RESTORED BY THE LORD

Mr Any Man

Ms Any Woman

Time with Jesus - 24 May 2013

Hi all,

Can someone lose their salvation? It’s a difficult question to answer, without upsetting someone. People love to say that it’s a gift from God and He will not take it away. I pray that they are right. Unfortunately, that’s not what I find in the Scripture. The writer to the Hebrews expresses it as follows: - ²⁶ If we give up and turn our backs on all we've learned, all we've been given, all the truth we now know, we repudiate Christ's sacrifice ²⁷ and are left on our own to face the Judgment--and a mighty fierce judgment it will be! ²⁸ If the penalty for breaking the law of Moses is physical death, ²⁹ what do you think will happen if you turn on God's Son, spit on the sacrifice that made you whole, and insult this most gracious Spirit? ³⁰ This is no light matter. God has warned us that he'll hold us to account and make us pay. He was quite explicit: "Vengeance is mine, and I won't overlook a thing," and, "God will judge his people." ³¹ Nobody's getting by with anything, believe me. Heb 10:26-31 MSG

Back-Slide

Assuming this is the correct interpretation of Scripture and that salvation can be lost, is it possible to know that we are no longer “saved”? To answer this, we need to understand the meaning of being “saved”. Many think it is a one off thing to which we can put a date and time. e.g. “I was saved at 17 minutes past 3 on 19^th October 1960.” 

In or out of Christ

Frankly, I don’t think we can say this. It may have been the time and date when you or I decided to follow Jesus Christ; to give our heart to Him is the way we usually put it. The real question is whether or not the decision made at the time, was irrevocable and cast in concrete for ever, regardless of anything you subsequently decide. To think that way suggests you see God as a sort of “Divine Prostitute” you can use whenever you wish. Taken to its logical conclusion, it inverts the situation and places your will above that of God. In other words, after the decision is made, God is permanently stuck with you or me! It means that we are the master and God is the puppet. 

Caught in the Pig Pen

Frankly, I can’t believe that. My free will can never make me superior to the Lord in any way. In other words, if I make a decision to follow Christ, I am also able to make a subsequent decision to choose otherwise! Note also that the decision is not merely verbal. The evidence you are a follower of Jesus is not verbal; it’s behavioural. If I say I’m a Christian but behave like the devil, which one is true? No prize for saying you belong to Satan.

The problem is how to know we are following Jesus the way we should? I wish I could answer this. To know this we need to know what is in a man’s heart. We can’t do that. We only know what is in our own hearts. Even then we can be mistaken. For example, outwardly I may look like a man praising the Lord. But what if in the depths of my heart (God forbid) I’m cursing Him? Only God knows what is in the heart of a man. Only the Holy Spirit of God has access to this. You and I must have the courage to ask Him about ourselves. I can’t ask about you. I can only ask about myself. That’s when the Holy Spirit bears witness with our spirits that we are sons of God.

The Return of the Prodigal Son

Those who have had the dreadful experience of being a “backslider” for the best part of 18 years, know how painful it can be, trying to live life without Him. How can I describe it? Perhaps the best way is having your head covered with a plastic bag. You can’t breathe. But you can’t pull off the plastic. The best you can do it prick a small hole in the plastic and grab a quick lung full before the bag closes again. Every moment is agony. You know about the glory of living for Him. But due to your own stupidity, you’ve quit. You know you can’t live without Him. Even so pride, fear, rejection and everything Satan can muster against you comes against you like a flood. It’s the closest thing to hell on earth we will ever know.

Lost in a Hurricane 

Then there comes the moment when you surrender once more to Him. It’s like being lost in a hurricane. You want to be swept off your feet because of the pent up emotion within. 

Then, unbelievable as it may seem, He welcomes you back the way the father welcomed home the prodigal son. Your heart breaks and huge sobs shake you until His peace settles once more on your spirit.

All that needs to be added is, “Don’t ever be a backslider. It’s hell!”

