How Can I Know God Wants Me in His Kingdom? - Purity 1331

How Can I Know God Wants Me in His Kingdom? - Purity 1331

Purity 1331 04/20/2024 Purity 1331 Podcast

Purity 1331 on YouTube: 

Good morning,

Today’s photo of a dark cloud hovering over an unknown body of water as the last light of day paints the sky orange on the horizon comes to us from an unknown FB friend who shared this scene on social media on or around April 23^rd, 2021.  With the contrasting clear blue sky above this murky scene below, I have to wonder if this was “smoke on the water” or perhaps some mammoth dark spirit moving “to and fro on the earth” ala Satan in the book of Job just looking for someone to devour…. 

Anyway, it is Saturday, and no dark cloud or demonic entity is going to steal my joy today because even though my shifted tour has me working today, I am choosing to look beyond that to anticipate my joyful reunion with my beloved wife, TammyLyn at our countryside home in Easton at workday’s end.  While I know we can never really know what we will encounter on a daily basis, I am praying that the Lord will bring me to my intended destination unscathed, and while I can’t guarantee that positive outcome, I am placing my faith in God to bring me to a “good place” one way or the other. 

These themes of the demonic spiritual forces of darkness present in our world and our hopes for God to protect and guide us in the way we should go are at the forefront of my mind this morning because I received some feedback on the YouTube version of my Bondage Breaker class from 2021,  that asked the question of how we could be sure and confident of our salvation when our behaviors and attitudes in life clearly show that we are not sinless, get angry continually, and are not always kind and gentle.   

I provided the following response to try to answer that concern that utilized wisdom from Dr. Neil Anderson’s work, I shared:

 “From the Steps to Freedom in Christ –

“ASSURANCE OF SALVATION

Paul wrote, “If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9). Do you believe that God the Father raised Jesus from the dead? Did you invite Jesus to be your Lord and Savior? Then you are a child of God and nothing can separate you from the love of Christ (Romans 8:35). “And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life” (1 John 5:11–12). Your Heavenly Father has sent His Holy Spirit to bear witness with your spirit that you are a child of God (Romans 8:16). “You were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise” (Ephesians 1:13, emphasis added). The Holy Spirit will guide you into all truth (John 16:13).”

I then commented:

“The fact that you are concerned is a good sign that you indeed may be a Christian!

Ephesians 2:8-9 (NKJV)
⁸  For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, ⁹  not of works, lest anyone should boast.

We are not saved BY our works – We are saved by grace through faith.

If you put your faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior, you are saved.

However, it doesn’t mean you are living the life God calls you to live as a Christian, that’s what we do after we are saved – our sanctification.

And we are all a work in progress, so don’t beat yourself up for not being “perfect”.

However, keep seeking the Lord and turning from the world’s ways and follow Jesus instead. Keep doing this study (https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYr9n4D1yfkqj8weormf-FcK_hZMC4H-y&si=-xS3C1IGz9RJ7IwX) or check out the Freedom in Christ Course (https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYr9n4D1yfkq0ZMuXvt4PX2QmtyMN6Keb&si=5IbW_LmpikoygVQt) on the mt4christ247 channel to learn about who you are in Christ – and believe it, and then live it…

Walk in the Spirit and you will know peace beyond understanding. God bless you.

M.T Clark”

I thought my comments addressed the issue of the assurance of salvation but now I have re-reviewed their question. I realize that they also asked about how they can be confident that God wants them in His kingdom – despite their faults.  

To which, I would say that God wants you in His kingdom because He loves you! Jesus tells us in

John 3:16 (NKJV) that

¹⁶  …God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

And in

John 6:44 (NKJV) that 
⁴⁴  No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.

In these two verses, we can see God loves us and sent Jesus to save us and that nobody comes to put their faith in Jesus unless God specifically draws us and reveals to us the truth of the gospel.   The fact that we put our faith in Jesus proves that God wants us in His kingdom! And He does this, and loves us, fully knowing our “less than perfect state” for

Romans 5:8-11 (NKJV) tells us
⁸  But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. ⁹  Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. ¹⁰  For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.
¹¹  And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.

So be assured that God wants us in His kingdom. God loves us and He has reconciled us to Him through Jesus.  

