a house of prayer for the nations

The Lord showed me something this morning…

In our intercession we are interceding for the world (to be saved) but also interceding for the church (to become more like Christ – to represent Him well to the world so that they can be saved)…

There is this twin focus…

As God wants the world to be saved and He wants the church to share in His Holiness (to have fellowship with Him and see Him as He really is – to operate from that place of knowledge – personal, intimate, knowledge – of and with Him)…

What I saw today is that God has Patience (when the Patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah) but also Perfect Patience (which He demonstrated towards Paul as He waited for Paul to be saved)…

He has Patience towards the world (waiting for them to be saved) but He has Perfect Patience towards His Church (waiting for them to be saved – but it goes further than that and He wants to have Perfect Patience towards His Church in terms of Her sanctification)…

This was a new level for me…

I’ve been baffled and intrigued by the scriptures regarding “the sin which leads to death” and also the word about “many being weak and sick and some having fallen asleep”, also what happened to Ananias and Sapphira and the man who Paul “handed over to Satan to be taught not to blaspheme” (that his spirit might be saved on the day of the Lord – that man actually came back to repentance after being removed from the fellowship which is a cause for rejoicing)…

What the Lord showed me was this – He needs someone on earth to enforce His Perfect Patience…

If you forgive their sins, their sins are forgiven but if you retain their sins, their sins are retained…

There is a choice there…

It is an Apostolic mandate given by the Lord to those chosen to be Apostles…

We, if we are chosen to be Apostles, can choose to retain or remit the sin which is committed by the Church (by sin which dwells within the Church – as we know that the Church is pure in Her New Creation – completely pure)…

Peter chose to retain the sin of Ananias and Sapphira and so they died – they went to be with the Lord (if they knew the Lord – my sense is that they did know the Lord but I don’t have a revelation on that so I can’t be sure)…

Paul handed the man over to Satan but someone must have been interceding for him (possibly Paul) and that man came back to repentance…

And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete. (2 Corinthians 10:6 NIV)

I’d never seen this – the Lord has been really “annoying me” with those scriptures to make me “seek this out” so I can stand in this place of Perfect Patience…

I have chosen to stand in this place of Perfect Patience and to intercede from this place for the Church that none would be removed from this earth after having committed the sin which leads to death but that all could fulfil their destiny in God to completely fulfil His Plan and Purpose for them on earth and not be “snuffed out” “prematurely” (I know there’s a mystery there but I’m sharing what the Lord has shown me – I believe He will give you wisdom)…

This is a beautiful place – we have a right to pray Psalm 35 but I believe even as Jesus prayed this He came to a place where “mercy triumphed over judgement” and He prayed “Father forgive them for they know not what they do”…

God is righteous – always… God is holy – always… God is vengeful and wrathful – not always (as He has mercy on whom He has mercy)… God is loving – always (even on those who end up in the lake of fire and brimstone for eternity suffering for their sin – in torment – He will still love them and wish that they weren’t there for eternity – but His righteousness and His holiness will dictate that there they will remain – the sadness is real)…

God is looking for those of us – like Paul – who have experienced His Perfect Patience – I know I have (I’ve shared some of my testimony on this blog to date and I think you’d agree that God has been Perfectly Patient with me – I know He has been) – to now show His Perfect Patience to those who have not known it – what a call…

Sounds scary doesn’t it?

It is but it isn’t once He shows you just how patient He’s been with you and just how much He yearns to be patient with all who He has chosen for salvation…

No one interceded for Uzza – the guy who touched the Ark…

No one interceded for Ananias and Sapphira…

They obviously committed the sin leading to death…

What I am saying is that we should be interceding now for the Church before She or any of her members commit the sin leading to death…

I know the Lord has been showing me quite a bit about this and usually with me it starts with Him telling me what He is going to do – like the discipline or the judgement which He is going to bring – shocking me into reality and then I kind of “deal with it” “try to get my head around it” and then He brings me through to a place where I see He doesn’t want to do that but is just showing me what would happen if I didn’t – or if we didn’t – intercede…

“I searched for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand in the gap before Me for the land, so that I would not destroy it; but I found no one. (Ezekiel 22:30 NASB)

God wants to be known…

He wants us to know Him…

He came to earth as Jesus to make Himself known to us…

He created a world for us to live in to make Himself known to us…

He has let us experience life without Him so we know how futile life is without Him…

He is “out there” and He is “knowable”…

He wants to be known…

I have been experiencing this with God…

He has been pursuing me…

He has been “coming after” me…

He has been reaching out to me…

He has been reaching out to me…

I can honestly say this…

I am nearly 42 years old…

He has been reaching out to me…

My first memory of Him or His working in my life was when I was around 3 years old…

I remember that…

I was saved at 5 years old…

At 11 years old He told me that if I was going to be a Christian then I needed to live like a Christian…

At 15 years old He enabled me to be baptised and I felt a special closeness to Him after that when I had my first communion – remembering Him with the bread and wine…

At age 20 or 21 I offered my body – all my different body parts – to Him for Him to use them for His glory…

At age 24 – after reading and being hugely impacted by the book “Rees Howells Intercessor” the summer before – I went into a severe depression and thought I’d lost my salvation…

What I went through during that time I will never forget…

I owe the Lord my life…

I’m nearly crying as I write this…

When He brought me out He showed me that no matter what I did He loved me and that He wasn’t waiting to deliver me based on my performance but on my admittance that I couldn’t perform – that was when I first really understood – from experience – His unconditional love…

