One Man

     Can you hear the sound of your people celebrating? They are dancing, laughing, toasting to victory. You have won! Jericho has fallen, and a huge obstacle is now obsolete. Your people can walk freely in the land promised to them.

     Can you feel your chest swell with joy? God has saved you.

     High on the sense of victory, you send some scouts to check out the next city, a small city called Ai. It is not long before they return. They tell you that the village is small, and you don't need to send too many men to conquer it. Only a few thousand. After all, God is on your side!

     Later, you stare, shocked. You are defeated. Ai remains, and some of your men have died. Men with families...wives, children. Men with futures, only just stepping foot into the Promised Land. 

     You beg God, Abba Father, "why?"

     When you begin to read the story of Ai in Joshua 7 you may be left bewildered, confused. Why would God allow you to be defeated by a small city? Why after He has just led you to conquer Jericho, a fortified city? When you carry on reading, the answer is revealed. 

     One man.

     One man disobeyed God, and plundered an "accursed item." 

     It only took one man to cause that destruction. One man's disobedience.

God says: "There is an accursed thing in your midst, O Israel; you cannot stand before your enemies until you take away the accursed thing from among you." - Joshua 7:13

     Unfortunately this is all too common. We allow a little bit of leaven, a little bit of sin into our lives, our camp so to speak. We try to justify it or to cover it up. That one little thing hinders us. It separates us from God. We know about it, but we do not address it. And before we know it, our army is broken and defeated. Our camp divided. Our lives desolate. 

     

     My friends, I cannot urge you enough. If we do not repent, we endanger not only ourselves but the people we love, the people we share life with. Spiritually, emotionally, even physically they are in danger. What fruit will come from our work if we do not take on Jesus' yoke, abandoning our past? We must know that we are sinners, and that we are sanctified and justified by Jesus. But if we use His grace as a cheap cover up for our sins, an excuse to carry on sinning, we slap His beautiful face. We take what He freely gives without offering anything to Him.

     

     Take the battle at Ai. Think about it, and apply it in your own life. Are you hiding things, trying to justify your sins? Or are you truly free? 

Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus - Please Watch

When Temptation Knocks

"Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him." - James 1:12

That voice again. Can you hear it? Just behind you, in your right ear. You feel your stomach clench, and your heart begin to pound. Your fingers quiver.

You have a choice.

Turn the computer off, or keep looking.

Answer the question honestly, or make up a story.

Pull away from her, or deepen the embrace.

Walk away, or left hook him.

There are so many forms of temptation. Usually it starts quietly, a little knock on the door. A few days later, it becomes more insistent. A few weeks go by, and the pounding is so powerful, you cannot lock the door. It is the voice that gently drags us away, and then it intensifies until a day does not go by without the perilous screech of that enticement, drowning out all common sense and hope for freedom.

Temptation becomes addiction; addiction becomes enslavement, and you are impossibly bound to it. You become lost, apathetic, and you blindly cling to the thing that enslaves you. Finally Satan drives a wedge between you and the One who loves you more than anything - Jesus.

The year 2012 was one of the worst and best years of my life. I began the year hopeful for a future, excited about life, and full of wonder at the world around me.

Then temptation knocked.

It started quietly, and I became curious. The knocking became louder over the weeks until I finally gave in. At first it was all very thrilling, exciting. But then I began to descend, spiralling down faster and faster. It was a mere three months until I found myself in the depths of despair, wondering what had become of my life, what had become of me. I couldn't recognize myself when I looked in the mirror. I was a enslaved, chained, and locked in a prison cell without any light or hope.

Broken I came to the foot of the Cross - the ultimate symbol of complete love and sacrifice.

Jesus began to transform me. He freed me from my chains, and brought me out of the darkness I had lived in. His love overwhelmed me, and I chose to follow Him no matter the cost.

That would be a nice way to end this 'blog post. I would love to tell you that I have been free of temptation since. Unfortunately, this is not the case.

For about a year I found myself bathed in God's peace, living released of my chains. I smiled, glowed and served Him with a passion I had never known before. The door to temptation was locked.

The thing about temptation is, even when the door is locked, it will come wandering by again and attempt a light knock, just testing the waters. It might not seem like much, but that light knock can capture one's attention in a heartbeat.

It captured mine.

And so the struggle against temptation began again.

"But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death." - James 1:14-15

I was so close to reaching an emotional death. I felt alone, unworthy, lacking, broken. I thought I had beat my temptation, and then it reared its ugly head again.

But Jesus.

That is the beauty of knowing our Lord Jesus Christ. Even in the darkest times, He does not abandon us.

"Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee." - Deuteronomy 31:6

God is with us, even when we are tempted, and He will not allow us to be tempted beyond our capacity to resist.

"There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it." - 1 Corinthians 10:13

At this point it is important to note that when you are enslaved by your temptation, you are giving it power in your life and therefore it becomes an idol. It is so important to flee from idolatry ("Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry" - 1 Corinthians 10:14) because idolatry separates us from our heavenly Father. It becomes a wedge driven between us and our Creator.

Temptation comes directly from Satan, whose goal is to break the relationship that God has with us. One of his greatest tools of deception is temptation, and we know this because God does not tempt any man ("Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man." - James 1:13)

But "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variableness or shadow of turning." - James 1:17

This is exciting, because if all good things come from God, then freedom from our slavery comes from God. When we believe on Jesus and take hold of His promises; when we resist temptation and bury ourselves in God's word, we will be brought out of darkness. God cannot lie ("That by two immutable (unchanging) things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us..." - Hebrews 6:18) and His word will never change ("So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it." - Isaiah 55:11) so if He says he cannot lie and He will set us free, we will be freed ("Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, whosoever commiteth sin is the servant of sin. And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son (Jesus) abideth ever. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed." - John 8:34-36).

You can give Jesus the key to the door which temptation knocks at. It isn't easy, you have to resist, you have to walk away from the door because you can take the key back from Jesus at any time. He does not control us, and He gives us free will. It is so easy to fall into temptation's trap, and it will not be overcome immediately. But we are more than overcomers when we rest in Jesus' love and give Him the key ("Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us." - Romans 8:37).

That voice again. Can you hear it? Just behind you, in your right ear. You feel your stomach clench, and your heart begin to pound. Your fingers quiver.

You have a choice.

Will you allow Jesus to take over, to help you overcome your temptation, will you give Him the key?

Or will you unlock the door, just one more time?

Serving Sticks and Splinters

"Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen." - 1 John 5:21

When you read the first part of chapter 5 in this epistle, you will see that Jesus is being lifted up over and over again. He is being exalted and praised for His love and sacrifice. After this the triune nature of God is touched on, and then finally it talks about God's perfection and our imperfection, and how He gave us the chance to know Him for eternity. At the end of this chapter there is a single statement, no expansion, no explanation and no further instruction. John simply writes: Keep yourselves from idols.

While some may read this as an afterthought, I believe it is intrinsically connected to the entire letter that John wrote. In chapter 1 it says: "If we say we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth." (1:6) Here darkness is the idol. Darkness refers to going through life living as everyone else does, and not making an effort to remain pure and holy in Jesus Christ. If we cannot sacrifice the "pleasures" of life for God, it is an idol. Chapter 2 expands on this and specifically highlights three areas of idolatry - "The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life..." (2:16) These statements are succinct and powerful. When we live to serve our flesh in gluttony, laziness and immorality; when we feed on unclean images, covet what is not ours, and live to "perfect" our appearance; when we boast in our money and power and earthly possessions and feel that we are better than others - These are all forms of idolatry and it cripples us. We live in darkness, separated from God because "God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all." (1:5) 

As we read through chapters 3, 4 and 5, there is a plea for us to see God's perfect nature, His righteousness and His love. The very fact that God died for us, "Hereby perceive we the love of God, because He laid down His life for us..." (3:16), should be so mind-blowing, so amazing, that we only want to serve Him...Him alone. In His death on the cross, He still sustained all life. He held together the very cross that He hung on. "He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him." (2 Corinthians 5:21) How incredible is that? Jesus became sin for us, so that we can live in His freedom. How overwhelming that God Himself would do that for us, sinful human beings.

Yet like dogs, we return to our vomit and foolishly serve the things of this world.  (see Proverbs 26:11)

The fact is we are imperfect human beings, but God is transforming us to be like Him. "Beloved, now we are the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is." (1 John 3:2)

"The idols of the heathen are silver and gold, the work of men's hands. They have mouths, but they speak not; eyes have they, but they see not; they have ears, but they hear not; neither is there any breath in their mouths. They that make them are like unto them: so is every one that trusteth in them." - Psalms 135:15-18

When we turn our focus away from God and to the things of the earth and temporary pleasure, we become as dead as the things we serve. No voice, no sight, no sound and no breath. We become choked, suffocated and blindly live in sin and faithlessness. It is time we put down our idols and reach out to Christ, the Living God who brings life abundantly (see John 10:10), who sustains the very fabric of the earth. Without God, the True Light, we are lost and alone in darkness. Without God, who is Love, we are cold and lifeless with no hope. Please, hear my cry to turn away from that which profits not, turn away from a life tainted by the things of this world, turn away and become set apart. Seek God above all things that you might have life. No longer serve sticks and splinters, but serve the One who breathed life into your nostrils, who knows you inside and out, who knit you together in your mother's womb (see Psalms 139).

