- Published on
“When the LORD your God brings you into the land which you go to possess, and has cast out many nations before you, the Hittites and the Girgashites and the Amorites and the Canaanites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and mightier than you,
and when the LORD your God delivers them over to you, you shall conquer them and utterly destroy them. You shall make no covenant with them nor show mercy to them.
[Deuteronomy 7:1-2 NKJV]
and when the LORD your God delivers them over to you, you shall conquer them and utterly destroy them. You shall make no covenant with them nor show mercy to them.
[Deuteronomy 7:1-2 NKJV]
The Amorites
The Amorites - self-elevating and boasting Is their place as evidenced by the meaning of their name. What I believe this comes down to is those who walk in vanity, pride and arrogance. These things are present in all of us, and we often do not realise it, or if we do, we can only suppress it Ineffectively – it is a basic drive in all of us to protect the self from harm – and we do that in part by telling ourselves 'I am better than him'; ... ‘of course, such things come naturally to someone like me' and so on.
We can see a progression forming in these nations. They are all things of the self; part of our nature that have great power over us.
The spirit of fear inspires in us a desire for a settled untroubled existence and we become complacent in that cosy existence. We settle into a ‘religious’ existence instead of life in the spirit and see no need for change - maybe believing that we are spirit-filled too - which will inevitably lead to a pridefulness in how awfully well we are doing! Good for me. Well, I ask you! Satan begins to have a field day in us.
And that spirit of pride is inextricably linked with so many other spirits that fill us. It is like Japanese knotweed, or ground elder, it creeps along under the surface and before you know it, it's everywhere – choking the good stuff you are trying to cultivate. (I should know for I’ve just spent 3 weeks battling the stuff in our garden and still pull out more daily! )
Our verses make it plain that these things are part of our fallen nature and not something we can deal with under our own steam. Thankfully we know a strong and mighty gardener who, if we ask Him, can pluck this stuff up by the roots and consign it where it rightfully belongs - and at the same time create in us a genuine humility. Then we can genuinely express pride, and so boast in knowing a great almighty Saviour.
The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who dwell in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high; you who say in your heart, ‘Who will bring me down to the ground?’
Though you ascend as high as the eagle, and though you set your nest among the stars, from there I will bring you down,” says the LORD.
[Obadiah 1:3-4 NKJV]
We can see a progression forming in these nations. They are all things of the self; part of our nature that have great power over us.
The spirit of fear inspires in us a desire for a settled untroubled existence and we become complacent in that cosy existence. We settle into a ‘religious’ existence instead of life in the spirit and see no need for change - maybe believing that we are spirit-filled too - which will inevitably lead to a pridefulness in how awfully well we are doing! Good for me. Well, I ask you! Satan begins to have a field day in us.
And that spirit of pride is inextricably linked with so many other spirits that fill us. It is like Japanese knotweed, or ground elder, it creeps along under the surface and before you know it, it's everywhere – choking the good stuff you are trying to cultivate. (I should know for I’ve just spent 3 weeks battling the stuff in our garden and still pull out more daily! )
Our verses make it plain that these things are part of our fallen nature and not something we can deal with under our own steam. Thankfully we know a strong and mighty gardener who, if we ask Him, can pluck this stuff up by the roots and consign it where it rightfully belongs - and at the same time create in us a genuine humility. Then we can genuinely express pride, and so boast in knowing a great almighty Saviour.
The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who dwell in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high; you who say in your heart, ‘Who will bring me down to the ground?’
Though you ascend as high as the eagle, and though you set your nest among the stars, from there I will bring you down,” says the LORD.
[Obadiah 1:3-4 NKJV]
“I Will Boast” - Paul Baloche
OSWALD CHAMBERS - RUN TODAY’S RACE
Monday 15th June 2020
If God is first, you know you can never think of anything He will forget.
Monday 15th June 2020
If God is first, you know you can never think of anything He will forget.