At age 28 I experienced the Baptism of the Holy Spirit in the sense of speaking in tongues…

That was what I’d been seeking – more and more and more – since coming out of the depression experience…

At first I didn’t notice that that really changed me but then the Lord showed me one day that as I spoke in tongues the strongholds in my life – more and more and more – were eroded and would eventually be destroyed…

At age 33 He sent me out into the wilderness to learn what true faith was – that was when I dropped all vestige of “Christian-ness” and just did whatever was on my heart to do (“the good, the bad & the ugly”) – He exposed a lot of wickedness in my heart at that stage – He was still with me – I experienced Him in my work – but I didn’t have any involvement with church or any form of ministry until I started “coming out” of the wilderness at around age 38…

When He called me out of the wilderness in 2010 He re-spoke to me the promises that He’d made earlier to me – which I’d released back to Him and let go of – I had let go of any effort or endeavour to “make happen” what He’d told me would happen in terms of my call along the way – He made it clear that He would fulfil them all (and I’ve been seeing Him prepare the way for this since)…

He delivered me from some deep bondages in my life in 2010 and following…

Covetousness (of which pornography was a big part) and Control (which He is still working on) being the two major ones…

My letting go of all control in terms of trying to live a godly Christian life had gotten me into debt and also into pornography…

He delivered me from the effects of both – I am still paying off one loan (back here in New Zealand) but He paid off another (through a gift from my parents) which enabled me to “come home” to New Zealand from working overseas and to be re-united with my family…

He has been healing my relationship with my wife and children – we are now beginning to experience closeness – and wholeness is coming back into our lives…

I now find that I naturally do a whole lot of righteous things that I was never able to do before and He has shown me that the secret is not to strive and not to “clamp down” on myself when I’m not but just to trust Him that He’ll “sort it out”…

I have been living this…

I have had a lot of joy…

I have had a lot of peace…

Recently He’s been showing me about self-righteousness – wanting to look good in front of people – this is a “dead end” – there’s no joy in it – it’s empty – I’ve experienced that – He’s been delivering me from this also – mostly this year, 2013 (in fact this has been on going for a number of years – but especially since 2010)…

Just today – yesterday evening actually I believe – He showed me what it was to know Him and asked me to complete a post on it…

This is what I’m doing – I suppose the above is just “setting the scene” – He’s shown me that people will read this – maybe years from now and be encouraged – it’s not up to me who reads it and when or how encouraged they get but I’m just to share…

To know Him is to allow Him to live through us (without any effort from ourselves – just to allow Him to live through us – in peace and in relaxation – on the inside – as we wait on Him)…

This is the Knowledge of God – a personal, experiential, knowledge of God as He lives through us – as we share His feelings – through the Holy Spirit who lives in us…

I surrendered to this today – to live to know His Heart – His Heart is what protects me – experiencing the pain which He feels for the world is what protects me from pride – is what protects me from self-righteousness – is what protects me from worshipping or focusing on myself…

To have Him living through me and to communicate with Him about “every little thing” which goes on in my life – as I am learning to do – is what protects me from striving or seeking the approval of men (or women) – or anyone else…

I am learning that His Love is better than life…

An experience of Him loving me – pouring out His Love on me – is freeing me naturally to be a more loving person to those around me…

He told me last night or this morning – this morning it was – that as I chose to know Him that everything else would fall into place…

My relationship with my wife, my relationship with my children, financial provision – everything else – all the worries and concerns I had would fall into place as I focus on knowing Him…

This is the truth…

I’ve been walking this today…

It feels like life has stopped again – I had another experience like this earlier on this year – “Eternity” (I blogged on this previously)…

Amazing…

The Knowledge of Him truly is Eternal Life and it truly does feel that time has stopped…

You don’t want anything…

Nothing…

You’re just happy with Him…

This must be what it was like for Adam and Eve in the Garden before the fall…

Beautiful…

Beautiful…

The Knowledge of Him is Beautiful…

He is enough – experientially He is enough…

Thank You Jesus…

Thank You Father…

Thank You Holy Spirit…

Thank You Lord…

Come and reveal Yourself to me – in me – reveal Yourself to the world…

Reveal Yourself to Your Church and let us know You living through us…

Living – painlessly and effortlessly – through us – yes, we will know Your pain but this won’t be as painful as the effort – the self effort and the pain of failure which we’ve known from our own efforts to know You or get to know You or try to please You or whatever other form of striving we’ve been involved with – come and make Yourself known to us and live through us – effortlessly (Your yoke is easy and Your burden is light) – to glorify Your Name in all the earth…

You are Humble God…

And I worship You in humility kneeling at Your Feet because of Your Humility which I’ve seen You show to me even though I am nothing…

You are everything and I am nothing except what You have made me…

Glorify Your Name in all the earth and let all the earth know You as You are able to be known – in all the depths that You are able to be known – to the deepest depth – let them know You and find in You all that they have ever wanted or needed – to find all their fulfilment in You – and in You alone…

Glorify Your Name in all the earth and let the Name of Jesus be lifted High above all others in Jesus Name I pray, Amen and Amen… 🙂

The Lord showed me this morning that I’d broken through into a place where I was able to wait for Him without anxiety or without needing to know all the details of what He is going to do and when…

It just happened – I was in the shower and all of a sudden I knew that the anxiety which I’d been carrying had left…

It just left…

Someone may have been praying for me – I don’t know – I just know that the Lord removed the burden and I felt free – my eczema (which I mentioned in the Enter into His Rest post) felt as if it was healed – it’s still there on my wrists – but on the inside it felt healed – the source – which was the anxiety which He showed me – has gone… 🙂

