REAL ETERNAL SECURITY

Abide in Me

Proverbs 15:23; Matt. 5:13-16; John 15:1-17; Luke 6:44-45; Gal. 3:3; 5:22-23

In churches which are not securely rooted in My grace, there is much misunderstanding about what a person must do in order to be secure in My Love. This causes deep anxiety in new converts, who desperately want to please Me and show themselves deserving of My salvation, although it is an unmerited gift which cannot be earned through good works.

Pastors of churches which downplay My grace often exert extreme pressure on its members to witness to the lost. Even baby Christians are put under such duress. These have not yet attained to sufficient maturity and wisdom to know how to present the Gospel to total strangers in the streets. Many new converts have, in times past, been badly burned by people, and are hardly in a condition to endure this kind of browbeating. These need to be ministered to themselves. My Church is to be a place of healing and teaching, not just an evangelistic center. Beware of heaping condemnation upon such wounded people. You just might drive them back out into the world, to seek healing in "alternative therapies" which I have not endorsed. I want My broken and bruised ones to stay under the care of the Great Physician.

Without sensitivity and discretion, people tend to do things haphazardly. Too aggressive evangelization can cause offense, and many saints have been hurt and disillusioned when nothing good comes of it. Saints go forth without having prayed for the anointing, and without having been taught the proper way to approach strangers. Such people may resent having their private space invaded at all, while others might throw up defenses. In many cases a few carefully chosen words of wisdom are more effective in reaching people than a long, loud sermon. Those who go forth in fear, like a slave, will tend to scare away more fish than they catch, because even lost sinners are sensitive to their uneasiness.

Luke 13:6-9 is often misapplied by preachers who teach their flock that the price of staying united to Me is to struggle to win as many souls as possible. A tragic misunderstanding of this passage has caused so much anxiety in Christians, both old and young. In this parable, the master of the vineyard comes to his servant and asks him why, after three years, there is still no fruit on a certain fig tree. It ought to be cut down, for it is taking up valuable space.

The servant pleads for an extra year of reprieve for the unfruitful tree. He promises to apply extra fertilizer to the roots, and see if that will help. Nevertheless, the tree is in danger of destruction.

Consider the context. When Jesus spoke this parable, He was addressing a group of fellow Jews. The fig tree is symbolic of My nation of Israel. My Son was rejected by His own nation. I remember how He wept tears over the City of Jerusalem, where He would shortly be betrayed into the hands of Gentiles who would crucify Him. He so longed to shield His own people like a hen gathers her brood under her wing for protection. At that time in history, God the Son walked among His own people, but they did not acknowledge Him as the Promised One. He came unto His own, and His own received Him not. Why? Because rather than coming to destroy their Roman oppressors Christ had come to save any and all who would repent.

Christ’s enemies manipulated Pilate, saying that they were even willing for His Blood to be laid upon them and their children, if only he would acquiesce to their demands for Christ’s death. What a terrible curse to invoke upon themselves and their posterity! Not long after Jesus’ crucifixion, their city was levelled by the Roman general Titus. I was heartbroken by their suffering, for I still loved these descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Through their rejection of the Prince of Peace, they had cut themselves off from My Peace. It was their choice, not Mine.

In Matthew 3:7-12, as he was preparing the Jews for the appearance of Christ, John the Baptist told them that the tree must bear good fruit, or be cast into the fire. He was not only warning individuals to repent, but was warning the entire nation to be ready for Christ’s appearance among them. They were, on the whole, not ready. John was not saying: "Look, you get out there on the streets and convert everyone you see, or you go to hell." Rather, John told them to humble their hearts before Me, repent of every known sin, and begin to prove the sincerity of their repentance by being kind to one another. A new way of life is the fruit of true repentance, and its taste is pleasant indeed.

It is true that I also look for good fruit in the lives of individual Christians. The lovely traits of My Son which are to be cultivated in the believer are the fruits of My Spirit: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Gentleness, Goodness, Meekness, Self-control, and Faithfulness, as listed in Galatians 5:22. A tree never bears fruit by worrying that it won’t. It is natural for a healthy fruit tree to bear fruit. If years have passed and the believer has not allowed Me to bring forth good fruits in his life, he will be of little use to Me, and will not desire a closer walk with Me. It saddens Me when one does not abide in Me. What more can I do for someone hardened in such an attitude? Free choice remains, even after conversion. You began with Me by faith, and by faith your process of sanctification continues until the glad day of your glorification, when you shall be totally liberated from the very presence of the Adamic sin nature.

I am grieved when a believer grows indifferent towards his own sanctification, and he allows evil fruits of sin to crop up like weeds in his life. This happens as a result of neglect or carelessness, much as in cultivating an earthly garden. My children should diligently examine their own hearts, and come to Me for forgiveness and cleansing. If you walk in the Light, you are rightly related to Me and to one another, and My Blood cleanses you from all sin. The fruits of the fallen Adamic nature are listed in Galatians 5:19-21. All these ugly things are diametrically opposed to My Spirit’s Law of Love, and are only overcome by daily sanctification through the Power of the Blood of Christ.

You cannot draw others unto Me unless they behold My light shining in your life, producing the fruitful works of godliness. And unless you reach out to others in love, rather than conveying to them the impression that you feel forced to do it, it will profit neither you nor them. Warm the hearts of others with the care and concern I have toward them. Be that well of living water which refreshes the thirsty. Don't hide your light of love under a bushel basket, but be available to speak a word in good season to that one who is weary or discouraged. Tell others about the joy and peace which Christ has brought into your own life. Help to lift the burdens of the discouraged and the weary. These are the fruits of godliness which will avail to draw others unto Myself, and which will forever remain in My sight as a precious legacy and eternal testimony of your life in this earth.

Live According to MY Nature

Galatians 5:16-18; James 2:8

Before Pentecost My people were under the Law. The Law spelled out for them in minutest detail how to perform the Royal Law: Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. There was to be no theft, covetousness of other people’s possessions, murder, slander or adultery. Why? You wouldn’t want someone else to commit those heinous sins against you, so you ought never sin against others in those ways.

But now My Spirit-filled believers know instinctively what constitutes a wrong act against another, because My Spirit dwells within them and teaches them My ways, vindicating My written Word as true and bringing it to life in their lives. He gives them the love and concern to want to treat others lovingly and considerately, and seek the best good for them rather than merely refrain from hurting them. It is the difference between ordering your life according to the highest common denominator and the lowest. But when a believer apostazes and turns against Me, it is then he ceases to care for the welfare of others and begins to walk once more in the ways of his former father satan, that evil serpent who has once again taken him captive.

There is a big difference between trying to live righteously by forcing yourself to observe the commandments, rather than of allowing Me to live out My righteousness through the power of My Spirit within you. It is like trying to regulate your own breathing every second of every day. All you need do to fail to keep yourself alive would be to forget to order your brain to order your lungs to suck in air just for a short time. You would die if you had to consciously regulate every minute detail of respiration yourself. Every human being, with the exception of My dear Son Jesus, has committed at least one sin or mistake in their lifetime, and was subject to death because of sin.

