Category: ENDURANCE

Endurance means being constant in faithfulness to accomplish a goal or goals. God desires to work through His faithful ones to accomplish or fulfill His purposes. In His strength, endurance means never giving up or giving in.

ENDURANCE

He Who Now Restrains

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2 Thessalonians 2:3-10. Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God. Do you not remember that while I was still with you, I was telling you these things? And you know what restrains him now, so that in his time he will be revealed. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way.
Revelation 12:1-4. A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars; and she was with child; and she cried out, being in labor and in pain to give birth. Then another sign appeared in heaven: and behold, a great red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads were  seven diadems. And his tail swept away a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she gave birth he might devour her child.  And she gave birth to a son, a male child….’

The insight given by the Holy Spirit so long ago to the apostle Paul for the assembly in Thessalonica will shortly be fulfilled. No doubt ‘the man of lawlessness, the son of destruction’ is already somewhere on the world’s stage. As yet he remains hidden, awaiting his opportunity to come forth as some latter-day saviour. The present great global uncertainty is building up to the crisis that will provide the moment of his revelation widely across the whole world.

Almighty God is the one and only law giver, who formed all created things after His divine will and purpose. Lawlessness is that which denies and opposes to the utmost all that is the truth and reality of God. In this evil being there is no truth, only a deceitful opposition to all that is righteous, all that is holy, all that testifies to the love and the goodness of God. read more

BODY RELATEDNESS

The Days of Noah and Lot

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Stage 1.

I was on my way to lead a Bible study which would be focusing on the church in Philadelphia described in Revelation 3 verses 7 to 13 when the Lord brought to my mind ‘the days of Noah and the days of Lot’. The Lord showed me that Noah and his family and Lot and his family represent two contrasting categories of Christians. Noah with the support of his family was engaged in constructing an ark designed by God, while Lot and his family were enduring a life of compromise and frustration in a wicked city.

Here are some of the characteristics of Noah as described in the Scriptures read more

ENDURANCE

Living in the Will of the Lord

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1 Peter 4:1-2. Therefore, since Christ has suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same purpose, because he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for the lusts of men, but for the will of God.
Hebrews 4:9-10. So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His.
Romans 8:12-14. So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh – for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.

Satan is about to make his last massive assault against the kingdom of God before the long expected and hoped for return to the earth of Jesus as Lord of lords and King of kings. Throughout history there will have been no more significant time for those who will stand against him in the mighty overcoming power of the Spirit.

Moses was God’s overcomer who executed His command to stretch out his hand over the waters of the Red Sea so that God could provide a bridge of dry land for the whole company of the Israelites to cross to safety. Today, God is seeking companies of overcomers who will perform His will on earth that His miraculous pathway of salvation in Jesus may be provided through the waters of eternal death for countless numbers of those bound in the oppression and fear of His enemy, Satan. read more

ENDURANCE

The Day is at Hand

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Luke 17:26-30. “And just as it happened in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: they were eating, they were drinking, they were marrying, they were being given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark , and the flood came and destroyed them all. “It was the same as happened in the days of Lot: they were eating, they were drinking, they were buying, they were selling, they were planting, they were building; but on the day that Lot went out from Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all.” It will be just the same on the day that the Son of Man is revealed.”

Hebrews 11:7 By faith Noah, being warned by God about things not yet seen, in reverence prepared an ark for the salvation of his household, by which he condemned the world, and became an heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.

Noah and Lot were both righteous men living in the midst of very evil communities. One was faithfully occupied on a great work of God while the other was simply existing day by day, presumably doing largely much of what those around him were doing. read more

ENDURANCE

That I May Know Him

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Jeremiah 29:13. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.
John 1:40-41. One of the two who heard John speak and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He found first his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which translated means Christ).
Philippians 3:7-10. But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death;

Countless numbers over the many centuries since the Lord Jesus lived, died and was resurrected have found salvation by grace through faith in Him. For many it has been a truly amazing and life changing experience that they are always ready to recount to others. Many times their testimony to the saving power of Jesus is expressed to others so that these too may be brought to the same glorious state of forgiveness from sin and connection with our Father in heaven. However, sadly, the evidence appears to be that comparatively few press on to find an ongoing deep and intimate relationship with Jesus.

