Let us Ascend the Hill of the LORD with clean hands and pure hearts together!
Author: ascendthehill
My greatest desire is to follow the Lord Jesus Christ and to see his church rise to the glory for which he has called them. Let's ascend the hill of the LORD together.
Some people think accusations are based on lies, and some are… but not always. The woman caught in adultery was quite literally caught in the very act of adultery (cheating on her husband). When the Lawyers came before the Just One to bring her to trial for her ACTUAL offense, His JUDGMENT was to show her mercy, but what he said to her concerning the Lawyers shows an insight into the nature of our adversary, the devil.
When they all left the scene of her JUDGMENT the Just Judge asked her, “Where are your accusers? Has no one condemned you?” The accusation was HER ACTUAL OFFENSE, not a made-up charge. She ACTUALLY cheated on her husband and under the penalty of the LAW she was to be condemned to die.
Satan uses the ACTUAL offenses contained in the LAW (knowledge of good and evil) to accuse you. Sometimes it is not a made-up offense it is our actual offense that he will use. Then what happens is we become alienated from God in our minds because our crimes have been elevated to a point where we think that God’s love and mercy cannot not reach… or worse we try to justify ourselves instead of submitting ourselves to the One who justifies the ungodly. <<<—This is a bad place to be<<<—
A Fool For A Client
If we’re busy trying to justify ourselves, receiving mercy is hard. There is a saying that used to be popular that states, “A lawyer who represents himself has a fool for a client.” This is so true for us when we try to be our own representation. Because if we are being honest with ourselves we know that we are guilty.
“Now we know that what things soever the law says, it says to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.”
Romans 3:19-20
This is what Jesus did to the Pharisees when they tried to condemn the woman who was caught cheating on her husband. He used the law to shut their mouths so that they would understand that they too were guilty before God by their own laws. And every one of them dropped their stones and walked away.
In their zeal for God, they condemned a woman. But their zeal was not according to the knowledge of God. Their zeal was according to the works of the law, which is what it means when it says, they were trying to establish their own righteousness. They were trying to justify themselves instead of submitting themselves to the mercy (or righteousness) of God.
Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believes.
Romans 10:1-4
Submission Is The Key
Jesus said, “Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary delivers you to the judge, and the judge delivers you to the officer, and you be cast into prison.”
Matthew 5:25
When the accuser comes in trying to accuse you don’t get caught up trying to justify yourself and fighting on his terms. If he comes in like a flood accusing you about how terrible you are turn to him and agree, “Dang, devil, you’re right. I am a sinner above everyone else. Praise God that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners of whom I am chief. Let’s go see what God has to say about this…” We all know how that court case turned out in the Old Testament when the devil WAS allowed to be in the courtroom of heaven (reference Zechariah 3) now he’s not even allowed in there (reference Luke 10:18).
We Have A Better Representative: His name is Jesus!
Look, we don’t fight the devil on his terms in his court! We submit to God. We submit to the righteousness of God. He decided to come here and save sinners. He decided that all who put their trust in the righteousness of His Son Jesus shall be saved. He made those judgments.
Let’s submit ourselves to the righteous judgments of our Father and realize our salvation does not depend on us. It is completely dependent on Him. No more justifying ourselves and trying to live by our righteousness. Let’s live by HIS. We aren’t here to fight the devil on his terms. We’re here to submit to God and live by His terms. And this is the terms that we have with Him whoever calls upon the name of the LORD shall be saved!
Love you guys!
Our FATHER loves us! He is a Just Judge and He delights in showing mercy, mercy triumphs over Judgment. When we enter into judgment with our accuser we are not coming in trying to defend our righteousness (testifying in court of our own innocence). We are coming in submitting to the righteous Judgment of our Savior!
One day as I was talking to the LORD, expressing my devotion to him. I said to him, “My love and my life are yours! Consume me!”
