Salvation is an internal experience. It is not an external experience of purchasing a salvation ticket and standing in line to enter heaven. Salvation is an internal union of believer and God.
We talk people into praying for salvation and all they have done is outwardly spoken salvation but inwardly the heart remains the same. the heart is stony, cold and unresponsive to the gentle wooing of the Spirit. These people mistakenly believe they are saved and destined for heaven; they continue their daily lives unchanged, unconvicted and unholy.
The inward heart of man, the spirit of the man must be touched in such a way that he sees his sin, his helplessness, the futility of his life and his monumental need for God. Until the knees of his heart collapse and bow before God in humility and true repentance. There is no true abiding in Christ and no union between his heart and God's heart. The heart of man must be convicted and swept clear of his own ways , in all humbleness as he cries to God and the precious Spirit of God begins to hover over his heart and starts to breathe life into him. Then he awakens from his dead, sinful life and receives salvation in his heart and not in his hand.
Man must understand that his relationship with God is not an external relationship with a God who is "somewhere out there" but rather with a God who dwells within us and with whom we are to take on His nature and attributes giving Him complete control.
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Personal Revival
The Psalmist repeatedly asks God to revive him.
Psalm 119:25,37, and 40
We also can and must ask for personal revival, we must be refreshed, renewed, revived and regenerated. We may do all that we know to do to be revived and still nothing changes. We can do nothing on our own, we must look to Him for our own personal renewal; ask Him to breathe a fresh on us; ask Him to enliven the word and to stir our soul. To quicken our spirits within us, to pour out fresh manna from heaven to feed our souls. He and He alone can quicken our mortal bodies and revive our spirits. He awakens us to the presence of His glory.
Psalm 119:25,37, and 40
We also can and must ask for personal revival, we must be refreshed, renewed, revived and regenerated. We may do all that we know to do to be revived and still nothing changes. We can do nothing on our own, we must look to Him for our own personal renewal; ask Him to breathe a fresh on us; ask Him to enliven the word and to stir our soul. To quicken our spirits within us, to pour out fresh manna from heaven to feed our souls. He and He alone can quicken our mortal bodies and revive our spirits. He awakens us to the presence of His glory.
Psalm 119:36
Psalm 119:36 "Incline my heart to Thy testimonies" NAS
I Kings 8:58 Solomon's blessing over the assembly of Israel
"...that He may incline our hearts to Himself, to walk in all His ways and to keep His commandments" NAS
Incline: to stretch out; spread out; extend bend down; bent; bow
Psalm 119: We are asking God to stretch or spread our hearts in the direction of His Word. we must extend our hearts towards His word. Our heart must be humbled as we bow to His laws, we bend our hearts down and bow to His word in contrast to our hearts being lifted up in pride and arrogance. We must be obedient to God; but we need Him to draw our hearts; to incline the desire of heart to be for Him and His testimonies.
The carnal heart does not desire this, it desires the things of the world, so we must petition God to turn our hearts and to bend them towards His precepts.
We need Him to teach us, incline us, turn us to His Word: establish His Word in us.
This is why He has sent the Holy Spirit He is our teacher, He inclines us toward the Word and testimonies of God and reveals the Truth to us.
Psalm 119:37 "We can even ask Him to help us in turning our eyes from vanity" NAS
His job is to help us fix our eyes upon Jesus.
I Kings 8:58 Solomon's blessing over the assembly of Israel
"...that He may incline our hearts to Himself, to walk in all His ways and to keep His commandments" NAS
Incline: to stretch out; spread out; extend bend down; bent; bow
Psalm 119: We are asking God to stretch or spread our hearts in the direction of His Word. we must extend our hearts towards His word. Our heart must be humbled as we bow to His laws, we bend our hearts down and bow to His word in contrast to our hearts being lifted up in pride and arrogance. We must be obedient to God; but we need Him to draw our hearts; to incline the desire of heart to be for Him and His testimonies.
The carnal heart does not desire this, it desires the things of the world, so we must petition God to turn our hearts and to bend them towards His precepts.
We need Him to teach us, incline us, turn us to His Word: establish His Word in us.
This is why He has sent the Holy Spirit He is our teacher, He inclines us toward the Word and testimonies of God and reveals the Truth to us.
Psalm 119:37 "We can even ask Him to help us in turning our eyes from vanity" NAS
His job is to help us fix our eyes upon Jesus.
Psalm 119:34
"Give me 'understanding' that I may observe Thy law and keep it with all my heart." NAS
To accurately observe God's laws we must have understanding. The laws are not a formula; the laws are not step 1,2,3 and now I am holy and sanctified.
