TOWARDS HOLINESS PART 3 - "UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER"

When we think of the term "Unconditional Surrender", the image of Defeat comes to mind. When a nation is vanquished in war, as Japan was in 1945, the Emperor had to surrender without conditions to the United States of America. The terms of post-surrender are different from the actual act of giving up all weapons and rights to aggressive action. During World War II, for the guarantee of peace, the Japanese had to give up every aspect of any militaristic aggression. It was dropping all weapons PLUS.....a lot of current and future actions.

In the Spiritual Realm, which is not just important in the long run, but now, for life as a Christian. This is not just for adult men and women, but for every young person who is born again, even at the youngest age.  Absolute surrender to the Holy Spirit and the Will of God for us is imperative for the Fullness of the Lord Jesus Christ to work in us.

The question that we, who live surrounded by Cultural Christianity, must ask - if Jesus were to knock on the door of our souls, would He have access to every part, every nook and cranny, every compartment and every aspect of our lives? Are we the Fake News of Christians, living under the dignity and privilege of having the "Title of Christian" but being a practical atheist like the majority of people in this country, hemisphere or the world? Many who claim Faith in the God of Heaven do a really good job of walling off the most significant parts of their lives from the very Same God Who can deliver from all death, distress and despair. 

This kind of life is NOT what the Lord expects of His people. Motivational speakers posing as preachers present us a false picture, Sunday after Sunday on television, books, seminars, all over this country. None of that would first, get a person into heaven and secondly, even if a person is saved, help them to grow into the Christian, whom Christ would be able to say one day "well done, good and faithful servant".

The individualistic nature of the western is not the main reason why Christians, who enjoy the fruits of modern life, are afraid to acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord. It basically the selfish nature of all humankind, who thinks more highly of self than anything else. Then, we note that the main goal of churches, pastors, altar calls, evangelists etc. is for those, to whom they preach, to accept Jesus as Savior....and HE IS YOUR SAVIOR AND MINE.

Unfortunately, this is where many stop. If a modern christian were to really study all 66 Books of the Bible, what would jump right out at them how many times the word LORD appears down to the final chapter of the Bible. The Lord Who forgives. The Lord Who gives. The Lord Who is patient. The Lord Who is kind. The Lord Who saves and the Lord Who judges in righteousness. Accepting this Jesus as Lord AND Savior is the only way to live and walk in His Ways. 

Therefore, here, for as long as it takes, we begin the process of a REAL COMMITMENT to Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, item by item, a few at a time, so that the Spirit can begin to clean us up now. We do all of this not in our own power, but through His. 

BE AWARE THIS CANNOT BE DONE OVERNIGHT ALL AT ONCE. BUT IF THE PROCESS IS NOT STARTED NOW, CHRISTIAN - YOU WILL LIVE IN DEFEAT AND DISAPPOINTMENT ALL THE DAYS OF YOUR LIFE, ABSENT OF COMPLETE PEACE, JOY AND CONTENTMENT.

COMPARTMENT #1 OF MY LIFE TO SURRENDER TO GOD NOW:

-  Every aspect of my Faith Walk. This is of supreme importance. 

It matters not that a person goes to a "Bible-preaching church". It matters if the correct exposition of the literal Scriptures are presented in an orderly and simple manner, reflecting the fact that the preacher actually studied what he is teaching. 

To surrender every aspect of my Faith Walk with Christ, I will have to be VERY careful of the following, seeking the Lord for absolute discernment and wisdom in choosing: 

-  What translation of the Bible should I use? If your church is using the New International Version (NIV) or NLT (New Living Translation) or other paraphrase as the main text and even if the preacher is spot on, the Lord will expect us to NOT follow them but instead get a real literal and comprehensive Study Bible which is closer to the original text than the aforementioned paraphrases. The most literal, Word for Word translation of the Word of God is the New American Standard Bible (click).  The most fluent AND literal is the English Standard Version (ESV) and the Christian Standard Bible (CSB). There is absolutely nothing wrong with the King James Version (KJV) or the NKJV. Beware of preachers and teachers who use the Message Bible as their primary text. This may seem like a little thing, but the Word of God is the Plumb Line against which ALL humanity will be judge and the Lord is serious about it. Do NOT compromise on your own understanding and reading of the accurate Word of God, because another mortal human being, a preacher or teacher, reads from a weak version of Scripture. This is one thing we MUST give over to the Lord for His direction, so we can be Faithful to His True Word.

-  What kind of music are we listening to? It goes without saying, that we should not listen to death metal, gangsta rap that degrades women and glorifies violence or songs that promote immorality. Some of the so-called Christian Contemporary music around though, may sound good, but do not mention Jesus, or  even imply Him. Not all people are inclined to listen to hymnal music or Keith Green from the 1980's (a Christian musician). Here is  good place to surrender our lives to the Lord, in the music we listen to. There was some good clean secular music in the 1970's and 80's. Does it mean that a Christian cannot go to a Doobie Brothers' or Chicago concert? No, but do so in the knowledge that a concert is all it is and we are just as accountable to pray for the souls of those talented musicians as ever. Alice Cooper, who popularized outlandish (and scary) costumes in his concerts over 40 years, is a good example. He still plays his old music but as the born-again son of an Arizona preacher, his message is completely different on stage, according to those who have seen his act to whom I have spoken. Also, Alice Cooper (real name Vince Furnier) can be seen without his scary pancake makeup, in a local baptist church, every Sunday in the town where he has a concert, every time. At home in Arizona, he and his faithful wife of 43 years, are members of the Camelback Bible Church. 

