Author: Travis Manhart

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The Discipline of Truth

Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.
— I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.
I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
Notwithstanding ye have well done, that ye did communicate with my affliction.
 
Our society, and in fact a good percentage of our economy, is based on wants. You may not have a want for a certain item, but watch enough T.V. Commercials and read enough internet ads etc., and soon you will be shopping. That is what those in the advertising business call good advertising; creating a need in you that you obviously didn’t know you had. However now, after being “enlightened,” you realize the fun that you have been missing out on and now need it. Maybe its not fun, but it’s the admiration  you would receive from your co- workers or neighbors if you wore that outfit or drove that car. Or, if you are single, you would definitely get that date. In essence, we are made to believe that by purchasing an item or items, it’s our “pot of gold.” I am exaggerating a bit, but I am not far from the truth. In 2013  $518.8 billion dollars were spent on advertising, imagine the money spent by consumers in response to all those ads?
“Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.”   
The discipline of truth teaches you that happiness or fulfillment is not in things but in the person of Jesus Christ. Imagine what would happen to Madison Avenue if we actually lived out this verse. To even believe that an lifeless object, a thing, or another human being created just like me could ever be my everything? It is not only illogical, but foolish, however advertising does not address our logic it is geared to address our emotions, and this is by intent. Therefore if my relationship with Christ is marginal, I will end up following the crowd; believing that happiness is found in things or people. Imagine if status, or paycheck, or the size of our  home had no affect on our joy or how we viewed ourselves? What a freedom that would be. Is this even possible? Well Paul found it possible, enspite of  his adverse conditions.
If it’s true then for one, then it can be true for all. The real question is just how much “off the gird” of materialism and ego are we willing to live? Will we allow The Lord to redefine our life, are we willing to go all the way as Jesus said in John 15:5,  “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can — do nothing.” To abide, is to remain, to dwell in, to live with. This is a recalibration of our mindset. The measure of my success is no longer found in my title, my salary, or the car I drive. Rather the measure of my success is found in my character. Do I have joy, peace, patience, kindness, wisdom, the greatest of these being love? Are these qualities or attributes, “fruits” as the scriptures call them, evident in my life? I’m I becoming “Christ – like,” then by a new standard, an eternal standard, I am successful.
However this success is not based on me achieving a spiritual goal. This success is found in choosing to sit before Christ and giving the Holy Spirit access to my life. Let’s look into the lives of Mary and Martha; two women who very much represent the decisions  that play out daily in our lives.
“And a certain woman named Martha received him( Jesus and his disciplines) into her house and she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word. But Martha was encumbered (stressing) about much serving ( she had reason to be, she had a lot of people in her house now,  yet…)  and she came to him, and said, Lord,dost thou not care ( how often do we accuse The Lord of not caring?) that my sister hath left me to serve alone, bid her therefore that she help me. And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful ( stressed, worried) and troubled ( preoccupied, fretful) about many things : But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her ( a super important point, Luke 10:38 -42) 
Martha was busy with doing life, fitting into what society expected of her; yet  Mary chose differently, even at the expense of her sister. Martha’s personality is easy to relate to. It goes like this, “I will read my Bible as soon as I get this finished.” Invariably something else always gets in the way and so it goes all day long. As the day comes to the end, the Bible remains unread. Tomorrow starts and we say the same thing with the same results.This is the weakness of the American church, we have Martha syndrome and we cheat ourselves out of the absolute best decision we could make for our life.
 To be a Mary is too close your eyes to all earthly doing until the doing of Heaven has been done.  When the Eternal business of Heaven has been completed, then and only then, do we tend to the temporal. And how that plays out in our  individual lives is unique to each of us. For me it means first thing on the weekends I am in the scriptures. Monday through Friday it is my lunch time, even if lunch is at five. This means I say no to lunch invites, make my lunch so I don’t waste time buying it and eat alone as opposed to eating with the men. And when I worked for someone it was even more awkward. Everyone went out to lunch and I would go to the “barn” to eat my lunch alone. In the winter it was freezing so I would bring a blanket with me. It’s not easy to be a Mary, it can also cause conflict in our marriages. This dynamic plays out between spouses and it can make for some difficult seasons.
— I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.  Can we actually have happiness while in a state of want – to be in hunger and or suffer need? Well it depends, lets first define hunger? Is hunger when your stomach is full but your soul is dry and arid? In Proverbs 10:3 The Lord makes this statement, “The Lord will not suffer the soul of the righteous to famish: but he casteth away the substance of the wicked.” Or is hunger when your stomach may be in want but you are filled with the joy of Christ, which of the two hungers are greater? And what is want when your Dad has all Eternity to share with you and riches beyond comprehension. Can we actually say that in this dot of our existence that we actually went in want when Christ is King? Proverbs 10:22, “The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it.” 
That is not to say there is not suffering. Many areas of the world to be a Christian is to suffer, yet we are told that if we suffer for Christ we are to rejoice. 1 Peter 4:13 & 14 “But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the Spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.”
Our  pastor recently told a story of a young man who at the age of four suffered a terrible car accident. Though the doctors saved his life, they could not spare him from the intense pain and crippling effect he would have to suffer as a result of it. At the age of 17 our pastor met him and sought to be an encouragement, however the opposite occurred. The young man knew exactly what the pastor was attempting to do, as many before him. So with politeness he interrupted the pastor and said, “Don’t worry pastor, God has all of eternity to make it up to me.” Would to God we had this young man’s conviction and prespective on life, what a church we would be!! Truth had disciplined him until like a finely tuned instrument he hummed the tunes of heaven. When life as we know it has been challenged or changed due to circumstances, then and really only then our priorities change. God can use suffering to show us how fragile this life can be and how needful we are of Him. In many respects our abundant life style is what cripples us.
“I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”
When I was in high school I ran cross country and a normal day for us was 5 miles in the morning before school and 10 -12 miles after school. In the winter months we ran in the dark. I would have never thought I could have run so much in a single day if I was not pushed to do so, and this is true with our verse. How do we know we can do all things in Christ if life was not challenging, if life didn’t push us? It is in the challenges, in the pain and crisis of life that we press more into Christ and in so doing our faith grows. We learn that truly we can do all things in Him. So many times the verses we quote have no real life application to them.  When a verse lives inside of you because it became your bread and water during a crisis time. Then you know you know it and when you share it, it is shared with absolute conviction. I “learn” a  verse, then God quite promptly assigns the appropriate trial or trials to make sure that I don’t forget it. It becomes part of me, another “room addition” of God’s Kingdom gets erected in me.
“Notwithstanding ye have well done, that ye did communicate with my affliction.” I love Paul because his life was so balanced. He was never outside the reach of everyday believers. In today’s church culture he would be a mega super star. When he was alone, Christ was his strenght and when in communication with others, he welcomed and appreciated their help. His greatest asset was his humility and likewise with us, humility is the gift of all gifts. It doesn’t matter how talented we are, or how well we preach/ teach, sing, without humility it really means nothing. Aside from this, this verse points out the importance of supporting those who are truly in the ministry. There are those who chose the field for themselves, they do more harm than good, but their are those whose lives are marked by a Holy Spirit anointing who are truly called to serve, and we should support them.
Final Note : Christina Grimmy, a contestant on the Voice was a believer, and on her Facebook page the last recorded song she sang was in “Christ Alone” for Easter. One of the devil’s ambassadors came traveling 120 miles to one of her book signings and shot her and then himself. She received the answer to her beloved song, and he received his reward as well. A greater punishment that any jail could give. Prayer for the family, she was a darling young lady only 21 years of age.
Father God,
 Thank you for this study, though it be somewhat intense it speaks to the fault and need of our Christian culture. May we join our young brother and not shrink back from hardship, suffering or pain. You truly have all of Eternity to make it up to us. Let us, like Paul, be more concerned that we run the good race of the Faith, bringing others with us. Let us rise to the calling of a heavenward life. Thank you and Amen.
Move Forward in His Grace – Arthur
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Proof of Adoption Part VI

Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and — minds through Christ Jesus.
 