‘You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart’. God in the person of Jesus may become a real living person to us yet, have we discovered who He really is and experienced Him as the resurrected and ascended victorious Lord Jesus Christ? If we have indeed found Him, will not the evidence of it be that we live daily, moment by moment, in His presence? If we have really encountered Jesus shall we not consistently seek to please Him rather than to please ourselves? His Lordship over our life will be the evidence of our discipleship. read more

ENDURANCE

Fresh Thoughts on the Parable of the Sower

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“Behold, the sower went out to sow; and as he sowed, some seeds fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate them up. “Others fell on the rocky places, where they did not have much soil; and immediately they sprang up, because they had no depth of soil. “But when the sun had risen, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. “Others fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked them out. “And others fell on the good soil and yielded a crop, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty. He who has ears, let him hear.” Matthew 13:3-9.

In His explanation of this parable to His disciples Jesus tells them that ‘the seed is the word’. In John 1:1-3 we are informed that Jesus is the word. So we understand from this that it is Jesus who desires to sow Himself into us us as the living word of God. There are four conditions where this precious seed is sown which represent the response of those who hear the word. The serious question is, “Into which category do we as individuals fit right now”?

  1. Beside the road? These ones don’t understand the gospel.
  2. Rocky places? These ones are fair weather believers.
  3. Among the thorns? These ones are caught up in worldly worries and concerns.
  4. The good soil? These ones are grafted into the true vine which is Jesus.

In categories 1, 2, and 3 it is the ‘self-life’ (wanting our own way) that leads to fruitlessness. read more

ENDURANCE

Work Out Your Salvation

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Romans 5:1-2. Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God.
Philippians 2:12-13. So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.
John 16:13-14. “But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. “He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you.”

Believers in the Lord Jesus look back with great joy and appreciation to the date or the time when they first encountered the resurrected Christ as their real and personal Saviour. Many will affirm that it was the greatest day of their life and no wonder. The verses in Romans 5 capture the essence of this life transforming experience so aptly, ‘having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ….and we exult in hope of the glory of God.

Yet so many, through lack of understanding, have camped out on those two verses without comprehending the words ‘we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand’ which informs us  that our life transforming event was the entry point into a lifelong journey of faith. read more

ENDURANCE

It is God Who is at Work in You

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Philippians 2:12-13. So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.

James 2:18-20. But someone may well say, “You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder. But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless?

2 Corinthians 5:9-10. Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. read more

ENDURANCE

It is God Who is at Work in You

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Philippians 2:12-13. So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.
James 2:18-20. But someone may well say, “You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder. But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless?
2 Corinthians 5:9-10. Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.
Hebrews 11:6. And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.

The instant an individual turns to the Lord in repentance and faith then that one is born again of the Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit comes into our human spirit and the two are joined as one forever. John 3:6. However, whether the Holy Spirit is Lord will be demonstrated by the willingness of each individual to allow Him to be in complete control. The apostle Paul reminds us of what the Lord expects of every one of us. He states, ‘work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure’.

The third member of the Holy Trinity has become resident in us to perform the perfecting work of God. The part that each believer in the Lord Jesus must play is to assent to the work of the Holy Spirit to transform the soul into the exact likeness of Jesus. This is accomplished through a day by day and hour by hour conscious yielding of our will to the will of God. “Thy will be done, not mine!” It is God’s good pleasure that we work out our salvation with fear and trembling. read more

ENDURANCE

The Bread of Life

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Matthew 4:3-4. And the tempter came and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.'”
Exodus 16:13-14. So it came about at evening that the quails came up and covered the camp, and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. When the layer of dew evaporated, behold, on the surface of the wilderness there was a fine flake-like thing, fine as the frost on the ground.
John 6:31-33. “Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread out of heaven to eat.'” Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread out of heaven, but it is My Father who gives you the true bread out of heaven. “For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world.”
Psalms 23:5. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows.
John 12:24. “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.”

From ancient times bread has been identified as the basic food to preserve life. It is certainly considered as such in the Scriptures. When Jesus told His disciples, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger….”, surely He was stating that He was and He is the complete spiritual source of nourishment. Jesus had informed Satan early in His earthly ministry, “It is written, ‘man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.'” Matthew 4:4. It is God’s command that man depend not only on the physical bread but on the heavenly spiritual bread of God’s ‘every word’.