- Published on
Then all the land of Judea, and those from Jerusalem, went out to him and were all baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins.
Now John was clothed with camel's hair and with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey.
And he preached, saying, “There comes One after me who is mightier than I, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to stoop down and loose.
I indeed baptized you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
[Mark 1:5-8 NKJV]
Now John was clothed with camel's hair and with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey.
And he preached, saying, “There comes One after me who is mightier than I, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to stoop down and loose.
I indeed baptized you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
[Mark 1:5-8 NKJV]
As always there are many aspects to any verse in Scripture. Each word is laden with meaning, but today is a day to savour His word. He will baptise us with the Holy Spirit.
The river is the river of life, and the Holy Spirit flows like a river through our lives if we believe. As the song says, the river refreshes wherever it goes. Feel the refreshing water of the river of life today.
And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb.
In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month.
The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him.
They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads.
There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever.
[Revelation 22:1-5 NKJV]
The river is the river of life, and the Holy Spirit flows like a river through our lives if we believe. As the song says, the river refreshes wherever it goes. Feel the refreshing water of the river of life today.
And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb.
In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month.
The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him.
They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads.
There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever.
[Revelation 22:1-5 NKJV]
“The River Is Here” - Andy Park
OSWALD CHAMBERS - RUN TODAY’S RACE
Sunday 14th June 2020
We have to form the mind of Christ until we are absorbed with Him and take no account of the evil done to us. No love on earth can do this but only the love of God.
Sunday 14th June 2020
We have to form the mind of Christ until we are absorbed with Him and take no account of the evil done to us. No love on earth can do this but only the love of God.
- Published on
“When the LORD your God brings you into the land which you go to possess, and has cast out many nations before you, the Hittites and the Girgashites and the Amorites and the Canaanites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and mightier than you,
and when the LORD your God delivers them over to you, you shall conquer them and utterly destroy them. You shall make no covenant with them nor show mercy to them.
[Deuteronomy 7:1-2 NKJV]
and when the LORD your God delivers them over to you, you shall conquer them and utterly destroy them. You shall make no covenant with them nor show mercy to them.
[Deuteronomy 7:1-2 NKJV]
The Girgashites
I must admit that I struggled with this. By that I mean finding the words to express it. ‘Complacency’ is only a part of this ‘nation’ that is stronger than we are and we need a close relationship with The Lord to help us overcome it, for all these ‘nations’ have no intention of releasing us; but The Lord wants to set us free.
Girgashite means 'clay dwellers'. Those who are governed by the things of the earth – who look down to the dust and dirt and see nothing of the heavenly realms, or even if they do know Him, prefer to look down at the ground instead of up to the heavenlies. It begins with compromise - one eye on heaven, the other on earth (double-minded) - until it grows and becomes those of us who are indeed complacent, stuck in our own old ways. Stuck in the clay, and quite happy where we are. No need to ‘come up higher’ or ‘know Him more dearly’.
We know the expression to be a ‘stick-in-the mud’. ‘Stubborn’; ‘unyielding’. In a sense it is unbelief, but more than that, a profession of belief but without the desire to do anything about it. Instead we must sing with the Psalmist ...
He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings..
[Psalm 40:2 KJV]
He takes this clay of ours and fashions it as He would. Our LORD wants us to know Him; be like Him; to know Him as He really is; to be in close relationship with Him, but we cannot be in that place if we persist in our ‘iniquity’; a word that the Bible uses it a lot and means to ‘go our own way’. And if God is going His way, and we are on a different track, neither of us are going to meet up at any time. So He wants to turn us around to follow in His way... but we must let Him.
But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.