What I meant by that is he could use me and do with me whatever he wanted. You see I have suffered and been persecuted a lot by people. And after all the hurt and pain and my soul feeling crushed, in a moment of ecstatic bliss with King Jesus I was laying my life on the altar again declaring to my King, “You can have it all. If you want me to be run down and beaten then my life is yours to do with what you want. And if you want me to pour out my love on people who will be ungrateful and despitefully use me then King Jesus it’s yours to do with whatever you want!”
Do you know what his response to me was? It wasn’t, “Oh, my wonderful servant! I love your exclamation of devotion towards me!” Nope, not at all. What he said to me was, “No! My LOVE and My LIFE are yours. Consume me!”
So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.
ESV, John 6:53
That was the response he gave to me. An emphatic NO. Then he began to show me where true Love and Life is found. It is found in his sacrifice. How he gave his body to be run down and beaten. How he poured out his love on people who were ungrateful and despitefully used him.
Not long after he told me that I went out and bought the elements of communion (the bread and wine). And began to take communion with my family more often. I would say, “Lord you told me, “My LOVE and My LIFE are yours. Consume me!” So that’s what I am doing eating your flesh and drinking your blood. Please teach me what you mean when you said to eat your flesh and drink your blood.”
Lessons Learned
I am still learning this lesson. I ask him what he meant by that often and I believe he has given me some answers, but I am still unpacking this. Some of what I have received I will give to you.
First, He was telling us to remember his sacrifice.
And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me
Luke 22:19
Second, he was talking about the New Covenant.
Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you
Luke 22:20
He wants us to remember his sacrifice. What he did to have us back to himself again, and how sure and steadfast that is. How he gave up his body to be broken for our healing, and how he poured out his blood for our redemption.
The next thing he was conveying to me was, that it’s not about my devotion to him. It’s about his devotion to me. Now, full disclaimer, I am not saying that we should not be faithful to Jesus. What I am saying is that we are unable to be faithful to him through our own strength and we need to rely fully on his promise to make us and keep us faithful to him. I will tell you this is a hard lesson to learn at times and I will explain in more detail below what I mean by this.
Our Devotion Or His?
If Jesus was looking at our devotion to him he would have respected Peter’s exclamation towards him before he took the cross. When Peter expressed to the Lord, “I will go with you wherever. I am willing to die for you!” (paraphrased from Luke 22:33). Little did Peter know that when he was relying on his devotion to the Lord he was trusting in his own strength to take him to the cross and not in the Lord’s devotion and strength to bring him through it.
You see that’s where a lot of us fall. We rely on our own love and devotion to take the cross and not on God’s love and devotion to see us through. But when you’ve been humbled by your own lack of strength, and you know that you can’t make it on your own. That’s when the words of Jesus ring so loud and true,
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven”
Matthew 5:3
Poor In Spirit
It’s to the poor in spirit that Jesus said they were blessed and that the kingdom of heaven was their possession. But what does it mean to be poor in spirit? When we hear verses like: “The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit” (ESV, Psalm 34:18) what exactly comes to our mind? Is it a person whose spirit cannot be broken and full of strength? I will tell you right now that is not a person who has poverty in their spirit.
When I think of the poor in spirit a glaring example that comes to mind is Naomi in the book of Ruth. She was so crushed and broken that she ended up changing her name to Mara (bitterness). Bless God for Ruth and her faithfulness! Because of Ruth’s faithfulness to Naomi God’s salvation came to her. I also think of David when he was on the run from Saul in the wilderness. When he said in his heart, “I know that one day Saul is going to kill me. It is better to go live with the heathen so that I won’t die by his hands” (paraphrased from 1 Samuel 27:1).
In both of these examples, they were both crushed in spirit and had no strength left to give. That’s when God’s grace stepped in and elevated them out “from the ash heap, To set them among princes And make them inherit the throne of glory” (NKJV, 1 Samuel 2:8). With David, not long after he said that in his heart he received the kingdom. And Naomi after she called herself empty she became the mother (through Ruth) of kings! The lineage of David and Jesus came through her!
