I just want you to know, this morning, that no matter what you are going through, God cares about it. No matter how hurt or frustrated you've become, God cares about it. So many talk about 'casting your care upon the Lord', but what does this really mean? What....does it mean?
Casting is throwing. Throw it on Him. Throw it .... onto HIM, JESUS CHRIST. Right now, whatever you're dealing with, what ever is plaguing you, or frightening you. Some of you are so frightened, that you can hardly move. You're just moving so causiously through your day, hoping no one can tell.
Well, God can tell. He's sending me right now, this very moment, to tell you to call on Him, holler to Him, to let Him know you need Him. He wants to help you. Let's pray:
God that's what we do right now, is call on you. We ask you for your mercy for us, for you are merciful, powerful, loving, conquering, mighty and victorious. Nothing has the power to overcome YOU. We need you, God. We need your touch, your breath, your power to cover us, Lord. We ask, in the name of your Son Jesus Christ, to come down, take control, as we throw these stinking things to YOU. That's what they are doing to our lives, is stinking up our lives. Take it Lord. Take it right now, but the power that is Yours. We love you Lord. Wrap your love around us, Lord. Take us down the path of peace. Let your peace guide us today and forward, for we need you. We give you honor, we give you praise. For you are our light in the darkness. There you ARE. There you ARE, Lord. We can see you now. Thank you Lord. Thank you for sending your Son to save us, to rescue us. We accept right now His help. In His name, Jesus......AMEN!!!! if you need prayer, message me at thinnylouwho@yahoo.com and I'll pray with you and help in anyway I can! May God richly bless you TODAY!!!
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Saturday, February 20, 2010
(Study 7) Random Encourgements from the Lord today
In my quiet time with the Lord this morning, I knew I did not have my joy. Joy is not my 'closest' friend. Joy still lives with me, but I leave before joy gets up, and I'm home way after joy has gone to bed. Joy is from my time with the Lord. I've let thoughts creep in during my time with Him, and not spent the 'quality' of time with Him that He's asked for, and He's deserved, and I've needed. So this morning, I got real with Him, and talked to Him about this. But in the past, I've been all about His Spirit, and very little about His Word. So as I told Him that this moring, I asked Him would He show me about Himself in His Word to me. I want this in the spirit and in His word too. I want a well-ordered heart as we learned about in Wednesday nights meeting at New Life Church-Heber Spring (my church) this week.
The past few studies, we have been in 2 Peter. So I opened the bible and began near where I've left off in my reading, and one particular scripture caught my eye. But I want you to look at these verses with me in your bible. So I'll wait while you go get yours, so we can look together at how the Lord is wanting to encourage us today. So go get it!
K. You got it? Okay great! Open it up to 2 Peter 2:9 first. "The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations..." I began to think this through. Since the Lord knows how to deliver us when we're tempted, He knows how, then we need to go to Him while tempted to let Him show us how to move out of the temptation. He knows how. He's the one that delivers. He's the one that has the path out. He's the one with the know how. Makes sense, then, to get 'close' to the one that knows how, huh? It does, doesn't it? It doesn't make a lick of sense, while in the temptation, to talk to friends that have the same issue. It doesn't make sense to just go on through it alone either (tho He's never left us, always with us, we can go thru it without acknowledging Him, therefore never allowing Him to help us. Make sense?). Since the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptation, then Lord, we need to come to you.
This scripture references Psalm 34:17, so let's turn there. "The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles. Verse 18: "The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit". A humble spirit, a spirit that wants His will, contrite, humble.
It refereces verse 6 also. "The poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles". This references verse 4 just above it: " I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears". King David is the writer of this Psalm, and he was speaking of himself in verse 4 and then calling himself the poor man in verse 6. Now we all know King David was not a poor man in money, he was a rich king. But King David was a humble man, of a contrite spirit. He valued God above all things. But even as we are, King David was a human being, no matter how close to God, was lured away from His duties of going to war, and stayed home, and one particular day was gazing out his window and saw a woman bathing and had impure thoughts of her and called for her to come to him. Her Husband was about his duties of war and on the right path, but King David was out of order, out of routine, staying back and shirked his duties, and began sinning with this woman. We know David was not always, then, humble. For sinning is truly rebellion against God. Rebellion is pride, as we saw with Lucifer, the angel of praise in Heaven rise up in pride and take so many other angels with him. It ... is sin, and punishable. And if we are not doing what 'our' routine is, time alone with God and time with Him in His word, then we too open ourselves to being lured away as David was. But .... as he wrote to God in verse 6 "this poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles". David knew the Lord knew how to deliver him. And cried out to Him to help Him. The Lord did just that, as He will in our lives. God cannot resist the cries of a righteous person. Remember how we've studied out that it's not our righteousness, but God's Sons' righteousness we accept as ours. We have traded places with Jesus Christ, and live alive unto God as Jesus would. It's the righteousness of Christ that God cannot resist. How do we stay in this righteousness? Through continually accepting what Jesus Christ did for us and walking in obedience to God. God cannot resist a person [man or woman] that walks like this. This .... is humbleness.
Then my eyes fell on Psalm 32:10-11: "Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusteth in the Lord, mercy shall compass him about. Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy. (there's my joy!) all ye that are upright in heart". Then on to Psalm 33: "Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous: for praise is comely for the upright"
"Praise the Lord with harp: sing unto Him with the psaltery and an instrument of ten strings".
"Sing unto Him a new song...". Let's stay here for a moment. Let's examine what our song has been lately. Have we had an encouraging sound coming out? Have we? Have we been uplifting and encouraging for others to hear, for the LORD to hear? Have we? Here the Lord says.....SING......A NEW SONG.
sing.....SING.....sing......SING......sing a new song:
O Lord, we SING.....we sing Lord. We sing of Your mercy. We sing of Your strength. We have none Lord. We have no strength Lord. You ARE our strength.
Sorry, I just had to. I think my JOY is showing! hahahaha.....I just wanted us to sing a new song to the Lord. okay....what else does this Psalm say about all this?
"play skilfully with a loud noise"
"For the word of the Lord is right; and all His works are done in truth".
"He loveth righteousness and judgement: the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord". Again, let's look at this one. Thoughts come to my mind of all that's going on in the world today as I read this. Do we see the Lord's goodness? Or do we see the evil in the world? Are we perpetuating the goodness of the Lord and therefore see the goodness of the Lord as the earth is full of it? If this scripture says the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord, then the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord. The word of the Lord is right as it says in the verse above. So if we're not seeing the goodness of the Lord that is full in the earth, then perhaps we need to be closer to the Lord, and hang on that vine and become full so we can see the goodness of the Lord and extend it to others. Amen?