These are two important parts of the Christian's Worship Life which MUST be under the full authority of God. There is no option or Plan B. The Word of God is too important to be treated with disrespect as is done today, in even good churches where the Bible is not carried into the building by congregants. Even if every church in town does not turn off the main reading of the Scriptures from the television screen, you and I....we walk with our Bibles. People will say the following "we have the Bible on our phones".  This is nice. However, most never open the Bible App and read.

Music has become significantly more important - even more so than prayer - in today's worship service. However, surrendering the nature of the music, the lyrics and the reaction to it, reflects the heart of the worshiper in us. The classic hymns will never go away. While they have been replaced by the modern worship song in the majority of modern churches in the West and Australia, the hymns with which we grew up, remain standard among the majority of Christians in the world (in the Third World and other persecuted lands). These hymns are the story of Jesus and are full of theology. None of us have control over the songs played in church, for the most part. We do have control over the next 99 % of our daily life, in our homes, cars and  offices. Let us then choose and select that which will considered appropriate, if Jesus Christ were sitting in the car with us (which He is)!

NEXT - PRAYER LIFE

WORD OF LIFE, PART 4: THE REST AND RESCUE OF GOD

We have all had these seasons in life, when nothing goes right - the bills are piling in. If there are young or teenage children, just keeping them focused on the important things in life and not the culture which demands their souls and attention can be overwhelming. If you are a single parent trying to deal with work, children, child care, food on the table, homework done and a car muffler going out, sometimes life is just too much. If you're a middle-aged dad, the college bills are coming in, and no job prospects for little junior lie ahead. If you're a senior, the end of life is on the horizon ahead, and somehow life feels unfulfilled, or even empty.

So what do we do when feeling crushed, under the gun and there is no end in sight. You hear the preacher in church tell you on Sunday morning, if you can even make it to church, that "you must give it to God".....or "let God have it".....or "make Jesus the Lord of your life".... or "read the Word of God, it has the answers". As a Christian, you may know all of this is true, or could be true and you consider Jesus as Savior. You even prayed "the prayer" and accepted Christ into your life. But with all you're going through, none of it seems real. There is a disconnect. In fact, there seems to be a huge gap of reality.

Here is where the preacher is right! The Word of God DOES have all the answers. In fact the words themselves contain answers, therein. But there is a caveat and it requires something not human within us to bring deliverance and breakthrough. Do not get this wrong. It has nothing to do with "sowing a seed" or chanting a verse as you see on those TV shows on prosperity, word faith or contemplative prayer programs. These are outside the realm of the Spirit. What we are talking about here is letting loose the Spirit of Christ within us, to remove the human element of wanting to control outcomes and answers, and then allowing Him to guide us into the areas of all Truth.

This is basically what surrendering or committing your life and mine to Christ really means. The examples cited above (bills, teenage rebellion, stress, car problems, work etc.) can, do and will continue to overwhelm us. These are what daily living is all about. But it can also be about REST. This is the Rest emanating from the penumbras of the not-so-hidden Oracles of God, which is the Bible.

This Rest is saying as verse 25 below says "My soul clings to the dust"....Lord I can't take this anymore. Help me!!!" But then, we acknowledge in verse 26 that we have been doing it our way for so long, that it "ain't workin, hoss"! But Verse 26 also has something else...and it is that caveat we mentioned earlier. We realize that our way is not working and the cry for "RESCUE" is being heard!  This is surrendering to Jesus as Lord! It simply means - our ways are useless, He is Lord so now, "Jesus, God, You are MY LORD - please RESCUE ME!"

Psalm 119:25-32

Daleth

25 My soul clings to the dust;

Revive me according to Your word.

26 I have declared my ways, and You answered me;

Teach me Your statutes.

27 Make me understand the way of Your precepts;

So shall I meditate on Your wonderful works.

28 My soul melts from heaviness;

Strengthen me according to Your word.

29 Remove from me the way of lying,

And grant me Your law graciously.

30 I have chosen the way of truth;

Your judgments I have laid before me.

31 I cling to Your testimonies;

O Lord, do not put me to shame!

32 I will run the course of Your commandments,

For You shall enlarge my heart.

And He does - every time! The problems never go away, but now, they seem bearable if we keep our Focus on Him. They are manageable if we read a portion of Psalms every day or the Gospels or 1 John. They are His because we rest in His Word and His promises. That is what Psalm 119 is all about - the Word As Life, the Word to Life and the Word OF Life, the Life of the Believer!