[Isaiah 64:8 KJV]
Girgashite means 'clay dwellers'. Those who are governed by the things of the earth – who look down to the dust and dirt and see nothing of the heavenly realms, or even if they do know Him, prefer to look down at the ground instead of up to the heavenlies. It begins with compromise - one eye on heaven, the other on earth (double-minded) - until it grows and becomes those of us who are indeed complacent, stuck in our own old ways. Stuck in the clay, and quite happy where we are. No need to ‘come up higher’ or ‘know Him more dearly’.
We know the expression to be a ‘stick-in-the mud’. ‘Stubborn’; ‘unyielding’. In a sense it is unbelief, but more than that, a profession of belief but without the desire to do anything about it. Instead we must sing with the Psalmist ...
He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings..
[Psalm 40:2 KJV]
He takes this clay of ours and fashions it as He would. Our LORD wants us to know Him; be like Him; to know Him as He really is; to be in close relationship with Him, but we cannot be in that place if we persist in our ‘iniquity’; a word that the Bible uses it a lot and means to ‘go our own way’. And if God is going His way, and we are on a different track, neither of us are going to meet up at any time. So He wants to turn us around to follow in His way... but we must let Him.
But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.
[Isaiah 64:8 KJV]
“He brought me out of the miry clay” - VBFA Church
[This is not the song The Lord inspired us to put here, but our one is not available on ‘You Tube’. This however is a good substitute and we will try to find a recording of our inspiration song]
[This is not the song The Lord inspired us to put here, but our one is not available on ‘You Tube’. This however is a good substitute and we will try to find a recording of our inspiration song]
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Saturday 13th June 2020
The habit of ejaculatory prayer ought to be the persistent habit of each one of us.
Saturday 13th June 2020
The habit of ejaculatory prayer ought to be the persistent habit of each one of us.
- Published on
“When the LORD your God brings you into the land which you go to possess, and has cast out many nations before you, the Hittites and the Girgashites and the Amorites and the Canaanites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and mightier than you,
and when the LORD your God delivers them over to you, you shall conquer them and utterly destroy them. You shall make no covenant with them nor show mercy to them.
[Deuteronomy 7:1-2 NKJV]
and when the LORD your God delivers them over to you, you shall conquer them and utterly destroy them. You shall make no covenant with them nor show mercy to them.
[Deuteronomy 7:1-2 NKJV]
The Hittites
In Deuteronomy, we are told that there are seven nations greater and mightier than you. These ‘nations’ are spirits that seek to dominate and control us. God will allow us to meet them for He knows that they are in the world and we must learn to overcome them.
This, God knows, is something we cannot ever do in our own strength; we need His power to find our way through to the other side of the difficulty.
In verse 9, we read Therefore know that the LORD your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments;
I know from our recent healing retreat how easy it is to be overtaken by these powerful forces, and ‘Praise God’, He can deliver us from even the worst of them.
As always with scripture, the ‘nations’ are set in order; in this case with the greatest antagonist appearing first, and that is the spirit of fear. The Bible names it as the Hittites, for that word means ‘terror’.
I know from bitter experience how a spirit of fear can debilitate and crush you, even when you think you are in control of your circumstances and have ‘done all the right things’.
These things can be ingrained in us at an early age, or can be handed down to us through our parents. Believe me, I know it to be true.
I am so thankful to God for answering deliverance prayers, releasing me to walk in freedom from fear.
Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’
“Behold, all those who were incensed against you
shall be ashamed and disgraced; they shall be as nothing, and those who strive with you shall perish.
You shall seek them and not find them--Those who contended with you.
Those who war against you shall be as nothing, as a nonexistent thing.
For I, the LORD your God, will hold your right hand, saying to you, ‘Fear not, I will help you.’
[Isaiah 41:10-13 NKJV]
This, God knows, is something we cannot ever do in our own strength; we need His power to find our way through to the other side of the difficulty.
In verse 9, we read Therefore know that the LORD your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments;
I know from our recent healing retreat how easy it is to be overtaken by these powerful forces, and ‘Praise God’, He can deliver us from even the worst of them.
