer’s books for your own private study and to support his work.  This resource is available online for less than $10 at many sites.

God is in the Manger – Dietrich Bonhoeffer

THE TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS AND EPIPHANY

DECEMBER 28

With God There Is Joy

Everlasting joy shall be upon their heads” (Isa. 35:10). Since ancient times, in the Christian church, acedia—sadness of heart, resignation—has been considered a mortal sin. “Serve the Lord with gladness!” (Ps. 100:2 RSV), urges the Scripture. For this, our life has been given to us, and for this, it has been sustained for us to this present hour. The joy that no one can take from us belongs not only to those who have been called home, but also to us who are still living. In this joy we are one with them, but never in sadness. How are we supposed to be able to help those who are without joy and courage, if we ourselves are not borne by courage and joy? What is meant here is not something made or forced, but something given and free. With God there is joy, and from him it comes down and seizes spirit, soul, and body. And where this joy has seized a person, it reaches out around itself, it pulls others along, it bursts through closed doors. There is a kind of joy that knows nothing at all of the pain, distress, and anxiety of the heart. But it cannot last; it can only numb for a time. The joy of God has gone through the poverty of the manger and the distress of the cross; therefore it is invincible and irrefutable.

Acedia may be an unfamiliar term to those not well versed in monastic history or medieval literature. But that does not mean it has no relevance for contemporary readers.… I believe that such standard dictionary definitions of acedia as “apathy,” “boredom,” or “torpor” do not begin to cover it, and while we may find it convenient to regard it as a more primitive word for what we now term depression, the truth is much more complex. Having experienced both conditions, I think it likely that most of the restless boredom, frantic escapism, commitment phobia, and enervating despair that plagues us today is the ancient demon of acedia in modern dress.

Kathleen Norris, Acedia & Me: A Marriage, Monks, and a Writer’s Life

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth.

Worship the Lord with gladness;

come into his presence with singing.

Know that the Lord is God.

It is he that made us, and we are his;

we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving,

and his courts with praise.

Give thanks to him, bless his name.

For the Lord is good;

his steadfast love endures forever,

and his faithfulness to all generations.

Psalm 100[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 YouTube 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] Dietrich Bonhoeffer, God Is in the Manger: Reflections on Advent and Christmas, ed. Jana Riess, trans. O. C. Dean Jr., First edition. (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2010), 72–73.

Friday, November 10, 2023

He Will Restore Your Soul – A Mindful of Christ Encouragement and Reminder - Purity 1195

 

He Will Restore Your Soul – A Mindful of Christ Encouragement and Reminder - Purity 1195

Purity 1195 11/10/2023 Purity 1195 Podcast

Purity 1195 on YouTube: 



Good morning,

Today’s photo of a “Bridge over Tranquil Waters” comes to us from Fred Dimmick who shared this peaceful scene on social media this week captioning it as “Tranquility at the river”, 

Well, It’s Friday – and as we are observing Veteran’s Day tomorrow, with the day off today, I am at my wife, TammyLyn’s countryside estate for a three-day weekend where I fully expect to discover a measure of tranquility as we are scheduled to see a show tonight, Seussical the Musical, at the Charles R. Wood Theater in Glens Falls this evening for a little fun and I’m not sure what else for tomorrow. But I do know that a long weekend with my wife will give me a peaceful easy feeling just being in her presence.  

Last night after dinner, and before my online Zoom Cohort Meeting with Deeper Walk International’s School of Prayer Ministry, I had a half-hour window of “free time” to spend and instead of trying to get ahead on school or ministry work or do anything “productive”, I just asked TammyLyn if she would “lay with me”.  Now don’t get any funny ideas, while I am a virile sexy beast of a man when I want to be, I just wanted to rejoice in her presence by lying down and holding her in my arms, fully clothed.  I miss my wife during the week and while I only had half an hour to spend, I wanted to invest all of it in my love for her.  So we just held one another and rested in one another’s arms until my meeting began.  Simple times like that can build your relationship and give you rest, and I was reminded how blessed I was to have a wife who loved me and who could relax long enough to do that.