Finally,brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things ( the problem with being lukewarm in the faith is you never get to enjoy the benefits of a life well lived) .
 
The final proof of adoption deals with an area that no one sees, our mind. What we ponder on, think over, meditate on will eventually show itself in our actions and speech. Therefore training our thought life to be in agreement with God’s Word not only makes for a very healthy thought life, but actions and speech that we never have to be ashamed of or often apologize for. If you have regrets over an action or words said, then you can appreciate what I just said. This transformation does not occur over night, it takes time and dedication, much like a soldier training for combat or a fireman training to fight fire. Continued training is needful, for combat can happen at any moment. You can be in battle with the first shot of a gun or an alarm can wake you out of your sleep calling you to put out a fire. What comes out of you then is the result of your dedication and training. Training takes over and thought patterns as instinct guide the next step. This is no different in the battle for the mind and it is the second most important thing we can do. The first is a commitment to loving the Lord with all our heart, mind, soul and strength.
When we do not commit to this we end up living duals lives. We have our outward life, how we believe people want us to act or how we want people to believe we are and our inward life – our true self. This can be totally different from the man or woman on the outside and can create a lot of needless stress. It’s a mask that we must be ready to wear at any moment, and with different people we may have different masks. Proverbs says that the fear of man is a trap. Instead of fearing the Lord which counters the fear of man, we fear man and come under his control. “The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe (Proverbs 29:25). Hence the reason for our dual life, which is motivated by our insecurities.
As long as we seek to please people as opposed to seeking to please the Lord we will never get free of our insecurities. Biblical truth frees our mind and soul bringing us into relationship with the Lord. Through growing in reverence for the Lord, we begin the process of becoming transformed – from a mindset that seeks to please man to a mindset that seeks to please The Lord. The internal working of the Holy Spirit “remaps” us as we grow in the knowledge and experience of walking in God’s love. This is a much stronger life. To live life consistent with how we think and feel inwardly without the fear of man is a freedom that is our birth right  as a child of God; it is a life that we can be proud of. We can look in the mirror without regret, pleased with the man or woman that the Holy Spirit is forming.
 To live without acknowledging that we are wired with a need to be loved is to ignore a critical aspect of who we are as people. However,  it is not just loved but to be perfectly loved which is what gives us our value. Perfectly loved eliminates the question “if I do this will they still love me, or if they knew this about me would they still love me. Witn human love their remains this uncertainty, there could be limits on it and hence a contributing factor to our insecurity.  The love we seek and need is unique to God alone. To look for this unconditional love on the human level is to look for love “in all the wrong places.” It is His love we need and it is how we are wired and hence true peace is attained when thought and body (actions) are one because of God’s love and approval in our life. And God’s approval is most unique. He can see all the fawls in us and yet it does not diminish one ounce of His love or the inherit value/ worth He has place on us. As true north is constant, so my value before Him is constant because of Christ’s work on the Cross ( Amen!)
The word hypocrite in the Greek comes from the stage plays of old when the actors had masks that they held up in front of them while they acted out their role. Some of them had two masks, one in each hand for the two characters they played. It got a little confusing I’m sure. When we act out who we’re not it is hurtful to our character and self respect. When a guy wants to have sex, but the girl really does not want to but goes along with it because she fears losing the guy; or when we are striving for that promotion at work and our boss ask us to do a few things under the table or to lie for him, these actions hurt us. Should you say yes to a boyfriend that really does not respect you, or yes to a boss who will probably ask you to lie for him again? At what point do you say no, if not now, when? Each time we violate the person inside we step down in our self respect, which is so critical to our internal happiness. To lose self respect is to lose something on a human level that cannot be regained. Only God can heal that fatal wound.
“whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure,whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” 
Jesus is the fulfillment of this verse and while standing in front of Pilate said, “I am the way, the truth and the light, no one comes to the Father except through me.” Pilate being the vain man that he was said, “what is truth?” I’m sure Christ’s words went right over him. Generally speaking there are two approaches to truth. There is the philosophical approach were truth is relative. It depends upon the situation and on the individual and what might be true ( or right)  for one person may not be true for another. I do not call this truth but “convenience thinking” or rationlization could be another term. Whatever works for MY best interest is what is true for me. The other truth is Biblical truth. There is right and there is wrong and if it inconveniences me to do the right thing then I have a choice to make. To live with no absolutes, no right or wrong is to strip from my soul the very moral code that gives me my self respect and by which others respect us. Who respects a weasel, someone who gives a promise today but breaks it tomorrow because it became inconvenient to keep? Committing to God’s way of living is in itself the very definition of being a respectable man or woman. I have had the pleasure of meeting a number of people who were not necessarily reglious, but who ordered their life around The Ten Commandments or something similar. They have a presence of integrity about them because they have ordered their life as such and all the more for those of us who know Christ.
Father God,
Give us courage to do the right thing, starting first with our thought life. Let us replace impure and or vain thinking with truth and righteousness which comes as we spend time with You in your Word. You have given us what we need to succeed in every area of our life, help us to take advantage of it. Thank you and Amen.
Move Forward in His Grace – Arthur
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Proof of Adoption Part V

( Phil. 3:6-8 )

Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and — minds through Christ Jesus.

Finally,brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

Another proof of adoption deals with our confidence in time of need. As a child I never doubted my parents love for me ( I did test them though) so when I had need, I never doubted that they would not provide or tend to my need. I always had food, clothes ( not the latest etc., but nice clothes). My dad was a school teacher ( later became an administrator) and my mom worked grave yard in a convalescent hospital. We were middle class America. When I married and Lisa and I had the girls, we were the same. We provided the best we could being 23 and 22 years of age. We were young parents with a single income, hence for a number of years we were fairly broke. Lisa stayed home to raise the girls and I worked in a wholesale nursery, a field which does not pay much. I don’t believe the girls ever felt that they went without, though I often wished that I could have done better by them. However the basics were always covered. So in using these two examples, how do we honestly feel about our selected Bible verses? Do we have the confidence that when we bring a concern or need to our Heavenly Father that He hears us and will act in our best interest?

“To be careful for nothing,” is the King James way of saying to be and or live without burdens. Care or concern is normal, but burdens that make us fretful or full of anxiety or fear reveals a problem. Uncontrolled stress, sleepless nights, nervous stomach etc., is telling us that the trials are exceeding our faith. We are being controlled by the problem and we are losing the game. From a spiritual perspective we are telling God that we do not believe He can handle it, not a good thing to say to God. Or maybe we believe He can handle it, but we don’t believe that He really cares enough about us to get involved in our mess. Again not a good thing to say to a Lord that just has to look at the nail scars in His hands or feel the hole in side that remind Him of the price He paid to redeem us. What this degree of anxiety reveals is that we are either not truly born again, or if we are, we are not spending enough time with Him in His Word or the trail exceeds our spiritual growth .

I have been in many a situation were the trial exceeded my faith (being self employed gives you many opportunities to be faced with your spiritual immaturity). Learning to read our emotions and what they are saying in reference to our faith is critical. When anxiety exceeds faith, God has become smaller than the trial. Hence I know that in this area of my life, I am weak – my faith needs to grow. The weakness is not bad if I use it to make me grow. It could be in finances, a difficult relationship, a lust, a fear, or countless other things. It could be in the area of forgiveness. We are not able to or willing to forgive a wrong.