But when My Spirit dwells within you by faith and you walk in My Spirit of Love you will know not to steal, kill, blaspheme or commit adultery. You will even feel it is wrong to join in a reproach against your neighbor, even if satan is trying to persuade you “it is only harmless fun”. Through the wisdom of My Spirit you will be able to steer clear of slippery slopes leading downward to destruction.

Walk in the Spirit, My beloved, and ye shall not gratify the downward cravings of fallen flesh.

Condemnation: A Cost too High

Matt. 11:28-30; Luke 10: 38-42; 14:28-30

My Father-heart goes out to My dear children who are laboring under a spirit of condemnation. Some of My people possess many great natural talents. The Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25:14-30 is seen by some to be a threat: “Be all you can possibly be, or God will punish you.” The truth is, I meant this parable to be a gentle exhortation to My disciples not to bury the ministry anointing within them, but to use it to be profitable in the things of the Kingdom of God.

Some believers are capable of becoming and doing many impressive things because of they possess good people skills, creativity, and talent for innovation. Such saints are so good-hearted they want to be all things to bless all people. But when they fail to sit down to count the cost of what they want to do, they tend to overcommit to the work of the ministry. When the limitations of time and strength overcome these overachievers, they are forced to fail the very ones they sought to bless. It is then I take these dear saints up in My arms and remind them: “You are not a slave, but a son. My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

Martha was close to nervous exhaustion, just over the production of one meal. She worried that there wouldn’t be enough for all My hungry men, and that the food wouldn’t be done to perfection. She worried that I would find fault with her and others might criticize her for being an imperfect hostess. She flew by in a blur, shouting orders to servants and carrying dishes. On that occasion I was in her home but could not truly visit with her. How I wanted her to slow down long enough to look into her eyes and tell her how dearly I loved her.

It was then I had to remind her that only one thing was needful: Letting Me first serve her own need.

Seeking Me Early

Psalms 63:1; Matthew 8:23-27

Ofttimes my weaker children have condemnation heaped upon them because they fail to adhere to a long list of do’s and don’ts, which in and of themselves, seem to be very spiritual, especially because in the observance of them, they’re so rough on the flesh.

One example is the area of sleep. Those who are able to get up early and storm the gates of heaven in prayer sometimes feel superior to those who simply cannot do this for various reasons. I have seen saints in sunrise prayer meetings struggling to keep up with their more virtuous brothers and sisters at the altar. But though they’d do their best, they’d find themselves slumping, nodding off and snoozing before they knew what hit them. They thought it must be the devil.

More often, such an individual had had to stay up very late the night tending to necessary duties, and was simply exhausted. Guilt would set in, and they would worry about the quality of their relationship with me. After all, it would be very rude to fall asleep in the presence of an earthly sovereign!

I have many precious children whose health simply won’t permit early rising to pray, at least on a regular basis. To a man working the night shift, six p.m. might feel like your six a.m. A new mother feels just as drained at noon as you might at midnight.

Never be hasty to judge one another or engage in oneupmanship. Instead, seek Me for the grace to remain humble, especially when you are excelling in any challenging area of Christian discipleship.The devil can even use your personal victories to plot your downfall if you don’t steer clear of spiritual pride. Pray for each other to be strong in the Lord and not to become discouraged.

It is seemingly irresponsible to be sleeping when there are so many crises in the world which need to be battled in prayer. But remember, even Jesus needed periodic rest to refresh His own physical body. Remember the nap He took while the disciples’ boat was tossing in a storm and filling with water?

The spirit of seeking Me early lies not so much in the hour you do it as in the fact that you put your relationship with Me first, so that when I beckon you into your prayer closet, you don’t put Me off while you go tend to less important matters first.

It is a very good idea to pray when you first wake up to start a new day, before you set foot out the door to go to your school or job. In that way you will receive extra strength and wisdom from Me to resist the downward pull of a world which doesn’t seek after Me at all.

Remember, I am looking for those Who seek after Me with their whole heart, who put Me first and are constantly in communion with Me; those who earnestly desire not to be wanting when I call them to stand before Me to give account of their lives before My Judgment Seat. Live in this attitude of heart not because you have to, or because you feel yourself under the scrutiny of other saints, but because I mean everything to you. If you will walk with Me in this manner, you will be found faithful when you stand before Me someday.

The Price Is Already Paid

John 6:28-29; 17;4; 19:30; Matthew 8:21-23; Ephesians 2:8-10; Hebrews 12:2

Frenetic street evangelism is not the price you must pay for your admission into heaven. Rejoice, for I have already finished paying for your salvation!. The price of your redemption is beyond any price you could ever pay. This was settled at Calvary, when I hung on the Cross and shouted: “It is finished!” It is even possible to exhaust yourself doing good deeds in My Name and still lose out, if your faith is not in what I have already done to redeem you.

One day Jesus was asked: “What must we do to perform the works of God?” He replied, “This is the work of God, that you believe on Him Whom He has sent.” If you truly have faith in My Son, His good works will be manifested through your life.

Jesus said, “Not everyone who calls Me Lord will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, but he who does the will of My Father.” Immediately His listeners assumed that My primary concern was that miracles and other wonderful works take place, not knowing that I value only those works done through My leading in the Name of Jesus, and because of the love of Him.

In the same discourse He speaks of the many who will appear before Him on the Day of Judgment, begging to be let into Paradise on the merits of their prophesying, performing of miracles, and casting out of demons. If ever there was a busy bunch, this was it. But Jesus knows the hearts of all men. My Son will not find their names written in the Book of Life and He will have to say to them: “I Never knew you! Depart from Me, you who work wickedness.” They will not have performed these wonders in the Power of His Spirit, and their motivations will be judged as evil.

The most important thing is to know me, to partake daily of My Life, and to let Me nourish you and keep you alive spiritually. Only then can good fruit appear on your branches. You will be like a tree planted by the Rivers of Living Water, and you will be fruitful unto My Glory.

The Flesh Profits Nothing

John 6:63

It is human nature to be impressed by numbers, just for their own sake. My priorities are far higher, for I do not see as man sees. I see so many fearful people being told that “The fruit of a Christian is another Christian”, and they’d better get busy and win the lost, or they’ll lose their salvation. Such service is motivated by fear, not by faith. You ought to serve Me just because You love Me, just as My own Son did. Many approach Me as if they were cringing slaves living in fear of punishment, rather than as My beloved children. Your gratitude for what I have done for you should motivate you to want to please Me, not an unfounded fear of rejection. The conditional love which sinners and backsliders have for one another is rooted in such fear. I don’t operate that way.

O My child, don’t you realize that they’re putting the cart before the horse? Good works do not produce holiness; rather, good works spring from a life which is totally immersed in My love. I said in My Word, Without Me you can do nothing! Before I can use you, I must first heal many broken areas in your life and restore your soul. I must first give to you, or you will have nothing to give, for the strivings of the flesh profit nothing. I must make My Word bear fruit in you, before your own service unto Me can bear fruit. Don’t you realize that the primary responsibility lies with Me?