The keeping of the laws is NOT an external exercise--it is an internal activity--done in the heart with all of the heart.
Understanding, insight, love for the laws, respect for the laws and an inner soul changing must take place to follow the laws because we love, adore and honor God; not plugging in a formula in.
The understanding enables us to keep the law.
How remarkable that God wants us to see into His hear, to know Him and understand His ways and purposes. He could have just said: 'here just follow these rules and don't ask questions, just do it'.
The UNDERSTANDING brings obedience; it brings a desire to please Him.
The Lord's ultimate goal is to rescue us from the capture, the one who imprisons, the one who binds up; the one who locks the door, the one who destroys the one who lies.
Our hearts should be so bound to the Lord that our only desire is to obey and please the Master who brought us from the wicked master who held us captive in sin. Gratefulness should flood our soul and the demonstration of our love should be evident in obedience.
Lord help us to walk in faithfulness and obedience, ever mindful of the wonders You have performed.
Man is always on God's mind and always in His heart.
What is on our minds and in our hearts??
Help me to know the way of Your heart!
To accurately observe God's laws we must have understanding. The laws are not a formula; the laws are not step 1,2,3 and now I am holy and sanctified.
The keeping of the laws is NOT an external exercise--it is an internal activity--done in the heart with all of the heart.
Understanding, insight, love for the laws, respect for the laws and an inner soul changing must take place to follow the laws because we love, adore and honor God; not plugging in a formula in.
The understanding enables us to keep the law.
How remarkable that God wants us to see into His hear, to know Him and understand His ways and purposes. He could have just said: 'here just follow these rules and don't ask questions, just do it'.
The UNDERSTANDING brings obedience; it brings a desire to please Him.
The Lord's ultimate goal is to rescue us from the capture, the one who imprisons, the one who binds up; the one who locks the door, the one who destroys the one who lies.
Our hearts should be so bound to the Lord that our only desire is to obey and please the Master who brought us from the wicked master who held us captive in sin. Gratefulness should flood our soul and the demonstration of our love should be evident in obedience.
Lord help us to walk in faithfulness and obedience, ever mindful of the wonders You have performed.
Man is always on God's mind and always in His heart.
What is on our minds and in our hearts??
Help me to know the way of Your heart!
Humility
Humility --knowing that all I am is by the grace of God. Humility is more than repentance--it is participating in the life of Jesus by serving; it is being an empty vessel and allowing God to manifest Himself through me; it is learning entire dependence on God.
Adam and Eve were in complete dependence on God until the temptation came to "be like God" that desire destroyed their humility; their dependence on God.
That has been the struggle of man ever since that day in the garden--the desire to be independent; to depend on one's own strengths, decisions and power to be in control-or- to surrender to God and be dependent upon Him. To serve or to be boss--this decides true humility!
Adam and Eve were in complete dependence on God until the temptation came to "be like God" that desire destroyed their humility; their dependence on God.
That has been the struggle of man ever since that day in the garden--the desire to be independent; to depend on one's own strengths, decisions and power to be in control-or- to surrender to God and be dependent upon Him. To serve or to be boss--this decides true humility!
Monday, October 19, 2009
Psalm 119:27
Psalm 119:27 "Make me understand the way of Thy precepts, so I will meditate on Thy wonders." NAS
When the Holy Spirit gives us understanding into the way of His precepts; when He gives us knowledge, insight, wisdom, and opens of the eyes of our heart, then we stand in awe at His wonders. We do not think on His wonders when we have no understanding of His Word. But as the eyes of our spirit are illumined, we begin to grasp the magnificent wonder of the God we love and serve.
This verse says "make me understand the way of Thy precepts." Note that it doesn't say make me understand Thy precepts, but rather make me understand the WAY of Thy precepts. The addition of the word WAY leads us to believe it is more than just understanding God's laws and commands. Understanding the WAY of His precepts leads us to understanding their purpose; the reason for their existence; what they will accomplish in the future; what the ultimate goal is; and the direction that God is guiding us.
The WAY of His precepts should also clue us in on God's nature and personality, the way He thinks, and works and His methods. The WAY of a person has to do with their inner being; their inner person; what makes them who they are. We often use the expression, "That's the WAY he does things or that's just the WAY he is." That "WAY" springs from who he is in his heart. The experiences and environment that have molded him into the person he is. That "WAY" reflects his thinking and his perception of situations.