Resting on the Word, when we are in sackcloth and ashes like Job, in the dung heap of life, brings meditation (verse 27) and thinking about that Scripture and the Goodness of Yahweh, as you drive the long commute to work, or to drop your teenage kid to the soccer game or swim meet....or as widow going to the senior home to volunteer to help with social activities.

Resting on the Word means that even your heart is melting with sadness, sorrow and loneliness (verse 28), He will send you back to the Bible and you will find that ONE word, phrase or passage which He wrote just for you, and you realize, "God, You really do have my back!"

Resting on the Word means no more cutting corners to shade that truth to avoid embarrassment or this corner to "save time or a buck" but now, you see and FEEL His Grace lighting up the next half mile ahead for you to travel (Verses 29- 30). Because you have chosen to accept this Rest, you are now committed to this road, and thus, MORE Grace lies around the bend.

Resting on the Word means rejecting yourself as the author of your own breakthrough and answers and accepting His guidance now. Why shouldn't you? He knows the end from the beginning. He has laid out the road map to peace, joy and contentment - even in times of trouble, so let us saturate our minds DAILY with His Truth. Then watch the oil of joy flow to bring rescue and healing, so much so, that the Testimonies of your growing love and heart for God just want to burst out of our chest! These testimonies are so rich, they will lead others to this Rest and Knowledge - if we just tell them!

Jesus said in John 16:33 "in this world, you will have tribulation (troubles, all kinds of bad things happen) but BEHOLD (be of good cheer, even in horrible times), I HAVE OVERCOME THE WORLD!!" (My emphasis and explanations in brackets are not from scripture, but interpretation). 

Therefore, go rest high - on the mountain and Word of God. Amen.

PRAY FOR.....HUMILITY

He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble His way (Psalm 25:9).
If there is one thing God hates, it is pride. In fact, it was pride which led to the downfall of the once great worship leader of heaven - Lucifer, who declared himself to be greater than God. (Read here to see how vile Lucifer's pride was). The opposite of pride is humility - real humility, not the false which which causes the religious to stand in the market place like the pharisees did. They looked the part, appeared to be holy and acted like they were fasting, but their hearts were full of religious pride and sin before God.

Humility which causes God to give grace (while He resists and rebukes the proud) is not just a freedom from arrogance and pride, but a genuine, conscious and intentional attitude which regards others as worthy of your service and mine. It is the kind of meekness like Jesus, Whose meekness could never be confused with weakness. He was, after all, the Son of God. We are, after all, if we are born again, sons and daughters of God. Our meekness and submission to the Will of God (love God first and love others) is BASED on this positional truth!

To be clearer, our firm and sealed position as joint heirs with Christ in the Kingdom of Heaven is what affords us the privilege and opportunity to be like our Lord, and to be completely grateful for our salvation by walking this thing called Life out as, Micah 6:8 instructs us! God says this, which applies to our point: "He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?" (Micah 6:8).

In this verse, we see the following:
- God has shown us what is good (our salvation and sealing via the Holy Spirit until the Day of Redemption or when we die and go to Him).
- Because of this fact, He requires something in return of all Christians: 
  1. Be fair with everyone in our dealings and to not take advantage of ANYONE.
  2. Love people and be compassionate towards them, as God is to us.
  3. Live a Christian life of surrender to Christ daily, in true humility.

This is an equation which gives life while summing up the Christian Journey. Most believers are somewhere along the scale of humility when converted from darkness to light. However, too many in the west use our wealthy churches and its ministries - from the vast and exciting world of Christian media and to parachurch ministry - use their position in Christ to not so much enrich themselves but as to become very turf-oriented, forgetting from whence cometh their gifting. So let us resolve to pray, no matter what our status in the Journey with Jesus, for humility and surrender as we begin each day, so that we may receive guidance, direction and blessing with a humble heart and soul. Let us pray:

Heavenly Father, I thank You that You gave Your Son as a ransom for many, that sinners - vile and unworthy though we are - could and would be saved if we believe the Gospel, repented of those sins and accept the finished work on the Cross for our salvation.  Help us to be more like Him oh Lord. To be like the Humble, suffering Savior Who gave Himself and served and loved and put others before Him, knowing all along that He was God, the Ancient of Days.

Help us to understand how blessed and fortunate we are as Your children, that we don't need to call down fire and judgment and hell from heaven on bad people, even though we may feel like it, but to remember at those times that we should be grateful that our names are written in Your Book of Eternal Life! Help us to put aside ALL encumbrances which clog our communication lines with you and could cause us to stumble that we may remain humble, like Your Servant Moses, whom You called the "most humble man ever on the earth". Lord, we love, adore, worship and magnify You and Your Name above all others and that includes, most certainly, ourselves. Help us to remember WHO You are so we can remember Whose we are and our lives will reflect this gratitude and truth, in the Mighty and Strong Name of Jesus, we pray, amen and amen and amen!!!

OTHER VERSES TO MEDITATE UPON TO GROW IN HUMILITY:

Matthew 18:1-4 “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”

Philippians 2:3-4 “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.  Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.”

First Peter 5:5-6 “Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you.” 