And as for any feelings we have to the contrary, I would stand by my original advice – to repent and to follow God with the way you live your life.  When we don’t know who we are in Christ or are denying our new identity in Christ by living contrary to who we are in Christ, it’s no wonder we have no peace!  We are living in the flesh and denying what God says about us!

So the antidote for our doubts and feelings of anger is to renew our minds through the word of God to accept our new life in Christ and to change our ways to be consistent with it. A double-minded person is unstable in all their ways and so we can’t claim the kingdom and live like the devil. We can’t keep denying that God has changed us and then wonder why we don’t feel changed!  So stop agreeing with Satan who accuses the brethren day and night and agree with God who encourages you to have faith that He made you new and start living like the child of God you are.  But DON’T think it’s something you must perform – believe that you already are new and living according to it.  Repent and believe the gospel, about you specifically. 

I know this world deceives us into believing we must earn everything or that we must perform to be approved. But God has given us a whole new existence as a free gift the moment we believed in Jesus as Lord and Savior – our next step, after receiving that precious gift, is to enjoy it and live it out with gratitude and joy. 

So keep walking and talking with God and let Him show you who you are and to guide you into the person He created you to be.

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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 Death and Eternal Life

Romans 8:35-39 (ESV)
³⁵  Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?
³⁶  As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”
³⁷  No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
³⁸  For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers,
³⁹  nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Today’s verses fall under the thirteenth point of our counseling reference guide resource’s section on Death and Eternal Life.  

13. Nothing—not even death—can separate us from the love of God.

Today’s verse assures us the even death can not separate us from the love of God.  God is love and He chose us to live with Him forever and the only thing that can prevent us from experiencing the joy of that reality is our doubt, disbelief, and our choosing to live in the flesh – our sin.  

If you need “more faith” in this simple truth obey the principles in

Romans 10:17 (NKJV) that tells us
¹⁷  … faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Need more faith – listen to God's word – and agree with it. And take your new increased faith to the next logical step revealed in:

Romans 12:1-2 (NKJV) that tells us to
¹  … present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.
²  And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

This passage points to a transformed life that results from surrendering our bodies and minds to believing what God says about us and living according to it.  

Assurance of God’s love is experienced when we live with and for Him. So don’t let your doubt, disbelief, or sin get in the way of experiencing the peace, love, and joy that results from knowing the love of God and living a righteous life, in harmony with Him.

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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: ACTS 2

“For the promise is to you.” – Acts 2:39

The promise of the filling of the Holy Spirit was not for the early apostles only. This very verse clearly indicates that the promise is for as many as the Lord our God shall call. If the promise to me is the same as to the early disciples, it follows that the power for witness that they had should also be my power.

The apostle Paul teaches later in his epistles that it is every Christian's responsibility to “Be filled with the Spirit” (Eph. 5:18). The Lord Jesus taught before He left this earth, “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him” (Luke 11:13).

Lord, teach me how to claim this promise rightly,
that I may be useful to You.^[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

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^[1] Stephen Olford and Heather Olford, According to Your Word: Morning and Evening Through the New Testament, A Collection of Devotional Journals 1940-1941 (Nashville, TN: B&H Books, 2008).

Have You Suffered Enough? - Purity 1330

Have You Suffered Enough? - Purity 1330

Purity 1330 04/19/2024 Purity 1330 Podcast

Purity 1330 on YouTube: 

Good morning,

Today’s photo of the Hudson River under an absolutely clear blue sky comes to us from yours truly as I captured this scene from the River walkway and boat launch at Schodack Island State Park on Tuesday, April 16^th. 

Well, It’s Friday – Thank God! – and I am thanking God today for more than just the end of your normal work week – besides if I was counting on that to make me happy I would have been sorely disappointed today because, due to my shifted tour, I have to work tomorrow. No, today I am rejoicing in the Lord because that odd Tuesday off seems to have been the demarcation point of a new season of repentance in my life as I am back on track with my health goal’s food plan and hopeful to have experience a change in my heart about “doing what is right” with how I comfort myself. 

During the busy “freedom season” of ministry over the past several weeks I have been going at it earnestly spiritually in discipling others and leading 8 men through the Steps to Freedom in Christ, but somewhere between January 31^st and now I have lost focus on my health goal. I have plenty of good excuses for seeking to comfort myself with food over the past few months including a Disney World vacation in February, increased stress from work and a busy ministry schedule, and another less-than-disciplined vacation at my place down by the River last week but what was a 5 pound see saw plateau has revealed itself to totter into a 10-pound weight gain since January 31^st, and that’s after 4 days of food plan success! 