Of course, I didn’t always have TammyLyn. After my previous marriage was destroyed by divorce, I decided to follow the provisions for gentile Christians highlighted in Acts 15, and remained sexually pure and was fully prepared to remain that way for the rest of my life, with the hope that I wouldn’t have to of course, and thankfully the Lord brought TammyLyn into my life in 2021, and she became be my faithful Christian wife  on New Year’s Day 2022. So how did I cope between 2018 and 2021? Where did I find my rest? Where did I restore my soul?

Although I wasn’t dating, I wasn’t alone. I had friends in the body of Christ and family  in my life of course but the relationship that has persisted and carried me through some of the worst days of my life, was my relationship with the Lord. In his presence, I find strength, peace, love, and joy. He can restore our soul.  

So in the spirit of restoring our souls, I share Lauren Roskilly’s short encouragement based on Psalm 23:2-3, that sent out as this week’s Word for Wednesday from her ministry Mindful of Christ.net  You can subscribe to receive emails of Lauren’s Word for Wednesday for yourself to be encouraged weekly and be equipped by other Christian Resources by Lauren Roskilly by going to https://mindfulofchrist.net/. 

Psalm 23:2-3 (ESV)
2  He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.
3  He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

Lauren writes:

 

He will restore your soul

 

We all have the ability and privilege of being able to spend time with Him in his presence. When you do, He will lead you by still waters and restore your soul!

 

By simply sitting in His presence you will also:

- Experience His peace, love & joy (fruits of the Spirit)

- Find calmness

- Hear His voice

 

So, stop, take time out and rest with the Lord. Whether you are 'busy', stressed' or simply trundling through life, we all need the Lord.

 

But, perhaps you need to be intentional about it. For instance; Make a post-it note, add it to the calendar, set reminders.

This week, challenge yourself to make time to sit still with Him.

 

So if you want to experience those green pastures, be led beside those still waters & be restored then make your time with Him your priority.”

Thanks for that simple advice and encouragement, Lauren! So as many of us have a three day weekend, let me encourage you to take my friend’s advice and make time with the Lord a priority because while we may be able to find a measure of rest and relaxation in the world, only a close personal relationship with God, through faith in Jesus Christ, and time spent in His presence can restore your soul.  

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

Today’s Bible verse comes to us from “The Quick Scripture Reference for Counseling” By John G. Kruis.

( While Bible verses on various topics of Counseling can be found with a quick Google search, we encourage you to purchase this resource to support the late author’s work. (https://www.amazon.com/Quick-Scripture-Reference-Counseling-Kruis-ebook/dp/B00CIUJZT2?ref_=ast_author_dp )

This morning’s meditation verses come from the section on Children.

2 Samuel 12:18-23 (ESV)
18  On the seventh day the child died. And the servants of David were afraid to tell him that the child was dead, for they said, “Behold, while the child was yet alive, we spoke to him, and he did not listen to us. How then can we say to him the child is dead? He may do himself some harm.”
19  But when David saw that his servants were whispering together, David understood that the child was dead. And David said to his servants, “Is the child dead?” They said, “He is dead.”
20  Then David arose from the earth and washed and anointed himself and changed his clothes. And he went into the house of the LORD and worshiped. He then went to his own house. And when he asked, they set food before him, and he ate.
21  Then his servants said to him, “What is this thing that you have done? You fasted and wept for the child while he was alive; but when the child died, you arose and ate food.”
22  He said, “While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept, for I said, ‘Who knows whether the LORD will be gracious to me, that the child may live?’
23  But now he is dead. Why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he will not return to me.”.

Today’s verses fall under the sixth point of our counseling reference guide resource’s section on Children.

 6. David was comforted by the knowledge that his infant son went to heaven when he died and that he would see him there.

Today’s verses remind us that even in the deepest tragedy of death we can have hope because there is life after death and the faithful know that they will see their faithful loved ones again.  

Some may have thought David was a little cold in “getting over” his son’s death so soon but we all grieve differently and when you have a deep faith and knowledge that God has our loved ones in His hands, we can have a peace over our loved one’s departure.  

For the Christian, we don’t need to wonder where our departed loved ones go, or if their leaving us was “right”.  We know that God gives us life and He decides when to take it. We also know that He is good and that His ways are higher than our ways. So while we may not understand why our loved ones had to die when and how they did, we can trust that God either has them safe with in His kingdom or they have rightly been judged and sent where they chose to go.  If you choose to reject God’s presence in life, you can be assured you won’t be forced into after death.  We are all responsible for the consequences of our decisions and no one ends up where they didn’t choose in the end.  

