Draw near

P 2879 Avoidance is not enough …

/ DVH

... action is required! “So now we draw near freely and boldly to where grace is enthroned, to receive mercy’s kiss and discover the grace we urgently need to strengthen us in our time of weakness.”Hebrews 4:16 TPT

“And God has made all things new, and reconciled us to Himself, and given us the ministry of reconciling others to God.” 2 Corinthians 5:18 TPT

There is nothing like the bible for good advice. It is the best instruction manual ever, particularly if we refuse to explain away what it says. When we think we can’t do this or that, we need to draw near to Him, and let His mercy kiss us, all over again. Mercy received will change anyone’s mind.

We must always remember Jesus Christ died to give us the power to say ‘yes,’ to His will, His Way. Nothing can take that choice away from us. We have the precious Holy Spirit, Who is with us, in us, and He walks WITH us to guide us. Our faith cannot be in our ability — if we have a brain in our head, we already know we have limited ability! Our faith is in what Christ did. We stand firmly on the Rock Who is Christ Jesus. Because He rose from the dead- we can rise up from our beds of apathy, excuses and indifference into action.

We can spend our whole lives as Christians, avoiding sin, and … that’s not a bad thing, but…!  Yes, we can go through this life avoiding gossip, hatred, etc. etc .but at the same time, we actually have a job to do. The way to conquer those things that can so easily drag us down and under, is to aim at what Christ aimed at. “Loving God with all our heart, soul and mind, and our neighbours as ourselves.”  My advice is that we should be so busy doing stuff for His kingdom, that we don’t even sit down to think about the negatives. 

We know we fall over and fail! It’s because we are human, that we will fail, BUT! … …We have a Saviour Who is more faithful than any of us can ever imagine! We have been empowered by what He did, to choose differently. Just because living for His sake looks impossible, that does not mean we can quit and simply use avoidance to get through all the pitfalls of this life. What Christ did for us demands a positive response! And not just an Amen either.

Let’s just pause, and imagine this with me: one day you and I will stand in the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ’s Presence. Hallelujah! What a day that will be!! 🙌 When He asks us what we did with this new life He gave us, do we really want to say:“I know You died for me. So I avoided that sin, and this and that pitfall, and I didn’t join in with the evil things other men do.”  It’s not a bad testimony… However, daring to take action for the sake of Christ’s Name, is another thing altogether. Dare to believe He really is so powerful that He can empower YOU … 

So, what are we doing with the faith He died to give us? Christ’s faith released incredible forgiveness into this planet. It was so extraordinary, so above and beyond anything that would ever be needed by any one soul at any one time.  And we are here because Jesus has given us the benefits of all that forgiveness and faith! He stood in silence as wicked, jealous, fearful men accused Him of things He did not do. Then they punished Him mercilessly. His last action on this earth was to forgive US all, and He released His Spirit back to His Father. Now, the Spirit of the living God is here, He came here at Pentecost, He wants to walk with YOU and I.

In Ecclesiastes 3:7b it clearly says there is:”… a time to be silent and a time to speak …”  Brothers and sisters, I put it to you that we are living in the time to speak … There may be times when we will say nothing in the face of false accusations, like Jesus did. But where are our faith works? (James talked about them.) Where is “… the reward of His suffering?” Our lives need to be laid down willingly, through our participation in Christ’s mission. Lives laid down in faith, like His life was for us. Don’t be fooled by the devil, your contribution matters.

We have not been given a free ticket to do whatever we like! Almighty God is NOT an indulgent Father Who wants to give us everything we think we need in this life, and then we will go on to inherit the next! Father God wants a family, that means every tribe, every tongue. Are we serving our Father in a worthy way that glorifies everything Christ suffered and died to give us? Have we tried and sometimes failed, only to try again — to make sure that His family includes every single member, and that ALL have had an opportunity to belong? If not – WHY NOT? ‘I’m scared’ just doesn’t cut it. Neither will – “that was someone else’s job.”