"And now, little children, abide in Him; that, when He shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before Him at His coming." (1 John 2:28)

Moments

"Return unto thy rest, O my soul; for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee. For thou hast delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from tears, and my feet from falling." - Psalms 116:7, 8

Lately I have been tired. I wake up in the mornings and go through the motions of the day. Something feels empty about it all though, something is missing.

So this morning I went down on my knees and prayed. I asked God to show me that it was that was missing. It is not often that I get an answer immediately from God, but this time it came so clearly. This is what is missing, those quiet moments when I simply rest in His presence. I had put this aside while I focused on entertainment and socialising. Because of this I became empty.

Personal time with Jesus is the most important thing in a world filled with colour and distraction. It is so easy to permeate the senses with the images that rush past every day, the endless hours watching television or surfing the internet, going out with friends. With all this going on, we suddenly lose focus and Jesus becomes the back up plan.

There was a time when the first thing I did every morning was rest in Jesus, to speak with Him, to study His Word. Those moments were the most beautiful time of day. They gave me energy and peace, and my relationship with Him grew. Today God reminded me of that, and He is urging me to return to Him.

We all go through seasons when we lose focus, when we slip and fall. It is at these times that we need to remember that Jesus is the Prince of Peace, and He gives us peace when we trust Him and spend time with Him. I urge you to seek after Christ, to rest in His presence. He enjoys these moments as much as we do, because He is truly closer than a brother. This Journey through life is incredible when we rest in the gentle love of Christ and the beauty of His presence.

The Twisted Highway

You are driving; things are normal. The highway is busy as usual. You look to your left and right. People are going through their daily lives, routine, unchanged. Your turn is coming up, so you prepare to shift gear. Suddenly, everything looks different. Overnight a supernatural force has twisted the highway. You see roads coming from every direction. You are spiralling toward it. You cannot stop. The distorted intersection looms closer. You slam the brakes and twist the wheel. You look for an opening, an escape. Nothing.

The smoke rises from the wreckage.

Shock…Anger…Pain…Confusion…Numbness…Brokenness…

There are days when these converge, when they all intersect like giant highways and vehicles collide from all directions. You don’t expect it. You cannot stop it. Shattered. Lost.

How do you respond? How do you get through it? You ask the question: Why?

People are hurting around you. What comfort can you bring to such colossal destruction? How can you help? You realize before long that you cannot do anything, but be there. If someone needs you, you just need to be there. But there is someone who can repair the broken lives.

You fall to your knees and pray. You fight, you wrestle, and you plead God for understanding, for His help. You beg. You do not see the point. You don’t know what to do. God, why?

You have Jesus: “Come unto me, al ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly at heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” – Matthew 11:28-30

God is stronger than any pain: “And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.” – 2 Corinthians 12:9a

You are not alone: “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” – Romans 8:26-28

This is not the end: “And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, nether shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new, And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.” – Revelation 21:3-5

True Commitment, True Sacrifice

This is a story that has been on my heart for sometime. Please follow the link below to read my short story "Faithful." It makes me wonder, am I really prepared to sacrifice everything to follow Christ? Are you?

Faithful: a story of True Commitment

A Wave Tossed About

"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed." - James 1:5-6

Faith is a term used to describe many things. Some may use the word Faith interchangeably with religion. Some see Faith as fidelity. Others refer to Faith as trust. Faith is all these things.

When I think of the word Faith, I immediately think of it as whole, complete and certain trust in a promise. It is the utter confidence that what has been promised will be carried out. It is putting everything on the line based purely on the trust you have in a person or thing.

"Blessed is the man that trusteth the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is." - Jeremiah 17:7

What better place to put one's trust in God? God is the most trustworthy, constant and certain presence throughout eternity. He never backs out of His promises. The verse in Jeremiah above says that a person is blessed when their hope isn't just in the Lord, it is the Lord. This Faith in God is so attractive, so dynamic. In Hebrews 11:6 it says "But without Faith it is impossible to please [God]: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him."

Faith is so central to our relationship with God; for how stable can a relationship be without that trust, that confidence? But God is the rewarder of those who seek Him out, who ask Him for wisdom, who ask Him for understanding. We need to actively pursue God as He pursues us. We need to trust Him, cling to Him. In the book of James it says that a man who wavers, who does not place their Faith in God, is like a wave in the sea, simply tossed from here to there with no say in the matter.