As always with scripture, the ‘nations’ are set in order; in this case with the greatest antagonist appearing first, and that is the spirit of fear. The Bible names it as the Hittites, for that word means ‘terror’.
I know from bitter experience how a spirit of fear can debilitate and crush you, even when you think you are in control of your circumstances and have ‘done all the right things’.
These things can be ingrained in us at an early age, or can be handed down to us through our parents. Believe me, I know it to be true.
I am so thankful to God for answering deliverance prayers, releasing me to walk in freedom from fear.
Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’
“Behold, all those who were incensed against you
shall be ashamed and disgraced; they shall be as nothing, and those who strive with you shall perish.
You shall seek them and not find them--Those who contended with you.
Those who war against you shall be as nothing, as a nonexistent thing.
For I, the LORD your God, will hold your right hand, saying to you, ‘Fear not, I will help you.’
[Isaiah 41:10-13 NKJV]
“Fear Not For I am With You” - Christ For The Nations Institute
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Friday 12th June 2020
In order to be able to wield the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, we must obey, and it takes a courageous heart to obey.
Friday 12th June 2020
In order to be able to wield the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, we must obey, and it takes a courageous heart to obey.
- Published on
Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.
[Hebrews 13:15 NKJV]
[Hebrews 13:15 NKJV]
Why is praise a sacrifice? Sacrifice is a giving up of something precious, it is a surrendering of a most intimate part of oneself. In praise, by putting ourselves aside, we realise ourselves in God.
That realisation comes with three elements which are the essence of truly meeting with The Lord; praise, word and worship. Praise is the catalyst to bring us in tune with the Holy Spirit, without whom the Word from The Lord can be diluted, missed or misunderstood. And without praise and the Word, worship ceases to be the deep connection with God that it was created to be.
But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;
who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.
[1 Peter 2:9-10 NKJV]
“The Lord inhabits the praises of His people” is often said. It comes from Psalm 22:3 But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel. [KJV]. The New King James Version says enthroned in place of inhabitest. What is certain is that praising The Lord quickly raises us into the heavenly realms. Praise is the fruit of our lips and a joyful noise unto The Lord.
That realisation comes with three elements which are the essence of truly meeting with The Lord; praise, word and worship. Praise is the catalyst to bring us in tune with the Holy Spirit, without whom the Word from The Lord can be diluted, missed or misunderstood. And without praise and the Word, worship ceases to be the deep connection with God that it was created to be.
But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;
who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.
[1 Peter 2:9-10 NKJV]
“The Lord inhabits the praises of His people” is often said. It comes from Psalm 22:3 But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel. [KJV]. The New King James Version says enthroned in place of inhabitest. What is certain is that praising The Lord quickly raises us into the heavenly realms. Praise is the fruit of our lips and a joyful noise unto The Lord.
“We Bring A Sacrifice of Praise” - Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir
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Thursday 11th June 2020
Prayer is not a question of altering things externally, but of working wonders in a man’s disposition.
When you pray, things remain the same, but you begin to be different.
Thursday 11th June 2020
Prayer is not a question of altering things externally, but of working wonders in a man’s disposition.
When you pray, things remain the same, but you begin to be different.
- Published on
The Lord said to Moses, I am the Lord; tell Pharaoh king of Egypt all that I say to you.
But Moses said to the Lord, Behold, I am of deficient and impeded speech; how then shall Pharaoh listen to me?
The Lord said to Moses, Behold, I make you as God to Pharaoh [to declare My will and purpose to him]; and Aaron your brother shall be your prophet.
You shall speak all that I command you, and Aaron your brother shall tell Pharaoh to let the Israelites go out of his land.
[Exodus 6:29-Exodus 7:2 AMPC]
But Moses said to the Lord, Behold, I am of deficient and impeded speech; how then shall Pharaoh listen to me?
The Lord said to Moses, Behold, I make you as God to Pharaoh [to declare My will and purpose to him]; and Aaron your brother shall be your prophet.