"By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth". Remember that's how He made man a living soul? (Genesis 2:7 "and the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul") He scooped up some dust and formed a man, laying him on the ground infront of Him. Lifeless was this dust. No breathing, no sound, like a clay model that a potter forms, lifeless. But He didn't leave him in that condition. He breathed into him. His breath warmed the insides of that man form. His breath swirled inside, making lifelessness breathe. He breathed into his nostrils the first CPR ever recorded. He brought him .... to life.
He made the hosts of the Heavens this way too.....by the breath of His mouth.
"He gathereth the waters of the sea together as a heap: he layeth up the depth in storehouses". What comes to mind is the storehouse on farmville in facebook. lol. The Lord has a storehouse. He places things in His storehouse at a mere thought.
"He gathereth the waters of the sea together as a heap" references Exodus 15:8, so let's go there. The heading of these scriptures in Exodus refer to the story of Him taking the Israelites across the Red Sea, so let's see what the Lord is saying "and with a blast of thy nostrils the waters were gathered together, the floods stood upright as a heap, and the depths were congealed in the heart of the sea. There's God's farmville storehouse; the heart of the sea. lol. Did you know God had a storehouse in the heart of the sea?
Psalm 33:8: "Let all the earth fear the Lord".....let's talk about this fear. This fear isn't the fear like we'd think about being scared of getting hurt, or fear of the unknown, or someone jumping out and scaring us kind of fear. No this is the fear like when you were in Jr High and your Father tells you to go cut a switch off the tree, that you were going to get a whoopin 'kind of fear'. You knew he loved you, so he wasn't going to kill you. lol. But you had reverence or awe that he had the power, the authority, to whip the hide off your tail. Right? That kind of fear. This is talking about us revering the Lord, knowing He has all power and authority to do what He would like to do, when He liked to do it, and where to put it once He'd done it. But He stays within the bounds of His word that's He's put into place. I love that about Him. He's spoken a promise and He keeps it. We dont hear alot about revering someone these days. This is a mark of character, fearing or reverencing the Lord.
"....let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him"
"For He spake, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast'
"The Lord bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought: He maketh the devices of the people of none effect"
"The counsel of the Lord standeth for ever, the thoughts of His heart to all generations". I believe right here is a clue of why the bible has come out unscathed through out all these years, why it has lasted and survived all the ages since the scriptures were brought together in one place. Because 'the thoughts of His heart (the bible you hold in your hand right now) the thoughts of His heart to all generations'. Amen?
"Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord; and the people whom He hath chosen for His own inheritance"
"The Lord looketh from Heaven; He beholdeth all the sons of men"
"From the place of His habitation He looketh upon all the inhabitants of the earth:
He fashioneth their hearts alike; He considereth all their works"
"There is no king saved by the mulitude of a host [an army]: a mighty man is not delivered by much strength"
"A horse is a vain thing for safety: neither shall he deliver any by his great strength"
"Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon them that (what?) fear Him (reverence Him), upon them that hope in His mercy"
"To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine"
"Our soul waiteth for the Lord: He is our help and our shield"
"For our heart shall rejoice in Him, because we have trusted in His holy name" MY JOY!
"Let they mercy, O Lord, be upon us, according as we hope in Thee". Amen!
Please let me know your thoughts. If you'd like to praise the Lord, do so in the comments. Let's all share what we're thinking....
The past few studies, we have been in 2 Peter. So I opened the bible and began near where I've left off in my reading, and one particular scripture caught my eye. But I want you to look at these verses with me in your bible. So I'll wait while you go get yours, so we can look together at how the Lord is wanting to encourage us today. So go get it!
K. You got it? Okay great! Open it up to 2 Peter 2:9 first. "The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations..." I began to think this through. Since the Lord knows how to deliver us when we're tempted, He knows how, then we need to go to Him while tempted to let Him show us how to move out of the temptation. He knows how. He's the one that delivers. He's the one that has the path out. He's the one with the know how. Makes sense, then, to get 'close' to the one that knows how, huh? It does, doesn't it? It doesn't make a lick of sense, while in the temptation, to talk to friends that have the same issue. It doesn't make sense to just go on through it alone either (tho He's never left us, always with us, we can go thru it without acknowledging Him, therefore never allowing Him to help us. Make sense?). Since the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptation, then Lord, we need to come to you.
This scripture references Psalm 34:17, so let's turn there. "The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles. Verse 18: "The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit". A humble spirit, a spirit that wants His will, contrite, humble.
It refereces verse 6 also. "The poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles". This references verse 4 just above it: " I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears". King David is the writer of this Psalm, and he was speaking of himself in verse 4 and then calling himself the poor man in verse 6. Now we all know King David was not a poor man in money, he was a rich king. But King David was a humble man, of a contrite spirit. He valued God above all things. But even as we are, King David was a human being, no matter how close to God, was lured away from His duties of going to war, and stayed home, and one particular day was gazing out his window and saw a woman bathing and had impure thoughts of her and called for her to come to him. Her Husband was about his duties of war and on the right path, but King David was out of order, out of routine, staying back and shirked his duties, and began sinning with this woman. We know David was not always, then, humble. For sinning is truly rebellion against God. Rebellion is pride, as we saw with Lucifer, the angel of praise in Heaven rise up in pride and take so many other angels with him. It ... is sin, and punishable. And if we are not doing what 'our' routine is, time alone with God and time with Him in His word, then we too open ourselves to being lured away as David was. But .... as he wrote to God in verse 6 "this poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles". David knew the Lord knew how to deliver him. And cried out to Him to help Him. The Lord did just that, as He will in our lives. God cannot resist the cries of a righteous person. Remember how we've studied out that it's not our righteousness, but God's Sons' righteousness we accept as ours. We have traded places with Jesus Christ, and live alive unto God as Jesus would. It's the righteousness of Christ that God cannot resist. How do we stay in this righteousness? Through continually accepting what Jesus Christ did for us and walking in obedience to God. God cannot resist a person [man or woman] that walks like this. This .... is humbleness.
Then my eyes fell on Psalm 32:10-11: "Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusteth in the Lord, mercy shall compass him about. Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy. (there's my joy!) all ye that are upright in heart". Then on to Psalm 33: "Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous: for praise is comely for the upright"
"Praise the Lord with harp: sing unto Him with the psaltery and an instrument of ten strings".
"Sing unto Him a new song...". Let's stay here for a moment. Let's examine what our song has been lately. Have we had an encouraging sound coming out? Have we? Have we been uplifting and encouraging for others to hear, for the LORD to hear? Have we? Here the Lord says.....SING......A NEW SONG.
sing.....SING.....sing......SING......sing a new song:
O Lord, we SING.....we sing Lord. We sing of Your mercy. We sing of Your strength. We have none Lord. We have no strength Lord. You ARE our strength.