So this verse is telling us that we don't just understand and follow a list of rules set down by God. We understand the WAY of the rules meaning we understand the person behind the rules. This way we begin to see the rules through God's eyes and through His heart. The precepts become more than a set of rules, they become the embodiment of God. The precepts become who He is and what His plan is for mankind. Then we are struck with such awe at the wonder of our God.
How remarkable that God wants us to see into His heart and to know Him and to understand His WAYS and purposes. He could have just said," Here, just follow these rules because I said so." But instead, He desires for us to have understanding into His WAYS. This understanding brings a desire to please Him and to be obedient.
The Lord's ultimate goal is to rescue us from the capturer; the one who imprisons; the one who binds up; the one who locks the prison door; the one who destroys; the one who lies. Our hearts should be so bound to the Lord that our only desire is to obey and please the Master who bought us from the wicked master who held us captive in sin. Gratefulness should flood our soul and the demonstration of our love should be evident in obedience.
Lord, help us to walk in faithfulness and obedience and to be ever mindful of the wonders You have performed.
When the Holy Spirit gives us understanding into the way of His precepts; when He gives us knowledge, insight, wisdom, and opens of the eyes of our heart, then we stand in awe at His wonders. We do not think on His wonders when we have no understanding of His Word. But as the eyes of our spirit are illumined, we begin to grasp the magnificent wonder of the God we love and serve.
This verse says "make me understand the way of Thy precepts." Note that it doesn't say make me understand Thy precepts, but rather make me understand the WAY of Thy precepts. The addition of the word WAY leads us to believe it is more than just understanding God's laws and commands. Understanding the WAY of His precepts leads us to understanding their purpose; the reason for their existence; what they will accomplish in the future; what the ultimate goal is; and the direction that God is guiding us.
The WAY of His precepts should also clue us in on God's nature and personality, the way He thinks, and works and His methods. The WAY of a person has to do with their inner being; their inner person; what makes them who they are. We often use the expression, "That's the WAY he does things or that's just the WAY he is." That "WAY" springs from who he is in his heart. The experiences and environment that have molded him into the person he is. That "WAY" reflects his thinking and his perception of situations.
So this verse is telling us that we don't just understand and follow a list of rules set down by God. We understand the WAY of the rules meaning we understand the person behind the rules. This way we begin to see the rules through God's eyes and through His heart. The precepts become more than a set of rules, they become the embodiment of God. The precepts become who He is and what His plan is for mankind. Then we are struck with such awe at the wonder of our God.
How remarkable that God wants us to see into His heart and to know Him and to understand His WAYS and purposes. He could have just said," Here, just follow these rules because I said so." But instead, He desires for us to have understanding into His WAYS. This understanding brings a desire to please Him and to be obedient.
The Lord's ultimate goal is to rescue us from the capturer; the one who imprisons; the one who binds up; the one who locks the prison door; the one who destroys; the one who lies. Our hearts should be so bound to the Lord that our only desire is to obey and please the Master who bought us from the wicked master who held us captive in sin. Gratefulness should flood our soul and the demonstration of our love should be evident in obedience.
Lord, help us to walk in faithfulness and obedience and to be ever mindful of the wonders You have performed.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
The Lord Searches For Us
II Chronicles 16:9 For the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His.(NAS)
What does it take to have a heart that is completely His? Is my heart completely His? The key word in this scripture is "completely". He is searching, looking for those who are crying out to Him, to those who are listening and looking for Him. He is searching for the seekers, the watchers, those who are not satisfied with the things of this world. For those who want more than a casual Christianity. Those whose heart beats to the same beat as His. Those who trust Him and who trust His Word and His promises. Those who strive to please Him, who strive to obey Him and those who cannot be happy unless they are in communion with Him.
He looks for us, He searches for us, He knows where we are. He will show Himself to be mighty, to be faithful, to be Father, to be Redeemer and protector. He will also show forth His power and His glory.
How humbling, how awesome that we serve a God who searches for us, supports us and displays all of His glory to us.
What does it take to have a heart that is completely His? Is my heart completely His? The key word in this scripture is "completely". He is searching, looking for those who are crying out to Him, to those who are listening and looking for Him. He is searching for the seekers, the watchers, those who are not satisfied with the things of this world. For those who want more than a casual Christianity. Those whose heart beats to the same beat as His. Those who trust Him and who trust His Word and His promises. Those who strive to please Him, who strive to obey Him and those who cannot be happy unless they are in communion with Him.
He looks for us, He searches for us, He knows where we are. He will show Himself to be mighty, to be faithful, to be Father, to be Redeemer and protector. He will also show forth His power and His glory.
How humbling, how awesome that we serve a God who searches for us, supports us and displays all of His glory to us.
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