Praise the Lord…

What He showed me last night and this morning was that I didn’t need to know any more…

There are major changes coming in my life – He’s been telling me this – and this has been causing some – in fact quite a lot of – anxiety, bubbling up (from my sub-conscious) in me…

I broke through to that place where although my foundation – so to speak – is going to be shaken and I will be leaving the familiar and stepping out into the unknown – and a lot of security blankets are going to be removed – although all this is going to take place in the not too distant future – I came to that place where I was content and didn’t need to know the details…

He told me back in Manila that covetousness was wanting something which the Lord had not given me – and I see that when the Lord speaks and tells us things which will happen – whether they’re in our own lives or in others – we can be covetous even about what He speaks that He will give us (but has not yet given us in the natural) – this can cause anxiety where we try and work out how He will do this and try to help Him to make these things into reality – help Him to give us the things which He has promised – this is covetousness too…

Where He brought me to last night and then first thing this morning was to a practical experience of what it means to be content – content to wait until He fulfils His word to me – His promise to me and yet not “holding it to His Head” so to speak in terms of being disappointed if He didn’t bring that to reality (and yet knowing – as I did – that He would bring those things into reality – an amazing place)…

Trust…

And submission…

Reverence…

And respect…

He is my life…

He is Faithful…

He is in control…

He doesn’t need my help… 🙂

He’s quite capable of fulfilling His own will… 🙂

He doesn’t need my help… 🙂

But as He catches me up I rise on wings like eagles and soar with Him in His will and in His desire – His desire to save the world…

How He is going to do this is His business…

If I am “caught up” into the Engine Room of heaven so to speak and hear some of the things which He is going to do – Praise God – but just because I’ve heard them doesn’t mean that I can do anything to make them happen…

I have to wait on Him…

And I can’t strive for more – more revelation – everything must be done in His rest – yes, if He puts it on my heart to “push in” for further revelation then Praise God, He will enable me to do that…

If not I am to be content with what I know and faithful to believe this come what may – this is the test of my faith and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings – we overcome by our faith…

This is the place He has called us to and in this place we can hear His Voice – for we are in a place of peace and silent waiting before Him…

Watching daily at His doors as a friend shared with me years ago – I was touched by this friends submission to the Lord – she was living something at that time which I had not yet experienced – Praise You Jesus… 🙂

When we see things which are to come we are to wait for them patiently – the Lord’s definition of soon is not the same as ours – He sees things from an eternal perspective – when we enter a “now” time with God we will be swept off our feet – once He starts moving there is no time anymore to plan – He has “broken out” and we will be “caught up” in what He is doing – savour the quiet, peaceful (almost boring) times with God before He moves – wait (tarry) with Him in those times – for He will surely come – the calm always precedes the storm…

The Lord gave me a revelation this morning on Servanthood…

I was thinking about serving my wife…

As I saw what I saw, I saw that in that place of Servanthood where I chose to allow the Lord to instruct me to serve my wife, i.e. taking my instruction from the Lord but being a vessel in His Hands to serve my wife, that I was free from any selfishness towards my wife…

Then the picture quickly changed to me having this attitude towards everyone in the world – this Servanthood where I’d offered myself to the Lord to follow His Instructions to love/serve everyone in the world…

This is different to being at someone’s “beck and call”…

We are offering ourselves to the Lord – so we are really (as scripture says) “serving the Lord Christ”…

And then I saw my boss (my CEO) and realised that I could also do the same for him – surrender myself to the Lord as His Servant to serve my boss as the Lord led me…

This takes out any human control…

We are serving the Lord Christ and showing these precious ones – our wives, our bosses and anyone else we come across – our workmates – His Love toward them as we serve them as the Lord directs us to…

There is no human control in this – we are following the Lord’s leading in submission to Him – and in this place there is no expectation of anything for ourselves and we are free from the anger which comes with that expectation – with that selfishness – and free from the control which “gnaws away” at us as we want to “get something” out of whatever relationship it is that we are focused on at the present…

To serve is the solution and this is what we were designed to do – to serve the Lord and as we do He serves others through us – if the entire world was functioning in this way it would be a perfect “other centred” world… 🙂

Hallelujah!!!

I can see it so I know it can happen in God’s will…

Nothing will be impossible for those who believe… 🙂

Love you all,

Andrew

I really feel it on my heart this lunch hour to share on entering into God’s Rest…

What I shared on yesterday – A New Creation – the understanding of this – when the Holy Spirit brings revelation to your heart that this is the truth and God’s solution to the human problem in that we were not able to keep the requirements of the Law – to Love the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our strength and with all our mind – before He gave us a new heart and a new spirit and a righteous soul and that we needed the Holy Spirit within us to enable us to complete this – then you will in that instance – when He brings revelation – enter into His Rest…

I’ll explain it like this…

The Lord has been revealing these truths to me over the last – I don’t know how many years – as I start to think back I can remember that even as I was saved at age five the Lord deposited a seed of Grace in my heart – I just worship Him…

Anyway, what I’m trying to say is that as we come to this understanding that our new self is completely perfect – yes, it is still growing – it’s like a perfect baby when we are saved and just as Jesus increased in wisdom so does our new self – Jesus was always perfect and yet He grew – He is our Prototype – God proving that this “new creation” works by demonstrating it on His Son (God in human flesh) by allowing Him to live on earth and not committing any sin and handling all of the devil’s temptations – and now that He has overcome we know that we will also…

And Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men. (Luke 2:52 NASB)

For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings. (Hebrews 2:10 NASB)

This is how we “walk on water”…

Walk on water in the spiritual realm – it is through our faith…

Our knowledge of the truth by revelation of the Holy Spirit…

It is just a fact…

We – our new creations – our entire inner beings – do not sin…

Sin which dwells within me does sin but this is not me…

And this is decaying and becoming less and less every day…

This is the reality – I am living it – I am seeing it – It is real…

The joy I’ve felt since I realised that I no longer sin is so overwhelming – thanks be to God for His Indescribable Gift – He really has made provision and it really is finished… 🙂

When I gave myself to the Lord and handed Him my “bundle of sin” back when I was five – He practically credited the forgiveness of those sins to me – He’d already forgiven me on the cross…

But Jesus was saying, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” (Luke 23:34a NASB)

When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him. (Colossians 2:13-15 NASB)

Having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us…

Thank You Jesus… 🙂

They are gone…

Gone-burger… 🙂

And when I see that I am completely and forever clean – never to be condemned or under His Wrath again – I begin to lift up my head and in humility behave the way I am – clean and righteous and forgiven and pardoned and purified and reconciled… 🙂

Beautiful…

I get to a place where I don’t strive anymore – I have nothing to prove, I have nothing to achieve – I have nothing to strive after – I have arrived in that place of rest where He always wanted me to be – even in the Garden of Eden He wanted this – fellowship with Him – unbroken fellowship with Him – He has taken out of the way the sin issue – once and for all – so that I can enjoy unbroken fellowship with Him – Eternal Life – for the rest of Eternity – it has – Eternal Life – already begun for me.

I am – my new creation is – an eternal being which will never die – yes, I’ll get a Glorified Body one day when my mortal one is swallowed up in immortality – whether by death or if I remain until He comes, transformed in the twinkling of an eye – I will be immortal like Him – but my new creation (my new heart, my new spirit, my righteous soul) is already immortal – my existing body just isn’t (bummer eh?)… 🙂

So I see that those scriptures are true and that this is what He created us for – to know Him in rest – not striving to please Him or gain approval but from a place of approval enjoying intimacy and fellowship with Him…

I’ve been experiencing a lot of joy – like a lot of joy – recently and I see it directly proportional to my understanding of my righteousness in Him…

My sins are forgiven me for His Name’s Sake…

Hallelujah Lord!!!

Because I know this – even if others around me see sin coming out of me at various times – if they see this – and even if they condemn me or point their fingers at me and put me down – I know that this is not me – it is what I used to be – it is sin which dwells within me and instead of getting all introspective about this and trying to sort it out and stressing out about it – I just ignore it and wait for the Holy Spirit to reveal truth to my innermost being and as He does – that behaviour or that characteristic or whatever just naturally falls off…

Hallelujah Lord!!!

I’ve been having some eczema on my wrists  since the end of May (after not having any eczema for a long time anywhere on my body) and usually when this happens I go very introspective and try to figure out what I might be doing wrong or what food I’m eating which is wrong or some sin which I might be committing or whatever – I try to “get to the bottom of it” – but this time I’ve just been able to accept it and the Lord said, “I have healed you”…

And when He said it I said back to Him in my heart, “No you haven’t cos I’ve still got the eczema, look at it – I’m scratching myself to death here!” and immediately He reminded me of what He’d said to me when He delivered me from pornography, “I have set you free” and when He said that I hadn’t believed Him either (just hadn’t been able to) – but sure enough He had… 🙂

And it’s the same with this eczema one – I’ve believed Him this time – although I don’t see the practical out workings of that healing in my body – He has healed me – He speaks things that do not exist into being – so even though I don’t see healing – I am healed – and I am resting in that and not striving to do anything about it – a beautiful place to be…

He had me praising Him for being released from pornography before I even was released – I remember that quite clearly and feel His joy now as I type on that one – that is the God which we serve – He creates the faith in us before He practically delivers us…

Do we have to live in a continual striving before God?  No…

Once we see what we’ve been freely given by God there is no place for striving and no place for boasting…

Seriously…

None…

It is perfect peace…

It is fullness of joy in His Presence…

Yes, hard times come…

Yes, we get “knocked about”…

Yes, there are still things which we don’t understand about what God allows in our lives…

But…

His Peace is always with us and we know He causes all things to work together for good in our lives…

We are secure in Him…

As such we are in His Rest…

We have entered into His Rest…

He has no record of my sin – He nailed the record of my sin to the cross…

He remembers my sin no more – they are cancelled…

All my debts are cancelled…

and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood– (Revelation 1:5 NASB)

He released me from my sins by His Blood…

Just like He told me regarding my eczema, “You are healed” – “by His Stripes you were healed” – I was healed by Jesus on the cross from my sin – and released from my sin – all of it – by His Blood on the cross…

and He has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father– to Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen. (Revelation 1:6 NASB)

But may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. For neither is circumcision anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation. (Galatians 6:14-15 NASB)

A new creation…

Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. (2 Corinthians 5:17 NASB)

A new creature…

“Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. “I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances. (Ezekiel 36:26-27 NASB)

A new heart and a new spirit…

God’s Spirit placed within us and God causing us to walk in His statutes and to be careful to observe His ordinances…

For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. (Colossians 3:3 NIV)

For you died…

and if He rescued righteous Lot, oppressed by the sensual conduct of unprincipled men (for by what he saw and heard that righteous man, while living among them, felt his righteous soul tormented day after day by their lawless deeds), then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment,  (2 Peter 2:7-9 NASB)

Righteous Lot, that righteous man, felt his righteous soul tormented, the Lord knows how to rescue the godly…

“Behold, all souls are Mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is Mine. The soul who sins will die. (Ezekiel 18:4 NASB)

The soul who sins will die…

We know that no one who is born of God sins; but He who was born of God keeps him, and the evil one does not touch him. (1 John 5:18 NASB)

For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. But if I do the very thing I do not want to do, I agree with the Law, confessing that the Law is good. So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. (Romans 7:15-17 NASB)

No one who is born of God sins…

(I can’t help myself – I must shout “Hallelujah”!!!)