Sorry, I just had to. I think my JOY is showing! hahahaha.....I just wanted us to sing a new song to the Lord. okay....what else does this Psalm say about all this?
"play skilfully with a loud noise"
"For the word of the Lord is right; and all His works are done in truth".
"He loveth righteousness and judgement: the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord". Again, let's look at this one. Thoughts come to my mind of all that's going on in the world today as I read this. Do we see the Lord's goodness? Or do we see the evil in the world? Are we perpetuating the goodness of the Lord and therefore see the goodness of the Lord as the earth is full of it? If this scripture says the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord, then the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord. The word of the Lord is right as it says in the verse above. So if we're not seeing the goodness of the Lord that is full in the earth, then perhaps we need to be closer to the Lord, and hang on that vine and become full so we can see the goodness of the Lord and extend it to others. Amen?
"By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth". Remember that's how He made man a living soul? (Genesis 2:7 "and the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul") He scooped up some dust and formed a man, laying him on the ground infront of Him. Lifeless was this dust. No breathing, no sound, like a clay model that a potter forms, lifeless. But He didn't leave him in that condition. He breathed into him. His breath warmed the insides of that man form. His breath swirled inside, making lifelessness breathe. He breathed into his nostrils the first CPR ever recorded. He brought him .... to life.
He made the hosts of the Heavens this way too.....by the breath of His mouth.
"He gathereth the waters of the sea together as a heap: he layeth up the depth in storehouses". What comes to mind is the storehouse on farmville in facebook. lol. The Lord has a storehouse. He places things in His storehouse at a mere thought.
"He gathereth the waters of the sea together as a heap" references Exodus 15:8, so let's go there. The heading of these scriptures in Exodus refer to the story of Him taking the Israelites across the Red Sea, so let's see what the Lord is saying "and with a blast of thy nostrils the waters were gathered together, the floods stood upright as a heap, and the depths were congealed in the heart of the sea. There's God's farmville storehouse; the heart of the sea. lol. Did you know God had a storehouse in the heart of the sea?
Psalm 33:8: "Let all the earth fear the Lord".....let's talk about this fear. This fear isn't the fear like we'd think about being scared of getting hurt, or fear of the unknown, or someone jumping out and scaring us kind of fear. No this is the fear like when you were in Jr High and your Father tells you to go cut a switch off the tree, that you were going to get a whoopin 'kind of fear'. You knew he loved you, so he wasn't going to kill you. lol. But you had reverence or awe that he had the power, the authority, to whip the hide off your tail. Right? That kind of fear. This is talking about us revering the Lord, knowing He has all power and authority to do what He would like to do, when He liked to do it, and where to put it once He'd done it. But He stays within the bounds of His word that's He's put into place. I love that about Him. He's spoken a promise and He keeps it. We dont hear alot about revering someone these days. This is a mark of character, fearing or reverencing the Lord.
"....let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him"
"For He spake, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast'
"The Lord bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought: He maketh the devices of the people of none effect"
"The counsel of the Lord standeth for ever, the thoughts of His heart to all generations". I believe right here is a clue of why the bible has come out unscathed through out all these years, why it has lasted and survived all the ages since the scriptures were brought together in one place. Because 'the thoughts of His heart (the bible you hold in your hand right now) the thoughts of His heart to all generations'. Amen?
"Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord; and the people whom He hath chosen for His own inheritance"
"The Lord looketh from Heaven; He beholdeth all the sons of men"
"From the place of His habitation He looketh upon all the inhabitants of the earth:
He fashioneth their hearts alike; He considereth all their works"
"There is no king saved by the mulitude of a host [an army]: a mighty man is not delivered by much strength"
"A horse is a vain thing for safety: neither shall he deliver any by his great strength"
"Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon them that (what?) fear Him (reverence Him), upon them that hope in His mercy"
"To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine"
"Our soul waiteth for the Lord: He is our help and our shield"
"For our heart shall rejoice in Him, because we have trusted in His holy name" MY JOY!
"Let they mercy, O Lord, be upon us, according as we hope in Thee". Amen!
Please let me know your thoughts. If you'd like to praise the Lord, do so in the comments. Let's all share what we're thinking....
Monday, February 15, 2010
(Study 6) You Have a Specific Purpose (part two)
1 Peter 2:9 "But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into His marvellous light".
We established in part one that we are chosen. Not were chosen, where we could have missed our only opportunity, but we are this chosen generation.
We established also in part one to be a royal priesthood means; of a foundation of authority, holy to give sacrifices. Well Peter is calling us this as well, because the new testiment is for all to learn how to live under grace, and since Peter, then, is talking to us, calling us a priest that sacrifices, how does that relate to us in 2010?
In Hebrews 13:9-16 it says "Be not carried about with various strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein".
Here the writer of Hebrews is wanting to establish that the laws written regarding meat and the many other laws have been fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Seveal laws were given to the Israelites by God in addition to the 10 commandments. In these laws God was very clear on what meats to eat, what to leave alone and even so far as to point out certain parts of meats were to be sacrificed on the alter while the rest of the animal was to be burned outside the camp. During this era the Israelites' obedience pleased God, and with following the instructions it 'rolled' their sin forward one year. These instructions profited them.
Here in Hebrews 13:9 the writer is making it clear following those laws no longer profits man because 'it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace' instead. This is where the scripture comes to life in Romans 6:14 '.....for ye are not under the law, but under grace'.
for our spirit: Jesus was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities, payment for us to have a new spirit, to become whole spiritually.
for our soul: The chastisement of our peace was upon Him. We no longer have to be plagued in our mind, our will or our emotions, with fear, failure, fret, regret. Total peace is available for us for a soul that is whole.
for our body: With His stripes we are healed. We have total healing available for wholeness in our body. We do not have to walk around broken and diseased. We have available to us total wholeness.
All this is recorded in that one scripture, total wholeness for our entire being. So we received so much more than just a way to Heaven upon salvation. We received wholeness. This scripture shows how that healing and wholeness was brought to us, through what Jesus went through for us. The way I think of what happened at salvation, was that our unborn spirit traded places with Jesus' full sized, filled Spirit. We became whole in our spirit. That we traded our hurt, tattered, disfunctional soul, with Jesus' Godly, pure, loving whole soul. And our broken down, unhealthy, diseased body traded places with Jesus as He went to the Cross, us rising in newness of health and wholeness in our entire bodies.