‘The house of Israel named it manna, and it was like coriander seed, white, and its taste was like wafers with honey’. Exodus 16:31. The first mention of divinely supplied food in the Scriptures is provided in Exodus. The Israelites had been led by God miraculously out of Egypt where they had been enslaved, into the great wilderness. Each household gathered manna every morning except on the Sabbath. On the morning before the Sabbath they gathered enough for two days. This was God’s provision for His people for forty years until they were able to eat the produce of Canaan. read more

ENDURANCE

Made Perfect Forever

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Hebrews 5:8-9. Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered. And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation.
Hebrews 2:10. 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.
1 Corinthians 15:45. So also it is written, “The first man, Adam, became a living soul”; the last Adam became a life-giving Spirit. Recovery Version.
Revelation 4:5. And from the throne proceed flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder. And there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.
Exodus 31:2-5. “See, I have called by name Bezalel , the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. “I have filled him with the Spirit of God in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all kinds of craftsmanship, to make artistic designs for work in gold, in silver, and in bronze, and in the cutting of stones for settings, and in the carving of wood, that he may work in all kinds of craftsmanship.”
Exodus 37:17,22-23. Then he made the lampstand of pure gold. He made the lampstand of hammered work, its base and its shaft; its cups, its bulbs and its flowers were of one piece with it….Their bulbs and their branches were of one piece with it; the whole of it was a single hammered work of pure gold. He made its seven lamps with its snuffers and its trays of pure gold.
1 Peter 5:10-11. After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself  perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you. To Him be dominion forever and ever. Amen.
Ephesians 5:8-10. ….for you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light (for the fruit of the Light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth), trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord.
Matthew 5:14-15. “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.”

‘Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered’. Was not Jesus found to be perfect in all His words, deeds and conduct during His life on earth? Why then would He need to learn ‘obedience from the things which He suffered’?

Jesus was the Son of God and He was also the Son of Man. His mother was Mary, choice indeed. Yes! But Mary was conceived in sin as David, her forefather before her, was obliged to confess. As a son of man, just like one of us, Jesus was ‘tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin’. Hebrews 4:15. read more

ENDURANCE

If I be Lifted Up

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John 12:31-32. “Now judgment is upon this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. “And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself.”
John 3:14-16. As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
Romans 4:25-5:1.He who was delivered over because of our transgressions, and was raised because of our justification. Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
Ephesians 2:4-6. But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ ( by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
2 Corinthians 5:10. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.

The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil. 1 John 3:8. The central purpose of the incarnation of the Lord Jesus was that, through His death, all that Satan had brought about to mar the perfect works of God might be undone; that all be brought back to the perfection that God purposed in the beginning. Because of Adam’s sin and disobedience judgment came upon this world and upon all living things. All must be brought back to God. For this specific purpose Jesus was ‘lifted up from the earth’.

Jesus was lifted up from the earth in three stages. Firstly, Jesus was lifted up from the earth on the cruel cross of Calvary. There, as the sinless Lamb of God He willingly took upon Him the sin of the whole world, so that newness of life might be available to all who will trust in Him as Saviour. Secondly, Jesus was lifted up through resurrection from the dead because death had no power over Him. ‘God has made Him both Lord and Christ’, Acts 2:36. Thirdly, Jesus was lifted up from the earth into the heavens to be seated with the Father. From thence He shall return as King of kings and Lord of lords at His promised coming again to the earth to reign forever and ever. read more

ENDURANCE

That I May Know Him

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Jeremiah 29:13. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.
John 1:40-41. One of the two who heard John speak and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He found first his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which translated means Christ).
Philippians 3:7-10. But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death;

Countless numbers over the many centuries since the Lord Jesus lived, died and was resurrected have found salvation by grace through faith in Him. For many it has been a truly amazing and life changing experience that they are always ready to recount to others. Many times their testimony to the saving power of Jesus is expressed to others so that these too may be brought to the same glorious state of forgiveness from sin and connection with our Father in heaven. However, sadly, the evidence appears to be that comparatively few press on to find an ongoing deep and intimate relationship with Jesus.