The poor in spirit are the ones that the New Covenant belongs to. Those who have finally come to the end of their self and realized, I cannot make it without you King Jesus. Please help me! This is the whole reason why the New Covenant was formed because we could not do it by ourselves.
Drinking The Cup of Old Wine
It was because of our insufficiency that Jesus took the cross and fulfilled the Old Covenant for us. I remember when Jesus was asking the Father to allow this cup to pass from him in the garden of Gethsemane:
And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.”
And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, “So, could you not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.
ESV, Matthew 26:39-42
Do you see the subtle difference in what he prayed? At first, he was asking the Father if at all possible to let the cup pass from him. Then when he saw his disciples sleeping he returned and said, If this cannot pass unless I drink it then your will be done. When he found his beloved friends asleep he realized unless I drink the cup of this Old Covenant then they will not be able to drink from the cup of the New.
And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins, the wine will spill, and the wineskins will be ruined. Instead, new wine is poured into new wineskins. And no one after drinking old wine wants new, for he says, ‘The old is better
BSB, Luke 5:37-39
Our Father has shown me that not only while Jesus was fulfilling the Law and the Prophets (drink the Old wine for us), they actually gave him old sour wine to drink right before he died. Look at how amazing God is!
“And one of them at once ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine, and put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink”
ESV, Matthew 27:48
So prophetic! God is so awesome at showing examples of things in the spirit by performing them on this earth.
A New Covenant For A New People
The Old Covenant is all about our devotion to him. While the New Covenant is about believing in his devotion to us. If Jesus was looking for our devotion to him then the Old Covenant would have been sufficient, but because there was an insufficiency with us that’s why he made another covenant.
For if that first Covenant had been without fault, no place would have been sought for a second. But God found fault with the people and said:
“Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a New Covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. It will not be like the Covenant I made with their fathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt— a Covenant they broke, though I was a husband to them,” declares the LORD. “But this is the Covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD. I will put My law in their minds and inscribe it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they will be My people. No longer will each man teach his neighbor or his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ because they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquities and will remember their sins no more.”
By speaking of a New Covenant, He has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and aging will soon disappear.
That Old Covenant based on our devotion to him is obsolete and aging and will soon disappear. But this New Covenant which is based on faith in him (i.e. believing in his steadfast love and devotion toward us) is growing brighter and brighter.
“But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, That shines brighter and brighter until the full day”
NASB, Psalm 4:18
That path of the righteous is the one our savior made through his blood. Thank you, Jesus! God bless you Son of God. I no longer have to trust in my own strength to see me through to the end. I can trust in God’s love and life to see me through. I can trust in the power of His Spirit!
Then he said to me, “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of hosts.
ESV, Zechariah 4:6
I am so grateful that he decided to find me and call me to himself. Thank you for increasing the power of the weak! I am so grateful to you, God, for giving strength to the powerless. Bless him forever! As I come to a close I just can’t help but exclaim how grateful I am for this new and living way Jesus has made for us!
By his death, Jesus opened a new and [living] way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place.
NLT, Hebrews 10:20
I love you all and thank you for reading! I hope this is informative and helps bring understanding to what kind of Covenant we have with our God. So thankful that it’s no longer about me, but all about him! Take a deep drink of God’s faithfulness today and rest in the finished work of Jesus! He is our Sabbath!
I think there is such a misunderstanding of what the Gospel is. The Gospel is not just a ticket out of hell. The Gospel is the power of God that transforms sinful children of the devil into righteous children of the living God.
Don’t you know that once Adam fell under Satan’s power all of creation fell with him? And that Jesus came to save that which was lost? What was lost? Man’s union with God aka mankind being children of God. When Adam fell mankind became children of Satan. It’s the very reason why Jesus said, “He that believes on him is not condemned: but he that believes not IS CONDEMNED ALREADY, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (John 3:18).
Why was the world condemned already? Because Adam became a child of the devil when he submitted himself to the lies of Satan and Satan is condemned. Why was all of humanity fallen with Adam? Because God’s word cannot be contradicted, and according to God’s word every seed produces fruit after its own kind. So all of humanity after the fall became children of Satan.