In all these situations the choice is to remain as we are and live with the spiritual, emotional and physical baggage and their consequences, or overcome them. If we want to overcome them and regain the peace, joy and love that is our birth right as God’s child, then we need to overcome them by finding Bible verses that address these specific concerns. By meditating upon them until they become part of us is how victory is won. By giving the Holy Spirit the spiritual tools He needs to rightly equip us is how we gain our promised peace. It takes effort and time, but together we can defeat that which is seeking to deteriorate and or destory our life of faith.

To gain our freedom is to make God big again and the trial small, as it should be. There are Bible verses that deal with every human emotion and or problem. A great aid to this is the Bible Pocket Promise book. Small enough to carry in your work briefcase or purse, it’s a great reference tool to meditate on when your stuck in traffic or waiting in line. By redeeming idle or unproductive minutes you will be surprise at your spiritual growth. In time you will become “bullet proof.”

When addressing our concerns to God He has given us a “formula,” of sorts, “but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.” First observation, do not internalize the problem. In my younger days I use to go for hours bugged or burden by a problem while occupied with more pressing concerns; by the end of the day, I was exhausted. I would then realize that I had carried the problem all day and never brought it before the Lord. When we internalize a problem it just goes round and round in our mind ( subconscious ) and in many cases becomes a bigger monster than when we first became aware of it. Through scripture study the Holy Spirit lead me to our study verse which trained me to immediately go to the Lord in prayer. I may not have the time or place to pray as I would like, but I immediately open up channels of communication. It has made a big difference in my energy level as well as my overall state of being. This verse is like an old friend who I have come to love, may it be so with you.

Next, our concept of prayer needs to be changed. Many of us think of prayer as asking something from God. That is not prayer, that is supplication. Prayer is WORSHIP!! We come to God with worship. Though things may seem awful, they only seem like that because God has become small. Make yourself read Psalms 23 or Joshua 1 or Proverbs 3, until from your heart you can worship the Lord and thank Him for His love for you, for your salvation, for that He hears your prayer etc., then and only then make your request, your supplication and end with thanksgiving. Finally ask Him to glorify Himself through it and in you. This then is a righteous prayer that comes from a child who knows that his/her Dad will not rest till His will has been perfected. Remember there are always two ways to view a so called “problem,” from God’s perspective or from ours. We want to see, train ourselves, to see it from His perspective.

And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and — minds through Christ Jesus.” The evidence that you were before the Throne, even if you were physically just walking down the street. Peace knows no boundaries nor restrictions, only a readied heart is required. To abide in peace is a wonderful birth right. To see the problem but to know that God has the solution makes you the victor before you even engage. And what a difference that makes in our life and how we deal with people and situations when we are confident as opposed to being fearful and fretful. A much better way to live.

” shall keep” the Greek is ” Phroureo” meaning to post a sentinel, or to guard, or keep watch over. The more we intimately know the Lord, the easier life becomes. The more mixed we are with our faith and worldly ambitions the harder life becomes. Assuming that we have had enough of this world’s ways, the biggest obstruction to faith I have seen comes from one’s growing up years. If our father was distance, or demeaning, or M.I.A our self image has been damaged. We think, and most of the time we are not even aware because it has been so programmed into us, that as my earthly dad was so is God. If our earthly dad was disinterested in me or absent, it must be because I am not worth his time, therefore I am not worth God’s time. I know many adults who struggle with coming to God for fear of being rejected by Him because of their past (we can really screw up our kids). Combine this with someone who really doesn’t enjoy reading and we have an adult who is going to struggle with their Christian walk and with life in general. And with the negative input from childhood you will have an adult who will naturally condemn themselves. It’s a tough nut to crack, but God majors on “tough nuts.”

Think of it this way. When a child takes steps to their parent but falls in the process, a good parent, a loving parent will never condemn them for falling but help the child up. For you that struggle with your spiritual walk, please remember, so is God. Any attempt towards Him, whether it falls short or not, God rejoices in your attempt to come to Him. There is absolutely no condemnation at all, “for there is no condemnation in Christ Jesus our Lord ( Rm 8:1).” It’s the long way home, but it is the way home and that’s what counts.

Do not compare yourself to others, we each have our own walk, our own race to run and God views each of us as individuals. There may be those given how they were raised, seem to shine as lights in God’s Kingdom. However given the love they were raised with, they are suppose to achieve those goals and encourage the rest of us. Sometimes running 20 miles is just as far a distance as a 100 miles. It is not the distance that one runs that God sees but the effort that is given. Many of us have huge mountains to overcome before we can run therefore our 20 miles is as great an achievement as the one who runs a 100 miles. God rejoices just as much. Remember, in the end, we all stand as brothers and sisters around the Throne of Grace. Amen?

Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter. John 13:7 ( verse for next study)

Father God,
Thank you for this encouraging study. All You seek is my best, help me to give You that as You gave me. I may never have to die at a Cross but daily let me surrender my will, wrestle with my will to be obedient to You ways. Let me make a concentrated effort to read Your Word or listen to it on CD. I know my efforts will be blessed, though I know it won’t be easy. Help me to preserve through it until the home of my heart is found in You. Amen.

Move Forward in His Grace – Arthur

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Proof of Adoption Part IV

For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. (Phil 1:21)
 
For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;
Having the same conflict which ye saw in me, and now hear to be in me (Phil 1:29&30)
 
Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
 
Being that we are in a political season right now we hear many claims and promises from those who are running, and when these candidates are asked if they are Christian they all give their reasons as to why they believe they are. I always cringe at this because they have no concept of what it means to say you are a Christ follower. However what is even more concerning, for a lot of people make this same claim, is why do  they feel right in making this claim? It comes back to us, the Church. We live so weak a testimony being mixed with the world that there is not a clear distinction between believers and non believers. So though I cringe at hearing politicians claiming to be Christian, I am more grieved at the reason as to why they, or anybody else can make that claim if they are not truly born again.
“For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” Talking about making a clear line between belief and non belief. If we lived out this verse on the human stage of life, there would be no question about what it means to be Christian. If our complete focus would be on what actions bring me closer to Christ as opposed to what actions make me more socially accepted. That would clearly demonstrate the difference and our peers would quickly see that we march to a different drum. Soon the invitations to have a drink and hang out would end. Our life style and our conversation would not mix.
I have never “fit” well into social settings, even in High School as Student Body President I ate lunch alone with the exception of a few Christians who were not afraid to be seen with me. The whole school staff and student body knew where I stood. The position gave me much opportunity to share my faith. I was never weird, but I didn’t hide my faith either. Whatever was good about me, whatever was kind, whatever was loving, I wanted people to know that it was because of Christ, not me. I knew over 1/3 of the student body by name and many more by face but I still ate about half of my lunches alone. The half of the time I spent counseling other students. Some of the cutest girls on campus, who I would have loved to have dated, would come to me with their boy problems. It was the weirdest thing. A few would take me up on coming to church ( which was my definition of a date), but most would not.
” and to die is gain.” The more of me that dies, the more I gain. In the world of the Spirit, something must die for something else to live. As I grow closer to Christ the desires of the flesh begin to lessen and some even die. Conversely, as I stray from the faith, as the light dims the darkness grows until the light of faith is finally extinguished. Both lives cannot exist in one soul. As Jesus said, “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon ( Matt.6:24).” In context mammon represents the cares and ambitions of the world that our flesh values because of our insecurities ( think about that for a bit. Our insecurities play a huge role).
“Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also ( Matt. 6:19-21)” “Therefore keep your heart with all diligence for from it flows the springs of life ( Proverbs 4:23). So right now, in this moment, where is your heart?  Is it aligned with Christ, or the world? Are you lukewarm and caught in the middle? Know yourself for the consequences are eternal and repent if any part of you is not with Christ. Yet know that as long as we live in this earthly tent, we will always have struggles with our flesh. However what Christ seeks is not perfection but a solid decision to be His and to seek Him, that’s our part; His part is to sanctify the whole of us – a task far too great for any of us to take on. 
“For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;”
We have a society that is overly bent on “my rights.” The basis for this was employer abuse and prejudice. Yet like many good causes, they ineveribly become tinted and now we have people claiming they have rights when all that is being asked of them is to put in an honest day’s work. It doesn’t take much to ruffle peoples feathers.
I am a fan of the Slyvester Stallon boxing movies (Rocky),  and in one of his later movies he is telling his son, who now is a teenager, that “it is not so much how hard you can hit, but how hard you can be hit and get up again.” There is a verse in Proverbs 24:16  that states “that a righteous man ( or woman) falls several times but gets up again.” Since it has been given to us to suffer for Christ, what is the temper of our steel? If people look at us wrong do we consider that suffering for Christ, or is it more than that? I view suffering in two categories, one that is internal and one that is external. Internally, I have weaknesses inherit to my sin nature. They can be lusts, temper, envy, impatience, ego etc., that are not Godly and do not represent Christ. Much of these responses surface by just living life. These carnal emotions come across our heart and mind and how we deal with them is what matters and truly determines the temper of our steel ( our commitment to Christ). At times our responses are even a surprise to us, we say ” I don’t know why I got so put out.” However our responses are not a surprise to God, and God allows these trials to occur to introduce me to me. Often the man in the mirror thinks quiet highly of himself ( or herself) and these trials are God’s way of showing us the real person inside. The purpose is to cause us to surrender “our rights,” the gods of this world that we lay claim to and adhere to so dearly. Through the trials these god’s fail to give us peace, direction or lasting contentment be they the gods of finances, fame, possessions, vanity, or relationships etc. And in releasing them we finally see them for what they are.
 God seeks to purify us by using these trials and uses these trials to make us wholly His, His Bride. I call these the internal battles were fear, lust, anger, disappointment, depression etc. are defeated by righteousness and truth, by justice and peace, until His Throne fully reigns in us. We become heirs conquered by Grace ( no longer my efforts but His) Truth ( no false idols, only the one true God) and Love ( the full acceptance and surrender to His love without the need in me to earn it, or to feel worthy of it, for I will never be. The acceptance of His love is the true foundation of humility from where true inner strenght comes from. So few truly find it and operate from it, yet it is the core of the Spirit).
As I seek to mature in Him these internal battles, the voices within me are quieted and only one voice and desire becomes dominant. As humility grows in me humility makes God bigger, my problems smaller and peoples imperfection, weakness and tempers much easier to handle. It becomes a “no big deal” scenario as opposed to “how dare they say that to me etc.,” which is the wrong reaction each and every time. For the flesh/pride is exercising what it takes as its rights. Yet recall that Christ surrendered all His rights for us, we are to do likewise.
“Having the same conflict which ye saw in me, and now hear to be in me.”
“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:”
External persecution deals with my life and the values I live by convicting others to the
point that I anger them, though I do nothing directly to them to cause an offense, other than being a Christian. This can be a minor annoyance to them or it can become a major problem. I find that if I love people by treating them with respect, I am accepted for the most part even though they do not share my belief. I welcome most people into my life which drops their barriers, allowing me to know them, however my beliefs keep them at a “respectable friendship bases.” Unless they seek to know more about Christ that is were we stay. If they are open to Christ then our relationship becomes more sincere, we become friends. Living a strong conviction of Christ and people themselves will determine where they want you to be in their lives. Yet know this, that though they won’t invite you to hang out with them, if a problem arises they will pick you over their hang out friends, just like the girls in high school chose me over their friends, which has been the pattern my whole life.
Father God,
Thank you for this study. Grow within a desire to be close to You. Let humility become that which I see as the means and the quality that brings me into a deeper walk with You. Help me to become free of my fears, insecurities and jealousies knowing that I am absolutely complete in You, lacking nothing. Thank you and Amen
Move Forward in His Grace – Arthur
Arthur Navarrette
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Proof of Adoption (Part III)

“Proof of Adoption” Part III
Philippians 2:19-22
But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy shortly unto you, that I also may be of good comfort, when I know your state.For I have no man likeminded, who will naturally care for your state.
For all seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ’s.
But ye know the proof of him, that, as a son with the father, he hath served with me in the gospel.

 
Philippians 2:29-30
Receive him therefore in the Lord with all gladness; and hold such in reputation:
Because for the work of Christ he was nigh unto death, not regarding his life, to supply your lack of service toward me ( referring to Epaphroditus)

As we continue our study on the ” Proof of Adoption,” I trust it has been insightful in giving us an outline of what it means to truly live at the conscience level with God as our Father. We express so much truth with our lips e.g ” I trust the Lord,” but actually live so little of it out, hence our anxieties and worry. In Quantum Physics, which I know very little of, it speaks of different dimensions of existence that are accessed through “portals.” According to Quantum Physics these portals exist all around us and we access them through our conscienceness, leading us into different dimensions of conscience ness. Biblically it can be explained this way. In Colossians 3:1-2, “If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.” Without getting too weird, this is an aspect of quantum physics. Via our conscience being in agreement with the Holy Spirit we have access to a new realm (new portal) ” where Christ is sitting.” Present tense, meaning this is for us now, not just when we are passed from this life. I believe this is a problem with us. We read these kind of versus that are somewhat ethereal and we mentally catalog them into “this must mean when I am in heaven,” because we can not relate to them now, but many are for today.
However our problem is explained in Romans 8:5-7,  “For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. To ” set their mind ( conscience) on the things of the flesh,” is to live absent from ” life and peace,” and ” to be carnally minded is death,” that in itself is another portal that opens us up to further dimensions of slavery that eventually lead to death. When you think about how Christ gave His life for us you realize that  He did all that He could do to keep us from this. Quantum Physics actually agrees with the scriptures in proving that other dimensions do exist that cannot be measured through normal science. Physically we cannot access them because of the limitation we experience living in a flesh and body existence. However our conscience is not confined. Yet we confine our conscience because we allow the limitations of the flesh e.g., temptations and carnal desires to interpret our world. Therefore the cravings and desires of the flesh become our reality and it is what controls our conscience. However it does not have to be this way. If we “live according to the Spirit,”  we can experience “life and peace” and not “death.  In short, just because our bodies are limited it does not mean our conscience has to be.
1 Corinthians 2:16
For “who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ
 
Romans 12:1-2

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed ( the Greek word for this is metamorphosis)  by the renewing ( renew qualitatively) of your mind, that you may prove (discern) what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