THIRTY ONE DAYS OF BIBLE TRUTHS - DAY 23 (RESISTANCE)

BIBLE VERSE: "Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you" James 4:7

TRUTH: During World War II there were Resistance movements all over Europe against the ruling Nazi invaders who held almost every country there, for a long period of time. These Resistance fighters moved "underground" or under the radar, conducted guerrilla warfare against the brutal Nazis and basically softened up the perimeters so the Allies (led by the U.S.A.) could ping in and eventually win the War in 1945. The French and Polish Resistance were the most well known, but Italy, Yugoslavia and others had their own and they coordinated.

They had one thing in common - resisting the evil of Nazi Germany. We have one thing in common with the God Who saved us. We too hate evil. We have our own battles to fight but unlike the Resistances guys and gals of World War II, we do not have to rely on our own power. We can never win these awful skirmishes on our own, as we are fighting an enemy we cannot see, comprehend or fully grasp the evil therein. Therefore, we must rely fully on God to fight our battles for us. That is not a cliche. It can, will and has been done throughout the History of God's people. The equation is right in this verse: "SUBMIT TO GOD"! If we are fully surrendered to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, understand what resting fully in the Savior's Grace means and then fully function in Ephesians 6, we are thus, equipped. Unlike the Resistance, the weapons of our warfare are invisible. Like the Resistance we can win. We win with one simple thing - saying NO...and not just saying NO, but saying NO in the Mighty Name of Jesus and the devil does not have a prayer. So surrender to God, say no to evil and temptation and rely fully in the Power and Lordship of Christ. These are the Keys to Victory in this unseen war against our souls.

(Image Credit Here)

PRAYERS OF THE BIBLE SERIES - THE BOOK OF JAMES, #4

TRANSFORMATION IN PRAYER- SUBMIT, RESIST, DRAW

(James 4:7-8a)

7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.
In the previous post on prayer (#3) we examined the Protocols of Prayer, where the absolute foundation was built on the twin pillars of humility and repentance. But Transformation only begins there as intentional ACTION must follow. 

Again, we have to look at the Model of The Man who is teaching these truths on behalf of God. We know James, the head of the Christianity's "head office" in Jerusalem, is speaking for God and the only way James knows how to listen, teach and obey - (L.T.O.) is to pray. His very instructions in today's passage from James 4 are predicated on prayer...to wit:
- Submit to God (verse 7): How do we submit to God unless we surrender directly to Him. This can ONLY be done in direct conversation or as we call it - prayer! To submit to the Will of God, we have to know Him intimately, His Word inherently and His plans instinctively. There is not getting around it. This has to be done through Prayer and reading the Bible. Morphing into the image of Christ starts when we say, in earnest prayer, we are nothing without Him, and we surrender to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

- Resist the Devil (verse 7): Nobrainer here! The devil hates us and any shiny or tempting object he sets before us is to aid us in life, but to completely ruin everything we are, say, think do. He wants to destroy our testimonies, our marriages, our families, churches, communities and countries. He has succeeded tremendously in every single one of them. Why should he succeed with us? He is a filthy destructive being and we resist in prayer by reminding him of his destiny; his defeat at the Cross and his lack of any hold over you and I. God has already told us how wise it is to literally RUN away from Temptation and Evil. That's it - resist by running and resist by rebuking in the Name of Jesus, in prayer, fast thinking and surrender to the Lordship of Christ.

- Draw near to God (verse 8): Another nobrainer here! Can you and I hear the skeptics now? "How can you draw near to someone you can't see?"...and some such configuration? First of all, a person can only draw NEAR to God, whom God has called near to Him! This is an explicit reminder of the special dispensation granted the Redeemed who are saved by His Grace and called to eternal life by the King! So we already have positional salvation in the Kingdom. Therefore the power, richness and intensity of that Walk with Him, depends on us alone. 

How much we want to look, sound, walk, talk and love like Jesus depends on how close and strong we want our relationship with God to be and this means - you guessed it - prayer! Draw, come close to Him in prayer, know His thoughts, Amazing Mind, Heart and His Word and He will reveal more and more and more and more to you in one verse or one month than ever thought possible in a lifetime. This may sound challenging to many Christians but in over a decade into a more intentional prayer life, what has worked for me is regular fasting and prayer. Many are not pro-fasting, as it is not a command or requirement for Salvation. which is true. However, I can't begin to tell of the incredible power, insight, awe and inspiration which Fasting has brought into my life. Fasting is a topic for another time, but I choose to follow the Words of Jesus and His Lordship here when He said in Matthew 6:
16 “Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 17 But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18 so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. (Emphasis mine).

Credits: Free Bible Images
Bible Gateway for all Scripture used

THY WILL BE DONE..."HOW DO I KNOW WHEN GOD ANSWER MY PRAYER"

During a Bible Conference a couple years ago, I asked Phil Johnson, the president of Dr. John MacArthur's broadcast ministry (Grace to You) the following question, in essence: "how do we know when  God has answered our prayers and how do we proceed from there". His general answer was, to paraphrase, that we should pray about it and trust the Lord and then take the appropriate course of action. This is a great answer but it also assumes a high level of spiritual maturity and discernment. Another small risk in that, is we can listen to our own voice and make a mistake outside the will of God.