You Are Purged BY THE BLOOD

Exodus 12:13; Leviticus 17:11; Luke 23:39-43; John 19:30;

Romans Chapter 5; II Cor. 5:6-8; Hebrews 9:13-14

My written Word must always have the final say where it concerns matters of doctrine. Where in the Bible do you read that I consign my born-again children to a place called Purgatory to be punished for human flaws and sins before I admit them into heaven?

This devilish doctrine is based upon the erroneous assumption that in order to complete your salvation, your own personal suffering is needed to supplement Christ’s sacrifice of Himself on Calvary. This presupposes that My Atonement on the Cross failed to finish all that was necessary to keep you from going to hell. Nothing could be further from the truth!

Some people argue that I could never allow anybody into heaven who has not lived long enough to accomplish a state of sinless perfection through their own efforts, or had not made amends for every offense they’d ever committed. What, in your opinion, constitutes a state of total sinlessness? Every unkind thought, every failure to obey Me is sin. In the days of Moses, a man could be stoned to death just for gathering sticks on the Sabbath Day. How many modern religious people would define that as sin!

Take the thief on the cross who was crucified alongside Christ. He was being executed for crimes recently committed and fresh in his memory. If Purgatory were a real place, he would surely have qualified for going there, for he had no opportunity to do penance for his sins or make restitution for what he stole. He had no chance to accumulate a few saintly good deeds before his demise. No, when he hung on that cross, he knew the only thing in his favor was the willingness of My Son to forgive him and give him a chance for a brand new, clean life in the world to come!

What did My dear Son say to that man, who to all appearances, was nothing but a dirty scoundrel getting just what he deserved? Jesus said: “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.”

Christ did not tell this redeemed criminal that he must first undergo a stint in Purgatory before he could come home to Paradise.

The Corinthian saints were all at different levels of spiritual growth. Some were far more pious in their habits than others, and more easily achieved victory over the world, the flesh and the devil. Others had a much harder struggle of it. More than a few reprobates attended their gatherings, but all of the sincere believers in the Corinthian church genuinely hungered and thirsted after righteousness, even in their weaker moments. Their faith was in the Christ Who redeemed them and was able to make them stand by faith and grow in the knowledge of their Lord. Not only were they forgiven through the shedding of His Holy Blood, they were saved by His righteous life. They knew they were all joined together in the Spirit of Christ by faith and were made one spirit with Him. That means if you must go to Purgatory, Christ must go there too!

Paul wrote the Corinthian epistles to the whole Corinthian church, those who were standing on the firm bedrock of faith in Christ; the Savior Who cried: “It is finished!” when He hung on the Cross of Calvary. Paul tells the Corinthian Christians: “To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.”

Notice, Paul does not say: “To be absent from the body is to be present in Purgatory, except for the most pious of parishioners.”

It is the Blood of Christ which purges from sin, not some fictional prison called Purgatory!

Where the Guilt Truly Lies

Numbers 23:21; Romans 4:7-8; Rev. 12:10

The devil is like a broken record the way he rehashes the same old sins over and over, even though I forgave those sins and washed them away years ago in My own Blood. He’ll bring them back to your mind over and over again, and when he can’t think of anything wrong with your present life, he’ll even throw them back in My face. He is the accuser of the Brethren and will stop at nothing to try to rob you of the assurance of your salvation. And he licks his chops at the prospect of persuading Me to punish you for something, for he delights in the sufferings of My children. He just can’t stand seeing you happy and enjoying My blessings. But rest assured, beloved, I do not pleasure the enemy. I remind him of the Blood of the Covenant, shed to make you righteous before Me. And if any guilt is left over after I wash your guilt away, it lies upon the head of the enemy of your soul who tempted and tormented you. I made no provision for the washing away of his sins and he knows it. The devil knows he exists in dreadful expectation of the outpouring of My just wrath upon him and his demons. He is a miserable prisoner sitting on death row who only wants you to share in his misery.

Satan’s accusations against you are mere lies. He is the father of lies. Stand fast in Christ Jesus, Who is the Way, the Truth and the Life. By faith cling to Him as your only Righteousness, the only Righteousness you need.

The faithfulness of Noah

Matthew 7:14; I Peter 3:19-20; II Peter 2:5

If numbers were truly the basis upon which the fruitfulness of a ministry should be gauged, Noah would, at first glance, have been judged an abysmal failure. Even as he and his sons built the Ark, Noah faithfully proclaimed the message of My impending judgment. For many decades he warned all who approached him of their imminent peril.

How do you think they responded? It had never before rained on the earth, for up to then the ground had been watered by dew. These people had never experienced rain; yet Noah was warning them that I was about to inundate the entire earth and destroy every living thing. His listeners laughed at him, but he did not stop preaching to them. They mocked him, threw stones at him, and told him he was crazy. He was the laughingstock of the neighborhood. The partially finished Ark was treated like a tourist attraction. People came from far and wide to stare at “Noah’s Folly”, not realizing that the foolishness of God is wiser than the wisdom of men. Still, Noah was undeterred. He was even willing to endure reproach for My Name’s sake.

Those wicked people were so engrossed in enjoying their sins that they refused to believe in Me. They traded in their spouses for new ones when they tired of them, just like sinners do today. They ridiculed Noah and his sons for their fidelity to their own wives. That same spirit of wickedness is at work in this unbelieving generation, despite the widespread proclamation of the Gospel. I said in My Word: The way to life is NARROW, and few there are who find it.

After tirelessly preaching to multitudes for so many years, how many people went aboard the Ark with Noah? Only seven. His own brothers, sisters, and extended family dismissed him as a crank, and found his zeal a bit embarrassing. They also drowned in the Flood.

Was his preaching in vain? No. I still remember various people floating on debris in the water or clinging to tree branches as they awaited the end. Others spent their final moments on the highest hilltops, as water swirled about their ankles and sheets of rain furiously tore at their clothing. They had resigned themselves to the fact that they had been disobedient to My exhortation to repent, and would lose their earthly lives. There were many last-minute repentances among those who had grudgingly seen the sense of Noah’s preaching, but, fearful of losing their so-called friends, had not embraced his message by faith. These had vacillated and decided they did not want to give up their accustomed life-styles for My sake. They had lived out their long lives in rebellion against Me, but wanted to at least make their peace with Me before dying. Thousands of years later, My Son preached the glad story of redemption to these souls in Abraham’s Bosom, the abode of the righteous dead. After He paid the ransom for their sins on Calvary, He led these captives upward to the Heavenly City. My mercy toward men is unspeakably great.

Following the Rapture of the Church, there will be many conversions among those who remember the testimony of their friends or family who were taken. The harvest is sometimes delayed, but it comes nonetheless.

Reaching the End of Yourself

I Samuel Chapter 1; Galatians 2:20; Colossians 1:27

Peninnah was so proud of her prodigious offspring. Surely she had earned her husband’s love many times over, and all her neighbors respected her for her natural fecundity. Her children, especially her fine-looking sons, were her passport to respectability.