You shall speak all that I command you, and Aaron your brother shall tell Pharaoh to let the Israelites go out of his land.
[Exodus 6:29-Exodus 7:2 AMPC]
I was reading a piece by David Wilkerson entitled Knowing God which quoted Exodus 6:7 and afterward decided to read the whole of Exodus 6. At the end and into the beginning of chapter 7, I found the verses quoted above.
I was intrigued by the way that God dealt with Moses’ complaint that Pharaoh would not hear him because of his speech difficulties. Surely God could remedy that? And given that this would be possible there must be a reason for God choosing Moses’ elder brother Aaron (whose name, incidentally, means ‘light bringer’).
Although God always has His man (or woman) for the times, they are fallible; there is always a flaw that must be overcome. The apostle Paul immediately springs to mind.
These people struggle with an infirmity of some sort, something which could compromise all that God seems to be doing. (God appears to enjoy making things difficult for Himself.) He also encourages corporateness, His people working and growing together, no one person taking on the whole burden.
As a part of the God’s plan, we know that the priest/king idea was only fully realised in Jesus (Melchizedek order), and you will recall that King Saul fell when he tried to take both roles to himself. Thus here, Moses represents kingship, while Aaron reveals the priesthood. Both were needed to carry the authority of God in dealing with Pharaoh.
But for us in this time, we can see that Moses needed a friend to help him through. So God says your brother shall be your prophet. Use of the word ‘prophet’ seems to confirm the spiritual element in the choice and the reality for us all is that we need our Holy Spirit brother to help us through life.
Jesus is that brother for me, for you, for every one. He shall be our prophet, our friend, our brother through the dark times however insignificant or overwhelming those times may be, but also as a faithful intimate amid the joys and laughter. He does what any true prophet does - He reveals truth, life in the kingdom and the way ahead.
The song today is Robin Mark’s version of As the Deer Pants for the Water, largely because it has the line ‘You are my friend and You are my brother, even though You are a king’ ...
I was intrigued by the way that God dealt with Moses’ complaint that Pharaoh would not hear him because of his speech difficulties. Surely God could remedy that? And given that this would be possible there must be a reason for God choosing Moses’ elder brother Aaron (whose name, incidentally, means ‘light bringer’).
Although God always has His man (or woman) for the times, they are fallible; there is always a flaw that must be overcome. The apostle Paul immediately springs to mind.
These people struggle with an infirmity of some sort, something which could compromise all that God seems to be doing. (God appears to enjoy making things difficult for Himself.) He also encourages corporateness, His people working and growing together, no one person taking on the whole burden.
As a part of the God’s plan, we know that the priest/king idea was only fully realised in Jesus (Melchizedek order), and you will recall that King Saul fell when he tried to take both roles to himself. Thus here, Moses represents kingship, while Aaron reveals the priesthood. Both were needed to carry the authority of God in dealing with Pharaoh.
But for us in this time, we can see that Moses needed a friend to help him through. So God says your brother shall be your prophet. Use of the word ‘prophet’ seems to confirm the spiritual element in the choice and the reality for us all is that we need our Holy Spirit brother to help us through life.
Jesus is that brother for me, for you, for every one. He shall be our prophet, our friend, our brother through the dark times however insignificant or overwhelming those times may be, but also as a faithful intimate amid the joys and laughter. He does what any true prophet does - He reveals truth, life in the kingdom and the way ahead.
The song today is Robin Mark’s version of As the Deer Pants for the Water, largely because it has the line ‘You are my friend and You are my brother, even though You are a king’ ...
“As the Deer Pants For the Water” - Robin Mark
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Wednesday 10th June 2020
The New Testament view of a Christian is that he is one in whom the Son of God has been revealed
and prayer deals with the nourishment of that life.
Wednesday 10th June 2020
The New Testament view of a Christian is that he is one in whom the Son of God has been revealed
and prayer deals with the nourishment of that life.