 
1 Peter 1:13-16
Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”
Is this how we perceive our Christian walk? And if we truly accepted Christ was it Him we accepted or was it in one of His many watered down versions that make Him more human and fun? We are always trying to make God more human thereby allowing us to continue to live according to the flesh, living life on our terms, as such who needs repentance? However God is always trying to make us more like Him, holy, and only those who have trusted in the work of the Cross can be sanctified. How greatly do we hurt ourselves when we do not perceive the Holiness of God; and how foolish and prideful man is to ever think he can become like God.
For I have no man likeminded, who will naturally care for your state. This was a great commendation for Timothy, but a sad comment about other believers, “no man likeminded.” There was something unique about Timothy that truly should be unique with all of us. “For all seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ’s.” We call it an agenda. Those that assisted him during this period apparently had their own agenda. Maybe their thoughts were, “Hanging out with Paul will give me major cudos with the local pastors/ believers and maybe some of his ‘magic’ will rub off on me” etc. I can only imagine what Paul faced. Yet not with Timothy. Timothy had no care for himself, no agenda other than Christ’s agenda. Timothy was content in just knowing Christ and that Christ knew him. Helping Paul with his ministry was probably way more than he ever dreamed that he would be doing. How about us, are we like Timothy?  And if we are followers of Christ, which Christ is it? Is it the Christ that is on stage proclaiming the Gospel in front of large crowds and healing people, or is it  the Christ that is washing people’s feet. Timothy didn’t seem to care, it was all Christ.
But ye know the proof of him, that, as a son with the father, he hath served with me in the gospel.  The word to serve “douleuo” is very similar to the word used for slave, someone who has no rights. However this word expresses a choice, a willingness to serve. Timothy was a “bond servant” to Paul because he was first a bond servant to Christ. Therefore serving Paul was not a task to be reckoned with, it was a joy for he did it as unto Christ – the key to a successful Christian life and ministry. Timothy found his identity in his Savior, and as such was counted worthy to serve Paul, were as others perphaps used it to gain positioning and fame for themselves.
“Because for the work of Christ he was nigh unto death, not regarding his life, to supply your lack of service toward me ( referring to Epaphroditus, a prominent believer commissioned by the Phillipian Church to aid Paul).” When your single focus is to know and serve Christ self sacrificing is not a big deal. This dimension of spiritual life is when Christ is absolutely so real that worldly affairs and values pale in comparison. We as a church body need to grow to this maturity.  Reality no longer becomes what you perceive with your eyes but what you perceive in faith. For in living a life of faith you no longer have the values that the world maintains and says you need to be happy. Your reality and values are literally out of this world.
When in the human experience there is a wall in front of you, whether it be a physical wall or a  wall, such as  a lack of finances, sickness, or relationship problems etc., in the spirit there is no wall. It is hard on us for sure, but  the Holy Spirit is not hindered. These concerns  He uses to mature our faith. And with respect to healing, the greatest healing we can receive is the healing of our heart. When we truly and profoundly know that God loves us. Worry, guilt, anxiety, stress etc., which all can make you sick, cannot control us when we intimately know of  His love. Same with finances, relationship problems, there’s always hope when His love becomes our constant, our go to refuge in times of trouble.
The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

 
Bottomline and the greatest life one can have is when we start actually living as “joint heirs with Christ.” Call it a spiritual portal or an “entering into the fellowship of the saints that have gone before,” or just spiritual maturity but this is the place where freedom is regardless of sickness or health, money or the lack thereof, or a host of many other things. As joint heirs with Christ there are no boundaries, no limits other than what we limit ourselves to for the love of Christ, and no enemy too great or problem too hard that prayer, Christ and our faith cannot conquer. Amen!
Father God,
Thank you for this challenging message. Let me see that the road to faith is wide open to me if I am willing to forsake self and the world to follow just You. It’s not an easy road, it’s not a free road, for faith comes at a cost, death to my flesh and self centered ambitions, however there is nothing I can live for here that has greater consequences and or benefits than a life of faith. Help me to clearly see that. Thank you and Amen
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The proof of adoption (Part II)

“The proof of adoption” Part II  Philippians 2: 12 – 15)
Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.
Do all things without murmurings and disputings:
That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;
 
 
“Do all things without murmurings and disputings:” Nothing takes the shine off a good employee than to have them start murmuring and disputing with me. It becomes an issue that I seek to resolve quickly. A discontented employee can effect the overall morale of a company and if I am not able to resolve the problem ( most of the time I can) then that employee’s time with me is limited. The same thing happens on a social basis. When we murmur and dispute no one really wants to be around us. A negative person just takes the life out of a day and the day is hard enough as it is. This attitude not only effects our social life but our personal lives as well. We become a lead weight to our family. Proverbs in 27:15 says, “ A continual dripping in a very rainy day and a contentious woman are alike.”  And this is not just true of women, but of men as well. It doesn’t take long before our list of friends becomes limited to just three people, me,myself and I.
The word for murmur in the Greek is “Gogguzo.” It is considered an onomtapoeic word, meaning the word sounds like what it is defining. When we are discontent we grumble in a low indiscreet voice, like the rumbling of our stomach when we ate something that didn’t agree with us, such is this word. “Disputings” as defined by Webster’s Dictionary is the action part of murmuring. It is when you take your discontent to the next level becoming vocal and speaking back to your employer, manager and or spouse. And it’s worse in the home. It can become an escalating problem that if not dealt with early can lead to job termination or to divorce.
What is really a tragedy is that it doesn’t have to happen. When we set our eyes and heart on the things of this world to make us happy, be it our spouses, our jobs or something other than the Lord, we are setting ourselves up to be disappointed. It is not my spouses job to make me happy, nor is my job suppose to fulfill me. It’s great when are relationships are on track and  we enjoy our jobs, but people are human and bad days come and go and the job at times can be a hassle. Nothing is perfect and to seek to get our identity and sense of purpose from earthly things is to make a serious mistake. So then how are we supposed to be? The sun is a great analogy for this. It is self energizing as God has made it to be, as He himself is. As He is continually loving, kind, forgiving etc., the early morning sun is continually warming all that it touches though it be 92.95 million miles away! To abide in the sun’s rays is to experience it’s  warmth and to abide in Christ is to experience His love and to be changed by it. Our abiding in Him keeps us from seeking approval, identity or love from other people who are just as much in need of God’s love as we are. To be fulfilled by the Lord not only completes us but It allows us to enjoy our jobs and not make work an idol. In doing life right we become His ambassadors, able to give out love and warm just as He does.
A couple Vidas pass I wrote how my disappointments were God’s appointments to bring me closer to Him. From the drowning of my brother and taking personal blame for it, to the disappointments in my career; working for boss’s that only knew how to yell. The road that I have travelled would not have been the one I would have chosen for myself. Much of my life direction has been the result of my responsibility to provide for my family and circumstances bending me this way or that way.  Not  so much and “open road” where I had choice. These same disappointments are lived out through the pages of scripture. Moses,  40 years prince of Egypt, then 40 years a sheepherder, an occupation that the Egyptians  despised ( that must have been really tough on his ego), to the final 40 years of leading Israel. Then there’s David, a rising star in the Israel army. A commander of men at around 21 years of age until the people began to praise David more than King Saul. Now because of Saul’s jealousies he became an outcast, a runaway, hiding in caves and living in enemy territory. One time to escape death from an enemy King he had to pretend  to be insane.  And Saul who became Paul the apostle, spent  three years in the desert unlearning everything he was taught and relearning it via the Holy Spirit. He who was once viewed as the next High Priest, a most coveted position ( this is my opinion) became nothing, in fact he was worse than nothing in the eyes of his Jewish contemporaries who now believed he should be stoned to death.
However, what did God do through and because of these disappointments? How did these disappointments become God’s appointment for them? I can go on to talk about Ruth the Moabites, a group of people that were not ” chosen” yet because of Ruth’s very honorable character she became wife to Boaz baring him a son who was grandfather to King David, the blood line of Jesus our Messiah. And Sarah, barren most of her life and Rachal also barren until God gave them a son. What did God do through the pain and disappointment that these women experienced? You may be in a season of disappointments, but how big is your God?
Therefore let us “Do all things without murmurings and disputings:
That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;” 

 

When we receive trials and hardship without complaining or becoming offended, thinking we are ” entitled” to a better life, we “

shine as lights in the world.”