The judgment God cast was on Satan, not mankind, but those who are in Adam will die with their father Satan and those who are in Christ will live with their Father God. It’s that simple. So while those who are outside of Christ are still without hope in this world God is the hope of the world desiring to draw all of creation into himself.
The great conflict though is that this understanding has been hidden. The Gospel has become about getting into heaven and not about God uniting creation back to himself through Jesus Christ. Satan has been desperately trying to cover up and blind the eyes of people so that they will not understand this. That is why a man must be born again.
Jesus said, “I say unto you, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God… Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God” (John 3:3&5).
A person who is not born again cannot understand the things of God, they are children of the devil and the wisdom of God is hidden from them. Why do you think that Paul said, “But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Cor. 2:14). It is imperative that all people come into Christ so that condemnation will be passed from them.
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that hears my word, and believes on him that sent me, has everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life” (John 5:24).
Which begs the question, “…how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent?” (from Rom. 10:14-15). How can a person hear his word to receive this wonderful invitation to be made one with our Creator again if we are not telling them? That is why it is so important to know the message of this Gospel and why Satan has tried very hard to change this Gospel into something it is not. If we are speaking a separate Gospel then we are doing mankind an injustice by not allowing them the opportunity to know God now.
A person must be born again! If they are not born again then they are not God’s children and condemnation still abides on them. A reminder though, I can’t be birthed by my own will or strength it takes the act of God to produce his seed in me. That is why Paul prayed to the Father, “That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith…” (from Eph. 3:16-17). It is the Father’s will and for His good pleasure that He has birthed us again into this living hope.
I love you all and I will leave you all with this encouragement: “Do not fear, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12:32). He desires to give it to you. He desires for you to be birthed by His Spirit. He desires to adopt you, you just need to accept the invitation. God loves you and does not want anyone to perish with Satan and his demons. Love you all!
(There is more to the Gospel than this, this is just a short synopsis of what the Good news is all about.)
“Who against hope believed in hope… and being not weak in faith… He did not stagger at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God.”
from Romans 4:18-20
The above scripture is in reference to Abraham, the father of our faith. The Bible is very clear about the shortcomings of our forefathers. It shows where Abraham lied a couple times and where he doubted if the promise would happen. Except, in this retelling of Abraham’s story, those moments are not even mentioned. It seems that God did not even care to bring them up. Why? Because God is love, and love keeps no record of wrongdoing. Love sees the best even when the opposite is showing itself. Love perseveres.
It’s amazing the way God sees things versus the way the accuser sees them. God sees past our shortcomings and sees the finished work of His Son Jesus. The accuser, however, only focuses on our failures and tries to disqualify us based on that.
You see a moment in your life does not define who you are. It’s only a moment. Those were only moments in Abraham’s life, and his story did not end there. God continued to encourage and speak to him, and Abraham believed in the One who promised.
Don’t let satan continue to accuse you for things that have happened. People may bring up your shortcomings and failures, but those people are only looking at the flesh. God never said that flesh would inherit the kingdom.
Zaccheus, A sinner Son
Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. And there was a man called by the name of Zaccheus; he was a chief tax collector and he was rich. Zaccheus was trying to see who Jesus was, and he was unable due to the crowd, because he was short in stature. So he ran on ahead and climbed up a sycamore tree in order to see Him, because He was about to pass through that way.
And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and said to him, “Zaccheus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house.”
And [Zaccheus] hurried and came down, and received Him joyfully.
When the people saw this, they all began to complain, saying, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner!”
But Zaccheus stopped and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, half of my possessions I am giving to the poor, and if I have extorted anything from anyone, I am giving back four times as much.”
And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost."
NASB, Luke 19:1-10
When Jesus called out to Zaccheus people in that community began to bring up all his sins and shortcomings. Do you think that the Lord didn’t know about Zaccheus’ sins before he had called him? Of course, he did. He knew exactly who Zaccheus was and what he had done; yet, this knowledge did not prevent the Lord from calling him. It may have offended everyone around Zaccheus, but God’s choice remained the same.