So what happened? Life happens. Those vacations were understandable “breaks” from the norm but what also was happening was some release of restraint with “cheat days” or at least “unmonitored days” on some of the weekends between – my best weight and where I find myself today. 

A couple of days ago on the podcast, I mentioned how I was going to proceed without the “crutch” of an accountability partner because I think that at some point we need to mature and decide for ourselves that we are going to walk in integrity without having to tell someone else about it.  While I firmly agree that to make a breakthrough we may need the use of a trusted brother or sister in Christ to be accountable to – self-deception happens all by itself and we need to be real with someone else to be set free on occasion.   But at this point in my battle with food addiction, I feel it is time to take off the training wheels and just be real within myself. 

My experience over the last several months has taught me what foods I can trust and rely on for a diet of sustained victory – knowing is half the battle – and I have learned through suffering this current setback just how unsatisfying it is to give into seeking comfort through the flesh with sweet foods that taste good but that do damage to our bodies and souls.  Food addiction is a subtle beast but the cravings and cycles of behaviors that make one “soulish” are the same as an addiction to alcohol, drugs, or sex. That pull of temptation, that longing, that giving in, and that pain of regret, guilt, and quite frankly the physical discomfort that results from giving into food addiction is of the same type as a drunken binge or lustful escapade into darkness. 

Anyone who has successfully escaped a “sin-confess, sin-confess” cycle can tell you of the insanity of repeatedly going back to the things that didn’t satisfy them physically or emotionally and only caused them to feel empty spiritually.  When you’re in those cycles, you wonder just how many more times you will have to learn the same lesson – this behavior, this substance, this stuff doesn’t make me happy! It causes me pain!

This morning I came across the following verses in

1 Peter 4:1-3 (NKJV) that tell us:
¹  Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin,
²  that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God.
³  For we have spent enough of our past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles--when we walked in lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries.

In giving into the same old sweets and comfort foods periodically over the last couple of months,  I think I have suffered enough – I have spent enough of my “past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles” and even though this passage seems to highlight the activities of my former ways of darkness, I think they also apply to my food addiction.  Because the cycle of behaviors and emotions of my food addiction seem to be a more wholesome version of my former darkness, I think the principle applies.  

And the big insight here is that it doesn’t really what you are comforting yourself with, if you are turning to certain substances, activities, or behaviors independently of God to find happiness, peace, or comfort, you go astray. You sin. And just like the alcoholic who has to hit rock bottom before wanting to get sober, I think we are all capable of “suffering enough” from our sins in our flesh to come to the point of repentance.

After “playing games” and going around the merry-go-round once again, for a short trip – mind you,  I think I may finally be “done” with taking my liberty to practice license with the things of the flesh – in this case food.  

And believe me this is a tough ‘cookie” to crack – because there is nothing inherently “wrong” or immoral with eating the foods that put me in this cycle – but there is the rub – just like some can drink alcohol and not be tempted into drunkenness but was somewhat inconceivable for me – I likewise have to recognize the craving “lustful” behavior that latches onto otherwise wholesome food to see the error of my ways – and realize that if I can’t avoid being pulled into that cycle of behavior by indulging in certain foods – it is best for me not to go there at all. 

I think I may have had this insight before, but it didn’t stick obviously, and I let stressful or restful circumstances allow me to think I could “go back to the well” foodwise. But just like in my drinking days, no matter how long I had been sober if I went “back to the well” it led to disaster.  With food addiction, “the disasters” aren’t as dramatic but the pain to my body and soul that results from “not doing what is right” foodwise tell me that it may be best just to not “go back to the well” ever again.  

The verse in 1 Peter does say “he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin” and I know I have suffered, and I think I understand now how foolish I have been in thinking I could have peace by doing anything other than “ceasing my sin”. 

I have such an abiding peace within me this morning from walking in victory for 4 days and it is my intention to disrupt it by indulging the flesh.  

1 Corinthians 10:23 (NKJV) says
²³  All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me, but not all things edify.

And the NLT puts it this way. 

1 Corinthians 10:23 (NLT2)
²³  You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is good for you. You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is beneficial.  