David knew this and He knew God would lovingly welcome his son, an innocent baby, into His kingdom and because, David had a heart for God and a covenant relationship with Him, he knew he would see his son again.   

Our faith in and relationship with God is the most important thing about us. It holds the answer to life and death and determines where we go beyond this mortal coil.  Until Jesus returns death will come, but those in Christ will live and the only work we will have to do in grief is to adjust from the absence of our lost loved ones from our lives here on earth, because if they knew Jesus, we will see them again.   

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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 are sharing from A. W. Pink’s – The Arthur Pink Anthology  - a collection of A.W. Pink’s tracts brought together in one book and dispersed here on the blog for your encouragement.

As always, I share this information for educational purposes and encourage you all to purchase A.W. Pink’s books for your own private study and to support his work.  This resource is available online for free as a PDF at many sites, but printed copies of collections of A.W. Pink’s books are available for purchase wherever Christian books are sold. 

The Arthur Pink Anthology – 4

Bearing the Rod – Part 2 of 2

If the “trouble” through which we are passing at any period of our lives be a reproof from God because of our sins or unfaithfulness, and instead of suspecting that He is displeased with us and taking our place in the dust before Him, begging Him to put His finger on the festering sore in our hearts: if instead, we proudly imagine that there is nothing wrong in our lives, that we have given God no cause to smite us, and complacently assume that we are suffering only for “righteousness’ sake,” and draw comfort from such promises as Matthew 5:11, 12, we are deceived by Satan, and are but “forsaking our own mercy” (Jonah 2:8). It is written, He that covereth his sins shall not prosper” (Prov. 28:13). Thus, whenever “trouble” comes upon a Christian it is always the safest policy to come to the Lord and say, “Teach me, and I will hold my tongue: and cause me to understand wherein I have erred” (Job 5:24).

From what has been said above, it will be seen that it often falls to the lot of God’s servants to perform a duty which is most unpleasant to the flesh. When they come into contact with a Brother or Sister who is passing through deep waters, their natural desire is to administer comfort, but in some instances (at least) to do so would be guilty of “healing also the hurt of the daughter of My people slightly:” and how is this done? The same verse tells us, by “saying, Peace, peace, when there is no peace” (Jer. 6:14). That was what the ‘false prophets” had done to Israel, and that was the very thing which carnal Israel desired: their demand was, “Prophesy not unto us right things, speak to us smooth things, prophesy deceits” (Isa. 30:10); and human nature has not changed any since then!

It is a thankless task for any true servant of Christ today to be faithful to his Master, and faithful to the souls of those with whom he deals. Not that God requires him to think the worst of every case that comes to his notice, but that it is his burden duty to exhort each one to act on Job 10:2. But if he does do so, he may be assured at the beginning, that in the majority of cases he will be looked upon as harsh, hypercritical, unkind, like one of Job’s censorious comforters; for there are few indeed who have an honest heart, are ready to know the worst about themselves, and are willing to be cut by the knife of God’s Word. The great majority want only comfort, the “promises” of Scripture, the message of “Peace, peace.

But do not the Promises of God belong unto His children? Certainly they do: but here too “there is a season, and a time to every purpose” (Eccl. 3:1): there is a time when we may rightfully draw consolation and strength from the promises, and there is a time when we may not legitimately do so. When all is right between our souls and God, when every known sin has been confessed, and forsaken in sincere purpose of heart, then may we righteously draw milk from the breasts of Divine consolation. But just as there are times when it would be injurious for us to eat some of the things we do when we are well, so to take unto ourselves comfort from the Divine promises while sin is cherished in our hearts, is baneful and sinful.

The above (now slightly revised) recently sent by us in a letter to one passing through deep waters. It occurred to us that it might be a timely word for others. Many are now in the fiery furnace, and few indeed are there capable of speaking to them a word in season. It is not sufficient to bid them “Trust in God,” and assure them that brighter days are ahead. The conscience needs to be searched; the wound must be probed and cleansed, before it is ready for “the balm of Gilead;” we must humble ourselves “beneath the mighty hand of God” (1 Pet. 5:6), if we are to be exalted again by Him in “due time.” May the Lord be pleased to bless the above unto some of “His own.”[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 YouTube 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 Walkington Pink, The Arthur Pink Anthology (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2005).