- Published on
He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.”
[Psalm91:1-2 NKJV]
[Psalm91:1-2 NKJV]
Just last week I finished reading - or really, I should say listening to - the biography of movie actor James Stewart. A Christian all his life, he spoke movingly on a number of occasions about Psalm 91 as a source of tremendous encouragement to him at difficult or trying times in his life.
He was not alone, and many have found the Psalms and Psalm 91 in particular as a great reminder of the protection and power of Father God in times of trouble and distress.
Here is Psalm 91 in the New Living Translation:
He was not alone, and many have found the Psalms and Psalm 91 in particular as a great reminder of the protection and power of Father God in times of trouble and distress.
Here is Psalm 91 in the New Living Translation:
Those who live in the shelter of the Most High
will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
This I declare about the LORD: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety;
he is my God, and I trust him.
For he will rescue you from every trap and protect you from deadly disease.
He will cover you with his feathers.
He will shelter you with his wings.
His faithful promises are your armour and protection.
Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night,
nor the arrow that flies in the day.
Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness,
nor the disaster that strikes at midday.
Though a thousand fall at your side, though ten thousand are dying around you,
these evils will not touch you.
Just open your eyes,
and see how the wicked are punished.
If you make the LORD your refuge, if you make the Most High your shelter,
no evil will conquer you; no plague will come near your home.
For he will order his angels to protect you wherever you go.
They will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.
You will trample upon lions and cobras; you will crush fierce lions and serpents under your feet!
[Psalm 91 NLT]
will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
This I declare about the LORD: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety;
he is my God, and I trust him.
For he will rescue you from every trap and protect you from deadly disease.
He will cover you with his feathers.
He will shelter you with his wings.
His faithful promises are your armour and protection.
Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night,
nor the arrow that flies in the day.
Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness,
nor the disaster that strikes at midday.
Though a thousand fall at your side, though ten thousand are dying around you,
these evils will not touch you.
Just open your eyes,
and see how the wicked are punished.
If you make the LORD your refuge, if you make the Most High your shelter,
no evil will conquer you; no plague will come near your home.
For he will order his angels to protect you wherever you go.
They will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.
You will trample upon lions and cobras; you will crush fierce lions and serpents under your feet!
[Psalm 91 NLT]
“I Will Trust You” Psalm 91 (Live) - Renew Collective
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Tuesday 9th June 2020
On the top of those very billows, which look as if they would overwhelm us, walks the Son of God.
Tuesday 9th June 2020
On the top of those very billows, which look as if they would overwhelm us, walks the Son of God.
- Published on
O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.
[Psalm 95:1]
[Psalm 95:1]
Our salvation seems to me to be an ongoing process. We were saved when we gave our hearts to Jesus, we are being saved every day we embrace His life, and we shall be saved at the end of the matter.
We must follow Paul's injunction: Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. [Philippians 2:12]
There is – as has often been said – a co-labouring with the Holy Spirit to keep us on Salvation Road. We have to keep ourselves open and receptive to the Holy Spirit work in us. It takes an active response on our part to come before His presence, and it needs to be done with joy and thanksgiving – and just there is the point where the LORD begins to work.
The act of praising the LORD, however out-of-tune or raucous it may seem to us, is a sweet-smelling savour to our God. He loves to hear our praises and our worship of Him, and He returns that love to us in abundance, by putting joy and thanksgiving in our hearts. Nothing drives away despondency more quickly or effectively than making a joyful noise unto Him!
Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms. {come…: Heb. prevent his face}
For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods.
In his hand are the deep places of the earth: the strength of the hills is his also. {In…: Heb. In whose} {the strength…: or, the heights of the hills are his}
[Psalm 95:2-4 KJV]
We must follow Paul's injunction: Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. [Philippians 2:12]
There is – as has often been said – a co-labouring with the Holy Spirit to keep us on Salvation Road. We have to keep ourselves open and receptive to the Holy Spirit work in us. It takes an active response on our part to come before His presence, and it needs to be done with joy and thanksgiving – and just there is the point where the LORD begins to work.