While I have the freedom to eat anything and could attempt to do so in “moderation” – it may be wiser to see that these foods that give my tastebuds pleasure – are not beneficial to my soul and over indulging in them addictively causes disruption in my spirit because I “sin” – miss the mark by seeking comfort from the idols of food and filling my belly rather than being content with food that provides for my needs and relying on God to give me peace.  

So today will be day 5 of another day of victory in the war against the flesh and I am hopeful that I have “suffered enough” and won’t go back to the well again. 

Christ came to set the captives free, not to allow the captives to freely indulge in the things that keep them in chains, so keep walking and talking with God and allow Him to show you that you have suffered enough and you can now walk free from the ways of the flesh to experience true peace and joy with 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 Death and Eternal Life

Romans 8:16-17 (ESV)
¹⁶  The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,
¹⁷  and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

Today’s verses fall under the twelfth point of our counseling reference guide resource’s section on Death and Eternal Life.  

12. Believers are co-heirs with Christ.

Today’s verses remind us of the good news that we are indeed children of God, and we will inherit a piece of God’s kingdom – provided we suffer with Him! 

Whoa, whoa whoa… did you see that? It’s like good news, good news, good news, and oh yeah by the way “provided that we SUFFFER with Him.  

Now don’t get this twisted, there are some well-meaning faithful believers who have taken this quite literally and will actually try to reenact the sufferings of Christ by being beaten and crucified and I think they are a little off base, or at least I hope so.  

Although, being more like Jesus could be interpreted as suffering the same things He did – I don’t think we have to start with flogging and being hung on a cross!

My attempts at sanctification have been painful enough and I would suggest that trying to overcome the flesh and to remove sin from our lives is more than enough suffering to meet the “requirements” of today’s verse.  

But seriously, our faith is counter-cultural and counter-intuitive of the ways of the world that we were raised in and so if we want to be able to claim our piece of God’s kingdom as co-heirs with Christ, we can attempt to follow Christ’s example and be holy and the suffering will follow after just like it came into Jesus’s life.   

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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.

EVENING READING: ACTS 1

“A witness with us of His resurrection.” – Acts 1:22

It is very obvious from this verse and the surrounding verses that the fundamental qualification of a true witness is the knowledge of and the conscious responsibility to testify concerning the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ is the foundation stone of all Christian doctrine. For, “If Christ is not risen, [our] faith is futile; [we] are still in [our] sins” (1 Cor. 15:17). The crucifixion of Jesus could be the martyrdom of a good man, but the resurrection of Jesus seals the death as being the atoning death of the Son of God.

How important then to be a true witness to the resurrection of my blessed Lord.

Lord, help me never to leave it out of my preaching.^[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

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^[1] Stephen Olford and Heather Olford, According to Your Word: Morning and Evening Through the New Testament, A Collection of Devotional Journals 1940-1941 (Nashville, TN: B&H Books, 2008).

Rejecting the Lie That: “I Missed It - Purity 1315

Rejecting the Lie That: “I Missed It - Purity 1315

Purity 1315 04/2/2024 Purity 1315 Podcast

Purity 1315 on YouTube: 

Good morning,

Today’s photo of lilacs and other flowers in the foreground as the sunsets in the distance over a mountain range that I suspect to be the Catskill Mountains comes to us from an unknown FB friend who shared this scene on social media on or around May 7, 2021. If this photo is yours and you’d like to be recognized for it, give me a heads up and I will update the blog to give you the photo credit after the fact. 

Well, It’s Tuesday and I am sharing today’s photo to continue my campaign of “cleaning out my closet” of unused photos “borrowed” from social media and to highlight the fact that it is indeed actually springtime. My personal electronic assistant who will remain nameless confirmed to me that the first day of spring in 2024 was March 19^th – two weeks ago – and even though we had some snow that may have caused us to doubt what season we are in – the meteorological circumstances, and our feelings, don’t change the fact that it is spring. That’s the truth.

As an advocate for a lifestyle of Christian discipleship that is grounded in experiencing our freedom in Christ through repentance and affirming the truth of who we are in Christ,  I often encourage Christians to honestly look at the beliefs they are holding on that cause them to stay stuck in sin or negative mind states such as anger, anxiety, or depression.  When you ask people who are earnestly seeking freedom or a breakthrough to review their family and personal history, and if you listen carefully to what they are saying, they will reveal things they believe about themselves, God, or in life in general – that may be supported by the circumstances of their life experience – that contradict what the word of God says.  If you give people a space in which they can safely tell their story, they will tell you the lies they believe.   