Tuesday, September 26, 2023

Day of Atonement and the Numbering of Days - Purity 1156


Day of Atonement and the Numbering of Days - Purity 1156

Purity 1156 09/26/2023 Purity 1156 Podcast

Purity 1156 on YouTube: 



Good morning,

Today’s photo of the dwindling light of day, the headlights of passing late-day commuters, and the shop lights of Monro Muffler on Columbia Turnpike in Rensselaer comes to us from your truly as I stood outside in Monro’s parking lot last evening feeling simultaneously victorious, defeated, and content after a long day that contained struggles, triumphs, and an abiding sense of peace.  

Well, It’s Tuesday – praise the Lord -  and to say that yesterday was something of a roller coaster ride of a day would be an understatement as we experienced a few surprises and unexpected expenditures to what a stacked deck of day of responsibilities was already.  In addition to my regular workday, I had the added burden of automobile maintenance to fit in before, checking in with my wife, touching base with someone I am discipling (I think),  doing an assignment for my training with Deeper Walk’s SOM, and attending a national FICM meeting on Zoom. In hindsight, I suppose getting all of those things done in a single day would have been possible, but the Bible tells us that “we suffer for a lack of knowledge” and the reason I was at Monroe Muffler last night was because of something I didn’t know.   

My car needs a state inspection and so after a long day of work that included a 6 hour install pulling a drop wire through the trees of a backyard run, I was thrilled to get to the Jiffy Lube on Columbia Turnpike in time to get the inspection and oil change done. But unbeknownst to me, my best-laid plans weren’t going to work out as the tires of my HRV were down to the steel radials on the inside meaning I needed new tires (yeah it’s been over a year, and I did drive to South Carolina in February), and I wouldn’t pass the inspection.  I immediately began to brainstorm how I could get new tires the next day and came to the conclusion that my lack of knowledge and my busy schedule really put me at a disadvantage as I usually order tires and have them installed at Walmart – a definite best cost option.  But my inspection is up at the end of the week, and I realized that in order to “get ‘er done”, I was going to have to surrender my frugal preferences.   So I contemplated the overpriced options and left the Jiffy Lube wondering if I would have to take a day off from work to get the new tires.   

However, one of the options for tires was Monroe -which was open until 7pm and was just on the street and on the way home. Much to my delight the shop was not busy, and I was able to buy new tires there. Although I spent more than I would have liked as in “OOF”, at least I “got ‘er done” and will have to stop and get the inspection done later today.  While at Monroe, I called my wife who reminded me that her minivan was finally repaired and that was a pretty hefty bill too.  So in a single day, automobile expenses between Jiffy Lube, Monroe, and My wife’s mechanic were in the two thousand dollar range- Lord have mercy!  I realize these are necessary expenses and I am glad that everything is taken care of but oh brother.  Thus, I was feeling the thrill of victory of meeting those responsibilities and the agony of defeat of having to pay for them.

SO when I took today’s photo in Monroe’s parking lot, I had the weight of a challenging day at work and those expenses on me but the reason I was able to see some good in the day that caused me to capture the moment was because – yes – I met my automobile responsibilities, but I also got some news earlier in the day that will mark a major transition in my life.  

In the midst of my busy workday, I received a call from Dennis Wheeler, the real estate agent my ex contracted to sell our joint-owned home in Craryville.  I was officially divorced in 2019 and in the divorce agreement both parties agreed to sell the marital home “as soon as possible”.  Although I moved out in 2020, my ex remained living there. She refused to sell the house causing me to file a contempt complaint against her earlier this year – judgment still pending.  But finally, yesterday, the house in Craryville is on the market – listed to sell – if you would like to buy it I am providing a link to the listing on the blog today!  (https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/7-Birch-Hill-Rd-Craryville-NY-12521/89484456_zpid/)

So even though I had “bear” of a day because of the auto expenses, I was able to recall the fact that the last thing that needs to be done in terms of my first marriage being dissolved has finally begun to come to pass and I am not embarrassed to tell you that I have repeatedly gone to the Lord in prayer  - begging him, complaining to Him, at times to MOVE things – and now the writing is on the wall  - the dye has been cast – and sooner or later that house will sell and it will be finished!