Her husband’s other wife couldn’t say the same for herself. Hannah, her love rival, had been married to Elkanah for quite some time, but she had not yet given him a single son, not so much as a daughter. Yet her husband seemed to worship her. Just what could that man possibly see in a woman who couldn’t even bear a son? And Peninnah never lost an opportunity to needle Hannah about that. “It can’t be his fault you’re barren,” she’d say with a barbed smile. “He’s given me less attention than you, and just look at the children I’ve got!” There were caustic insinuations that if Hannah didn’t get busy and bear a little fruit, she’d be sent packing, and Peninnah would finally have Elkanah all to herself.

Every year when Elkanah took his family to the Tabernacle at Shiloh to offer the yearly sacrifice it was the same. When they all sat down for the family worship meal, Peninnah would make Hannah feel like a fifth wheel, and say: “This is a family meal, you know. Why did you bother to come along anyway? Why don’t you get lost?” This would cause Hannah to weep and feel as if she had no right to be in that scenario of family worship. To help compensate, Elkanah would be especially attentive to her. But the pain would not leave Hannah’s heart.

On one visit to the Tabernacle, she realized that she must step outside the realm of natural possibility and into the supernatural place of My power. Many of you have felt inadequate in either the earthly sphere of life, or as soul-winners. Within yourself, you see only inability and weakness. While others in church have held their heads high over their own achievements, you’ve ducked yours in shame. Now is the time to say: “Lord, I’ve come to the end of my own resources. I refuse to depend on ME any longer. If I am ever to be victorious and fruitful, it must be through Christ in me, the Hope of Glory.”

Hannah cast herself upon My mercy. Unable to eat, she rose from the table and drew aside to pray. She had reached a decision. The first male child I gave her would be returned to Me to live out his life in My service. Peace finally came over her. Now cheerful, she was able to sit back down and finish her meal.

The name “Hannah” means “grace”. She had shown long grace and patience toward her adversary Peninah, whose name means “coral”, a rocky, sharp, cutting substance found in nature. Naturally the sharp-tongued Peninah could have lots of kids. But through My grace and My power, Hannah was finally able to conceive and bear a son, who became the Prophet Samuel. Far from being grieved that she had to give him back to me, she composed a lovely anointed song of praise to commemorate the great victory I had given her. I rewarded her faithfulness by giving her five more beautiful children.

It is those who are aware of their own weakness who can best avail themselves of My great strength.

Flesh Versus Faith

Genesis chapters 16 and 17; 18:9-15; 21:1-21;Galatians 5:21-31; Hebrews 11 :11

The Patriarch Abram had waited many years for Me to fulfill My promise to give him a son. But now he was 85 years old, and knew that he and his wife were getting no younger. Indeed, it was no longer humanly possible for her to bear a child, for she was in her seventies. In those days, it was considered a great disgrace to remain childless, and the value of a barren wife was often questioned.

Although Abram had treated her kindly,Sarai was very embarrassed about the situation. So she decided to follow the custom of the time and give her slave girl to her husband to produce offspring through her. Abram reluctantly agreed; for at that moment, the reasonings of his natural mind prevailed over his faith in My miracle-working power. If any story proves that the old adage “God helps those who help themselves” is not in My Word, this one surely does. Abram reasoned that if I were ever to keep My promise, I must have his active cooperation. So he took Hagar the Egyptian as a concubine. Surely this plan was foolproof. The girl was young and healthy. Naturally she could easily bear Abraham a son.

Within a short time of their union, Hagar conceived. At first, Abram and Sarai rejoiced. I was finally fulfilling My promise to give Abram a son, they thought. But Abram had taken Hagar without first consulting Me about it. He’d just assumed it must be My will. After all, it seemed to be a good tradition to follow, and surely traditions must be respected, especially when all other options seem to have failed.

Always ask Me first before making a major decision which could alter the course of your life! It will save you a lot of tears and setbacks in your walk of faith. Pray first. If I disapprove of what you are planing to do or where you intend to go, you will feel quite uneasy about it. When that happens, don’t try to argue your way out of following My will. I always know what is best, for I can see things down the road that you cannot see. I inhabit Eternity, and know the beginning from the end.

Sarai’s elation was short-lived. It was bad enough that she had to share Abram with another woman, but by now the demeanor of her slave-girl toward her had completely changed. Hagar became arrogant. Formerly, she had always known her place. Now she felt she had the leverage she needed to play a power game with her mistress. She hoped Sarai would never bear a son, and that her son would be Abraham’s eventual heir, inheriting everything he had. Perhaps, she insinuated to Sarai, she might even supplant her as the favorite wife. Sarai was stung by such insolence. She pinned the blame on Abram for heeding her advice to take Hagar in the first place.

Already that deed done in the flesh was giving rise to problems far worse than childlessness. Sarai was angry and Abram was bewildered. She had always been such a pleasant companion, he thought. Abraham gave Sarai his permission to punish the slave girl as she saw fit. Hagar was dealt with so severely she fled the camp in tears.

Once she paused beside a well to refresh herself, bitterness flared up in her heart. Slaves had very little control over their own destiny. Hagar felt used and bruised in body and soul, although her unborn child was her consolation. In her lowly estate I succored this poor woman. Trusting Me, she obeyed My angel’s admonition to return to her mistress and submit herself.

There was a temporary truce between Hagar and Sarai. The two were even able to rejoice together over the birth of little Ishmael. The three adults involved would try to live together as harmoniously as possible for the sake of the child. All three had a stake in his welfare.

Abram reconciled himself to having produced this one son by a slave-girl. God can use even Ishmael to fulfill his promise to make me the father of innumerable descendants, he reasoned. And Abram was relieved that his neighbors could no longer reproach him for being sonless. Now he had offspring, just like they did.

As the lad grew, Abram increasingly felt it would take a miracle for this child to become a man of faith. He had a wild streak in his nature, and he was not particularly devout. But surely I could still make My promise come true in spite of Ishmael’s contrariness. What other option was open to Me?

To Abram’s great surprise, I appeared to him and made Myself quite clear: He and Sarai would, in their old age, have a son together. He would be the Child of Faith, conceived through My power. I gave the couple new names: Abram became “Abraham”, the father of many nations. Sarai became “Sarah”, a princess, the mother of kings.

In due time Sarah gave birth to Isaac, whose name means “laughter”. You can be so thrilled with the wonderful things I do that it makes you laugh with joy.

Strife arose between the two boys when Ishmael was in his teens. The son born of the flesh could not live together peaceably with the son born by My power. The two had to go their separate ways. Discord between the descendants of Ishmael and Isaac has persisted for 4,000 years. I joyfully anticipate the day when this bitter enmity will be forever healed. I love and care for both peoples. Descendants of Ishmael, as well as Israel, are destined to have a place of honor in My Millennial Kingdom.

Charmed to Church?

Jeremiah 17:9; Luke 16:15b; Romans 7:18a

“Conversions” made in the energy of the flesh are fleeting. Many self-reliant believers are glad they are endowed with a personality which is naturally garrulous and charming. I’ve even heard some smooth-talking saints boast of the numbers they’ve brought into the church, attributing their success to their natural salesmanship skills. Some have boasted of how easy it was for them to “sell Jesus”, of how it was so easy for them to wear down the resistance of skeptics. Saints with more reticent personalities are sometimes despised as being less “fruitful” because they don’t know how to “charm” sinners into being born again.