For most Christians, it is not that easy because of the lack of spiritual maturity, with only 9 (NINE!!) percent of Americans with any Biblical Worldview at all!!! God has told us what His Will is for our lives and it is thus "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. (Romans 12:2 - please watch my video at the end of this page for a fuller explanation of this verse). God's Will for us is basically walking in Holiness so we can be more like Him, hence the reason He saved us and set us apart.

Now, the responsibility of the Christian is say "Thy Will be done on earth as You, oh God, have willed it in Romans 12:2 and I refuse to conform, compromise, sell out and trade my testimony and worse, my soul, with the world, just to be considered to be one of them"! Our prayer should be "Heavenly Father, most gracious kind, long-suffering, patient and merciful God, I surrender my entire will, my being, my life and my all to you. I take every thought captive and align it more with Thy Word. I accept Your true Will for my life which is obedience and walking in the Light of the Lord my Savior Jesus Christ, and I seek to follow Him in word, action and will. Lord, I seek Thy guidance in all matters. I want Your thoughts to be my thoughts. I desire Your strength to uphold me, Thy Spirit to direct, mold, move, reveal and not conceal but that You, oh Most High God would keep me close, because I am weak and need You, that I may truly discern what Your purposes, plans and paths are for me to follow, through Christ our Lord, my God and my King, amen".

A prayer of submission along those lines is what is needed. We also have to believe in Him for the answer, and that He will reveal it to us. I am cessionist only to the point where there is nothing more written, and revealed from God than His Holy Word, to all the peoples of all times and that means, one can add NOTHING to Scripture than the 66 books of the Bible. I also know PERSONALLY, that God speaks to us, when He wants and HOW He wants, because He is sovereign and we ain't!  The Bible has "Thus sayeth the Lord", in your own prayer life and if you're following and obeying Him (or should be) He will call, guide and/or rebuke in an audible voice, when necessary, as I know He has to me on three separate occasions in my life, in the last two decades. 

The key in praying to God about an important matter such as whom you should marry, or which job you should take or even which roads you should travel on a snowy, wintry day is this: listening! I cannot begin to tell you how many times He has rescued be because the Holy Spirit immediately prompted me to a sudden course of action here or there. I pulled off the interstate on an off-ramp one new year's eve on heading out for a 3 hour drive to family for a New Year's party, swung around and headed back home.  The Holy Spirit did not loudly say "get off this highway NOW" - He just moved and I obeyed immediately. He has also shown me opportunities which I missed because I decided NOT to move! This opportunity was in a flash second.
There is much more we can discuss to seek answers to prayer and that will be addressed in the next post....and then expand on "when God answers prayer"

SPEAK LIFE - LESSON 4: "READY, SET...FALL ON YOUR FACE!"

And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed. Matthew 26:39a

In prayer and pleading, the only practical position is prostrate before the Pillar

(Image courtesy Pinterest)

of Righteousness, the Protector of Humanity and Provider of everything- Abba Father in Heaven. The perfect example of the supreme illustration of submission and obedience to God was God Himself - in the form of the Son, Jesus! Before we got to the point of Matthew 26:39a where the pre-crucified Savior fell on His Magnificent Face, He was already in deep agony. The discourse in the Garden of Gethsemane was full of the pain and burden of what was about to transpire.

Coming off the High Priest of Heaven's Amazingly Unique prayer in John 17, where the Messiah prayed for both His current disciples and those to follow until the end of time, we see a different type of agonizing prayer. The weight of all sin for all time on the shoulders of the God-man had started to take a toll - one which He could bear, yet one which caused Him no end of suffering. The magnitude of that same sin was incredible and as accomplished and trained as His disciples were, we see here in Matthew 26:39 that He went "a little beyond them". This little phrase means a lot. In the original text it reads "proerchomai" or "gone before, advanced, gone ahead of, preceded" and not just in the physical sense that He physically went ahead of the disciples after the Passover dinner (Seder) in the Upper Room, but now as the Ultimate Sacrifice - the Messiah was going ahead of us to take the punishment for us which we deserved.

In a metaphorical sense, the weight of this threw Him to His Face before Holy God - to pray! We can learn from this, as WE go ahead of our families, loved ones and others and intercede. Intercessors and "prayer warriors" are not just few and far between but are only encouraged by church leadership when something has gone wrong, when "so-and-so" is having surgery or "this, that or the other is about to happen for Missy's daughter and she needs prayer" or "Frank's son is about to be deployed for the 6th time by the Army with hardly any time to spend with his now-estranged wife" etc....etc....

FALL ON YOUR FACE
Regardless, we press on. We take the initiative like Jesus. We take the burden of their prayer requests and "pray without ceasing". Who cares if our churches refuse to have prayer services - even once a quarter...once a year - you and go ahead of them and fall flat physically or in essence before the Holiness and Majesty of God. Truthfully, we have no business being in His Presence. The word in this verse "fell" (pipto in Greek) literally means fall under condemnation. When we pray submitted, assuming the proverbial positional prayer as Jesus did here, we acknowledge our sin before Him and accept His Grace before moving on to intercede in prayer. 