So this morning as I thought about how God rescues us from bad situations and “moves all things together for good” I decided to look at the calendar to see if there was anything special about yesterday – September 25, 2023.  

I walk in the Spirit, so I know that in my past there always seemed to be some significance about the times and the seasons when major transitions happen.  Dates, numbers, and seasons have Biblical meanings and sometimes when you look into what “the numbers mean” you see some pretty shocking things.  

Author Jonathan Cahn is known for pointing out how the – Year of Jubilee – and the numbering of the 50th year – has amazing parallels to what has happened in history and is happening in the world today. Check out Cahn’s lasts books – Return of the Gods and The Josiah Manifesto if you want to see how history really is “His Story” – as in something under the control of a sovereign God.   

In my own life, I have seen significant personal events parallel with “good numbers” – For instance the address of River House (1788 = 888 ) and the date I closed on it 6/22/2020 = 8-8-8-8 – highlight the number 8 – or 888 and when I looked that up online I wasn’t surprised to see that it represents “Christ the Redeemer” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/888_(number)#:~:text=In%20some%20Christian%20numerology%2C%20the,the%20number%20of%20the%20beast.)

So what was yesterday?   It was 9/25… no 8’s – but 2+5= 7 and that is the biblical number of “perfection – or completion” – (https://www.christianity.com/wiki/bible/what-is-the-biblical-significance-of-the-number-7.html#:~:text=In%20the%20Bible%20the%20number,2%3A1%2D2).) that seems right to me!

What about 9?  I am including a link to a site to give you all the ins and outs of 9 – (https://thinkaboutsuchthings.com/biblical-meaning-of-the-number-9/) but it has a root of 3 which is the trinity, and – represents completeness and get this 9 represents “good versus evil” – sort of appropriate for this contentious situation.  And also in that article the number 9 is associated with the Day of Atonement.   

If you look at the Calendar Yesterday – you will see that “Yom Kippur Ends” – Yom Kippur is the Day of Atonement.  So on the day that my old house was listed – the day that will forever mark the beginning of the end of the contentions between my ex and I – it just happened to be the Day of the Atonement -  the day that is associated with Christians to be fulfilled in Jesus Christ who died for us on the cross – declaring that “It is finished”.  So on the day that this personal burden will finally begin to be lifted from me – in effect it is finished – it just happened to be the Day of Atonement. 

When I encourage people to walk in the Spirit, I advise them that they will be positively amazed at the things that will come to pass in their lives. While we could easily blow these things off, I believe in a sovereign God that moves all things together for good in the lives of the people who love Him and are called according to His purposes.  

So keep walking and talking with God and keep an eye on the times and seasons of your life and see what the Bible’s interpretations of the numbering of your days reveals.  While I have found it is impossible to predict – what will come to pass – I have discovered that when we look back at our path, we can see that God was walking with us and had our days numbered in advance.

    

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

Today’s Bible verse comes to us from “The Quick Scripture Reference for Counseling” By John G. Kruis.

( While Bible verses on various topics of Counseling can be found with a quick Google search, we encourage you to purchase this resource to support the late author’s work. (https://www.amazon.com/Quick-Scripture-Reference-Counseling-Kruis-ebook/dp/B00CIUJZT2?ref_=ast_author_dp )

This morning’s meditation verse comes from the section on Anger, Hot Temper.

Proverbs 22:24-25 (NIV2011)
24  Do not make friends with a hot-tempered person, do not associate with one easily angered, 25  or you may learn their ways and get yourself ensnared.

Today’s verse falls under the eighth point of our counseling reference guide resource’s section on Anger, Hot Temper

 8. Do not associate with a hot-tempered man.

Today’s verse is good biblical advice. We are highly impressionable and often take on the habits and characteristics of the people we associate with. So God’s word tells us NOT to be friends with hot-tempered people because not only can their angry outbursts lead to negative consequences and collateral damage- but their angry habits could also rub off on you too!

So try to teach others the pathway of peace that Jesus leaves for us to follow and if they refuse to abandon their angry ways and learn to love and forgive others, forgive them and give them the space that their anger affords them.

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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  The Holy Spirit By A.W. Pink.