We traded places with Him. He took our sin, we took His righteousness. He took our tortured, anxiety ridden minds, and we took His peace. He took our diseased bodies, and with the stripes that were laid on His healthy body that was marked up with 39 stripes, all 39 diseases known to man were provided with healing. We .... traded places with Jesus in all counts. (Praise Moment: thank you Lord Jesus. You took what should have been ours, and you took it willingly. Thank you for giving back so much to us. Thank you so much!)
This was all provided through Jesus Christ willingly dying in our place. This is the good news, the Gospel. That's why 'it is a good thing for the heart to be established with grace'. So we learn, get established.
Back to Hebrews 13:12-16 "wherefore Jesus also, that He may sancify the people [that's us] with His own blood, suffered outside the gate [Calvary]. Let us go forth therefore unto Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach. For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come. By Him, therefore, let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to His name. But to do good and to communicate, forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased".
This is the sacrifice of the royal priesthood spoken of in 1 Peter 2:9-10. We are a chosen generation, chosen to do what? We are a royal priesthood, sacrificing what? "that ye should show forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. [THIS IS WHY WE PRAISE HIM!] Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God.
Let's stop there; have you ever felt alone? Well, you aren't. You're one of God's people. Have you ever felt like you didn't belong? Well, you do! You belong to the family of God. You're His people. Here's proof. That's why we are to go to Church, to be with all His people, our spiritual family. Is everyone in your earthly family healthy physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually all at once? Well neither is your spiritual family. You know as your earthly family matures and grows, so does your spiritual family. No one in the Church is perfect because they are still growing and changing and moving foward [or should be]. Do not look to people only, they will disappoint you. You have to look to your Heavenly Father, you are part of God's people.
You have purpose as a royal priesthood, offering the sacrifice of praise which is the fruit of your lips, giving thanks unto God.
Have you ever wondered why it's called the 'sacrifice' of praise. There are songs that have been built around that one phrase 'sacrifice of praise'. One tune is very uplifting and lilting with a melody that imparts a jig in your heart, let's sing it; "We bring the sacrifice of praise, into the House of the Lord. We bring the sacrifice of praise into the House......of the Lord. And we offer up to you, the sacrifice-s of thanks-giv-ing. And we off-er up to You, the sacrifice-s of love". That was fun wasn't it? If you knew that song, your toe even tapped a bit as you sang it in your head, now didn't it? Didn't it? Dont fib, I can just see you bouncing your toe a little as you sang it.
Let's switch gears for a moment, what if, let's say, that you're not having such a good day. You're having a really hard time with your bills, and your child gets sick and needs to go to the doctor and it's somewhat serious and an auditor calls saying they want to schedule some time to go over everything with you, and your boss calls and says he's going to have to lay you off, and your Mom is getting worse, needing to go into a nursing home and has no money, but may need to come stay with you instead. This is stress. This is moving into crisis. This is not a toe tapping, lilting, head bobbing kind of day.
This is why God told this Psalmist, David, to write that it's a sacrifice. God says if you will sacrifice your emotion and praise Me, I will be honored and be glorified. I will have access to your soul and be able to lift you out of what you're moving into. But if I allow you to walk through this and you sacrifice the fruit of your lips to praise Me, I can lift you out at just the right moment and the lions mouth with be closed, you wont get burned, not even sienged, and you wont even smell like smoke. I'm telling you, I may even promote you to 2nd in command, if you will just give me this sacrifice of praise, the sweet fruit of your lips. Not lip service, but true true worship, showing Me your love, I will truly move in your behalf.
We have a purpose; to give thanks and honor to the one that took our sin, our turmoil, our tradegy and gave us in return, His life. He even told us in John 10:10 "I came to give you life, and life more abundantly". Let's give Him the sacrifice of praise, the fruit of our own lips!
We established in part one that we are chosen. Not were chosen, where we could have missed our only opportunity, but we are this chosen generation.
We established also in part one to be a royal priesthood means; of a foundation of authority, holy to give sacrifices. Well Peter is calling us this as well, because the new testiment is for all to learn how to live under grace, and since Peter, then, is talking to us, calling us a priest that sacrifices, how does that relate to us in 2010?
In Hebrews 13:9-16 it says "Be not carried about with various strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein".
Here the writer of Hebrews is wanting to establish that the laws written regarding meat and the many other laws have been fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Seveal laws were given to the Israelites by God in addition to the 10 commandments. In these laws God was very clear on what meats to eat, what to leave alone and even so far as to point out certain parts of meats were to be sacrificed on the alter while the rest of the animal was to be burned outside the camp. During this era the Israelites' obedience pleased God, and with following the instructions it 'rolled' their sin forward one year. These instructions profited them.
Here in Hebrews 13:9 the writer is making it clear following those laws no longer profits man because 'it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace' instead. This is where the scripture comes to life in Romans 6:14 '.....for ye are not under the law, but under grace'.
What is grace? Grace is the unmerited favor of God. When in our sin, deserving to die, because the wages or payment of sin is death, God sent His lamb, Jesus, to die in our place and the sin was not moved forward a year, but removed as far as the east is from the west [Psalm 103:12]. Why wouldn't he say as far as the north is from the south? Because if you go north long enough, then you begin heading south! God wanted to paint the picture of our sin being removed from us, gone. The day we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior, our sin is removed and our soul becomes as white as snow. And at that very point what becomes available to us is wholeness: Isaiah 53:5 says wholeness becomes available to us:
for our spirit: Jesus was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities, payment for us to have a new spirit, to become whole spiritually.
for our soul: The chastisement of our peace was upon Him. We no longer have to be plagued in our mind, our will or our emotions, with fear, failure, fret, regret. Total peace is available for us for a soul that is whole.
for our body: With His stripes we are healed. We have total healing available for wholeness in our body. We do not have to walk around broken and diseased. We have available to us total wholeness.
All this is recorded in that one scripture, total wholeness for our entire being. So we received so much more than just a way to Heaven upon salvation. We received wholeness. This scripture shows how that healing and wholeness was brought to us, through what Jesus went through for us. The way I think of what happened at salvation, was that our unborn spirit traded places with Jesus' full sized, filled Spirit. We became whole in our spirit. That we traded our hurt, tattered, disfunctional soul, with Jesus' Godly, pure, loving whole soul. And our broken down, unhealthy, diseased body traded places with Jesus as He went to the Cross, us rising in newness of health and wholeness in our entire bodies.
We traded places with Him. He took our sin, we took His righteousness. He took our tortured, anxiety ridden minds, and we took His peace. He took our diseased bodies, and with the stripes that were laid on His healthy body that was marked up with 39 stripes, all 39 diseases known to man were provided with healing. We .... traded places with Jesus in all counts. (Praise Moment: thank you Lord Jesus. You took what should have been ours, and you took it willingly. Thank you for giving back so much to us. Thank you so much!)