Then, the next word "face" has another literal meaning of its own. Again we go to the original textus receptus and see that the Holy Spirit used the original (and pregnant with meaning) "prosópon". Sure, Jesus fell on His literal Face and we should to when we pray, but it also means you and I "fall in the Presence of God" when used in Revelation 22:4  - that SAME word! When approaching God in the manner described above, we are immediately ushered into His Presence so our prayers and supplications can be heard and ministered to!

Basically, it comes down to this - if we wish to have our prayers answered and in real short order, we come to the same realization which George Muller did about the Will and Purposes of God. Muller knew and said that 90% of knowing God's Will, in any circumstance, is to have NO will of our own. This is the essence of falling prostrate and flat on our faces before Him. The great men of the Faith knew this.

D.L. Moody said "The world has yet to see what God can do with one man wholly dedicated to Him. By the grace of God, I will be that man." (James McConkey, The Surrendered Life, (Pittsburgh, PA: Silver Publishing, 1923)
Andrew Murray said "Trust in Jesus....He will guide you; He will teach you; He will work in you; He will keep you; He will be everything to you. What a blessed rest and freedom from responsibility and from care, because it is all in the hands of Jesus! (Andrew Murray, The Master’s Indwelling (Old Tappan, NJ: Fleming Revell, 1896).
F.B. Meyer said "As soon as we come to the point of giving ourselves to God, we are almost certain to become aware of the presence of one thing, if not of more, out of harmony with His will; and while we feel able to surrender ourselves in all other points, here we exercise reserve. Every room and cupboard in the house, with the exception of this, is thrown open to the new occupant". (F B Meyer, Secret of Guidance, (Old Tappan, NJ: Fleming H. Revell, 1896).

There it is, All of the above quotes are amazing and true, but F.B. Meyer hit on what happens when we are fully surrendered to God in prayer. Falling flat on our face is more than just this, but it is being in His Presence knowing and/or being aware of the full potential of ALL the resources of Heaven being open and available to us. The thing is - our Heavenly Father DOES want to make all of this available to us, all it takes is a surrendered heart. 

Therefore, "ready, set...fall on your face" (and mine) because we must be about our Father's business, to the Glory of His Name, and the blessings/benefit of others. Amen.  

MAKING IT RIGHT, PART 3

 

We have all gone to these amazing Classic Car shows each summer or Fall to marvel at these ancient, beat up or rusted out old wrecks restored to seemingly better than original condition. To the aficionados and collectors, this is not just a hobby but a passion...even an obsession which most times exceeds these people's passion for God Himself.

Job was not a modern day Classic car collector but he WAS a man for whom God Himself had a tremendous amount of esteem. We see the growth and maturity of a man who yes, had definitely more faith in God, than those around him, including his wife. But when the time came for testing, he did what a lot of us would do today - rationalize and question. 

As we examined in the previous two segments of this short series on Job,  The Lord Himself took the occasion of Job and his friends' insidious reasoning to, basically, explain God to them and ALL mankind specifically. THEN the Lord anointed Job with a new mission - Prayer Warrior! Yes, He did! 

Read from Chapter 42: "7 And so it was, after the Lord had spoken these words to Job, that the Lord said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “My wrath is aroused against you and your two friends, for you have not spoken of Me what is right, as My servant Job has. 8 Now therefore, take for yourselves seven bulls and seven rams, go to My servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt offering; and My servant Job shall pray for you. For I will accept him, lest I deal with you according to your folly; because you have not spoken of Me what is right, as My servant Job has.”

Three times God used the words "My servant Job". When God called His top generals all through Scripture, He did so twice (Moses, Moses....Samuel, Samuel....). When He says something three times, He is deadly serious and one had better pay attention!

Now the record does not go into any detail or mention of Job actually praying. However, we know, in the Spirit, that he did! God does not call a man "My servant" three times and then predict that His "servant" WILL do something in order for Him to forgive those three bloviating friends who escaped punishment because of God Himself granting Grace....if He did not mean it!

Two things here - Job obviously threw himself headlong into maturing his new-found relationship with the Almighty, Whom he understood fully for the first time and secondly, the mercy of God extends to us even when we deserve nothing but death. That mercy is Grace powered and only available by prayer and the sacrifice of self. The sacrifice of self is a repentant heart and a love for the Lord above all else.

Hence the result of all of this is - RESTORATION. The end of the actual first book of the Bible (in Chronological time) says (from Job Chapter 42): "12 Now the Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning; for he had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, one thousand yoke of oxen, and one thousand female donkeys. 13 He also had seven sons and three daughters. 

14 And he called the name of the first Jemimah, the name of the second Keziah, and the name of the third Keren-Happuch. 15 In all the land were found no women so beautiful as the daughters of Job; and their father gave them an inheritance among their brothers.16 After this Job lived one hundred and forty years, and saw his children and grandchildren for four generations. 17 So Job died, old and full of days".