When we maintain hope because we look to a life that is not just limited to this life, we are living a life that is worth takening note of. To truly say “

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Roman’s 8:28) 

is to finally enter into what it means to be a Christ follower.
Father God,
Thank you for this devotional. There has been much written about being content, both from a secular point of view and a Godly point of view. Yet the truth lies with You alone. Therefore  let my life be a simple life, were I walk with and commune with You as a son with a Father or as a daughter with a Father. If I was not granted a physical example of that in my life, let me perceive it supernaturally. Thank you and Amen
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Easter

Easter – A few comments ( Easter came fast so there probably are some misspelled words ).
John 18:11-13

“Then said Jesus unto Peter, Put up thy sword into the sheath: the cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?
Then the band and the captain and officers of the Jews took Jesus, and bound him,
And led him away to Annas first; “

 
Matthew 27:46
And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, 
 
 
Matthew 27:51-54

And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;
And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose,
And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.
Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.

 
With the business of Easter I want to keep this brief, as well as wish everyone a blessed Easter. For in that the Lord has risen, we truly have a hope that is eternal that the events in this world cannot take away. Our hope is completely independent of the affairs of this life, for it is God himself who keeps it.
There are countless sermons that can be preached, and should be preached, from the account of the Lord’s Crucifixion and the events leading up to it and the events afterwards. In reviewing the account I have selected these very few versus and in studying them some truths become very evident.
“the cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?” What is the evidence that I am a believer, is it not that I obey my Father? Christ is our chief example of what it means to obey, for He obeyed unto death. I find that our commitment to the Lord can be quit shallow. As long as things go well, we are all in. However take away the blessings, usher in “Job’s trials” or mundane work as Moses had tending sheep for forty years, or having your life threatened by an insane King and our story changes. We have such a comfortable life here  compared to most of the world, that we interpret comfort and ease as a sign of God’s blessing. What if the opposite was true? That trials and afflictions was when the Chief Designer of our soul actually had his hands on us as He carefully is molding us in the fire, removing the dross and shaping us into a ring that represents the vow of marriage? What then would be our attitude towards trials and severe hardship, would it change?
“Then the band and the captain and officers of the Jews took Jesus, and bound
him,” To bind the hands of the Almighty who just by speaking knocked them over. He created the universe and all that is in it with the spoken power of His Word, only man did He ” fashion into His own image Gensis 2:7 ( the word ” to fashion” implies the use of His hands).  Puny man, so ignorant of who is in their presence. God forgive us when through our ignorance we too bind His hands through disbelief.
“Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” I have often wondered about this verse. What was the emotion, the feeling when God became two distinct entities? It had never happened before in eternity past nor would it ever happen again in eternity future. An emotion, a feeling that the God head had never experienced. I know the pain of being separated from a love one, it really hurts! I would rather be hit hard than to try to live with a broken heart. Fortunately for humanity that the Trinity became reunited once again after death, after the ultimate sacrifice was paid.
“And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom;” Glory to God, the evidence of our sin paid in full. No longer would my sin be a curtain ( separation) between my Lord and me. That with a repentant heart I myself can come to the throne with the blood of the Lamb ushering me in. The curtain was torn by God’s own hands, from top to bottom, not from bottom to top. Such a freedom we have knowing that we do not need to be controlled by our sin nature. Amen
“Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.” This was enough evidence to bring this harden man to acknowledging Christ as God’s Son. Yet the Pharisee’s had the same evidence and they would not believe. They even went so far as to take money from the temple treasury, tithes of the people, and pay the soldiers that had witnessed the rolling away of the tombstone to lie. Amazing what disbelief/ pride will go to avoid repenting. Is Christ this day truly God’s redemption/ redeemer for your life and if not, why? Evidence is not lacking. We have more historical data concerning Christ than many personalities that we studied in school and believe that they existed so it is not a lack of evidence as much as it is a lack of belief and a willingness to repent of our sin. God help us to see clearly and to see how much harm we bring to ourselves when we refuse to agree with God. As Jesus said to Thomas,…
John 20:23-24
“But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came.
The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.
And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace, be unto you.
Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing.
And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.
Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed
are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.” May we be of those “who have not seen but believe.”
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The proof of adoption

“The proof of adoption” ( Philippians 2: 12 – 15)
Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.
Do all things without murmurings and disputings:
That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;
“…but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” The test of loyalty is not how we perform when we are being watched, but how we perform when we are not. So in the absence of any watchful eye (humanly speaking)  how do we live out our Christianity?
My employees have been with me for years, some for over 25 years and we are more like a family than employer/ employee. The ones who I have needed to terminate through the years have showed themselves unappreciative of my trust in them. They really end up firing themselves. Grace is very similar. It is there for the taking, but it is meant to aid us and help us in our walk, not abuse it and see how close to the boundaries of sin we can get. We have a saying,”better to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission.” To look at grace in that way, in my opinion, you are already in sin. Grace is NEVER given to see how close I can get to my lust and desires, but grace is given to see how close I can get to God’s Holiness. And when those really tough weaknesses come up and we struggle to resist but fail, grace is there with no condemnation.
If you have ever gone fresh water fishing, you know you use lighter fishing tackle as compared to salt water fishing. With the lighter tackle it is amazing what a fight a fish can put up. You swear it’s at least 10lbs – it’s the whopper that got away! However when you finally see it, you realize it is only one pound of pure fight. In fighting carnal desires we need to be the same. Regardless of our maturity in Christ we need to give it all we have. It is not so much how much we know (head knowledge) as much as our desire ( our heart ) to want to be holy and pure before the Lord. Another saying (I like sayings), “It’s not so much the size of the dog in the fight that matters, but the size of the fight in the dog.” ” Size of the dog” could be likened to head knowledge. ” The fight of the dog” is our heart, our fighting desire to remain pure. Paul was not a tall man, but with respect to purity he more than made up for what he lacked in stature; he ran lean and mean. Christ resisted sin to the shedding of his own blood; I think we can definitely give it more fight.
“….work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.”
The context of this verse has been debated throughout the centuries. Is salvation by grace or is it based on my efforts? On the surface it seems as though it’s up to me. However, when interpreting scriptures that are somewhat questionable one must look not at the one verse, but exhaust the topic in its entirety thoroughly cross referencing scriptures. Without doing our due diligence we can get ourselves into trouble by preaching or believing something that is not the gospel. We can end up living on the wrong side of grace making our lives more difficult and those around us as well.
In studying the Greek for “work out,” (katergazomai) it means to exert effort. And agreeably the Christian life does take effort. Paul in Phillipians 3:14 uses the example of a runner straining with all his might to cross the finish line first, “ I press ( exert effort, strain) toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.  In 1 Corinthians 9 he continues the analogy of running, but now he also introduces boxing, “Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but only one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air ( analogy to boxing) But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be disqualified.” 
 “I keep under my body,” is the concept of mastering the carnal desires with one rendering giving the definition of giving yourself a black eye. The context of both these words are forceful, dealing with the effort and dedication to govern over the fleshly appetites; lust, pride, anger, jealousies and the like. We must rule over these or be ruled by them, and if we become ruled by them then Christ death be for nought. So again what is our role with respect to our salvation? Are we saving ourselves? Prior to Christ the door of the Kingdom was closed; afterwards it was open, “the veil was torn.” That’s grace; that I as a sinner, which I will always be on this side of heaven, can now be ushered into the presence of the Almighty through prayer and be accounted as His son by grace being indwelt by the Holy Spirit. That would never have happened without Christ. He has open the door to salvation and by faith and receiving his atonement for my sin I enter in. There is no amount of work I could ever do to be holy enough for God. God is compassionate that’s true, but He is utterly Holy and to forget that and think that through belief in spiritual like sayings  and kind deeds I can save myself is to play the fool.
 