While the rest of the town was saying he was a child of the devil, Jesus declared his true identity over him. Jesus, contrary to public opinion, continued to affirm Zaccheus. Once Zaccheus finished speaking Jesus continued with his redemptive purpose in Zaccheus’ life. He declared plainly for all the accusers to hear, “…[Zaccheus], too, is a son of Abraham.”
God’s testimony is a more sure word than human verdicts
“But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by a human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself.”
NKJV, 1 Corinthians 4:3
People may cast judgment toward you, but God’s word is the only one that matters. There may have been times when you were wrongfully accused or rightfully condemned, but God holds the final say in all things. It was the Law that condemned the woman caught in adultery, but Jesus Christ, the Son, set her free (see John 8:1-12). You see human judgments are just that, human. They do not hold the final verdict, that belongs to God alone. People may judge and cast stones without giving any grace, but remember “Grace and Truth came by Jesus Christ” (from John 1:17).
God’s testimony is much more gracious towards you than you may believe. He is the savior, who came into this world to seek and save that which was lost. You may be like Zaccheus, listening to the crowd calling you a sinner unfit to have Jesus in your home, but Jesus is calling you a son. Turn off the noise of this world, and cling to the voice of your savior.
“For I know nothing by myself; yet I am not justified by this: but he that judges me is the Lord.”
1 Corinthians 4:4
Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life. (NLT, Proverbs 4:23).
People may continue to speak against you. People may partner with the devil and bring up all your sins. People may condemn you and throw rocks at you, but don’t allow that to penetrate your heart. If the devil can get a person to believe from their heart the accusations spoken against them then he can try to set the course of their life.
“But be on guard against people, for they will hand you over to the courts and flog you in their synagogues”
Jesus our Divine Judge, Matthew 10:17
“…But take courage; I have overcome the world!” (Jesus, the Savior).
You may have found yourself in a position where you’ve believed the accusations from your heart. If you have found yourself beaten down by the accuser, believing the lies that he has spoken over you do not lose hope! Even there our savior’s hand is reaching out to keep you!
“For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things.”
NKJV, 1 John 3:20
Stand strong before God and believe in his steadfast love and devotion toward you. God’s promises never fail. Continue to seek his face. He sees you. He’s always been faithful. He’s never failed. His mercies are new every morning!
I love you guys! When the world is against you and people have judged you harshly just remember the Holy Spirit’s testimony of your story is much different than you think. God doesn’t hold things against you. “…[Love] keeps no record of wrongs” (from 1 Corinthians 13:5) and our God is love! Keep pressing in He is for you! He loves you more than you could know!
But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and lie against the truth. This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic.
James 3:14-15
First, I want to clarify why earthly wisdom is a doctrine from devils. The wisdom of this world denies its Creator. It leaves your destiny in your own hands. The wisdom of this world is all about self. It’s your promotion and what you can do to achieve your potential. me, Me, ME. That’s what it’s all about, self… For greater clarification of the wisdom of this world being demonic in origin, I will take you to Jesus’ rebuke of Simon Peter.
From that time forward Jesus began to show unto his disciples, how that he must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.
Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, "Let these things not come near you, Lord: this shall not happen to you."
But he turned, and said unto Peter, "Get behind me, Satan: you are an offence to me: for you do not savor the things that be of God, but those that be of men."
(Matthew 16:21-23).
What was his offense towards Peter? That he thought and dwelt on the things of this world. What was the topic that Peter was addressing? Jesus’ torture and death. We want our family and friends to live long and prosperous lives so why is this an offensive mindset? Because it’s all about this earth, and getting the most out of this earth. Peter was rebuked and called Satan because his thoughts (at that time) were steadfastly on the affairs of this earth. This is why earthly wisdom is demonically inspired.
Subtle Lies From Demons
“Surround yourself with prominent people in your community and you will go higher in that community…”
Demonic Rhetoric
I have heard this and similar expressions come from Christians. Honestly, it disturbs me. Isn’t this the same thing the children of this world do? It seems to me that it is.