If a multitude joins your church because they are bribed with free food, camaraderie, concerts and movies, how genuine is their commitment to Me? And even if an individual really has become a new convert to Christ, how absurd to lay the law down on this spiritual infant and tell him that he must produce many spurious “new births” before he can show himself worthy of My salvation!

Many souls have only come to Me only after years of tears and ceaseless prayers offered up by loved ones who plead with Me to draw sinners unto Myself. Sometimes a sinner is even so utterly hardened in rebellion he will die in his sins, regardless of how much love has been showered upon him by saints. If My kindness is not enough to make a stubborn sinner enter into My Kingdom, then it is a certainty that all the cunning charm of a “natural” salesman cannot sell him on salvation.

Treating “the Barren” Evilly

Job 24:21

Back in Bible days reproduction was considered to be THE main purpose of a woman’s existence. Unmarried girls or wives who could not bear children sorrowed night and day over the fact, wondering if I was punishing them for some sin. These poor women were sometimes ostracised by kindred and neighbors for the “crime” of being without offspring.

I hear the same line preached from thousands of pulpits around the world: “Some of you have never won one single soul to the Lord Jesus.” Oh, the hurt and misunderstanding which results.

How do judgmental preachers know their intimidated listeners will be found wanting when they stand before Me at the Bema Judgment Seat? Only I know the countless tears shed in private by supposedly barren witnesses for Christ, as they pray for Me to overcome the stubborn resistance of unbelievers they try to win for Christ.

And just what is a hard taskmaster’s measure of success? I recall “Brad”, a zealous young believer who truly wanted to please his pastor by bringing in as many souls as possible. His was such a magnetic personality that many other young people “prayed” along with him just to please him. Brad was so eager to succeed he ignored a Voice of Caution warning him that not all his “converts” were prepared to give their all to Christ.

What happened to “Bud”, one of many scalps on Brad’s burgeoning belt? Little by little Bud lost interest in church activities. Legalistic Brad thought that so long as “converts” kept all the taboos of the church they would be okay. One day Brad caught Bud shooting pool in an arcade with some worldly friends. He said: “Bud, you shouldn’t be in a place like this.” And there were countless other times Brad reproached Bud for going to the movies or for his choice of music. Even his spiked hairdo was a turn-off.

It wasn’t long Bud got tired of being Brad’s trophy and broke free of his belt.

Quit giving “fruitless” Christians such a hard time. Rather, minister to them what they need to cultivate the Fruits of the Spirit in their lives, that they might attract others with the sweet fragrance of the Life of Christ. True converts cling only to Christ. They don’t dangle from anybody’s belt.

Be Wary While Witnessing

Proverbs 23:9; Matt. 7:6; 8:4; 12:14-19; 17:9; Mark 3:11-12; 5:43; I Peter 5:8

So many saints have been informed by over-zealous drill sergeants that it’s strictly up to them whether or not sinners choose to come into My Kingdom, and if they die and go to hell Christians are always to blame. These poor harassed saints are strongly urged to finely hone their powers of persuasion, and “brush up on their people skills”. Some begin to think their basic personalities are liabilities to their personal ministry to the lost. This leads to groundless guilt feelings. Some have been told they ought to pray for deliverance from being the unique person I created them to be. Some evangelistic leaders say I am ashamed of saints who are too shy to go up to just any stranger who happens along and ask if he knows Jesus. The quiet, reflective introvert is urged to pray that I will miraculously change him into a talkative extrovert overnight, one who never hesitates to tell everybody he sees on the street everything he knows about Me. But there were times Jesus urged discretion in testifying to others, even when it had to do with miracles He’d just performed. It would have meant casting pearls before swine, hardened mockers hungry for opportunity to cast scorn on My wonderful works.

If you go up to a gang of drunks at the door of a bar and try to share the wondrous treasures of My Word with a profane lout who blasphemes My Name and mocks holy things, you only give that loudmouth extra ammunition. It also brings reproach on My Holy Name in the eyes of those who witness his mockery of your testimony. The same principle applies to someone who jokes about the things of Christ, a subtler but equally evil form of hostility to the Gospel.

Your ultimate goal is to bring glory to your God, not to outstrip others as a salvation salesman.

Stubborn as a Mule

John 5:40; Rev. 22:17

I was meditating on the issue of "whosoever will" vs. "free will", where it concerns persuading an unbeliever to partake freely of the Fountain of Living Water. The Lord showed me a vision of a very determined man, sweating and straining and digging in his heels, tugging at the reins of a very stubborn mule. Now stubbornness is part of a mule's nature, but today the mule was acting even more bizarre because he had been grazing on loco weed. So he didn’t have sense enough to know when he was thirsty. The owner feared his animal would die of dehydration if he didn’t have a drink of water.

The mule reared and bucked, nearly knocking the poor man down. But the man persisted. Finally the mule gave in because the strain on his bit was making his mouth sore. The man began to sing and rejoice because it seemed like the mule was meekly following him to the watering hole, head bowed in submission. But the mule was steaming with resentment on the inside because he had been overpowered by a smaller creature.

Finally they reached the edge of the pond. "You’d better take advantage of this refreshment," said the man. "It’ll be a long way before we see fresh water again."

The mule didn’t want to give his owner the satisfaction. Stiffly he raised his head, mouth tightly closed. He brayed in defiance.

"Being stubborn again, eh?" his owner grumbled. "Well, I’m gonna break you of that right here and now. I’m not gonna be beaten by any dumb mule. You’re gonna drink this water if it kills you!"

With all his might the man tugged at the mule, trying to get him to move. Still he brayed and snorted defiance. The man jumped in the water, still holding the reins. "About time you had a good bath, too," he said. "C’mon in."

The mule stood his ground at the bank of the pond. But the man did manage to force the mule’s muzzle into the water and hold it beneath the surface. "Ah," said the man, "you’re drinking now. I’ve won."

No, he didn’t win. The stubborn mule drowned because the water went down the wrong pipe.

Sinners who have been feasting on this world’s loco weed don’t always know what’s best for them. The Water of Life only benefits those who partake of it willingly.

Jonah: Unwilling Winner of Souls

Book of Jonah

Let all those who feel inadequate as personal evangelists take heart: The salvation of a soul ultimately depends upon My grace, not the zeal of the evangelist! The Prophet Jonah got souls saved in spite of the fact he didn’t even love those souls, didn’t really want them saved, and didn’t even want to preach to them in the first place!

Jonah knew that in the future, I would use the Kingdom of Assyria to punish My people Israel for her idolatry. The City of Nineveh was the capital city of that mighty empire. I told Jonah to go warn the Ninevites that their entire city was about to be destroyed because of their sin.

Jonah was in a quandary. If he obeyed Me and went to deliver My warning to the Ninevites, there was an outside chance they could repent. If their repentance was genuine, I might even spare their lives. Jonah knew My loving nature, that I was gracious and merciful, as well as just. He felt that if he was instrumental in their reprieve from destruction, he would be betraying his fellow Israelites. He faced a difficult choice.