So now, no longer am I the one doing it (sinning), but sin which dwells in me…

(Again, I can’t help myself – I must shout “Hallelujah”!!!)

Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. (Romans 8:1 NASB)

Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. (1 John 3:9 KJV)

The soul who sins will die…

And he answered, “YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND; AND YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.” And He said to him, “You have answered correctly; DO THIS AND YOU WILL LIVE.” (Luke 10:27-28 NASB)

Do this and you will live…

so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. (Romans 8:4 NASB)

The requirements of the Law (Romans 2:26) have been fulfilled in us…

There will be tribulation and distress for every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek, but glory and honor and peace to everyone who does good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. (Romans 2:9-10 NASB)

Glory and honour and peace – Praise You Jesus… 🙂

So if the uncircumcised man keeps the requirements of the Law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision? (Romans 2:26 NASB)

Worship You Lord – I just can’t help myself…

so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him. (Hebrews 9:28 NASB)

Without reference to sin… 🙂

Praise You Jesus… 🙂

Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat! But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells. (2 Peter 3:11-13 NASB)

And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach– (Colossians 1:22-23 NASB)

Holy and unblameable and unreproveable in His sight (as the KJV of Colossians 1:23 states) – holy and unblameable and unreprovable – if we continue on firmly planted in our belief – in our faith – in the gospel – which is our only hope of glory – and we will because He who called us is Faithful and He will also bring it to pass – as the scripture says (1 Thessalonians 5:24) – Hallelujah!!!

May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.  The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it. (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 NASB)

We will not let go of our faith in the Gospel – and what I have shared above is the Gospel – the Good News…

But, beloved, we are convinced of better things concerning you, and things that accompany salvation, though we are speaking in this way. (Hebrews 6:9 NASB)

Here it is in a nutshell…

Jesus (God in human flesh) died in our place and we all died with Him – He became sin on the cross and was punished with the Wrath of God for our sin that we might become the Righteousness of God in Him…

He gave us – those whom He had chosen – a new spirit, a new heart, a righteous soul, the gift of faith and repentance – and in response to our faith (which He gave us as a free gift) in the Gospel – He deposited His Spirit into our new (righteous) spirit and He – the Holy Spirit of God – lives and abides in us forever…

For the sake of His Elect…

We, those whom He has chosen, are holy and righteous…

We, those whom He has chosen, do not sin…

We are a new creation…

Because we do not sin – we died and our life is now hidden with Christ in God – we are no longer under condemnation and we are also no longer under the Law…

But just in case the Law was a problem our righteous soul, our righteous spirit and our righteous heart fulfil the requirements of the Law by loving the Lord our God with all of themselves…

We also have the Mind of Christ – so our minds also fulfil the requirements of the Law…

So which ever way the enemy turns he has nothing on us…

He cannot condemn us…

Our new self is incorruptible as it is produced from incorruptible seed…

It is created in all holiness and righteousness of the truth…

And it will never die…

The soul that sins will die…

But our souls (our righteous souls which feel tormented by the lawless deeds which they behold) will never die…

Because they are righteous and don’t sin…

Not only are we forgiven and cleansed and pardoned with the Blood of Jesus but we are literally made new – caterpillar/butterfly – metamorphosed into the Image of God – we (our new creations) are eternal…

And as such our physical bodies should be filled with light…

But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. (Romans 8:11 NASB)

Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace. (Romans 6:12-14 NASB)

This is the truth of the Gospel and as the Holy Spirit reveals this truth to our new mind, our new soul (our new heart) and our new spirit we are transformed into His Image and become practically what we are – a new creation – a whole new type of humanity – men and women made after the Prototype (the First Fruits) – Jesus Christ – and living like He did in the world – for His Glory and for the Furtherance of His Kingdom… 🙂

By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world. (1 John 4:17 NASB)

For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s. (1 Corinthians 6:20 KJV)

Hallelujah!!!

We belong to God… 🙂

Contend, O LORD, with those who contend with me;
Fight against those who fight against me.

Take hold of buckler and shield
And rise up for my help.

Draw also the spear and the battle-axe to meet those who pursue me;
Say to my soul, “I am your salvation.”

Let those be ashamed and dishonored who seek my life;
Let those be turned back and humiliated who devise evil against me.

Let them be like chaff before the wind,
With the angel of the LORD driving them on.

Let their way be dark and slippery,
With the angel of the LORD pursuing them.

For without cause they hid their net for me;
Without cause they dug a pit for my soul.

Let destruction come upon him unawares,
And let the net which he hid catch himself;
Into that very destruction let him fall.

And my soul shall rejoice in the LORD;
It shall exult in His salvation.

All my bones will say, “LORD, who is like You,
Who delivers the afflicted from him who is too strong for him,
And the afflicted and the needy from him who robs him?”