One of the lies that I have heard from a few different people over the years has to do with regrets from the past where they believe that they “missed” their calling or purpose in life, or their opportunity to be used by God, or their chance at happiness.  

In recovery circles, these narratives are described as the “Only If’s” – or :If Only’s.”    

As in “If I had only asked _________ to marry me instead of __________”

OR IF Only I had never _____________ or IF Only, I had __________ done x,y,z.

OF If Only they had _____

Regrets cause us to second guess our life’s path and contribute to the false belief that we “Missed IT” – our chance at happiness or purpose or fulfilment.  And while we can look at our lives and think of several points where things could have been different, it is a lie to believe that we “missed it” when it comes to “God’s plan for our lives” or for our personal happiness.

The Freedom in Christ course defines happiness as “wanting what you have” – as being content – and no missed opportunities in the past can stop us from being content with what we have today – but dwelling on the thoughts of regrets from the past t certainly can!

While we can’t fix the past, through prayer and repentance, we can resolve and move beyond the conflicts of the past that affect our present and get in the way of looking toward the future with hope.

The serenity prayer touches on how we “do this” when we pray:  

“…to accept the things I cannot change,
 the courage to change the things I can,
 and the wisdom to know the difference.
 Living one day at a time,
 enjoying one moment at a time;
 accepting hardship as a pathway to peace;
 taking, as Jesus did,
 this sinful world as it is,
 not as I would have it;
 trusting that You will make all things right
 if I surrender to Your will;
 so that I may be reasonably happy in this life
 and supremely happy with You forever in the next.

So reject the lie that you “missed it” and instead accept the things that happened in the past. Forgive those who have hurt you and seek the forgiveness of those you have hurt (when doing so will not harm them or others) to move past any bitterness or guilt you have been holding on to.  Forgive yourself – meaning you accept God’s forgiveness and let it stick – there is no condemnation – and move forward in the peace that the Lord wants you to live in.  

As for the missed opportunities and broken relationships, accept that they are in the past and gone, and endeavor to start living today to be right with God, to be the person He created you to be, and to step out in faith and hope to see what God wants to do with the rest of your life.  All that stuff in the past has prepared you for today, and we can either learn from it and move on wiser from it, or we can dwell on things we can not change and be consumed by feelings of shame, guilt, and regret and stay stuck in our negative feelings and listlessness. God has forgiven us and call us to a new life, but we have to accept it and move forward with Him to experience the freedom and abundant life He has given us.  If we know Jesus, we didn’t “miss it” but we have to follow Him into the life He wants us to live to be free. 

So, seek the Lord and the truth of who you are in Christ. Live from the identity that God gives you when you put your faith in Jesus and learn to walk in His ways.  Walking in the Spirit leads to peace, love, joy, and other good things so step out in faith and follow the Lord into the life He has for you and take the opportunities that come your way to give thanks to God and to share the good news of the life and peace that only comes through Jesus.

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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 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 comes from the section on Contentment, Coveting & and Priorities.

2 Corinthians 4:18 (NLT2)
¹⁸  So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.

Today’s verse falls under the twenty-fifth point of our counseling reference guide resource’s section on Contentment, Coveting, and Priorities.

25. What is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Today’s verse encourages us to look beyond current troubles and to focus on the unseen things that can give us hope and inspire us to endure and persevere through trials. Christians are assured that God is moving all things together for our good and regardless of what we may suffer in the here and now we have the promise of eternal life to keep us buoyed by hope. We know God will never leave us and forsake us – even if we die – and when we can hold on to that unseen truth – we can handle anything this world has to dish out.   Christ rose from the dead and ascended to heaven, literally – that’s a fact – and that fact and the testimony of scripture tells us of the spiritual realm the exists beyond this mortal coil and the hope that God’s kingdom will come and restore this world broken by sin when Jesus returns.   These are all unseen, but they are promised and true and they can cause us to live lives free from fear and full of joy.

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

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: JOHN 7

“If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.”
– John 7:37

There are three steps in this verse. Each one is as important as the other, and all lead to true satisfaction in Christ.