This was all provided through Jesus Christ willingly dying in our place. This is the good news, the Gospel. That's why 'it is a good thing for the heart to be established with grace'. So we learn, get established.
Back to Hebrews 13:12-16 "wherefore Jesus also, that He may sancify the people [that's us] with His own blood, suffered outside the gate [Calvary]. Let us go forth therefore unto Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach. For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come. By Him, therefore, let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to His name. But to do good and to communicate, forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased".
This is the sacrifice of the royal priesthood spoken of in 1 Peter 2:9-10. We are a chosen generation, chosen to do what? We are a royal priesthood, sacrificing what? "that ye should show forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. [THIS IS WHY WE PRAISE HIM!] Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God.
Let's stop there; have you ever felt alone? Well, you aren't. You're one of God's people. Have you ever felt like you didn't belong? Well, you do! You belong to the family of God. You're His people. Here's proof. That's why we are to go to Church, to be with all His people, our spiritual family. Is everyone in your earthly family healthy physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually all at once? Well neither is your spiritual family. You know as your earthly family matures and grows, so does your spiritual family. No one in the Church is perfect because they are still growing and changing and moving foward [or should be]. Do not look to people only, they will disappoint you. You have to look to your Heavenly Father, you are part of God's people.
You have purpose as a royal priesthood, offering the sacrifice of praise which is the fruit of your lips, giving thanks unto God.
Have you ever wondered why it's called the 'sacrifice' of praise. There are songs that have been built around that one phrase 'sacrifice of praise'. One tune is very uplifting and lilting with a melody that imparts a jig in your heart, let's sing it; "We bring the sacrifice of praise, into the House of the Lord. We bring the sacrifice of praise into the House......of the Lord. And we offer up to you, the sacrifice-s of thanks-giv-ing. And we off-er up to You, the sacrifice-s of love". That was fun wasn't it? If you knew that song, your toe even tapped a bit as you sang it in your head, now didn't it? Didn't it? Dont fib, I can just see you bouncing your toe a little as you sang it.
Let's switch gears for a moment, what if, let's say, that you're not having such a good day. You're having a really hard time with your bills, and your child gets sick and needs to go to the doctor and it's somewhat serious and an auditor calls saying they want to schedule some time to go over everything with you, and your boss calls and says he's going to have to lay you off, and your Mom is getting worse, needing to go into a nursing home and has no money, but may need to come stay with you instead. This is stress. This is moving into crisis. This is not a toe tapping, lilting, head bobbing kind of day.
This is why God told this Psalmist, David, to write that it's a sacrifice. God says if you will sacrifice your emotion and praise Me, I will be honored and be glorified. I will have access to your soul and be able to lift you out of what you're moving into. But if I allow you to walk through this and you sacrifice the fruit of your lips to praise Me, I can lift you out at just the right moment and the lions mouth with be closed, you wont get burned, not even sienged, and you wont even smell like smoke. I'm telling you, I may even promote you to 2nd in command, if you will just give me this sacrifice of praise, the sweet fruit of your lips. Not lip service, but true true worship, showing Me your love, I will truly move in your behalf.
We have a purpose; to give thanks and honor to the one that took our sin, our turmoil, our tradegy and gave us in return, His life. He even told us in John 10:10 "I came to give you life, and life more abundantly". Let's give Him the sacrifice of praise, the fruit of our own lips!
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
(Study 5) You Have a Specific Purpose (part one)
The going phrase amongst the Church in this age has been 'your purpose'. 'What is your purpose?' So many feel a drawing, a pulling, a calling if you will to do specific things on this earth. In times past, I began to ask God to reveal to me my purpose. And after a half a year of seeking Him, He revealed through certain circumstances that my purpose was that of a comforter. I am a comforter. Many friends, acquaintances and even strangers have commented on how calming my words or even my voice can be at times when needed the most. However goofy I many act, there seems to be a calming effect on people. Well, God created me that way. But if you're around me for very long, you'll begin to hear in my words and you'll feel and sense it as truth, the very source of that peace and calm and comfort. Apart from Christ we can do nothing. You'll find very quickly the source of this comfort is Jesus Christ and what He did for me on the Cross and burial and resurrection. No one can take credit for the good that comes from their life as a Christian, because God sees His Son's blood and sacrifice when He looks at US. He sees us, but through the life giving blood and sacrifice Jesus, our joint-heir, our Brother, gave freely. It's only when you surrender all you've gained in this world, disfunction, scars, wounds, fear, all the negative, even though it's hard for us to let it go because we feel that's what defines us. It's when we finally let go of all we are here on earth, in earthly eyes, no matter what, no matter who says what, but let who we are just go, is when we truly find our purpose on this earth. We have a true purpose, true calling, God has truly chosen US!
In 1 Peter 2:9 "But ye are a chosen generation".....He's chosen us. God of THE universe chose US. Do you know you are SOME-BODY? Huh? You've carried that load long enough Brother. You've thought you were not pretty long enough Sister. You, my loving Sister are the most beautiful creation on earth. God stepped back when you were born, breathed in, and let that breath out in such a sweet Fatherly sigh, moving the trees of the Forest while doing so. So that's what that awesome breeze was! Ha! Ha!
You......are chosen. Not you were. You are! You were chosen leaves room for your chance being wasted. You were, could mean when you didn't jump on the chance, it kept on moving and you lost out. No---You are! You ARE chosen.
Continuing in this verse, we are a 'royal priesthood. Yeah! A what? (as the needles scratches across the record album)! What is a royal priesthood? Well since we do not use those terms any longer. Le't look it up to SEE what it is.
Royal-Greek Strongs #934 [basileios] pronounced bas-il'-ios, also references #935, kingly nature.
#935 [basileus] pronounced bas-il-yooce', though the notion of a foundation of power.
When we hear the word royal, we think of royalty such as Queen Elizabeth or Prince Charles in rulership today. Here in the bible it says our nature is kingly. This may explain as in yesterday's study that when we do not abstain in 'unsaved human nature' desires they war against our mind, will and emotions. We have a kingly nature, through the notion of a foundation of power.
So we are chosen and have a foundation of power. So good so far? Makes you want to sit up a little taller in your chair doesn't it?
Priesthood-#2406 [hierateuma] hee-er-at'-yoo-may, also references #2407, the priestly fraternity, i.e. sacerdotal order.
Now stick with me on this. I thought what you were probably thinking. But God has purpose for everything in His Word. There's meaning here I'm asking Him for. I'm no scholar, I'm Cindy Bennett, nothing more, nothing less. I'm asking and digging. But there's a reason we're called a roayl [of a foundation of power, kingly nature] priesthood. Let's keep going and see what God shows us.