“Surround yourself with well-to-do people and you will also rise to the top with them.”
More Demonic Rhetoric
This mindset has held the church back from being the city on a hill the Lord has called us to be. We need to get back to the teachings of the Bible.
But the wisdom from above is first pure…impartial, free of hypocrisy
“My brothers and sisters, do not hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of personal favoritism. For if a man comes into your assembly with a gold ring and is dressed in bright clothes, and a poor man in dirty clothes also comes in, and you pay special attention to the one who is wearing the bright clothes, and say, “You sit here in a good place,” and you say to the poor man, “You stand over there, or sit down by my footstool,” have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil motives? Listen, my beloved brothers and sisters: did God not choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him? But you have dishonored the poor man. Is it not the rich who oppress you and personally drag you into court? Do they not blaspheme the good name by which you have been called? If, however, you are fulfilling the royal law according to the Scripture, “YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF,” you are doing well. But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the Law as violators.”
Holy Inspiration, James 2:1-9
It’s the disregarded that many Christians cast to the side that God is after. Stones disallowed indeed by men (see 1 Peter 2:4). Seeing how our messiah was an outcast and chose a bunch of outcasts it’s a wonder this kind of teaching gains speed in the church.
I’m so glad our Father chose the foolish, the poor, the disregarded, and the children to confound the “put-together” people of Jesus’ time.
“I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight.”
Jesus the Son of God, Matthew 11:25-26
And he will do it again. Remember his word,
“For this reason also, the wisdom of God said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they will kill, and some they will persecute.”
Jesus the Messiah, Luke 11:49
Final admonition
We need to wake up and smell the broken. Jesus is here for them, but instead, we turned Christianity into a networking club about who you know… it’s a shame really. I wonder how often the Lord or one of his angels has come into a church as an unrefined person and sat there in the service waiting for people to receive him?
“For if you love them which love you, what credit is that to you? for sinners also love those that love them. And if you do good to them which do good to you, what credit is that to you? for sinners also do even the same. And if you lend to them of whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again. But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and you shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.”
Our primary call in life (as Christians) is to believe. BELIEVE, not perform, Believe. Many people have been duped into thinking that our call in life depends on our performance. That’s an old covenant mindset. The new covenant is all about believing.
“And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.”
1 John 3:23
Interestingly love is described in this manner:
“Love is patient, love is kind, it is not jealous; love does not brag, it is not arrogant. does not act disgracefully, it does not seek its own benefit; it is not provoked, DOES NOT KEEP AN ACCOUNT OF A WRONG SUFFERED, it does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; it keeps every confidence, it BELIEVES ALL THINGS, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails…”
1 Corinthians 13:4-8
If we love one another we would believe in Christ which is in each other. We would not keep an account, measuring each other up to see if we fit the mold of a child of God. Love believes in a person before the person’s exterior looks like a child of God. “For we walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Cor. 5:7) and “From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh” (2 Cor. 5:17).
Surround yourself with people who believe, and try to limit your time with those who do not. Performance-based Christians will only make you feel heavily burdened (see Luke 11:46), but those who believe will lighten the load by pointing to Jesus. Surround yourself with people who believe in Jesus in you, not those measuring you by your performance.
“…which is Christ in you, the hope of glory”
Colossians 1:27
It was while we were yet sinners that God gave his son (see Rom. 5:8). He wasn’t waiting for you to measure up to a standard. He believed in you (that is Christ in you) before you even knew a standard. Remember he is the one that justifies the ungodly (see Rom. 4:5), and the same one who calls those things that be not as though they were (see Rom. 4:17). He calls and he qualifies (justifies). Surround yourself with those who believe in the God who is at work in you, not those who are more concerned about your performance than your trust in the Creator.
Trust in Him, Jesus is the salvation of your soul. God bless you all! Our Father loves you!