He decided to flee in the opposite direction, and sail west to Spain instead of going northeast to Nineveh to preach My warning to Israel’s foes. He hadn’t been at sea long before his ship got caught in a terrible tempest, and was about to sink.

The captain urged every man to call upon his gods for deliverance. Jonah was down in the hold, fast asleep, while the heathens watched and prayed to their false gods. Jonah was roused and urged to get busy and pray, or they might sink.

Still, the wind blew ever harder, and the waves grew higher and more turbulent. The sailors tossed out as much cargo as they could to lighten the ship, but to no avail. In utter desperation, the sailors drew lots to find out who was to blame for the storm. Jonah won the draw. He told them He was an Israelite, confessed his guilt, and told them the only way to stop the storm would be to throw him overboard.

They obliged him, though they cried out to Me not to lay his death to their account. A whale swallowed Jonah at once. The disobedient prophet thought for sure I was executing him by feeding him to a fish.

The heathens on board the ship were amazed at how calm the sea became once Jonah was gone. They swore they’d never again offer sacrifices to any other god; only to the Lord God of Israel, Jonah’s God. I had brought good even out of Jonah’s disobedience. I have the power to do that. Jonah had been an unwitting partner in My work, merely by being where he wasn’t supposed to be in the first place and getting thrown overboard!

To Jonah’s surprise, he remained in the stomach of the great whale without being digested. For three days and three nights he sat there in abject misery, praying for Me to

spare his life so he could go and do what I’d ordered him to do in the first place. His prayer was inspired by the Psalms.

Finally, the whale spit him out on the beach. Jonah hardly stopped moving till he got to Nineveh. Although he was deeply repentant and thankful for My mercy, he still didn’t relish the task set before him, giving Israel’s arch-enemy a chance to repent.

His was a simple, no-frills style: No special music to set the mood, no freebies, no vocal theatrics, no help from acoustics and lighting technicians, no tears, no prolonged, impassioned altar pleas, no melodramatic organ music to sway emotions, no pledge cards to fill out, no glossy literature, not even any follow-up ministry to monitor the spiritual growth of his new converts. Just a detached monotone voice preaching the same, short lethargic sermon over and over: “In forty days Nineveh will be destroyed.”

Jonah shed plenty of tears in the whale’s belly, but none for the Ninevites. And he wasn’t too thrilled by the successful outcome of his mission. To his utter shock, the King listened to his laconic sermon and the holy fear of God struck him. He ordered the whole city to repent, and to express their sorrow with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes. I was glad for them, and spared that generation of Ninevites.

Hoping their gesture might be too little, too late, Jonah went outside the city to tarry awhile to see what would become of it. The evangelist’s “follow-up” was a death watch! Notice that he didn’t deal with new converts the way Christ, the One greater than Jonah, would do. Jonah didn’t spend his remaining time in the area ministering My love to those people, and teaching them My ways so they and their descendants could get to know Me better and resist temptation in the future. The converts were left unchruched.

That brief season of repentance was eventually forgotten and the Ninevites did return to their old wicked ways. There was no love between the two nations. Israel would, in time, be brutally conquered by the Assyrians. They, in turn, would suffer divine retribution, and Nineveh would finally be destroyed.

Jonah finally realized that the Ninevites had been spared My judgment. He grew very despondent over the huge success of his mission, and the salvation of all those souls.

The sun grew hotter, and beat down on the head of the dispirited prophet. He made himself a crude shelter, but I made him an even better one by causing a shade plant to spring up for him. He was so happy to get that relief from the heat. One common cliche among Christians is: “God won’t ever do anything for you if you don’t put some feet (self-effort) to your faith.” But I can’t be reduced to a set of theological rules. I am far too great for that, and My wisdom and goodness are immeasurable. I provided the extra shade for Jonah to show that I still loved him, and to provide him a very necessary object lesson on love.

Much to Jonah’s dismay, I caused a worm to attack the plant the next morning, so that it withered and died. Jonah’s first reaction was fury, then severe depression. His death wish persisted. He just didn’t want to go back to Israel, knowing he’d aided and abetted the enemy. He’d forgotten that I had ordained the Nation of Israel to be a Light to the Gentiles, to show them My great salvation and love.

My, how sad Jonah was. First, the salvation of all those heathens, and now this. But I told him that I had created those precious souls, and didn’t want to see any of them destroyed. And yet here he was, mourning the death of a mere plant which had quickly sprung up, only to wither away the next morning.

Jonah himself had abundantly received My mercy. I’d granted him a second chance to do My will. That is an act of My unmerited favor. There have been many who never did get second chances to obey Me. And, Jonah had been saved from drowning in the sea. Miraculously I had suspended the creature’s digestive processes. That whale was an obedient creature. It carried out my orders to transport Jonah back to the Holy Land and spit him out on the shore. One major motivation in sharing the Gospel with the lost is: Remember what the Lord did for you, and be grateful enough to want others to receive the blessings of His merciful grace.

Christians are wisely taught that the true evangelist is willing to sacrifice even his own physical comfort and well-being to go to the foreign mission field, so souls can be saved from the greater discomfort of hell. But Jonah’s deliverance from the hot sun meant more to him than the deliverance of his enemies from My wrath. Jonah didn’t meet many of the criteria for a good soul winner. Still, My will overruled Jonah’s initial unwillingness and those souls were won.

It is My Spirit of Grace Who brings men to repentance, in spite of balking believers.

Mushrooms and Oak Trees

Jeremiah 17:7-8; II Timothy 2:20-21

My people are often impatient with each other when it comes to assessing the rate of somebody else’s spiritual growth. But they’re really being impatient with Me.

I don’t always stick to your time schedule. I am a Master Artist, shaping and molding you and your brothers and sisters in Christ into the image of My Son. There are flaws and defects in lives which need smoothing out, and it is a painstaking job to get it done. Not only do I create a vessel fitting for my use, but I beautify it and adorn it.

A mushroom springs up in mere hours. But a stately oak tree takes hundreds of years.

The Houseplant

Isaiah 27:3

It was such a scraggly little plant, not much more than a twig sticking up out of the potting soil. But faithfully it was watered and kept in the window to receive what little sunlight was available. Its owner wondered if it might be dead, for it didn’t seem to be growing.

Then came the springtime. Before long, buds formed on the little plant, then secondary branches.

All it took to see it through wintertime was a little loving care.

Others might say you are failing to grow, and stagnating in the Life of Christ. But I am well able to see you through your long, grey winters, and bring you into the abundant glory of spiritual springtime.

The Tumbleweed

Matthew 11:7, Ephesians 4:14-15

There are those who receive Christ gladly, then seem to grow at a rapidclip rate. Everyone lauds them for their progress, for they see only the top of the plant. But it is the unseen part, the roots, which provide the plant with stability in times of stress and storm. If such a one has not been diligent to root his life deeply in the soil of My Word, he will become a tumbleweed driven about by every breeze.