Sacerdotal-Webesters says is 'of or pertaining to a priest, offerer of sacrifices, from sacer "holy" + stem of dare "to give".
So we are from the order that offers sacrifices. Holy + to give means to me we give sacrifices that are holy.
So we are of a kingly nature, with a foundation of power, offering a holy sacrifice. Let's look at a drawing of the tabernacle in the wilderness where the children of God, the Israelites, were to bring their sacrifices, a lamb, goat or bull, without spot or blemish, through the door of the Tent.
This door represents Jesus. Jesus says I am the door. They bring their sacrifice to the Levite [of the tribe of Levi, God said would be helpers to work in the tabernacle] and he slaughters the animal right there. He cuts it's throat and the blood is caught and poured on the four corners of the alter, God's instruction, go look it up, and the blood and the animal are sacrificed on the alter to God because He required a blood sacrifice for sin. We owed our life to God, for our debt of sin. God instead, sent Jesus, 2010 years ago to be the blood sacrifice FOR US, naming HIM the Lamb of God. He was without sin, therefore without spot or blemish. Really cool story, you need to read the Old Testiment and see the parallel.
The Levite then cleans his hands in the laver, a large basin full of water. This represents us viewing our life, cleansing our hands becoming pure and clean.
This all happens in the outer court. Everyone can see each other in the outer court. The lyrics come to mind of the song about Psalm 100:4 "We enter His gates with thanksgiving in out hearts [for what Jesus did, He is the gate, the door], We will enter His courts with praise [we praise Him for being the sacrifice for our sin]. Is this good people? Are you getting this? Stick with me, He's revealing!
The next room of the tabernacle is The Holy Place. In this room are; to the left, the Lampstand. It's full of oil and it illuminates the room. The oil represents the Holy Spirit. To the right is the Table of Showbread. Jesus said "I AM the bread of life". The bible, the bread, the Word of God, when read, the oil of the Holy Spirit illuminates it, as He's illuminating it right now, giving us spiritual bread to feed our spirit.
The other remaining piece in the Holy Place was the alter of incense. And behind this alter was a huge, tall, really really thick curtain. This was called the veil. Priests were allowed to walk around, service the Lampstand, put out fresh bread on the table, but only once a year, just once, were they allowed behind that curtain. That veil.
The day Jesus died on the Cross, that curtain was torn from the top [where no man could reach] all the way to the floor. And waht stood behind that curtain, that veil, was the place God would meet with that one priest a year, the room called the Holy of Holies. This room, where all men were unclean to step into, became accessable to all through the blood of Jesus Christ. God threw open His Throne room, threw open His arms and told us, therefore come boldly unto the Throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find help in time of need (Hebrews 4:16). What are we waiting for? Come boldly!
God we do that right now! We come before you, boldly. We throw open the doors, run through your Throne room boldly, coming to You to obtain mercy and find grace in our time of need. We have need of your help, God. We need your mightiness. We need your authority moving in our behalf, God. You say we are a royal priesthood. We have a goundation of authority. That foundation is Jesus Christ, Your Son, our King, and His sacrifice of blood for our mistakes, our failures, our sins, our evil. We ask You, as we kneel before you God, to forgive us. Forgive us of our sin, God, cleanse our heart, make us holy as You are holy, pure, innocent and clean. We accept Jesus dying in our place. We accept this gift for our life. We believe He died, was buried and rose again to bring life to us, God. Move in our lives. Our lives need a God sized movement. Take us and cause our hearts to beat as one with Yours. We love You. We praise You. We magnify you, God. We ask and accept all these things in Jesus' sweet, precious Name.
Amen~
In 1 Peter 2:9 "But ye are a chosen generation".....He's chosen us. God of THE universe chose US. Do you know you are SOME-BODY? Huh? You've carried that load long enough Brother. You've thought you were not pretty long enough Sister. You, my loving Sister are the most beautiful creation on earth. God stepped back when you were born, breathed in, and let that breath out in such a sweet Fatherly sigh, moving the trees of the Forest while doing so. So that's what that awesome breeze was! Ha! Ha!
You......are chosen. Not you were. You are! You were chosen leaves room for your chance being wasted. You were, could mean when you didn't jump on the chance, it kept on moving and you lost out. No---You are! You ARE chosen.
Continuing in this verse, we are a 'royal priesthood. Yeah! A what? (as the needles scratches across the record album)! What is a royal priesthood? Well since we do not use those terms any longer. Le't look it up to SEE what it is.
Royal-Greek Strongs #934 [basileios] pronounced bas-il'-ios, also references #935, kingly nature.
#935 [basileus] pronounced bas-il-yooce', though the notion of a foundation of power.
When we hear the word royal, we think of royalty such as Queen Elizabeth or Prince Charles in rulership today. Here in the bible it says our nature is kingly. This may explain as in yesterday's study that when we do not abstain in 'unsaved human nature' desires they war against our mind, will and emotions. We have a kingly nature, through the notion of a foundation of power.
So we are chosen and have a foundation of power. So good so far? Makes you want to sit up a little taller in your chair doesn't it?
Priesthood-#2406 [hierateuma] hee-er-at'-yoo-may, also references #2407, the priestly fraternity, i.e. sacerdotal order.
Now stick with me on this. I thought what you were probably thinking. But God has purpose for everything in His Word. There's meaning here I'm asking Him for. I'm no scholar, I'm Cindy Bennett, nothing more, nothing less. I'm asking and digging. But there's a reason we're called a roayl [of a foundation of power, kingly nature] priesthood. Let's keep going and see what God shows us.
Sacerdotal-Webesters says is 'of or pertaining to a priest, offerer of sacrifices, from sacer "holy" + stem of dare "to give".
So we are from the order that offers sacrifices. Holy + to give means to me we give sacrifices that are holy.
So we are of a kingly nature, with a foundation of power, offering a holy sacrifice. Let's look at a drawing of the tabernacle in the wilderness where the children of God, the Israelites, were to bring their sacrifices, a lamb, goat or bull, without spot or blemish, through the door of the Tent.
This door represents Jesus. Jesus says I am the door. They bring their sacrifice to the Levite [of the tribe of Levi, God said would be helpers to work in the tabernacle] and he slaughters the animal right there. He cuts it's throat and the blood is caught and poured on the four corners of the alter, God's instruction, go look it up, and the blood and the animal are sacrificed on the alter to God because He required a blood sacrifice for sin. We owed our life to God, for our debt of sin. God instead, sent Jesus, 2010 years ago to be the blood sacrifice FOR US, naming HIM the Lamb of God. He was without sin, therefore without spot or blemish. Really cool story, you need to read the Old Testiment and see the parallel.
