Romans 11:22 “Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off”
I feel sometimes that I am on a “spiritual high wire” and it is a balancing act for me to convey the loving-kindness and Father heart of God and all that encompasses while at the same time explaining His ongoing need to correct us, to challenge us, to convict us and to prepare us for all that lies before us both here and now and in eternity. Our salvation is secure, nothing can alter that, we are children of God, but it is His will that we do not stop at childhood, but become fully mature adults, so the message to today’s church is that of increasing intimacy, obedience, holiness, purity, humility and power. Our heart is the Kingdom over which God has come to reign. The One to whom we are betrothed has become the husband of our soul and released us from the prison of self. God is coming to remove anything in your life that is not producing good fruit. He cuts off every branch that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit, he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. Whatever He does may appear to be severe and unpleasant, but the result will profit you throughout life and eternity. While it is yet dark and many are sleeping in the church world, your lamp will be filled with oil and you will be gloriously dressed on your wedding day as the return of the Bridegroom draws near.
John 1:17 “grace and truth came by Jesus Christ”
Have you noticed how things are changing in the ever-shifting foundations of our churches and our country? What used to be unthinkable has now been embraced politically and religiously. Foundational truths that have been in place for thousands of years are under attack. Grace never comes at the expense of the truth. Many are partakers of the grace of His life but their cup of truth is not yet half full. We must be bold to speak the truth in love and not wavier.
Colossians 3:5-6 “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming”
The vines of idolatry don’t destroy trees of righteousness overnight. They grow slowly unnoticed as they wrap themselves around the tree and its branches and then they begin to deprive it of life as they tighten their grip. When these trees fall, they can damage many other trees on their way down. The tree can still be saved but it requires a ministry that discerns how to cut the taproot and remove the vine without damaging the tree. Let us beware lest in our pride we think that idolatry consists only in kneeling before visible objects in adoration and that civilized people are therefore free from it. The essence of idolatry is to entertain thoughts about God in whose image we are created that are untrue. It begins in the mind’s eye as an imagination that starts to form an image in the heart that is unlike God. As Paul wrote, “When they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened”. We become what we behold in the incubator of our heart.
Genesis 1:27 “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them”
War has been declared on the “Genesis Image”. It is under attack in our churches, our schools our government and our nation. It is ‘identity theft”. The aim of the enemy of our faith is that we abort the development of the divine image of God that is being formed in us by the life of His Son. Our sexuality must be viewed and interpreted through the lens of the scriptures. Gender distinction must be celebrated as the beautiful pattern that God gave us from the beginning.
Ephesians 5:31 “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh”
The heart of the gospel is denying yourself not affirming yourself. Everyone must start at the Cross where our life ends and His begins. Every pattern in scripture relates to male and female. Each is beautifully and uniquely designed by God, the two are meant to become one, physically to reproduce, emotionally to balance one another and spiritually to become one in dependency, intimacy and strength.
Ephesians 5:25 “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her”
God gave us marriage and when a man and a woman are rightly related, spirit, soul and body, they reveal the image of God. Both the mother’s love and the father’s love are necessary to fully express God’s divine nature. A mother’s love is unconditional. A father’s love requires honor and is firm. A mother is compassionate and moves in the beauty of intuition. A father is logical and reasoning. Together they paint one picture of God’s grace and divine plan for the world to see.… (this is an excerpt from a developing manuscript of a new book I am writing, I am hoping to release it in 2019)