Jesus said, “Do not judge, so that you will not be judged. For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you” (NASB, Mat. 7:1-2).
Sometimes we can be very critical of others but what if God was to use our own standard of judgment against us? Would we be able to withstand his judgment?
Today I woke up with a dream that frightened me. I will not go into every detail of the dream but I will give you the gist of it. Here it goes:
I was enrolled in a college course that I had forgotten about, and was suddenly made aware that I had not been to class in a while and was in danger of failing the course due to lack of attendance. I called the college administration's office to see when the school year ended. I wanted to see if there was enough time to make up for my low attendance. The first call did not go through. The mobile phone I was using was an antiquated one that had rubber push buttons. I took oil and poured it over the buttons of the phone and then tried calling again. This time the call went through to the administration. When the call went through the assistant answered and was a woman. She did not seem too enthused with me calling her about my class. I started to ask her about when the last day of class was. There was confusion about when the school year was ending and pretty much it could end in a couple weeks. If it did then I did not have time to make up for my class, but there could have been an extra month that we (me and the college administration) were unaware of and were trying to figure out if there was still time.
“But of that day and that hour knows no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father. Take heed, watch and pray: for you know not when the time is. For the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his [assigned task], and commanded the porter to watch. Watch therefore: for you do not know when the master of the house comes, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning: Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping. And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.”
Mark 13:32-37
Here is what I know
I woke up worried that I didn’t have enough time to make up for the class that I was enrolled in. I knew that the class was the assignment that God has given me. Now each and every one of us has an assignment from the LORD to do in this earth. The deadline for my assignment was coming up and I didn’t know if I had an extra month or not.
I believe the school year is almost up. Meaning the deadline for our assignment is coming up. If we don’t act now we could fail our class or fall short of fulfilling our assignment.
I know that the call didn’t go through to the administration’s office at first because of a lack of prayer. The oil represented intimate prayer and intercession for my church family. I believe they didn’t receive the call because I wasn’t praying for them to receive it and just assumed they would understand it was from the LORD.
When the administration’s office answered she was not enthused or even happy about my request. This honestly has been the general disposition of the church towards the call on my life, hence the reason why I have been discouraged, but as I continued to talk to her about when the last day of class was she started to answer my request.
I believe the uncertainty of the deadline was because by God’s grace He could extend the deadline. This uncertainty specifically is because of our response. If we respond with humility, repentance (start doing the assignment He has called us to), and pray then He could, by His grace, extend our deadline.
I really believe this is a timely word for the whole body of Christ right now. We each have assignments within His Kingdom. Are we attending to the thing that He has given us? The deadline is almost here!
Here are some practical steps that we can take:
We need to humble ourselves before the Lord. Tell Him we are sorry for blowing off His assignment. Regardless of the excuses that we have. He knows all and sees all and He is gracious. “If you, LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? But there is forgiveness with you, that you may be feared” (Psalm 130:3-4).
We need to repent. When I say repent I am saying reevaluate what He is calling us to and start moving in that direction. Change our perspective or thoughts about a certain thing and then start moving in the right direction. Maybe ask yourself what has God called me to? Am I pursuing what He has spoken to me? Are the things I am currently giving my time to going to bring me closer to the vision God has given me? Once you get the answers to those questions start asking for God’s grace to move in the direction He has called you to go then start walking in that direction.
We need to be in prayer. Pray for Him to move in the hearts of the people that He has called us to build with. Pray for Him to open doors that no man can shut and shut doors that no man can open. Pray that His desires be done in every situation of your life. Pray, pray pray!
The principles behind these steps were taken from 2Chronicles 7:14 which states:
If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
2 Chronicles 7:14
I love you all! May God’s favor and blessing be upon your life! I pray that the Holy Spirit guides you to all truth. That He would lead your every step and set up divine appointments and encounters where you know that His hand is upon your life. Father, open doors that no man can shut and shut doors that no man can open. Lead them in the way that they should go. May your peace be on their life in the name of Jesus Christ your son. Amen.
A desire for all the nations of the earth to be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord. 