This all happens in the outer court. Everyone can see each other in the outer court. The lyrics come to mind of the song about Psalm 100:4 "We enter His gates with thanksgiving in out hearts [for what Jesus did, He is the gate, the door], We will enter His courts with praise [we praise Him for being the sacrifice for our sin]. Is this good people? Are you getting this? Stick with me, He's revealing!
The next room of the tabernacle is The Holy Place. In this room are; to the left, the Lampstand. It's full of oil and it illuminates the room. The oil represents the Holy Spirit. To the right is the Table of Showbread. Jesus said "I AM the bread of life". The bible, the bread, the Word of God, when read, the oil of the Holy Spirit illuminates it, as He's illuminating it right now, giving us spiritual bread to feed our spirit.
The other remaining piece in the Holy Place was the alter of incense. And behind this alter was a huge, tall, really really thick curtain. This was called the veil. Priests were allowed to walk around, service the Lampstand, put out fresh bread on the table, but only once a year, just once, were they allowed behind that curtain. That veil.
The day Jesus died on the Cross, that curtain was torn from the top [where no man could reach] all the way to the floor. And waht stood behind that curtain, that veil, was the place God would meet with that one priest a year, the room called the Holy of Holies. This room, where all men were unclean to step into, became accessable to all through the blood of Jesus Christ. God threw open His Throne room, threw open His arms and told us, therefore come boldly unto the Throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find help in time of need (Hebrews 4:16). What are we waiting for? Come boldly!
God we do that right now! We come before you, boldly. We throw open the doors, run through your Throne room boldly, coming to You to obtain mercy and find grace in our time of need. We have need of your help, God. We need your mightiness. We need your authority moving in our behalf, God. You say we are a royal priesthood. We have a goundation of authority. That foundation is Jesus Christ, Your Son, our King, and His sacrifice of blood for our mistakes, our failures, our sins, our evil. We ask You, as we kneel before you God, to forgive us. Forgive us of our sin, God, cleanse our heart, make us holy as You are holy, pure, innocent and clean. We accept Jesus dying in our place. We accept this gift for our life. We believe He died, was buried and rose again to bring life to us, God. Move in our lives. Our lives need a God sized movement. Take us and cause our hearts to beat as one with Yours. We love You. We praise You. We magnify you, God. We ask and accept all these things in Jesus' sweet, precious Name.
Amen~
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
(Study 4) We bring It on Ourselves
Hello, I hope you're well today. I'm doing pretty good, cant complain.....it doesn't do any good anyway. So....hahaha......Today's study was going to be about 2 verses, but I never got passed the first one. So we will get started and just see how this unfolds. Okay? Great. Go get your bible because I want you following along with me, so you can see for yourself what God has to say today. Alright? Great!
In 1 Peter 2:11, Peter says "Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;"
Dearly beloved is a fellow Christian. Here Peter is speaking to others that have accepted Jesus Christs' works as the way to be cleansed from all unrighteousness, taking on Christs' righteousness. This is the good news of the Gospel, nothing of what we've done, and all of what Jesus did, sitting in on our behalf. (Praise moment. Thank you Jesus!)
He goes on to say I beseech you;
Beseech- Greek Strongs #3870 [parakaleo] pronounced par-ak-al-eh-o also references #'s 3844 and 2564 which appear to be the same meaning- to call near, to invite, invoke, call for, desire, exhort (-ation), intreat, pray.
Peter goes on to refer to them as strangers and pilgrims. Why's does he call them that? Why, if he knew them, they were followers of Christ, walking to please God, would he refer to them as strangers and pilgrims? Here is where we see what I refer to as a 'Kingdom Principle'. I have an indepth study on 'The Kindgom' and if you'd like those notes please let me know. But this principle is this; at salvation, you are born into a new Kingdom, God's Kingdom. It has to do with rulership of your life, Jesus Christ being the King of this Kingdom, you are no longer under rulership of this world where satan is the ruler. (by the way, I never capitalize his name. he doens't deserve it! lol. spell check doens't like me lol again)
So Peter is beseeching or calling them as strangers in the world's system, pilgrims on a journey until reaching their homeland. I've described it like this; a Canadian that comes to work in the United States is still a citizen of Canada. He has to abide by the laws of his homeland and the laws of the U.S. to be in right standing with those in authority. That's a description of us when we are born again, we are born into a new Kingdom, a spiritual Kingdom, but still have to abide by the laws of the Kingdom we reside in, the natural Kingdom.
He then says to abstain from fleshly lusts;
Fleshly- Greek Strongs' #4559 [sarkikos] pronounced sar-kee-kos'. also references #4561, bodily, temporal, unregenerate, carnal.
Unregenerate- Webster says it means not renewed in the heart and mind or reborn in the spirit. So we can say regenerate is unsaved, not born again.
#4561-the symbol of what is external, human nature.
Lusts-#1930 [epithuma] pronounced ep-ee-thoo-mee-ah and also reference #1937, a longing (especially for what is forbidden) concupiscense, desire.
#1937-[epithumeo] pronounced ep-ee-too-meh'-o and also references #1909 and 2372, to set the heart upon, long for (rightfully or otherwise).
Now why would it say to long for rightfully is wrong? Let's for to Websters dictionary because it has some interesting insights we as Christians would not have attached to the word lust.
Websters has the definition we already knew which means intense sexual desire and the like but did you know that lust also takes in a passionate or overmastering desire or craving, as a lust for power? Or it being an ardent enthusiasm; zests; relish as in a lust for life?
In this passage Peter is talking to Christians saying to abstain from unsaved cravings and intense eagerness that masters us. Abstain from those. Why? It explains why in the rest of the verse; 'which war against the soul'.
Your soul is your mind, will and emotion. Now we all know what war is, but let's go to the Strong's and see how the Lord is describing what's happening to our mind, will and emotion when we allow unsaved desires to master us.
War-#4754 and also references #'s 4756 and 4766 [stratevomai] pronounced strat-yoo'-om-ahee (dont you just love studying words from the Greek language? lol. I feel so smart, okay I'll calm down hahaha) it means to serve in a military campaign, soldier.
#4756 [stratia] pronounced strat-ee'-ah, also referencing #4766, an army as encamped, camp-likeness (now that sounds like a Cindy word lol)
#4766 [stronnumi] pronounced strone-noo-mee, through the idea of positioning, to strew or spread.
Do you see what that desrie allowed in our lives does to us? IT serves as a military campaign, as an army encamped, through positioning itself, strewing and spreading against our mind, will and emotions.