Are you in need of  Restoration? Is your internal spiritual GPS as completed wrong in its coordinates as those three friends of Job, who thought they spoke for the God Who disciplined their folly? Or, are you like Job, with some Faith, who sought Truth and found a calling? If the answer is both - a category into which most of all fell into, at some point in our lives - then there is so much Hope. All we need to do is go to Job 42:1-6 and acknowledge our error and make it right, with the Great God of Heaven.

The key thing to remember in "making it right" - as Job set out to do in this entire process, is that God is still in the Restoration business. He can take our entire broken down wills, spirits, souls and bodies and make something new and beautiful that can shine just like those exquisite priceless classic cars, which are becoming just as rare now, just as true followers of Christ are.
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come....2 Corinthians 5:17 

KEYS TO A GODLY LIFE - "LORD, POSSESS MY REINS"

Psalm 139:13a (KJV) "For thou hast possessed my reins...."

The study and teachings of this amazing 12 Part series DIRECTLY from 1 and 2 Peter can shake a person to the core. The reason is that one cannot help but become part of the Logos - the Word - the Word Who became Flesh (JESUS), if one is to truly impart the knowledge therein...therein as in the words and phrases of the Scripture. Someone once said that the best sermons preached are those preached to oneself. 

Becoming part of the expounding of His Word, and therefore Him, is to become one with Him. This is Authentic Christianity. You can't fake this. It will destroy you. It has to come from every fiber of your being and thus permeate not just your words, but your countenance.

One Scripture which truly hit me this morning as I prayed Psalm 139 was verse 13a in the modern King James Version. The verse said in part "Possess my reins"! That really spoke to my spirit and jolted me into a place He wants both you and I! If we want to truly see through His Eyes....if we want to truly have His Mind....if we want to truly live and love like Jesus - HE MUST POSSESS OUR REINS!

He must...AND, we must be willing to truly mean it when we ask Him to Psalm 139:13a "POSSESS our reins"! Are you and I really willing to do this because this is the biggest Key to a Godly Life!
Amen.

LESSONS LEARNED IN A SNOWY DITCH

OKAY...MY FORD DOESN'T EXACTLY LOOK LIKE THIS BUT.....(lol)

I learned a couple lessons from being stuck at the bottom of a seven foot ditch, nose down in the snow. It happened while driving home two nights ago, in a blinding blizzard, with the road disappearing all of a sudden in the white-out. After getting over the initial shock, and wondering (while not blaming anyone for not stopping) when I was going to get out of this mess, I came to terms with a few things.

First, I wish to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for not just pulling me out of the ditch (via the tow truck guys) but for sending Law Enforcement guys from the County Sheriff's department to check on me regularly. He woke me up the morning after, with Psalm 27 (SEE BELOW) in my heart and wish to surrender it and pray it back to Him right now:

Secondly, however, I think the most important thing I could share with anyone, who has gone through similar circumstances with either vehicles or illness or even sudden trauma with a family member/loved one is this - never lose sight of the source of your Strength! It is easy to freak out in the midst of a catastrophic event. But when God gives you His peace, He never takes it away! I am not trying to prolong this event as many have experienced a lot worse in their lives. But I have to share what God gave me there!

What is so amazingly beautiful is His Presence! While staring out at a blinding blizzard and the nose of my unharmed Ford Taurus face down in a snow bank (seven feet down from the road), Holy Spirit kept leading me back to the book of Jonah! I did not fully understand why....since I did NOT think I was sinning like Jonah and disobeying God! Then the next day (Friday December 21...or as the Mayan calendar calls it- "the end of the world"), I read the Prayer of Jonah and found out what God wanted to remind me of and learn WHILE PRAISING HIM - EVEN IN THE STORM! Here is the portion of Scripture which He used to guide me. I got quite a few lessons and directions for ministry out of this from Jonah 2:

Those who pay regard to vain idols
forsake their hope of steadfast love.
But I with the voice of thanksgiving
will sacrifice to you;
what I have vowed I will pay.
Salvation belongs to the LORD!”  (Jonah 2:8-9 ESV)

FROM verse 8, I am to preach even more fervently against idolatry, paganism and false doctrines in today's Laodecian  so-called evangelical church! I am to teach of the coming judgment and wrath for all unbelievers and those who reject the Son of God!
FROM verse 9, I am to praise Him...constantly! I am to praise and trust and obey even when I am in a ditch or on the mountaintop singing with the angels! Recalling the famous song by Casting Crowns "Praise You in The Storm"..you and I should lift our hands in praise - at ALL TIMES
FROM verse 9 again, I am to promise both to fulfill and then perform to His expectation, the fulfillment of those vows and promises I made before Him, ever since I began making them! 
FROM verse 9 again, I am to proclaim HIS WAY HIS SALVATION HIS TRUTH always (which I am already doing, but I know, this was His way of comforting me while I waited for the tow trucks to rescue me out of that predicament!).  