Many will say that trusting God is easy. It is, but the journey to reaching that trust is the hard part. Letting go of the control we have over our lives, letting go of our desires and letting go of the plans we make; this is difficult. We shelter ourselves, bulletproof our little houses in this world were nothing is certain. We hide the vulnerability we all have inside of us. Our insecurities become lost under a blanket of empty smiles. When we place our trust in God, our Faith in God, we open up that vulnerable part of us. We allow Him to work with us and to change us, and it hurts. It really hurts. It is scary, but God is gentle. Jesus said in Matthew 11:28 - "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." When we do open up and trust Him, He gives us peace and rest.

And then we are no longer a wave tossed about by the ocean. Then we allow God to move us in a direction, to direct our paths and our lives so that we can continue to grow, love and know Him more. That is when the trust becomes easy, because then God is the constant strength in our lives.

And so it is for this reason that we ask God to grow us in wisdom, to grow our Faith and understanding. Spending time in His presence is how we become closer to Him, and no place is safer than in the Saviour's arms.

The Word Preserved

"The words of the Lord are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. Thou shalt keep them, O Lord, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever." - Psalms 12:6-7

The beauty of the Bible is its timelessness. When we read the Word of God yesterday, then again today, then again in the future - it is still the same. Unchanging. Eternal. God promised that He would preserve His Word forever. 2000 years ago the Word was applicable, and today it is still applicable. It is our guide, our mirror, one of our connections with our Almighty and Powerful God of all the Ages. How incredible is it to hold the Bible in your hand, and to know these are God's very words for us?

I struggle sometimes when people read the Bible and say "Well you have to consider that the culture at the time of this letter from Paul was quite different to now, so what was said then is not applicable to us today." Or when people say "Well the Greek word used here actually means this or that. So the verse doesn't mean what it seems to mean."

Does that mean I have to be an Anthropologist or a Greek scholar in order to understand the Word that God gave to all generations? God's hand was in the translation of the Bible from Greek to English and every other language. He orchestrated it so that we could have the Preserved Word of God forever, no matter how educated or uneducated, mature or immature, young or old we are. God promised His Word would be preserved. He would not try to confuse us with cultural differences or historical accuracy. His Word was written for everyone of every generation. He is not a God of confusion, but He has gifted us with a sound mind. I will keep coming back to that because it is so important to understand that we do not have to be Theologians to understand what God is saying to us. If He had wanted the Greek to be translated differently, wouldn't He have orchestrated it so that happened?  If the Bible was only relevant to a specific historical culture, why do we have it now?

I read the Bible and I feel connected to God. I learn something new every time I open the pages. They convict me, encourage me, educate and equip me. God's Word is a blessing to all generations, ALL generations. The church has lost its passion for the very one who established us. Jesus IS the Word of God (John 1). He is the reason that we gather and worship God. He is the reason we can have eternal assurance.

Next time you read the Bible, sure look up the Greek words. Sure study the cultural significance - but remember one thing. God's Word is preserved. When you read it, read it as if it was written specifically to you, because it was. God wants you to hear Him and learn about everything through Him.

"Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." - Psalm 119:105

Crucified with Christ

"I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me." - Galatians 2:20

What does it mean to be crucified with Christ? The verse above is so pivotal in the life of a Christian. When we decide to follow Christ, we literally let go of who we were and allow Him to shape us and form us into His image. This doesn't mean that we lose our identity and our uniqueness, but it does mean that we are shedding the skin of the past and becoming a new creation. How exciting to know that Jesus wants to change us into His image? He wants to present us blameless before the Father. This is why He GAVE HIS LIFE. He died, and took on all the punishment of the past, present and future. He suffered and was cut of from the Father - all because of His endless love for us.

I gave my life to Christ in August, 2012. Since then He has been shaping and molding me into His image. It was scary, letting go of my past and it didn't happen all at once. It took months of reestablishing my faith, searching for answers and reaching out to God and begging Him to change me. It hurt. The truth hurts. I used the Word of God as a mirror and I was horrified to see who I had become, what I had become. Then the cleansing power of the Word began to transform me. Slowly, my wounds began to heal.

The scars remain. I remember where I was, I remember how I felt, but that all serves to remind me how merciful Jesus is.

This blog has existed for two years now, but I have started it afresh. It is time to move forward and see where God takes me. I am not the only pilgrim making this journey to giving myself wholly and completely to God. I invite you to join me as I move on and take the path that lies ahead. It will not be easy, but I know that God will reveal Himself more and more as I spend more time with Him and dig in to His Word.

I am confident that Jesus will complete the work He has begun in me [Philippians 1:6] and the Journey will be beautiful, despite the tough times that will come.