No wonder so many of us live a defeated Christian life. We think these desires are okay, no big deal, oh it's just the way I am or I could never give that up, that's it's okay to do just this one thing. These desires are not okay. They're not indeed. These very desires are open doors. These desires themselves set up camp, position themselves, serve in a military campaign against our mind, will and emotion.
In our Mind: maybe that's why our mind is so scattered and has no peace or calm within. Thoughts run rampant and just exhaust us.
In our Will: maybe this is why we have great intentions as a follower of Christ but succumb to somthing that wants to overcome our will, ending up with us in a state of no will power, even with small things that should be nothing to deal with.
In our Emotion: We're up one day then down the next, no stability. Once up, we're expreme, we're flying high and then the next day something just pulls the rug out from under us and there we go, loosing our joy and happiness again, with no explanation of why.
When Peter says abstain! Abstain! Dont even start it. Abstain! Dont even do it a little. Abstain! Say it with me; Abstain! Abstain! Again Abstain! This is why it's so hard to live a Christian life for many of us, we're not abstaining. And the reason it's so hard is the very thing we are so extrememly desiring is positioning and setting up camp against our very self! Against who we are, what we like, our personality, or motivations. We're deafeated, always asking someone to pray for us, no victory in our lives.
We are opening the door. We are the one's welcoming in the very enemy of our soul. How then, in all of this, do we become peaceful again? How does our life calm back down and become tranquil once more. There's only one way........Abstain!
In 1 Peter 2:11, Peter says "Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;"
Dearly beloved is a fellow Christian. Here Peter is speaking to others that have accepted Jesus Christs' works as the way to be cleansed from all unrighteousness, taking on Christs' righteousness. This is the good news of the Gospel, nothing of what we've done, and all of what Jesus did, sitting in on our behalf. (Praise moment. Thank you Jesus!)
He goes on to say I beseech you;
Beseech- Greek Strongs #3870 [parakaleo] pronounced par-ak-al-eh-o also references #'s 3844 and 2564 which appear to be the same meaning- to call near, to invite, invoke, call for, desire, exhort (-ation), intreat, pray.
Peter goes on to refer to them as strangers and pilgrims. Why's does he call them that? Why, if he knew them, they were followers of Christ, walking to please God, would he refer to them as strangers and pilgrims? Here is where we see what I refer to as a 'Kingdom Principle'. I have an indepth study on 'The Kindgom' and if you'd like those notes please let me know. But this principle is this; at salvation, you are born into a new Kingdom, God's Kingdom. It has to do with rulership of your life, Jesus Christ being the King of this Kingdom, you are no longer under rulership of this world where satan is the ruler. (by the way, I never capitalize his name. he doens't deserve it! lol. spell check doens't like me lol again)
So Peter is beseeching or calling them as strangers in the world's system, pilgrims on a journey until reaching their homeland. I've described it like this; a Canadian that comes to work in the United States is still a citizen of Canada. He has to abide by the laws of his homeland and the laws of the U.S. to be in right standing with those in authority. That's a description of us when we are born again, we are born into a new Kingdom, a spiritual Kingdom, but still have to abide by the laws of the Kingdom we reside in, the natural Kingdom.
He then says to abstain from fleshly lusts;
Fleshly- Greek Strongs' #4559 [sarkikos] pronounced sar-kee-kos'. also references #4561, bodily, temporal, unregenerate, carnal.
Unregenerate- Webster says it means not renewed in the heart and mind or reborn in the spirit. So we can say regenerate is unsaved, not born again.
#4561-the symbol of what is external, human nature.
Lusts-#1930 [epithuma] pronounced ep-ee-thoo-mee-ah and also reference #1937, a longing (especially for what is forbidden) concupiscense, desire.
#1937-[epithumeo] pronounced ep-ee-too-meh'-o and also references #1909 and 2372, to set the heart upon, long for (rightfully or otherwise).
Now why would it say to long for rightfully is wrong? Let's for to Websters dictionary because it has some interesting insights we as Christians would not have attached to the word lust.
Websters has the definition we already knew which means intense sexual desire and the like but did you know that lust also takes in a passionate or overmastering desire or craving, as a lust for power? Or it being an ardent enthusiasm; zests; relish as in a lust for life?
In this passage Peter is talking to Christians saying to abstain from unsaved cravings and intense eagerness that masters us. Abstain from those. Why? It explains why in the rest of the verse; 'which war against the soul'.
Your soul is your mind, will and emotion. Now we all know what war is, but let's go to the Strong's and see how the Lord is describing what's happening to our mind, will and emotion when we allow unsaved desires to master us.
War-#4754 and also references #'s 4756 and 4766 [stratevomai] pronounced strat-yoo'-om-ahee (dont you just love studying words from the Greek language? lol. I feel so smart, okay I'll calm down hahaha) it means to serve in a military campaign, soldier.
#4756 [stratia] pronounced strat-ee'-ah, also referencing #4766, an army as encamped, camp-likeness (now that sounds like a Cindy word lol)
#4766 [stronnumi] pronounced strone-noo-mee, through the idea of positioning, to strew or spread.
Do you see what that desrie allowed in our lives does to us? IT serves as a military campaign, as an army encamped, through positioning itself, strewing and spreading against our mind, will and emotions.
No wonder so many of us live a defeated Christian life. We think these desires are okay, no big deal, oh it's just the way I am or I could never give that up, that's it's okay to do just this one thing. These desires are not okay. They're not indeed. These very desires are open doors. These desires themselves set up camp, position themselves, serve in a military campaign against our mind, will and emotion.
In our Mind: maybe that's why our mind is so scattered and has no peace or calm within. Thoughts run rampant and just exhaust us.
In our Will: maybe this is why we have great intentions as a follower of Christ but succumb to somthing that wants to overcome our will, ending up with us in a state of no will power, even with small things that should be nothing to deal with.
In our Emotion: We're up one day then down the next, no stability. Once up, we're expreme, we're flying high and then the next day something just pulls the rug out from under us and there we go, loosing our joy and happiness again, with no explanation of why.
When Peter says abstain! Abstain! Dont even start it. Abstain! Dont even do it a little. Abstain! Say it with me; Abstain! Abstain! Again Abstain! This is why it's so hard to live a Christian life for many of us, we're not abstaining. And the reason it's so hard is the very thing we are so extrememly desiring is positioning and setting up camp against our very self! Against who we are, what we like, our personality, or motivations. We're deafeated, always asking someone to pray for us, no victory in our lives.
We are opening the door. We are the one's welcoming in the very enemy of our soul. How then, in all of this, do we become peaceful again? How does our life calm back down and become tranquil once more. There's only one way........Abstain!
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