As always, I share this information for educational purposes and encourage you all to purchase A.W. Pink’s books for your own private study and to support his work.  This resource is available online for $0.99 (https://www.amazon.com/Holy-Spirit-Arthur-Pink-Collection-ebook/dp/B008CM5292/ref=sr_1_3?crid=AHKAQOM39CTN&keywords=a.w.+pink+the+holy+spirit&qid=1684376225&sprefix=a.w.+pink+the+holy+spirit+%2Caps%2C96&sr=8-3) 

A.W. Pink’s The Holy Spirit

26 -The Spirit Interceding

Groanings

It is indeed striking to observe this alternation between the minor and major keys running all through our passage, for next we are told, “the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.” This, as we have seen, refers to the inward anguish which the Spirit produces in the believer. Here, then, is further ground for self-abasement: even when a sense of need has been communicated to us, so sottish are we that our poor hearts are overwhelmed, and all we can do is to sigh and groan. Even when the Spirit has convicted us of our corruptions and imparted a deep yearning for Divine grace, we are incapable of articulating our wants or expressing our longings: rather is our case then like the Psalmist’s, “I was dumb with silence” (39:2). If left to ourselves, the distress occasioned by our felt sinfulness would quite disable us to pray.

It may be objected, To what purpose is it that the Spirit should stir up such “groanings,” which the Christian can neither understand nor express? Ah, this brings us to the brighter side again: “He that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit” (Rom. 8:27). God knows what those groanings mean, for He discerns the very thoughts and intents of our hearts. How comforting is this: to realize in prayer we are coming to One who thoroughly understands us! How blessed to be assured that God will rightly interpret every motion the Spirit prompts within us. God “knows” the “mind of the Spirit”—His intention in producing our anguish. God is able to distinguish between the moanings of mere nature and the “groanings” of which the Spirit is the Author.

There is a fourfold “spirit” which works in prayer. First, the natural spirit of man, which seeks his own welfare and preservation. This is not sinful, as may be seen from the case of Christ in Gethsemane: the innocent desire of human nature to be delivered from the awful pressure upon Him; and then subjecting His will to the Father’s. Second, a carnal and sinful spirit: “your brethren that hated you, that cast you out for My name’s sake, said, Let the LORD be glorified” (Isa. 66:5), but God did not answer them in the way they meant. Third, the new nature in the believer, which has holy aspirations, but is powerless of itself to express them. Fourth, “praying in the Holy Spirit” (Jude 20)—by His prompting and power. Now God discerns between the motions of nature, the lustings of the flesh, the longings of grace, and the desires wrought by the Spirit. This it is which explains “The LORD weigheth the spirits” (Prov. 16:2)—the fourfold “spirit” mentioned above.

None but God is able to thus distinguish and interpret the “groanings” of the Spirit in the saint. A striking proof of this is found in, “Now Hannah, she spake in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard: therefore Eli thought she had been drunken” (1 Sam 1:13)—even the high priest of Israel was incapable of discerning the anguish of her heart and what the Spirit had prompted within her. “He that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit,” (Rom. 8:27), signifies far more than that He understands: God approves and delights in—for this use of the word “know” see Psalm 1:6; Amos 3:2; John 10:14; 1 Corinthians 8:3. And why is it that God thus finds perfect complacency in the mind of our Helper? Because as the Father and the Son are One, so the Father and the Spirit are One—one in nature, in purpose, in glory.

“Because He maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God” (Rom. 8:27). Here is additional ground for our encouragement. The words “the will of” are in italics, which means they are not in the Greek, but have been supplied by our translators. They interpose a needless limitation. That which the Spirit produces in the saint is, first, in accord with God’s nature—spiritual and holy. Second, it is according to God’s Word, for the Spirit ever prompts us to ask for what has been revealed or promised. Third, it is according to God’s purpose, for the Spirit is fully cognizant of all the Divine counsels. Fourth, it is according to God’s glory, for the Spirit teaches us to make that our end in asking. O what encouragement is here: the Spirit creates within us holy desires, the Son presents them, the Father understands and approves them! Then let us “come boldly to the Throne of Grace.”[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 YouTube 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)

For those who require the assistance of a Deeper Walk International Prayer Minister to experience healing or your freedom in Christ, I highly recommend Christy Edge’s Life on the Edge Freedom Prayer Ministry. You can schedule a session by going to : https://cedge216.wixsite.com/life-on-the-edge     

“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 Walkington Pink, The Holy Spirit (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, n.d.).