The act of praising the LORD, however out-of-tune or raucous it may seem to us, is a sweet-smelling savour to our God. He loves to hear our praises and our worship of Him, and He returns that love to us in abundance, by putting joy and thanksgiving in our hearts. Nothing drives away despondency more quickly or effectively than making a joyful noise unto Him!
Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms. {come…: Heb. prevent his face}
For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods.
In his hand are the deep places of the earth: the strength of the hills is his also. {In…: Heb. In whose} {the strength…: or, the heights of the hills are his}
[Psalm 95:2-4 KJV]
“Rock of Our Salvation” - Bright City
OSWALD CHAMBERS - RUN TODAY’S RACE
Monday 8th June 2020
It is never “Do, do” with The Lord, but “Be, be” and He will “do” through you
Monday 8th June 2020
It is never “Do, do” with The Lord, but “Be, be” and He will “do” through you
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Then they brought to Him one who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech, and they begged Him to put His hand on him.
And He took him aside from the multitude, and put His fingers in his ears, and He spat and touched his tongue.
Then, looking up to heaven, He sighed, and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.”
Immediately his ears were opened, and the impediment of his tongue was loosed, and he spoke plainly.
[Mark 7:32-35 NKJV]
And He took him aside from the multitude, and put His fingers in his ears, and He spat and touched his tongue.
Then, looking up to heaven, He sighed, and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.”
Immediately his ears were opened, and the impediment of his tongue was loosed, and he spoke plainly.
[Mark 7:32-35 NKJV]
The scripture tells us that ‘Ephphatha’ means ‘be opened’, but that description is but a part, because it also means ‘be set free’, ‘ungird’, ‘break forth’. When Jesus speaks a word of release, it is always more than mere healing; there is complete liberation.
What we see here are the three basics that the Lord taught us for healing. The first is repentance (they begged Him to put His hand on him), followed by forgiveness (“Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.”), and finally deliverance (Immediately his ears were opened...).
That word, “ephphatha”, while meaning ‘be opened’, really expresses complete forgiveness. Be set free from whatever troubles you. Be set free from your old ways. Be set free to live a new life in Christ Jesus.
In the passage quoted it was being liberated to hear and gain understanding, but also to gain control over the power of speech. We do not know what the impediment really was, but Jesus’ healing brought freedom of speech; an ability to speak nought but His truth.
Jesus shows us the way to whatever healing we need. Repentance, then forgiveness brings deliverance. From personal experience, we know it works. His way brings truth and gives new life.
What we see here are the three basics that the Lord taught us for healing. The first is repentance (they begged Him to put His hand on him), followed by forgiveness (“Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.”), and finally deliverance (Immediately his ears were opened...).
That word, “ephphatha”, while meaning ‘be opened’, really expresses complete forgiveness. Be set free from whatever troubles you. Be set free from your old ways. Be set free to live a new life in Christ Jesus.
In the passage quoted it was being liberated to hear and gain understanding, but also to gain control over the power of speech. We do not know what the impediment really was, but Jesus’ healing brought freedom of speech; an ability to speak nought but His truth.
Jesus shows us the way to whatever healing we need. Repentance, then forgiveness brings deliverance. From personal experience, we know it works. His way brings truth and gives new life.
“Ephphatha” - Shekinah Kayinda
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Sunday 7th June 2020
The pure man or woman, not the innocent, is the safeguarded man or woman. God demands that they be pure and virtuous. Innocence is the characteristic of the child; it is a blameworthy thing for a man or a woman not to be reconciled to the fact of sin.