We’ve learnt on previous occasions that fear must not be a deterrent – fear is to be conquered through our faith-filled actions. Today I have included a quote that I loved, it’s from a Malaysian church: “FAITH IS NOT THE ABSENCE OF FEAR, BUT KNOWING WHO YOUR GOD IS!” And knowing Who He is, needs to be accessible to everyone … that’s why avoiding sin is not enough – action is required. Bye. 👋

“I refuse to be ashamed of the wonderful message of God’s liberating power unleashed in us through Christ! For I am thrilled to preach that everyone who believes is saved—the Jew first, and then people everywhere!” Romans 1:16 TPT

P 2569 Praise God for Easter SUNDAY …

/ DVH

“For since we are permanently grafted into Him to experience a death like His, then we are permanently grafted into Him to experience a resurrection like His and the new life that it imparts.” Romans 6:5 TPT.

Easter Sunday released a new way to live … for all mankind. And the more we choose to yield to Him, the more of the Lord and His ways, we will begin to embrace. The church doesn’t just need revival – we need New Life! New life came into that tomb long, long ago – it swallowed up death. Our Saviour IS alive with eternal life and that is far greater than we can ever imagine. Our Jesus cannot be stopped. He is the source of our new life. ‘He is the way, the truth and … the life!‘

Just pause and let that sink in. The One you believe in is endless! He lives in eternity, and because of Him forever is our portion. We joyfully raise our sights above the battles of here and now, and live in the reality of His kingdom coming, now -TODAY.  Now we can watch “on earth as it is in heaven” happen … in front of our own eyes – in our own lives. We don’t have to be afraid of anything, because our source of life is not like the grabby spiteful kind of life that is in this world around us. The life in this world, decays and dies … because it is easily be corrupted.

Death can’t touch Christ. His sacrificial act on Calvary is where eternal life comes from. Death cannot touch Him, anymore than darkness can extinguish light!  Darkness cannot intimidate us because it cannot win. Praise God Jesus died to release us from sin…AND … He died to give US the power to conquer sin. So that sin can’t grab at us anymore. Sin is a place of temporary pleasure, but giving in to it means I lose sight of Him and what He is doing. What He does and is doing, right now, is so fantastic that I wanna know about it!  No brainer.

Now, He is a part of us, and we are a part of Him. We are His chosen bride. We are becoming one flesh with Him — because we are becoming united in our purpose. Dying to self is not a hopeless chore that is doomed to fail – it is the way to be united with the Lord. He died and now WE die! Our choosing to die for His sake … or even for someone else’s sake … unites us with His purposes. Just like that disciple that was constantly rattling on that he was Jesus favourite, now WE can hear His heartbeat. As we die to self, we  tune our hearts into His heartbeat by obeying and trusting Him … despite the cost … which is tiny in comparison to knowing the Lord! 

Here’s another great Easter Sunday present for you! “So now we draw near freely and boldly to where grace is enthroned, to receive mercy’s kiss and discover the grace we urgently need to strengthen us in our time of weakness.” Hebrews 4:16 TPT. We are not alone, tossed about by needs, wants and the desires of this world. The winds of turmoil can blow … but they can no longer touch the heart in us. We’ve made His heart, His priorities, His goals, His aims … ours. This is how we follow Jesus. Living this life, the only one we have down here, the way He would do it. We have become His hands and feet, right here, right now. 

Everything we need as we follow Him, is available to us. I think we’ve been asking/praying for the wrong things. This world says if we get in trouble then we must pray to get out! What would happen if we pray to endureand GO THROUGH? Jesus prayed to get out 3 times, and God said NO.. go through. I’m not saying that our precious Father God and His mercy’s kiss won’t ever release us from harm. However, I am saying we will grow impervious to satan’s wiles, when we go through holding onto His promise that He will never leave us and He knows what is best FOR US.  That is how we grow and mature and gain His clarity. When we trust God, obey what He says, and go through trouble believing nothing happens to us that He does not know about – even if we die.

There are rarely shortcuts – or easy exits. To grow IN Him, we simply stand on what Christ already did. His death and resurrection are now our proof that death cannot conquer us. We may be pitiful and weak, but that’s OK, our Saviour has already given us His strength for our weaknesses.  Now our faith helps us to stand up! Or even to humbly kneel down, in the middle of trouble and strife. We have faith that says: “Trouble, you may not take away what I believe. My faith is not in answers —- it is in the Person of Jesus Christ!”  Praise God for Easter Sunday …👋