God provides, my friends! He wants us to remember and reaffirm WHY He has saved us...why He has saved us forever (so we will never lose our salvation)...WHAT He has saved us from...and why He expects us to live for, with and IN Him, while fulfilling the Great Commission!
Amen!
Psalm 27

New King James Version (NKJV)

An Exuberant Declaration of Faith 

The Lord is my light and my salvation;
Whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the strength of my life;
Of whom shall I be afraid?
² When the wicked came against me
To eat up my flesh,
My enemies and foes,
They stumbled and fell.
³ Though an army may encamp against me,
My heart shall not fear;
Though war may rise against me,
In this I will be confident.

⁴ One thing I have desired of the Lord,
That will I seek:
That I may dwell in the house of the Lord
All the days of my life,
To behold the beauty of the Lord,
And to inquire in His temple.
⁵ For in the time of trouble
He shall hide me in His pavilion;
In the secret place of His tabernacle
He shall hide me;
He shall set me high upon a rock.

GIVE IT TO JESUS by MARI-ANNA STALNACKE

What do you do when you doubt?
What do you do when you are overwhelmed?
What do you do when a disaster strikes?
What do you do when the future is unclear?
What do you do when God feels distant?

Your response is critical for your spiritual well-being. Your response defines your future. How come?

You let the distress bring you to God, not drive you from him. The result was all gain, no loss. Distress that drives us to God does that. It turns us around. It gets us back in the way of salvation. We never regret that kind of pain. But those who let distress drive them away from God are full of regrets, end up on a deathbed of regrets. And now, isn’t it wonderful all the ways in which this distress has goaded you closer to God? You’re more alive, more concerned, more sensitive, more reverent, more human, more passionate, more responsible. Looked at from any angle, you’ve come out of this with purity of heart.(2. Cor. 7: 9-11, MSG)

MARI-ANNA STALNACKE

At those moments when we are distressed for one reason or another we decide who we trust. This is when we practice resurrection or not. This is when we put our hope in the Lord or not. This is when we choose our side. It is easy to believe in God when everything is well. But what do we do when things are not ideal? What do we do when we can’t sense God’s presence? That is when we are defined. That is when we choose our destiny. God or no God?

God is not expecting us to solve our problems. God is not expecting us to be perfect or out of trouble. God expects us to turn to him in everything. God is expecting us to bring our distresses to him and let him deal with them. Life happens. And life is messy. God does not want a sterile version of us. He wants us as we are. With our feelings of inadequacy. With our doubts. With our troubles. God is waiting for us as we are. It is HIS strength that works in our weakness. It is HIS vision that will clear the path for us. It is HIS grace that will cleanse us.

He said to me, “My grace is enough for you, because power is made perfect in weakness.” So I’ll gladly spend my time bragging about my weaknesses so that Christ’s power can rest on me. Therefore, I’m all right with weaknesses, insults, disasters, harassments, and stressful situations for the sake of Christ, because when I’m weak, then I’m strong. (2 Cor. 12: 9-10, CEB)

So. Whatever is your problem, give it to Jesus. He already carried all our problems, troubles, and messes on the cross. It is done. We are not to carry our own problems. We are to give them to Jesus. We are not to mess with our doubts on our own. God can deal with them fast. Whatever it is that bugs you, give it to Jesus. And receive peace upon peace. Love upon love. Grace upon grace. God loves you just as you are. God keeps working on you. We just need to keep on turning to him. Especially when we don’t feel great. Because that’s when we need him most. And that’s when his grace transforms us. Time after time.

Gracious God,
You are beyond amazing.
When we come to you,
you love us as we are.
When we are down,
you lift us up.
When we are weak,
you strengthen us.
When we have doubts,
you fill us with faith.
When we bring you our dead ends,
you give us a bright future.
You sure are beyond amazing.
Be praised forever more!
In Jesus’ name,
Amen

VISIT MARI-ANNA'S WEBSITE BY CLICKING HERE

THINK ON THESE THINGS - WORSHIP

This morning is not about any incredible revelation or exhortation, but Glorification.
This morning, and all this beautiful day that the Lord has made, we lift High His Name in Praise.
We lift our voices and our hearts to the One Who is Holy.
We long for the Shekinah Glory to surround us in all His Majesty.
We love the Sound of the Sweet Spirit who lives in us.
We listen intently now as we enter in the Most Sacred Ground there is - His Throne Room.
We lay our hearts down in that Secret Place, as we worship......


Oh Worship the Lord, oh ye His saints
Worship in the Beauty of His Majesty
Worship in the Fire of His Holiness
Fix your gaze on the One Who is Holy
Fall on your face before Him now
Fail not to see this fact:
Faithful and True is His Name


He has made a promise, He will not sleep
He has done the work, now YOU He will keep
No, let not cares and fears cause you to weep
For He has taken your sins and made a clean sweep
My God, My God YOU have delivered me
Mercy and Grace You handed to me
Majesty, therefore, Yours alone, I will be


Glory to the Father seated High Above
Fearsome and powerful yet gentle as a Dove
Come Lord Jesus, Your Spirit fills this Place
I have never been higher than flat on my face
Fill me, pour me, make me, mold me 
Oh Lord God Jehovah, bend me
To Thy Wonderful Perfect Will....now and always, Amen.

In the Name of Jesus,

Bernie Lutchman, 

A bondslave of Christ