Rapacity – a greedy desire or craving for the Living Water. “If anyone thirsts.” There must be this earnest desire if the soul is to be satisfied, for the Word says, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled” (Matt 5:6).

Request – “Let him come to Me.” This is request, for it includes the two parties: he who thirsts coming to the One who satisfies. That coming is the request of the soul.

Reception – “Drink.” Here is the personal deliberate reception of the gift of satisfying water. “To drink” implies the receiving into oneself.

Satisfy my soul now, O Lord,
until I overflow with Your blessing.^[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] Stephen Olford and Heather Olford, According to Your Word: Morning and Evening Through the New Testament, A Collection of Devotional Journals 1940-1941 (Nashville, TN: B&H Books, 2008).

It’s Going to Be Okay – 40 Day Journey with Martin Luther – Day 11 - Purity 1284

It’s Going to Be Okay – 40 Day Journey with Martin Luther – Day 11 - Purity 1284

Purity 1284 02/26/2024 Purity 1284 Podcast

Purity 1284 on YouTube: 

Good morning,

Today’s video of snow flurries falling at night into the light of headlights as Tasha Layton’s song “Into the Sea” encourages us that “it’s going to be okay “comes to us from yours truly as I captured this video on the evening of May 8, 2020, as I stopped to capture the unseasonable phenomenon of snow in May and the peace of the moment as I returned to the house would no longer be mine in just over a month’s time.  

Well, It’s Monday and I am back at it in terms of my normal routine of exercise and my spiritual practices of gratitude, prayer, study, and blogging and I feel like a million bucks – vacations are nice but if we aren’t careful they tend to corrupt our discipline and cause us to indulge the flesh when rest turns into the rust of lethargy and treats turn into treason as we betray ourselves as we deviate away from what is best for what feels good.         

I as at a loss for what photo I should share for today and so I dialed back the clock to 2020 in my photo archive expecting to find some long lost unused scene from my comings and goings or a friend’s borrowed sharing’s on social media only to discovered that I must have cleaned out 2020’s closet in that regard but I did discover a whole bunch of inspirational Christian and non-Christian memes – I mean A LOT.  And they were good, and it caused me to rediscover the video I am sharing today and to remember exactly why I might have needed a bunch of positive messages, and before you say COVID-19 – let me stop you.  The pandemic was only a vague setting in the backdrop of my journey in 2020 as I was working 16 hour days and petitioning the Lord in prayer for my deliverance to a new home for my children and I and pushing for a whole new life of freedom that would be defined by my faith. 

And on that evening in May of 2020 – I took Tasha Layton’s song and the strange peace of snowfall in May as a message from the Lord that it was indeed going to be okay as after almost of 2 years of dealing with the pains of a delayed divorce I was on the cusp of my exodus. I was almost there, and I had to just keep walking and talking with God until I could realize it.  And it did come, and it was glorious and my life in Christ continues to be glorious because despite trials, slip ups, and problems I continued to follow the Lord and to stay in His presence.   And even though this latest dalliance with the world while on vacation at Disney World was limited, it feels wonderful to be back to the disciplines of faith, in their entirety, that minister to my mind, body, soul, and spirit.  

I know “it’s going to be okay” is a phrase we comfort ourselves and others with quite often, but let me assure you – when you repent – when you turn to the Lord’s ways and seek to live in His presence – it really is going to be okay because no matter what you face, when you walk with God, you are blessed. You are safe, and you are meeting your purpose for living – to be with the One who made you, to do what He created you to do, and to be the person He created you to be.  

So on this eleventh day of Lent, let me encourage you to repent and to discover how it really is “going to be okay.”  Speaking of Lent….

It’s the eleventh day of Lent and so we continue my personal walkthrough of Gracia Grindal’s 40 Day Journey with Martin Luther to observe and celebrate the Lenten season.   In this walkthrough of Grindal’s devotional,  it is our hope that we will get to know Martin Luther a little better as we seek to draw closer to the Lord on our journey to Resurrection Sunday – Easter.  

And so we continue.

“Journey Day 11

YOU ARE NOT TO COMMIT ADULTERY.

What is this?

Answer: we are to fear and love God so that we lead pure and decent lives in Word and deed, and each of us loves and honors his or her spouse.