Shalom,

Jim & Phyllida Strickland

Don't Let it be You

Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give		Time with Jesus – Friday, 24 May 2013			Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give
©	These devotionals are the intellectual property of Jim Strickland and copyright protected. You are welcome to copy and distribute them to anyone provided it is for non-commercial Christian purposes					©
INTRODUCTION			DAILY LIGHT EVENING SCRIPTURES	RESTORED BY THE LORD
The biggest problem facing men in this day and any age is women. This is not intended as a derogatory or negative comment about a woman or women in general. It is a fact. Men and women are different. A cursory glance is sufficient evidence to confirm this without reservation. Furthermore, a man is not a woman’s equal and a woman is not a man’s equal. The concept is preposterous. We are the same species. But we are different; wonderfully and marvellously so. We need each other. Helen of Troy may have had the face that launched a thousand ships. I can almost guarantee, none of the sailors on these ships were women! In addition I’ve never seen a man take part in the Miss South Africa contest. If we are the same, why not? Men have a weakness for women. We do! I do not apologise for saying this. It’s been like this since the fall. I’m told that men have an ability to love several women at the same time. To women this is anathema! But the women have an extraordinary ability to “multitask”. Men have enough trouble dealing with one task at a time. I suppose we can say women multi-task and men multi-woman! My weakness for women has been the source of many of my problems since I entered puberty. Most of the dumb things I’ve said and done have been as a result of this weakness. Thank God He has provided a solution to this problem. It’s having a Godly marriage to a Godly woman and a shared faith in Jesus Christ. This weakness for women was what brought about ±18 years of backsliding. Of course, in my immaturity, I blamed the Lord for this. Most of us do. But the real reason was that my “plans” were thwarted and I needed someone to blame. I chose to blame Him. Let me say that the life of a backslider is the worst kind of “hell” we can find on this earth. You become something approaching being bi-polar. You know what you’re missing but are too busy sulking to do anything about it. Then something happens to disturb your tranquillity. Your heart wants to turn back to God. But your mind is still going through the sulks. We think all this is purely coincidental. It isn’t, The Lord is dealing with His child. He keeps on increasing the pressure until you surrender. I wasted ±18 years doing this. Eventually I capitulated. Life in the pig pen was unendurable. It was my own fault. I got there. That’s when my heart and mind turned back to Him. So I set out to go home. That’s when my miracle took place. It only took a couple of steps and there He was! I wept over my foolishness. He took me in His arms and said, “Welcome Home My Son!” Jim & Phyllida Strickland			15 I will go back to my home in heaven. I will stay there until you admit you have sinned. Then you will turn to me. You will suffer so much that you will really want me to help you. Hosea 5:15 NIrV 1 Listen! The LORD’S arm is not too weak to save you, nor is His ear too deaf to hear you call. 2 It’s your sins that have cut you off from God. Because of your sins, He has turned away and will not listen anymore. Isaiah 59:1-2 NLT 6 But when opened the door he was gone. My loved one had tired of waiting and left. And I died inside--oh, I felt so bad! I ran out looking for him But he was nowhere to be found. I called into the darkness--but no answer. Song of Solomon 5:6 MSG 17 I was angry, so I punished these greedy people. I withdrew from them, but they kept going on their own stubborn way. 18I have seen what they do, but I will heal them anyway! I will lead them I will comfort those who mourn 19 bringing words of praise to their lips. May they have abundant peace, both near and far,” says the LORD, who heals them. Isaiah 57:17- NLT 17 Haven’t you brought that on yourselves? I am the LORD your God, but you deserted me. You left me even while I was leading you. Jeremiah 2:17 NIrV 20 And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. Luke 15:20 ESV 4 I will heal their apostasy; I will love them freely, for my anger has turned from them. 5 l will be like the dew to Israel; he shall blossom like the lily; he shall take root like the trees of Lebanon; Hosea 14:4-5 ESV 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. I John 1:9 TNIV	The problem with backsliding is all the pain and hurt. You know the way things used to be and cannot stand the dirt. You think back on the fellowship which once was very sweet. And now you’re in the pig pen, with nothing you can eat. You think of what’s been wasted. You think about the time, When once you walked together. It seemed to be Divine! But something happened to you, which made you walk away. Your heart is filled with deep regret for what you did that day. You wish it hadn’t happened. You think you’re being brave. It’s difficult to realise you’re almost Satan’ slave But like a sulking school boy who won’t admit he’s wrong And yet It’s to the Lord your God you still want to belong! The pressure then increases. God won’t leave you alone! In spite of all your dreadful sin, He wants you for His own. He is the Hound of Heaven and you are now the prey. Don’t think for just a moment, He’ll let you get away. He will not use compulsion. The choice you make is yours. But in your covenant with Him, there’s no escaping clause. He’s totally committed to bring you home one day; And He will keep on chasing you, until you will obey. How do you think I know this? My friend I have been there. I knew what fellowship was like. I’d talked with Him in prayer. I knew Who filled that emptiness. It made me feel insane. The need to get back home again kept beating in my brain. The pressure kept increasing. At last my heart went “pop’! ‘Forgive me Lord!” I cried to Him. It made the pressure stop. And He had won the victory. I just capitulated. He knew that I would do it; and so the Master waited. He hadn’t once deserted me. I’d been a silly fool; And graduated once again from Jesus’ training school. Again the Lord had healed me. Once more He’d picked me up. Once more I had a little taste from His salvation cup. Since then I’ve grown much older. I left that all behind. And proved again conclusively that He is Good and Kind. He healed my gross apostasy, His anger turned away. The many years I’d wasted were forgiven me that day. Once more we walk together. I’m His and He is mine Restored to be a bond slave of Jesus Christ Divine. Jim Strickland Written 24th May 2012