Malicious witnesses rise up;
They ask me of things that I do not know.

They repay me evil for good,
To the bereavement of my soul.

But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth;
I humbled my soul with fasting,
And my prayer kept returning to my bosom.

I went about as though it were my friend or brother;
I bowed down mourning, as one who sorrows for a mother.

But at my stumbling they rejoiced and gathered themselves together;
The smiters whom I did not know gathered together against me,
They slandered me without ceasing.

Like godless jesters at a feast,
They gnashed at me with their teeth.

Lord, how long will You look on?
Rescue my soul from their ravages,
My only life from the lions.

I will give You thanks in the great congregation;
I will praise You among a mighty throng.

Do not let those who are wrongfully my enemies rejoice over me;
Nor let those who hate me without cause wink maliciously.

For they do not speak peace,
But they devise deceitful words against those who are quiet in the land.

They opened their mouth wide against me;
They said, “Aha, aha, our eyes have seen it!”

You have seen it, O LORD, do not keep silent;
O Lord, do not be far from me.

Stir up Yourself, and awake to my right
And to my cause, my God and my Lord.

Judge me, O LORD my God, according to Your righteousness,
And do not let them rejoice over me.

Do not let them say in their heart, “Aha, our desire!”
Do not let them say, “We have swallowed him up!”

Let those be ashamed and humiliated altogether who rejoice at my distress;
Let those be clothed with shame and dishonor who magnify themselves over me.

Let them shout for joy and rejoice, who favor my vindication;
And let them say continually, “The LORD be magnified,
Who delights in the prosperity of His servant.”

And my tongue shall declare Your righteousness
And Your praise all day long.

(Psalm 35 NASB)

What an amazing Psalm… 🙂

The Lord told me to read this Psalm last week and it really blew me away – I didn’t realise that we could pray like that… 🙂

I then I saw that Jesus prayed like that as this is a Messianic Psalm…

Malicious witnesses rise up; They ask me of things that I do not know. (Psalm 35:11 NASB)

Like at Jesus’ trial…

And so I saw that just as Jesus was praying for the forgiveness of all – in His Love – at the same time He was praying for Judgement on those who were oppressing Him…

and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously; (1 Peter 2:23 NASB)

This Psalm – might not have only been this Psalm – was what He was saying as He “kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously”… 🙂

What a powerful word…

“No weapon that is formed against you will prosper; And every tongue that accuses you in judgment you will condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, And their vindication is from Me,” declares the LORD. (Isaiah 54:17 NASB)

Wow… 🙂

Self righteousness wants to defend ourselves – wants to scream out our “right-ness” to everyone…

But Jesus kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously… 🙂

See the difference?

He didn’t scream out his “right-ness” before men but kept entrusting Himself to His Father…

Who knew that He was right…

🙂

That’s the joy – our Father knows that we are right even when no other human being does – He knows – and He was the One who gave us the new heart which is right – so our “right-ness” is of Him and not of ourselves – and as our “right-ness” is of Him and not of ourselves He will defend our honour for it is His Own – and anyone who opposes His Honour in what He has created us to be in Christ – is fighting against Him and not us…

I am the Righteousness of God in Christ…

I am a new creation…

I have the Mind of Christ…

I died and my life is now hidden with Christ in God…

I am Holy…

I am Blameless…

I am a Saint…

I am Made Perfect Forever…

I am Irreproachable…

I am Forgiven Forever…

Jesus will not blot my name out of the Book of Life…

I am one spirit with the Lord…

I am Righteous…

When the enemy – or anyone who the enemy is speaking through – says, “You are so self righteous Andrew”, he lies… 🙂

He is a liar… 🙂

I am the Righteousness of God in Christ full stop… (Capital Letters)… 🙂

I have no righteousness of my own…

Why?

Because I died and my life is now hidden with Christ in God…

If my life is now hidden with Christ in God (inside Jesus’ Hand which is inside the Father’s Hand) then anyone who pokes a sharp stick at me is hurting the Father’s Hand and Jesus’ Hand and won’t be able to reach me – as I stand in His Righteousness alone… 🙂

I boldly say, “the Lord is my Helper”…

so that we confidently say, “THE LORD IS MY HELPER, I WILL NOT BE AFRAID. WHAT WILL MAN DO TO ME?” (Hebrews 13:6 NASB)

Amazing confidence eh?  Amazing confidence which we have in God when we are not putting any confidence in ourselves but are putting all of our confidence in Him…

Love You Jesus…

You wrapped Yourself around me when I was being poked with the sharp sticks of the Pharisees…

Of the devil and of his demons…

You wrapped Yourself around me and took the blows for me on the cross…

And so now that I am a new creation in Your Righteousness with Your Gift of Righteousness all over me and through me and literally becoming my entire being – right from the core – I am so covered and so transformed and so metamorphosed that I am rejoicing in Your Presence in the face of opposition and torment from the enemy… 🙂

I am laughing with joy… 🙂

I am so happy… 🙂

I am experiencing the reality of Your word – where You say, “Rejoice and be exceedingly glad for so they persecuted the Prophets before you”… 🙂

Amazing… 🙂

We are so blessed to know You Lord…

So blessed… 🙂

Nothing to do with us – everything to do with You… 🙂

Our righteous soul – You gave us this…

Our new creation – created in all Holiness and Righteousness of the truth – You gave us this…

We are righteous because of You and we can’t lose it – we are righteous forever by Your one act – the Second Adam – where You conquered all our enemies – and finished us off crucifying us with You and we all died with You… 🙂

I have received Your Gift of Righteousness by surrendering to You – believing in what You did – knowing that You would forgive me of my sins – my whole bundle of sin – and knowing that I would no longer go to hell – such an amazing memory of my conversion at age 5 – I will never forget that moment when You “turned on the lights” and gave me the gift of repentance and faith and I gave myself to You – Thank You Lord for choosing me…

Thank You Lord for translating me from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of Your Most Beloved Son…

I love You Lord and will always love you for You have reproduced after Your kind in me Lord – Jesus is the First fruits – the “First Born” among many brethren – He is my Lord and He is my God – I love You Lord…

You are Worthy…

And no witchcraft can touch me…

Hallelujah!!!