‘You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart’. God in the person of Jesus may become a real living person to us yet, have we discovered who He really is and experienced Him as the resurrected and ascended victorious Lord Jesus Christ? If we have indeed found Him, will not the evidence of it be that we live daily, moment by moment, in His presence? If we have really encountered Jesus shall we not consistently seek to please Him rather than to please ourselves? His Lordship over our life will be the evidence of our discipleship. read more

DIVINE REVELATION

Live on Every Word

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Matthew 4:3-4. And the tempter came and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.'”
 Matthew 6:9-10. “Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. ‘Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven.”
Matthew 7:20-21.“So then, you will know them by their fruits. “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.”

“If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” In this interchange between the devil and Jesus there is both a specific message and a broader message. What Satan was suggesting to Jesus was this. You can do anything. You are the Son of God. What Jesus conveyed to Satan in His response was that He who stood in front of him was limited to be the Son of Man. He had no greater advantages than the first man, Adam, when he had stood before Satan as the serpent in the garden of Eden.

In this Jesus was telling Satan that, though physical bread has its place, there was another more essential nourishment to live by and that is, ‘every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’ In its broader application, Jesus was informing all who would be His followers that they too must live on ‘every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’ read more

ENDURANCE

Seated Us with Him

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Luke 11:1-2. It happened that while Jesus was praying in a certain place, after He had finished, one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray just as John also taught his disciples.” And He said to them, ” When you pray, say: ‘ Father, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come.”
Matthew 6:10. “Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven.”
Hebrews 5:8-9. Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered. And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation…
Romans 8:16-17. The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.
Ephesians 2:4-6. But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus….

One of Jesus’ disciples, who had been with Him while He was praying to His Father, requested of Jesus, “Lord, teach us to pray….” His response was ” When you pray, say: ‘ Father….” Within this one word ‘Father’ lies the assurance of our reconciliation to God through faith in the atoning death of His Son and the recognition that we are members of one family in eternal unbreakable unity. Our God is at once the awesome being before whom we bow and our loving Father whom we may love with all our heart and soul and mind. Now, in the power of the Spirit, we may also forever love and live in unity with all the other members of God’s eternal family.

“Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven.” This statement holds the entire meaning and purpose of our life here upon earth. For, when God’s kingdom came into us in the blessed person of the Holy Spirit, from then on our life is to be wholly devoted to express the person of Jesus and the will and purpose of our Father upon this earth. To affirm in our fleshly weakness that this is not possible would surely be to deny the power of the One who now and forever lives within us. The Holy Spirit is God. His power is infinite. read more

ENDURANCE

Fixing Our Eyes on Jesus

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Hebrews 12:1-2. Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Matthew 14:25-31. And in the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea.  When the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, ” Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.” Peter said to Him, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.”  And He said, “Come!” And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But seeing the wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But seeing the wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him, and said to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?”
Proverbs 18:10. The name of the Lord is a strong tower; The righteous runs into it and is safe.
1 Corinthians 9:24. Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize?

From the very instant that we turned to God from our hopeless and sinful state, the Spirit of the Living God joined Himself forever with our human spirit and we entered ‘the race that is set before us’. For the first time, as we fixed ‘our eyes on Jesus’, He became to us ‘the author…. of faith’.

During the time Jesus dwelt among us He ran the race His Father gave Him to run. Knowing only the joy that was set before Him, He ‘endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God’. His race had been won. ‘For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father’. Philippians 2:9-11. What a Victor! What a victory! read more

DIVINE REVELATION

Work Out Your Salvation

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Romans 5:1-2. Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God.
Philippians 2:12-13. So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.
John 16:13-14. “But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. “He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you.”

Believers in the Lord Jesus look back with great joy and appreciation to the date or the time when they first encountered the resurrected Christ as their real and personal Saviour. Many will affirm that it was the greatest day of their life and no wonder. The verses in Romans 5 capture the essence of this life transforming experience so aptly, ‘having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ….and we exult in hope of the glory of God.

Yet so many, through lack of understanding, have camped out on those two verses without comprehending the words ‘we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand’ which informs us  that our life transforming event was the entry point into a lifelong journey of faith. read more