For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.
So my concern is not for my salvation, my concern and responsibility is to live out what salvation is – what does it look like? For that we must give our best effort; there’s no spoiled children here. Christ agonized in His death to defeat sin, we in full confidence knowing that our salvation awaits us, must do the same in resisting sin. Apply the truth of God’s Word to our life till the truth becomes part of our life. Feelings no matter how strong, do not govern or define who we are in Christ, God’s Word and our faith does. He says it, I believe it, and with the help of the Holy Spirit we do it, or come as close to doing it. So there is no contradiction, “God is at work within me to will and to do according to His good plans for me (Phil 2:13)”  and I in agreement with Him I’m working out His good plans. We work along side the Holy Spirit, seeking to rule over our carnal desires.
 
“…with fear and trembling.” “Perfect love casts out all fear,” so it is not the fear that God is going to get me, but a deep reverence. I have been entrusted with a great treasure that cost my Savior His life. Now because of placing my faith in Christ and receiving Him as my Savior I am indwelt by the Holy Spirit. I do not want to be found unworthy of such honor, or fall short.  God help me for I am but flesh; and though that be true, fire and power dwell within me and that also is equally as true. I seek to nurture that nature within me so as to defeat my carnal desires and exalt holiness. Whatever our struggles are we need to identify with the scriptures that speak to those struggles, meditate upon them, agreeing with them and not justifying our actions. In so doing we give the Holy Spirit the ammunition He need’s to strengthen our inner man. That is how we become “more than conquerors through Christ who strengthens us ( Romans 10:37) .” No magic, just faith, study and a commitment to purity and hard work.
Personal note;

Some lust or insecurities are so strong that it is hard to believe that victory is possible. From a man who has dealt with feelings as such, take my word that God’s Word will win. Continue to
keep meditating upon the specific verses that deal with you lust or insecurity. It is tempting to justify them because these emotions can be so strong but if God’s Word says otherwise it’s sin. People make the terrible mistake of talking the Bible down so they can justify their sin. If you do this you will never experience freedom or have the joy or peace that comes from walking in harmony with The Lord. So if the Word calls it out as a sin, then sin it is. However the good news is if God calls it a sin then He will provide the means to free you from it. Know that all lust typically stem from insecurities. Solve the insecurity by allowing God’s love to heal or fulfill that area in your life and the lust loses its strenght.
All lust are rivaling for your worship. Once I realized that, then I was more able to become free of it because I refused to worship anything but God. The two natures duel in us for lordship. The flesh looks to the world to fill our innate emptiness and need of love, while the Spirit seeks God’s rule and love in us and we decide who rules by the daily decisions we make with what we chose to see and take in. That’s why daily times with God or as often as you can is so vital to a victorious Christian life. It’s no fun getting beat up all the time, knowing that it’s wrong but falling for it every time. Great verses to read are Roman’s 6-8. I spent a couple years reading these verses till these verses were in me.
Father God,
Thank you for this time in study. To call us to holiness is to call us to yourself. As a car is designed to run on gas, we are designed to run on holiness. Guilt feelings, regrets and or mistakes are not how You designed us to live. Our best place in life bar none is next to You. Help us to not only agree with that in our thoughts, but believe it in our hearts.
Thank you and Amen
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Resolutions to Live By (Part IV)

“Resolutions to Live By” Part IV ( Philippians 3:11&14)
Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.
 
“If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.
I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” 
If we were to attend a class on how to be successful, what topics do you think the speaker would talk on? If I was that speaker I would title my speech, “The Four Pillars of Success.” However, before we get started, let’s define success. Success is much more than just wealth. For example, I do not consider it successful if in the process of growing your business or your career you end up divorcing your wife, causing hurt to her and injuring your kids. You then remarry and have more children or the second spouse has children and they reap the benefits of the foundation the first family endured so you could be successful. That is not success to me; I consider that a failure that only God can redeem. I have known and been acquainted with a number of people who fit this scenario. Reference Malachi 2:14-16.
So now that we have defined at least one example of what success is not, lets state the four pillars that I believe make for a successful person. One would be, know your field. Be as learned in your field as you can be, and never stop learning. Distinguish yourself from the pack – consider writing in a journal/magazine that targets your business base. Two is the willingness to work hard, really hard, however there’s a caveat to this one. Your family can tell the difference of whether you work to live ( providing for them), or you live for work ( providing for yourself). This is a huge shift in our soul and the later are the seeds of a divorce. So if this is you currently, stop, get your priority right with Christ before you lose everything. Business is not your god, Christ is, if you truly are a believer. If you are understanding from these devotionals that you are on the outside of faith, read John 3 and send me an email. It would be my privilege to speak with you.
 Third pillar would be, be honest. I cannot tell you how many clients have said to me in our first appointment that they feel they can trust me. There is a sense that a client picks up, whether you are being transparent and honest with them or not. That “sixth sense” that we pick up on when we met someone is very telling of the person. Do you ever wonder what is the six sense that people pick up from you? I so rely on the Holy Spirit for this one. I focus on being His ambassador and helping my client and allow the Lord to do the rest. The final one that carries as much weight as all the others, is stay focused. So tempting to do this thing and that  just to earn a buck, especially when your first starting out. We end up becoming a jack of all trades but a master of none. It is when we are a master of one that our careers take off. Those who appreciate a job well done and willing to pay for your service, will become your clients. So stay focused.
Some of us are very successful in our careers because we follow these four tenants or something similar. However, the problem is we do not transfer them over to our Christian walk – Paul did. He by trade was a tent maker and had opportunity I’m sure to make a good life for himself, read the following.
 