This is a very simple post – and probably not a long one either… 🙂

My wife and I have been going through marriage counselling and been really blessed to come to an understanding on expectation – especially within marriage…

I’ve shared on this before but there’s another chapter to add now…

The counsellor guy Richard shared with me previously on the difference – in so many words – between desire and expectation…

That really set me free and now my wife has also been set free…

It’s amazing really, we’ve been married for over thirteen years but this issue of the expectations – either silent or non-silent – which we’ve “held” over each other during those years has really stopped us from really being able to enjoy each other in the way – the open way – which we are now starting to enjoy each other…

It’s really beautiful and simple…

All our expectations are meant to be in the Lord…

Whatever He gives to us through our partners in marriage is His Gift to us…

Just because it says in the bible that the husband should do this and the wife should do this doesn’t mean we can have an expectation on our husband or wife or “snap to it” and do that…

All things occur in the Lord’s Timing and for His Glory – any good and perfect gift is from above… 🙂

Any good thing which “comes our way” through our wife or our husband is from the Lord and is a gift from the Lord…

This is so freeing – so practically freeing – my wife and I have been able to relate over the last week in this place of “no expectations” as friends – not saying we’re perfect but we’ve seen it and we’re very happy in this place…

This is what true love is all about – not “using” or “being nice” to the other person for “what you can get out of it” but genuinely laying down your life “unto death” and “giving” yourselves to each other in unconditional love…

This is what we’re beginning to taste and it is very beautiful – very beautiful in the spiritual realm…

Expectations – on other people – bring anger…

When all our expectations are on the Lord and we don’t put “time limits” on Him but just offer up those expectations – because they are words which He has spoken – promises which He has made – back to the Lord then there is no anger, only joy and the Peace which comes in being surrendered to Him…

Praise Him that His Way works and that we are safe in His Hands…

Force or expectation doesn’t get us anywhere – no matter how well we “hide it” or try to keep it inside of ourselves – we can only be “free” when we release it to the Lord…

At the heart of the expectation on other people – even if they are “‘godly’ expectations” is selfishness not unconditional love…

Even if there’s nothing “in it” for ourselves that is the very time when we can experience God’s unconditional love flowing through us and this – this experience of His unconditional love flowing through us – is what shows us that we have practically overcome the world…

Love to you all,

Andrew

When we encounter opposition its often hard to know what to do…

Jesus was always, “nice” wasn’t He?

Shouldn’t I also always be “nice”?

It’s rude to be impolite or “call a spade a spade” isn’t it?

I can’t possibly do that can I?

These thoughts go through our brains – well they go through or have gone through my brain anyway… 🙂

But sometimes there’s no easy way to say something – like that post I did on enabling behaviour – we can’t enable the behaviour of demons when they come against us – no matter who they come against us through…

Even our friends – as with Peter trying to dissuade Jesus from going through with the cross – that was Satan speaking to Jesus through Peter – and Jesus rebuked him, Satan, directly – although Peter heard it happening… Ouch… 🙂

Sometimes we just need to be told to “pull your head in!”

The visiting speaker at our local congregation on Sunday spoke about the opposition which Nehemiah faced when he was rebuilding the wall around Jerusalem…

Now when it was reported to Sanballat, Tobiah, to Geshem the Arab and to the rest of our enemies that I had rebuilt the wall, and that no breach remained in it, although at that time I had not set up the doors in the gates, then Sanballat and Geshem sent a message to me, saying, “Come, let us meet together at Chephirim in the plain of Ono.” But they were planning to harm me. So I sent messengers to them, saying, “I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?” They sent messages to me four times in this manner, and I answered them in the same way. Then Sanballat sent his servant to me in the same manner a fifth time with an open letter in his hand. In it was written, “It is reported among the nations, and Gashmu says, that you and the Jews are planning to rebel; therefore you are rebuilding the wall. And you are to be their king, according to these reports. “You have also appointed prophets to proclaim in Jerusalem concerning you, ‘A king is in Judah!’ And now it will be reported to the king according to these reports. So come now, let us take counsel together.” Then I sent a message to him saying, “Such things as you are saying have not been done, but you are inventing them in your own mind.” For all of them were trying to frighten us, thinking, “They will become discouraged with the work and it will not be done.” But now, O God, strengthen my hands. When I entered the house of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah, son of Mehetabel, who was confined at home, he said, “Let us meet together in the house of God, within the temple, and let us close the doors of the temple, for they are coming to kill you, and they are coming to kill you at night.” But I said, “Should a man like me flee? And could one such as I go into the temple to save his life? I will not go in.” Then I perceived that surely God had not sent him, but he uttered his prophecy against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. He was hired for this reason, that I might become frightened and act accordingly and sin, so that they might have an evil report in order that they could reproach me. Remember, O my God, Tobiah and Sanballat according to these works of theirs, and also Noadiah the prophetess and the rest of the prophets who were trying to frighten me. (Nehemiah 6:1-14 NASB)

I’ve highlighted the verse which he highlighted…

The Lord really spoke to me through that verse…

I’ve had people “gathered” around me and seeming to be really keen to communicate with me and I take it to encourage me but after some time it becomes apparent that they don’t have Revival on their heart at all and in fact don’t believe that Revival will even happen…

So why are they “hanging around” me?