Sunday 7th June 2020
The pure man or woman, not the innocent, is the safeguarded man or woman. God demands that they be pure and virtuous. Innocence is the characteristic of the child; it is a blameworthy thing for a man or a woman not to be reconciled to the fact of sin.
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So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife; and when he went in to her, the LORD gave her conception, and she bore a son.
Then the women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the LORD, who has not left you this day without a close relative; and may his name be famous in Israel!
And may he be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age; for your daughter-in-law, who loves you, who is better to you than seven sons, has borne him.”
Then Naomi took the child and laid him on her bosom, and became a nurse to him.
Also the neighbor women gave him a name, saying, “There is a son born to Naomi.” And they called his name Obed. He is the father of Jesse, the father of David.
[Ruth 4:13-17 NKJV]
Then the women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the LORD, who has not left you this day without a close relative; and may his name be famous in Israel!
And may he be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age; for your daughter-in-law, who loves you, who is better to you than seven sons, has borne him.”
Then Naomi took the child and laid him on her bosom, and became a nurse to him.
Also the neighbor women gave him a name, saying, “There is a son born to Naomi.” And they called his name Obed. He is the father of Jesse, the father of David.
[Ruth 4:13-17 NKJV]
All the best stories end with ‘and they all lived happily ever after’. There is a sense in which the story of Ruth and Boaz is such a tale. Here is true love, a wedding and a birth ... and more than that, we can see that the story continues onwards into an inheritance. This is, without doubt, the best of stories - and all the more inspiring because it reveals the truth of our Lord.
We are not without ‘a close relative’ in this trying hour. We have a loving and caring ‘close relative’ who wants to be in a marriage relationship with His people, His bride. And the outcome of that relationship is that a son is born. When we ‘marry’ ourselves to Christ, there is a new birth within us - the son of God is manifested in His people.
A child assures our inheritance. This is not referring to the natural, but to the spiritual, for when the Son of God is born afresh within you, your inheritance becomes His life - life everlasting. There aren’t enough hallelujah’s to express the joy of such a thing.
When we are ‘married’ to our husband, Jesus Christ, a son is born and His name is Obed (a servant). We are restored and nourished in and by this relationship. The song that comes to mind is ‘Praise my soul the king of heaven’, which contains the truth that we are ransomed, healed, restored and forgiven.
PRAYER: Lord we thank you for Your healing presence. Help us to be in that presence; to soak in the joy of our close kinship with You. Make us to be a faithful companion like Ruth and with a servant’s heart, like Obed, that we may continue the line of Your Spirit through the generations.
We are not without ‘a close relative’ in this trying hour. We have a loving and caring ‘close relative’ who wants to be in a marriage relationship with His people, His bride. And the outcome of that relationship is that a son is born. When we ‘marry’ ourselves to Christ, there is a new birth within us - the son of God is manifested in His people.
A child assures our inheritance. This is not referring to the natural, but to the spiritual, for when the Son of God is born afresh within you, your inheritance becomes His life - life everlasting. There aren’t enough hallelujah’s to express the joy of such a thing.
When we are ‘married’ to our husband, Jesus Christ, a son is born and His name is Obed (a servant). We are restored and nourished in and by this relationship. The song that comes to mind is ‘Praise my soul the king of heaven’, which contains the truth that we are ransomed, healed, restored and forgiven.
PRAYER: Lord we thank you for Your healing presence. Help us to be in that presence; to soak in the joy of our close kinship with You. Make us to be a faithful companion like Ruth and with a servant’s heart, like Obed, that we may continue the line of Your Spirit through the generations.
“Praise My Soul, The King of Heaven”
OSWALD CHAMBERS - RUN TODAY’S RACE
Saturday 6th June 2020
Whenever there is the tiniest element of doubt, quit.
Never say, “Why shouldn’t I? There’s no harm in it.”
Saturday 6th June 2020
Whenever there is the tiniest element of doubt, quit.
Never say, “Why shouldn’t I? There’s no harm in it.”