“After these things Paul departed from Athens and came to Corinth;
And found a certain Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, lately come from Italy, with his wife Priscilla;
And because he was of the same craft, he stayed with them, and worked; for by their occupation they were tentmakers.”
Knowing Paul, I’m sure he was a great tent maker. He along with Priscilla and Acquilla could have grown their tent making business, opening up more  shops, hiring employees etc., but they didn’t, why? That was not their focus. Their focus was on Christ and spreading the gospel. Therefore the question to ask is, what is our focus? I understand we have families, jobs, marriages etc., that require time and care, but when the question is asked, who do we live for, what is our answer?
 If I say I live for Christ does that mean I exclude all the rest? Not at all, I fulfill my responsibilities better because I look to Christ to be my strenght. To love through me as well as to give me the wisdom I need to do my job, be a husband, employer, dad, grandpa etc. In , alI the aspects of my life I am the better, not worse because Christ is first. The contrary would mean I seek to do it all on my own strenght. This can become exhausting, hence a contributing factor to marriage breakups, conflict at work, as well as excessive stress, drinking, illness etc. In Christ we are winners, regardless of our position here. Bringing Christ into every situation should cause us to do better, giving our best effort as well as improving our interpersonal relationships with others. With Christ at the helm, favor is gained before God and man.
Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart:
So shalt thou find favor and good understanding in the sight of God and man.
Proverbs 3:4) 
Next verse, “Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.” There is a purpose and an intent for our lives. Our life should not be carelessly lived, but lived with absolute conviction that what I do as an ambassador for Christ matters, first starting with me knowing Christ. I didn’t use to feel this way. My company started out with commercial maintenance and one of our big accounts were a chain of movie theaters. The work was initially degrading, walking around picking up trash out of the planter beds aside from the normal work of mowing the lawns, checking sprinklers, pruning etc. was part of our duties. I really disliked picking up trash. I would tell the Lord your wasting my time, I could be preaching, teaching your people. Nothing changed, never got that call from God, so putting food on the table was what I had to do and picking up trash was part of it.
Finally through a series of more emotional  crisis the day came when I got over myself and my attitude changed completely. I picked up trash among all the other duties because I wanted my sites to not only have healthy lawns and bushes, but I wanted them clean. There was a purpose in picking up trash “for Christ.” He was working within me the heart of a servant, for humility was needful. We apprehend (to grasp, seize, exert or strain)  as Christ followers through much self denial. As “Christ did not consider it a thing to be grasped to be in the likeness of God, but humbled himself and that even to the Cross,” ( paraphrased, Phil. 2:8) what then should be our response? A willingness to crucify our flesh to attain unto what Christ has apprenhended  us for, no?
In the first movie of Karate Kid it shows Myagee putting Danielson to painting his house and taking his jacket off and putting it back on, things that seemed so useless and distant from the goal of leaning Karate. One day being absolutely upset and not believing that Myagee was ever  going to teach him Karate, he began to leave. Myagee then engaged him in some attack moves saying “jacket on, jacket off” and Danielson realized that he was practicing Karate the whole time. My picking up trash was working in me a far greater work that I did not see at the time. Christ was using it to mold into me a humble  heart, the heart of a servant that would honor Him. We see this same instruction in scripture. A classic example was Moses, prince of Egypt tending sheep for forty years. He was in training to lead the nation Israel. Now I pick up trash wherever I’m at, walking into the grocery store etc., just because it feels good to do so.
 I would like to read our final  verse in reverse order, ” I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. If 

by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.” The word “dioko” press, has several meanings; to prosecute, pursue, strain, exert, or persecute. It is a strong word that speaks of paying the price so as to gain “The Pearl of Great Price.”  This now becomes true Christianity, as it was and is meant to be lived. I use to sing a song at church camp ” the world behind me the Cross in front of me, no turning back, no turning back.”  How we live life matters, but who we live our life for matters more. May God give us the vision to see eternity as Paul saw it, “

If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.”

 
Father God,
 Thank you for this challenging devotional and how You use the mundane things of our life, even the things we dislike to form Christ like attitudes in us. Let not what I do be the definition of who I am, but let the definition of who I am be who I am becoming in You.  You call me your son, therefore let me live as one. Thank you and Amen
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Resolutions to Live By (Part III)

“Resolutions to Live by” Part III  ( Philp. 3 :6-11)
 
But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.
Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,
And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:
That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;
If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.
 
I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus ( vs. 14). 
 
“for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,” For our society, loss  (Zemiioo) is a hard concept to grasp. We are all about gaining and acquiring. Normally we only lose something if we replace it with something better. Even so, parting is tough. I sometimes think that the three car garage concept was designed to give us extra storage for stuff that “someday” we might use. We even pay storage sites to store our extra stuff. Regardless of how our society is geared, to suffer loss for Christ is needful for growth. When The Lord puts His finger on one of our idols and says, “either it goes or I go,” we are presented with a choice. For The Lord will have His Throne in us, and He  will have His Bride free from all her sin, liberated from all her idols. Therefore we must decide, are we willing to be His Bride, choosing no other? 
Have you noticed how some Christians never grow, they warm a pew but that’s about it. They are just  like the Israelite’s going around Mt. Sinai for forty years. The Israelite’s  murmured and complained, never happy with the Lord’s provision. They were always looking back to Eygpt,  which represented the world as well as their bondage which they never seemed to acknowledge. They would not trust The Lord, so that generation died in the wilderness. Such a waste of time and life, spending their lives wandering in the desert accomplishing nothing. I am concerned that some of us are doing the same. We must be willing to suffer loss of whatever Christ calls into account and count it (assign it) as dung, literally manure so that we may “kendano” Christ (to make the choice to gain).
And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: The words to “be found” is made up of 3 definitions. Eu – means easily, peri – means around or surround (like in the word perimeter) and histemi – which means to stand and or abide. It even means convenant. All together we have the rendering that means to be readily surrounded and or standing in Him. Our justification is based on the covenant He made with us, not trusting in our own efforts to make us right before Him. This is so hard for us, for we innately we want to think of ourselves as being a good. However being good is not“the righteousness which is of God by faith:” To say that righteousness and goodness are the same is like saying a whale  and a guppie are the same. There is no comparison between these two, nor is there between righteousness ( akin to Holiness) and being good. To truly accept that I am a sinner in need of God’s forgiveness and atoning work in my life is to take a major step forward. It is to put God in His rightful place as Holy, and Lord, and me as His son or daughter by grace daily dependent upon His  work in my life. When God is in His rightful place, my problems become smaller and solvable, and life starts becoming enjoyable.
That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; It is interesting to me that Paul connected death and life together in the same sentence with the end goal to know Him. We always want to keep a distance between us and suffering, especially if it involves death. There was a three year period in my life that I literally cried every day. The trial was beyond me. Nothing of my maturity in Christ gave me the strenght to bare it. My faith pointed me in the right direction, but to have hope was a different story. However through the course of that period I had a recurring vision of a man digging a well. I clearly saw how shallow the well was prior to digging and how limited it was to hold water. I also saw how deep it was becoming and how much more water it was holding, and it’s depth was growing. I didn’t understand the vision until I asked The Lord. He revealed to me that it was me, my heart. God needed only what a broken heart could provide, broken soil where the ground was made wet by my tears. He knew my pain, for He Himself was made perfect through His suffering. It was as if my broken heart allowed Him to make short work of this period in my life. I literally felt as if someone was digging in my heart. It was so painful, yet His Spirit was growing steadily in me.
At the end of those years I was a much stronger man, having seen God not only do miracles for my family, but miracles within me. During this period I witnessed answers to my prayers weekly, building my courage and confidence. I began to get a little bold with God and told Him to “bring it on;” for if my suffering would help my family, I was more than willing and wanting to go through it. Another recurring word picture was that of cattle getting branded. I saw myself tied on a table with my chest exposed and a hot iron being seared into it. I screamed, and fought  to get off the table but to no avail – I could not move. My  strenght  ended and  there was no fight left in me. I was forced to receive the pain as it penetrated deep within me. It was like being in a nightmare, I was waiting to wake up. However I could not get away from it. As in the vision of the man digging a well and me accepting the pain, I too accepted this pain as I witnessed God’s presence growing in me and comforting me. I welcomed the holiness that was being developed; I was winning – both personally and with my family.
That period in my life has not been repeated, though I have gone through many tough times. I
liken that period to a severe boot camp that prepared me for whatever the future would bring. To be “made conformable unto his death”  is a necessary requirement to enjoy
“the power of his resurrection.” There are no short cuts to maturing in faith. The price of death to my flesh and its desires must be paid if I am to intimately know His presence.
He alone is reward enough, but Paul speaks of ” If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.” The end goal and glory for any true believer is this, and how do we get there? “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” This is one of my most cherished Bible verses, we well save it for next time. To grasp this verse as well as what was shared is to revamp your whole Christian walk; shaking off the dust and bringing life and fire back into our souls.
Father God,
I have only shared this very painful period of my life with only a few people. I pray that in sharing with my brothers and sisters that they would not be scared, but gain courage, hope and a willingness to go through the purifying fires. For all that burns is hay, wood and stubble, the things of the flesh, and that which is eternal, faith, is purified.  Let us count the cost knowing that every tear is cherished by You, and worth it. Thank you and Amen