Spiritual Winter

When my people are most in need of tender compassion, Ofttimes they receive only cutting criticism from brothers and sisters in Christ who are obsessed with “fruitfulness” . Most always they mean success in ministry to reach lost souls, rather than the quiet workings of my Spirit in a person’s life.

Instead of a vital, soul-seeking, go-getter for Christ, critics see only a shrinking violet slacker who refuses to do his share to advance the Kingdom of God. When such a saint is assailed by troubles and forced to concentrate more on his own needs, he is rebuked for being a unfruitful tree without even leaves to serve as promissory notes of future fruitfulness.

Every healthy tree has its seasons. A deciduous tree reaches its peak of green leafiness in summer. In autumn, it is a riot of blazing colors, and a delight to the eye. It seems to be in its prime. To all appearances, those branches are teeming with lots of glorious living leaves.

Not so. Those beautiful leaves are actually dead. Undiscerning saints are always impressed by flashy display.

Then comes winter, and even the appearance of life is gone. Stark bare branches speak of a stripping away of earthly glory, a time of humbling. The life is still within the tree, but all its resources are now spent on mere survival until spring comes once again to renew it with fresh buds of life.

Giving One Another Space to Grow

Matt. 7:15-20; Luke 3:9; 13:6-9

How impatient My children can be with one another, and how lenient with themselves. The feel-good promises of My Word they reserve for themselves and for those they cherish as friends. But they seize upon frightening Scriptures to bully those they don’t particularly like and barely tolerate.

The Parable of the Barren Fig Tree is one of the hypocrite’s favorite weapons to use to cut somebody else down In this story the landowner sends his servants to check to see if a habitually barren tree has produced any fruit yet. To his annoyance, he learns that it has grown only leaves. The landowner gives the tree an ultimatum: If, after one more year of careful cultivation it fails to produce fruit, it will be chopped down. And it will be cast into the fire, good for nothing but firewood for the burning.

Christians conveniently forget that the tree in question had grown far beyond the sapling stage. Baby believers are spiritual saplings who must be fed and cherished with the Love of Christ, not condemned. The best fruit comes from a mature tree which has had time to cultivate the fruits of the Spirit in its life.

Many suppose fruitfulness refers primarily to winning souls, and thus being a spiritual parent, without whom the convert could not have possibly been born again. But do not flatter yourself. I could have chosen some other means to reach that soul. And remember, it is impossible for any human to change someone else’s heart. You are My witnesses on earth, but the Holy Spirit is the Interior Witness Who deals with the soul of a sinner, pleading with him or her to forsake their evil ways and be converted. You cannot do this. And it is not you giving birth to the born-again soul. At most your testimony serves as the midwife to help bring a new conversion about. You are My fellow laborer in the Gospel, but your role is a supportive, secondary one, not the primary one.

What pride has been engendered by countless spurious “conversions” which took place because some young person felt obligated to please his best friend by repeating the sinner’s prayer! How many have gone away from Me because My Word was not given time to take root in the hearts of those double-minded people and produce the sweet fruits of the nature of Christ Jesus!

Don’t ever use My Word to beat your brother or sister on the head with, just because your personality seems to be at odds with theirs and you don’t take an easy liking to them. I would have been perfectly justified in refusing to like you because of your past sins. Learn to love with My perfect Love. And give one another space to grow!

Learn to Forgive Yourself

My, how the devil loves to dredge up your past mistakes, to distract you from the magnitude of My grace and mercy toward you. I speak most especially to My more mature saints, who have lived a long life and often pause to reflect on the many things I’ve brought them through.

If you made mistakes as a young parent, it is easy to look back and browbeat yourself for them, even if your child has blossomed into a wholesome, loving adult. That is satan attacking you! He hates the great progress you’ve made in the Life of Faith, and the work I’ve done in your soul to perfect you into My glorious image. So he fights dirty by poking around in your past and saying: “You could have done so much better, ought to have been more patient, loving or attentive toward your child(ren), husband or wife, etc.

Now that you’re a bit more mature and the pace of your life is a bit slower, forgive the tired young parent or spouse you once were. You’ve gained the wisdom of hindsight, but this blessing never comes without the price of painful experience! This kind of wisdom helps make wonderful grandparents and pleasant companions in later life.

If you once were were poorer financially, and beset with countless pressures, you might have been less cheerful about giving to the needy or showing unexpected hospitality, especially on a big scale. I brought you through that difficult phase of your life, even though your attitudes and emotions weren’t always the noblest. Now that your schedule isn’t quite so jam-packed, forgive the harried, high- pressured, poor person you once were.

If your life was once so fast-paced and backlogged that you hardly had time to devote yourself to the things of My Kingdom, forgive yourself for what the enemy tells you were wasted years. Even then, I was daily with you and teaching you about My great faithfulness. Those years were definitely not wasted!

Maybe you made some clumsy mistakes in personal relationships many years ago. Forgive that immature young person with the raging hormones! All of My dear children trip and fall as they learn to walk.

If you find that your life is very rich and fulfilling, though not nearly so burdened and high-pressured as it used to be, then count your many blessings. During those years you felt overwhelmed by life’s incessant demands, you found it much harder to stop and smell the roses I made, or admire the beauty of the lilies. So many things crowded your field of vision you couldn’t see the forest for all the trees whizzing by.

But now that I’ve brought you out into a pleasant meadow, look back with thanksgiving for all I did to sustain you during those difficult years. That’s the right way to reminisce.

Christ, Your Mighty Refuge

Psalms 9:9; 32:7; 103:12; 143: 9; Isaiah 38:17; 43:25;

Romans 8:1; I Cor. 6:17; II Cor. 10:3:5; Hebrews 6:18-20

One of the devil’s dirtiest tricks is to heap condemnation on your head for sins committed in the distant past, things done even before conversion and long after I have blotted them off your record and washed them away. Some of you, at the time of that sin or disgraceful condition, might even have been under extreme demonic oppression or suffered varying degrees of demonic possession which seemed to come and go unexpectedly. Thus the devil may have had far more to do with the reason for that terrible problem in your life than you yourself did.

By faith proclaim that everything that concerns you, past present or future, is under the cleansing Blood of Christ; so that when the devil is minded to dredge up his favorite incidents to torment you he is confronted with the Lord of Glory Who defeated him at Calvary, and his boldness to attack you in that way fades in the face of My power. It is only when you forget Me and resort to fleshly “mind over matter” to fight traumatic thoughts that you can be defeated.

When satan tries to overwhelm you with a sense of horror of any kind, either for an incident in the past or for a sense of present inadequacy to face the uncertainties of life, by faith flee into your Refuge Christ Jesus and know that He Himself is your Hiding Place and your all-suficiency. Jesus Himself has accepted you into His own Body the Church, which comprises all who have accepted Him as Savior and Lord. As a believer in Christ, you are joined to Him through the power of the Holy Spirit, and you are even made one spirit with Him. Furthermore, I, the Great Judge of all the earth, have cast thy sins behind My back, not before My face. Your sins have been cast away from My sight as far as East is from West, and that’s a mighty long way!

So when satan tries to dredge up all that old garbage I have washed away say: “Devil, go away. I am one spirit with Christ Jesus, and you can no more heap that guilt on me than you can heap it on Him.”