Inasmuch as there is such a shameless mess and cesspool of all sorts of immorality and indecency among us, this commandment is also directed against every form of unchastity, no matter what it is called.

Not only is the outward act forbidden, but also every kind of cause, provocation, and means, so that your heart, your lips, and your entire body may be chaste and afford no occasion, aid, or encouragement to unchastity.

Not only that, but you are to defend, protect, and rescue your neighbors whenever they are in danger or need, and moreover, even aid and assist them so that they may retain their honor... In short, all are required both to live chastely themselves and also to help their neighbors to do the same.

Biblical Wisdom

You have heard that it was said, “You shall not commit adultery.” But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. Matthew 5: 27-28

Silence for Meditation.

Pause the podcast, or stop reading, and sit quietly for 60 seconds or 1, 5, 10, 15 minutes or however long you feel comfortable with and have time for. Focus on your breath and the calm stillness in the present moment that is always available to us in God’s creation. Meditate on Martin Luther’s comments for the day, and the content of today’s Biblical wisdom.

Questions to Ponder

·       Both Jesus and Luther draw the line on unchastity much more severely than most people. What wisdom do you find in that?

The wisdom I find in this is the wisdom of God – Jesus is God after all – remember – and so this should impress upon us the vast importance of living a sexually pure life as a Christian.  I don’t call my blog series Purity for nothing.  Acts 15 among other passages of scripture impressed upon my heart, soul, and spirit just how important the righteous use of our bodies is.  Sexual immorality and adultery are spoken against throughout scripture. Jesus reveals that the sin goes beyond the commission of what we do to our bodies as that fleshly orientation should be restricted and cast out of our hearts and minds as well.   Luther gets a sense of this and encourages us to help our neighbors to realize this and to help them live pure lives too. 

·       What are the forms of unchastity that our culture either tolerates or promotes?

Our culture tolerates and promotes sexual sins of nearly every variety.  While pedophilia and bestiality are still taboo, thank God, our culture has abandoned any other standards when it comes to following the Bibles standards of sexual morality – which calls any sexual activity outside of a covenant marriage between one man and one woman as sin.  Masturbation, fornication, adultery, fetishes, perversion, and homosexuality are all tolerated if not actively promoted in our society today. 

·       In our highly, if not over-sexualized culture, how can Christians help each other to keep this commandment?

Christians can help one another to keep this commandment by teaching the truth of Biblical sexual ethics, encouraging no sex outside of marriage, having a zero-tolerance policy regarding masturbation,  establishing recovery ministries for sexual addiction, and encouraging purity in the body of Christ.   Unfortunately, the corruption of our faith, the depravity of man,  and the inadequacy of men to lead one another into righteousness, in my opinion, makes this all but impossible and can only be established on earth when Christ comes to rule and reign.  Sexual purity can come but it comes as an act of surrender to the Lord and must be driven by a love for Him for it to be anything other than “flesh deep”.

Psalm Fragment

Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.

Wash me thoroughly from my impurity, and cleanse me from my sin. Psalm 51: 1-2.

Journal Reflections

·       Write in your journal concerning your feelings about the sexual attitudes and pressures of our culture. In what ways does your faith influence your perspective on sex and sexuality?

As I have been sexually pure since 2018, no masturbation, and restrict all my sexual activity to be withing the bounds of my marriage since 2022, I would say that my faith influences my perspective on sex and sexuality very much so.  Because my previous marriage was destroyed in part by sexual immorality, in 2018 when faced with the future of the rest of my life, the Lord put it on my heart to live the rest of my sexual life according to His biblical mandates.  As I was on the cusp of being single again, I was tempted to consider the possibilities of a sexually liberated lifestyle as I had in my youth, but now that I a Christian and knew firsthand the bondage that comes from sexual immorality, I repented of my sexual sins and “went in to recovery” for my sexual addictions, leaning completely on the Lord for sexual purity.  Taking every sexual thought captive and the introducing of some a simple conditioning practices caused me to change the way I thought and took away the compulsion to give in to the flesh sexually. The Lord set me free.    

·       Do you know anyone who is struggling with issues of unchastity or adultery? If so, how might you help them in their struggle? If not, can you imagine what steps you might take to help someone in such a struggle?