Maybe not consciously but in reality they’re hanging around me to discourage me from the task which I’ve been given – to first of all – as Paul says – to offer prayers on behalf of all men for God desires all men to be saved – pray to the Lord of the Harvest that He will send out workers into His Harvest Field – for the Harvest is plentiful but the workers are few – as Jesus said – and to make disciples of all the nations, baptising them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to observe everything which Jesus commanded His disciples before He left earth… 🙂

As soon as he mentioned it I saw – that after a while of explaining and putting things simply (as simply and patiently as I can) – if I’m still being “twisted” and “maligned” and “purposefully misunderstood” then I just have to move on – “forget about them” is what he said and “get on with what you’re doing”…

It was a release for me…

Then I read in Acts 13 how some Jews did this to Paul…

But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began contradicting the things spoken by Paul, and were blaspheming. Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and said, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first; since you repudiate it and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles. (Acts 13:45-46 NASB)

What I got from that was that Paul made the call that they’d “judged themselves unworthy of eternal life” and turned “to the Gentiles” (that really “blew me away” – that Paul made that call – in the Holy Spirit I believe – amazing)…

In other words he was free from his responsibility to go to them first and then the Gentiles…

In the same way the ones who “hang around” us we feel a responsibility for but if they contradict and repudiate the word of God which we speak to them then that’s our sign that we’re released from them and we’re to “move on” to those who will “hear the message gladly”…

We can spend so much time on those who don’t want to know…

And not see this for so long – the enemy actually brings us these ones – although they might not know it and we don’t know it at first – we soon learn as being around them brings “negativity” and “depression” around us…

Anyone who carries those “presences” around them is a “weighing down” influence on our lives and spirits and we don’t want to “drag them around” or their beliefs…

I may offend some people with this post – if you know me and you’re reading this and you’re getting angry then I’m most likely (unfortunately) referring to you… 🙂

I’m not apologising for this…

Sometimes we’ve got to “call a spade a spade”…

We don’t know we’re doing this until someone points it out to us…

Are you an encouraging person to be around?

Do people say to you, “O such and such you’re such an encouraging person to be around”?

They should – Jesus is the Most Encouraging Person there is… 🙂

The only time I’m not encouraging is when I’m “chastising” those who are not encouraging… 🙂

And that’s encouraging – encouraging them to “snap out of it” and become encouraging… 🙂

Jesus was so gentle with the humble and so scathing with the self righteous…

Why?

Because the humble needed encouraging – building up – lifting up – in Him but the self righteous needed rebuking so they wouldn’t put out the fire in those who were endeavouring to let their light shine… 🙂

I am going to be uncompromisingly un-encouraging to all who put out the Holy Spirit’s Fire…

And I am going to be incredibly encouraging to all the flickering wicks and broken reeds out there – of which I’ve been one – who need a word of encouragement…

The Lord GOD has given Me the tongue of disciples, That I may know how to sustain the weary one with a word. He awakens Me morning by morning, He awakens My ear to listen as a disciple.  (Isaiah 50:4 NASB)

This is how Jesus walked and Jesus gave us His Authority to walk the way He walked…

The only ones He was ever scathing with were those who were Blaspheming the Holy Spirit by refusing to admit that what He was doing was of the Holy Spirit when it was patently obvious that it was – that was the sin – the continuous sin of resisting the Holy Spirit which would never be forgiven them…

Those who refuse to see the Holy Spirit in a person and instead accuse them of being controlled by another spirit are the ones who are so self righteous that they can’t see Jesus standing right in front of them in that other person…

And when we don’t “discern the Body” then we begin “biting and devouring” each other and we need to “watch out” lest we are consumed by one another…

Someone who spends most of their time putting down others – by name mostly – or subtly – and convincing others to do the same – is a tool of Satan – they may be saved but have a lot of “sin within them” still to be practically crucified (a root of bitterness) – stay away from people like that – they will not encourage your faith…

Gravitate towards “positive” people – who will say a “hard word” when necessary but are characterised by loving others and always wanting the good of others and praying for others when they see faults…

Someone who slanders or speaks against his brothers and sisters in a “bitter root judgement” type of way is not furthering the Kingdom of God… 😦

That was a fairly straight word – hopefully I’ve given some food for thought for us all – what sort of people are we? Positive or negative?

Jesus has paid for the sins of the whole world and presently is “not counting their trespasses against them” so that we can bring them “the word of reconciliation”… 🙂

This is good news – and should make us happy, encouraging people to be around – even though we are persecuted by those who can’t see the Holy Spirit in us – even if this leads to being beaten and lashed and in stocks – we’ll still be positive people praising God during the earthquake which sets us free and sees the jailor and his household saved… 🙂

Praise You Jesus… You always cause us to triumph – so let go of the negative people in your life (in as much as is practically possible – the people who “weigh you down” and “drain your energy”) and focus on the positive people which the Lord brings across your path (the ones who receive the word with joy and gladness in a positive spirit of growth and encouragement)… 🙂