Peter’s Example

Luke 21:31-32; I Peter 3:8

Did you know I am able to redeem even your past mistakes for good? The Apostle Peter denied he knew Me, not once, but three times. How crushed his cowardice made him feel afterwards!

But because he went through that Vale of Humiliation, he was able to have compassion on younger saints who were beset by temptation or weakness of any kind . Because he’d always had to lean on Christ to be his strength, Peter “the rock” had much more of a tender heart than he could otherwise have had, and his ministry was made even more effective. Troubled individuals listened to what he had to say because he’d once walked in their shoes himself.

Peter could honestly say: “I know how you feel, Brother or Sister. Believe me, dear one, I’ve been there.”

Misplaced Devotion

Deut.18:11; I Sam.28:5-19; Psalms 14: 1-3; Psalms 69:8; Isaiah 53: 6; 64:6; Luke 1:47;

Rom. 1:7; 3:10,23; Hebrews 5:14-16; 7: 20-28

So what do I think of the practice of venerating the saints as an aid to the devotional life?

Spiritual deception usually comes decked out in impressive religious garb. Like the serpent in the Garden of Eden it is oh, so beautiful, but a lying, deadly snare. It takes faith to believe that the atonement of My dear Son is sufficient to make you righteous and acceptable before a holy God, without any contribution on your part. Many have the silly notion that My Son is so overwhelmed by pleas for help from earthly saints that it is necessary (even required) that they call on departed heavenly saints for help with their problems. Sometimes people feel so unworthy and tainted by their own faults that they are ashamed to come boldly before My Throne for help. So they beg some holy man or woman from the distant past to intercede on their behalf.

That is all wrong. King Saul got into deep trouble when he tried to contact the recently deceased Prophet Samuel for help. Because of stubborn rebellion in his life Saul felt unworthy to approach Me, for he sensed My wrath against unrepented sin in his life. He hoped the intervention of this holy man might smooth the way for his petition and dispel My displeasure with him enough to assure him of victory on the battlefield the following day.

I know that some of My children are far more consecrated than others, and devote much more of their time to serving the interests of My Kingdom than do others. But even if you rigorously carried out every spiritual devotion you felt necessary to please Me and gave all your goods to the poor, and even did all this on a daily basis, I would still see your own righteousness as a spotty, dingy travesty of the perfect righteousness of My own Son. It would be unacceptable in My sight and would fall far short of the standard needed to get you into heaven.

When you are truly converted, I see you as being in Christ and joined to Him by faith. Every person who truly loves Christ as Lord and Savior and abides in Him by faith is a saint.

If you were to approach even My own earthly mother and bow down to worship her, she would rebuke you for it and let you know that she herself had stood in need of a Savior Who redeemed her from the curse of sin inherited from Adam; a bondage common to all mankind. Even Mary’s own children misunderstood Me and refused for a long time to accept Me as their promised Redeemer. Thus they had to be delivered from unbelief. I have testified of human nature: All have sinned, and there is none righteous, no, not one.

The great saints of old were ordinary people who desired Me above all else, and eagerly received all I had provided for them through My death, burial and resurrection.

Their eyes were fixed by faith upon their Great High Priest in heaven Who ever lives to make intercession for those who are beset by the infirmities of the flesh.

Lean on Me

I Corinthians 1:24-29; II Corinthians 12:9-10

Do you often get impatient with yourself for making the same old mistakes over and over, although you thought you’d finally conquered them for good? Most likely satan takes advantage of this and whispers: “Surely God can never use you again. Your life contradicts everything you profess to believe in.”

How like the enemy to blow your faults all out of proportion to the greatness of My grace, to call your sins unforgivable, then resort to his dirtiest tactics to blind you to My goodness. How he strives to get you to focus entirely on your own natural positive attributes, instead of relying on the power of the perfect Life of My Son within you. Daily I am helping you to grow in the manifestation of His Life. This is what satan fears most.

Take comfort in the very fact you are weak, for that is a sure sign I have chosen you to bring glory to My Name. Even Paul could say he gloried in his weaknesses, because when he was weak My power could rest upon him in an even mightier way.

I have not chosen the self-sufficient, popular, proud individual, but that one who knows he or she is and has nothing apart from Christ. You need to rely on Me continually to uphold you and train you in the use of spiritual weapons, that you might effectively resist every effort of satan to tear you down whenever you stumble and need to ask My forgiveness.

Grace: A Free Gift to Those Willing to Receive It

Eph. 2:8-10; Matt. 12:24-32; Mark 3:22-30; Rev. 22:17

The self-righteous Pharisees took My Son to task for consorting with tax gatherers and prostitutes. Christ did not approve of their sins, of course, but He gladly helped them with their troubles. He forgave them and bestowed new dignity upon them as human beings. He was their dearest Friend. Christ conversed unashamedly with prostitutes, many of whom had histories of abuse, near-starvation, or rejection by their own families as just another mouth to feed. Among poor peasant families it was a common practice to feed all the males of the household first and if nothing was left the women and girls went without.

Sons were usually cherished much more than daughters, especially in poverty-stricken households. Once a girl was deemed old enough to survive on the streets, she might be turned out by a heartless, faithless father because of unwillingness or inability to support her. This was especially so if she were so plain her ungodly father could not sell her to some man to be his wife. Bereft of other resources, such a girl would likely paint her face and resort to prostitution in order to make money to survive in a cruel, uncaring community knowledgeable of My Law but blind to My Love.

Christ ministered forgiveness and life to these wretched women, and they became daughters of God. They followed Him and became His devoted servants for life.

Mary Magdalene was a woman whom Christ had freed from demonic oppression. She was the first of His followers to greet Him after His Resurrection.

Jesus was grieved to behold so many sheep lost in darkness, driven away by the very ones who claimed to represent Me, the Shepherd of Israel. These men added countless ordinances to the Law I’d given Moses on Mount Sinai, then despised those who were unable to keep them all.

They thought they were the ones who kept the Law perfectly, the ones who “deserved” My lovingkindness above all others. These men were real hair-splitters when it came to interpreting minor points of their oral law. They put on properly religious airs, wore beautiful vestments, gave alms with studied ceremony, and made sad faces when they fasted. Surely I could require no more of them, and I was indebted to them for their “holiness”.

My Son plainly told them that it is not healthy folks who need a physician, but the sick. He had not come to save perfect people, just sinners. Occasionally He dined with Pharisees. Most of them were hard-hearted, like sun-baked earth which would not absorb the Living Water He had come to share. They had a very poor concept of the unfathomable nature of My own Perfection. They did not accept that I am Love, and I would rather have acts of mercy than outward ritual. Some of them KNEW inside that My Son was the chosen One, but were far too proud to acknowledge that they needed what He alone could give. They refused to admit they were powerless to attain to My salvation through their own merits. Instead, they insulted the very Spirit within Christ, saying He had a demon. The vilest of these spiritual leaders did not do this in ignorance, but with full knowledge that they were rejecting the image of God in Christ. This is the sin against the Holy Spirit, and satan often uses the dread of having committed