I know of someone – a Christian – who is in daily bondage to sexual immorality and the extent to their bondage is so severe that I question whether or not they are a Christian at all.  Their compulsion and lack of ability to have even more than a couple of days of sexual purity cause me to think they don’t really “know the Lord”, or are demonically oppressed, or have mental health issues that block their ability for their conscience to be adequately impacted by their sin or blocks their ability to attach relationally to the Lord – or all of the above.  This person’s apparently hopeless struggle causes me to believe that they are a false convert – someone who can verbally repeat the truths of the gospel but has never had a heart touched by the Lord.  In terms of true repentance,

Joel 2:12 (NKJV)  says
¹²  "Now, therefore," says the LORD, "Turn to Me with all your heart, With fasting, with weeping, and with mourning."

 

In this person’s continual confession of failure, I see no weeping or mourning.  There seems to be no “heart-felt” repentance here and without it – I believe that either this person has no true relationship with the Lord – or the Holy Spirit is not granting them repentance.  Our repentance is empowered by the Lord – if we aren’t seeking Him, and surrendering to Him with heartfelt sorrow and sincerity, and asking for help and support from others in the body of Christ, I believe that you won’t receive it and you may have to seek your salvation with real fear and trembling. 

·       Reflect in writing on how your faith and faith community are (or could be) resources for you and maintaining healthy relationships.

I believe that the faith community can be real support to the body of Christ to establish and maintain healthy relationships by preaching sexual sin and by encouraging marriage and supporting healthy Christ-centered marriages that are free of abuse.   Dating and couples living in sin should be exposed as the sexual immorality that they are, but it is difficult for a community of faith to make that stand because our society allows for sexual immorality as normal, and some churches remain silent on sexual ethics. 

Prayers for the Life of Faith

Pray that someone in a troubled marriage or relationship will find the strength to do the right thing. Pray that you will be able to help them.

Lord, I pray for those in troubled marriages or relationships to turn to You and Your ways for healthy relationships and that You would empower them to change and find the strength to do the right thing according to our word. I pray that you would use me to help and encourage them to follow You with their relationships. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.  

Pray for Today

Dear Lord Jesus, keep me pure and chaste today. May my thoughts, language, and action be honorable and always wholesome and upright.

Amen

 

(Gracia M. Grindal. 40-day Journey With Martin Luther. Kindle Edition.)

 

(We encourage you to purchase Grindal’s book and take the 40 Day Journey with Martin Luther for yourself by purchasing Grindal’s book wherever books are sold. You can find it online at many different sites and purchase it new, used – paper or electronic for less than $15.00).

 

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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 Conscience.

Proverbs 3:21-26 (NLT2)
²¹  My child, don’t lose sight of common sense and discernment. Hang on to them,
²²  for they will refresh your soul. They are like jewels on a necklace.
²³  They keep you safe on your way, and your feet will not stumble.
²⁴  You can go to bed without fear; you will lie down and sleep soundly.
²⁵  You need not be afraid of sudden disaster or the destruction that comes upon the wicked,
²⁶  for the LORD is your security. He will keep your foot from being caught in a trap.

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

5. You can have a clear conscience and rest in the heart.

Today’s verse encourages us to follow the “common sense” of the Lord’s ways.  Following God isn’t an exercise of blind faith. God doesn’t ask us to do things that we can’t test for their wisdom.  The consequence of living according to God’s standards of morality is a life infused with the fruit of the Spirit – where we experience goodness, kindness, fatefulness, patience, gentleness, self-control,  love, joy and peace firsthand.  

So follow the common sense of Christian living and know the rest that the Lord will give you in your heart.  

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

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.

EVENING READING: MARK 16

“The Lord working with them.” – Mark 16:20

This is the promise to all true disciples. And what an honor! The Lord working with me! How absolutely incredible! Yet it is true – blessed be His Holy Name.

Yes, He has promised to be with me right to the end of the age. He has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Heb. 13:5). “My presence will go with you” (Ex. 33:14).

One of the obvious proofs of His presence and working power is the confirmation of His Word, with signs following. How clearly these signs shone in the days of the early apostles. Thousands were being added to the church daily.

Lord, give me a true evidence that You
are working with or through me, or else,
“do not bring [me] up from here” (Ex. 33:15).^[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] Stephen Olford and Heather Olford, According to Your Word: Morning and Evening Through the New Testament, A Collection of Devotional Journals 1940-1941 (Nashville, TN: B&H Books, 2008).