“JIMMET” – WEAPONS AND PRAYER

Time with Jesus - Monday, 29 July 2013

Hi all,
The media hype over the birth of the Prince of Cambridge has given rise to what follows:-

A person is either a committed follower of Jesus Christ or not. You cannot have a foot in both camps. You are for Him or against Him. You alone must decide. It’s rather like life for most women of childbearing age on this planet. You are pregnant or you aren’t. You can’t be just a little bit pregnant. 

The Process (Phase)

Check it out with any mother. Being pregnant didn’t come in fits and starts. From start to finish it’s one continuous process. Unless there is a miscarriage or an abortion.

It’s just the same in Christianity. It’s also a process. In a sense, our life is similar to a foetal phase. It’s meant to start by being “born again”. 

In a way being “born again” or “born from above” is like conception. Jesus is in your heart. From there on we are supposed to grow in Him until the very end of life. Whether we are male or female, life for us in Jesus is our “pregnancy phase”. It should continue until full term, when we leave this world and are “born” into life anew. At least, that’s how it’s supposed to work.

Unfortunately, unlike HRH Kate of Cambridge, we go into the grave rather than a fancy hospital!

The question is can there be a miscarriage or an abortion? Many say, “Once save, always saved”. That would be very convenient. It would mean that sin is irrelevant. Furthermore, I may live like the devil and it wouldn’t matter. I’ve heard it said that some of our early church reformers promoted this thought. 

Now you are free to believe that if you wish. I don’t believe that. It seems so contradictory to the tenure of the entire New Testament. Jesus’ ministry years, in a nutshell, could be seen as an expression of, “Repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand”. Nowhere do I find Him telling anyone who had repented, he/she could sin as much as they desired. On the contrary, His word to the woman taken in adultery was: ¹¹ "No, Lord," she said. And Jesus said, "Neither do I. Go and sin no more." John 8:11 NLT 

It’s the “sin no more” words of Jesus that convince me, that after we have been born again, we must do exactly what He said. This means that after being born again, we are required to turn away from sin!

Jesus Washing His
Disciples Feet

Now you and I know that it is almost impossible for us to stay sin free. Our hands and feet walk through and live in a sin sick world. Some of it “rubs off” on us in spite of our best intentions. God knows this better than we do. So He gave us His Word in order to identify sin. He gave us a conscience to distinguish right from wrong. He sent His Holy Spirit to lead and guide us through this life. 

He sent His Son to encourage and forgive us when we stumble. Best of all, He’s made provision to forgive us when our hands and feet are polluted by sin. ⁹ But if we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. 1 John 1:9 NLT

I may have no theological justification for saying Jesus’ washing His disciple’s feet was done to teach us this valuable lesson. Nevertheless, it’s a beautiful picture of Jesus cleansing the feet of those who have been sullied by the world. We don’t need a complete bath; just cleansing where we are dirty. We had the bath when we came to Him initially! Now we must walk with Him and determine not to sin again.

None of these “helpers” are there to enable us to continue in sin. Paul stated this very clearly in his letter to the Romans. ¹ Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of His wonderful grace? ² Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it? Rom 6:1-2 NLT

Perhaps the difference is our having our feet washed. What would happen if someone decided to find a filthy pool of disgusting mud, then lived and rolled in it? Washing our feet would be inadequate. What would happen then? This is the bottom line; motives. Coming back to our pregnancy illustration, I suspect that if a sinful life was continued, we would be miscarried or perhaps aborted.

Many years ago I was told to keep our account with God as short as possible. Repent and confess sin quickly. Keep away from mud holes. Make it your greatest desire to love and serve Him. Then you will get to full term and emerge into His very presence. Is anything else truly worth living or dying for?

Shalom,

Jim & Phyllida Strickland

Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give		Time with Jesus – 29 July 2013					Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give
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	INTRODUCTION		DAILY LIGHT EVENING SCRIPTURES			“JIMMET” – WEAPONS AND PRAYER
Jack Hayford is one of the most “balanced” teachers on the Charismatic circuit. He has expanded our thinking significantly. In particular his teaching on the “unforgiveable sin”. It helped us to get rid of a large amount of “bad thinking” The book is called “Prayer is Invading the Impossible”. In the light of personal experience and Jesus’ words, it’s a magnificent title. There’s no other way for you and me to achieve the impossible. For those who don’t believe in God, prayer is futile; it’s only you talking to yourself! They comment, “If no one is listening, prayer is pointless”. What is difficult to understand, is how people could ever think that way. The evidence for intelligent design is visible everywhere. To believe that all this came about as a series of random events is surely more difficult to believe, than in a Creator God. It’s been established conclusively, that even the so-called “simple cell” is so complex; it should not be described as “simple”. It could not have evolved! The components are interconnected in such a complicated way; they depend on each other to function. Such a “process” could not have taken place accidentally! They answer this by saying, “You and I are here”. This proves that the impossible happened randomly. There’s not much logic in this. It’s like saying my name is Fred because there is no proof otherwise. As Christians, we see the blindness of such an attitude. For many years I’ve felt that believing in evolution is a theological decision. People don’t want to believe in God. So they reach out and embrace anything that remotely suggests that God is not real. They don’t believe in creation, because they don’t want to. They know if they start to believe in God, their lives will become subject to Him. It’s easier to stick with evolution than change their lifestyle. The first of today’s two “Jimmets” looks at this from the idea that such men and women are lost. Eleven of the fourteen lines describe the attitude of many unbelievers toward belief in God. The second “Jimmet” looks at Isaiah 54:17. The prophet’s statement to God’s People is that the world cannot make a weapon; that will overcome them. Whether this was intended solely for the Jews of Isaiah’s day, or for Christians today, isn’t clear. We know many of the Old Testament prophets referred primarily to the people of their day. But the prophetic word had a double application. First to the people of Isaiah’s day and later to the body of Christ. For you and me, the Sun of Righteousness has risen in our hearts and lives. Hallelujah! Jim & Phyllida Strickland				5 For you, O God, have heard my vows; you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name. Psalms 61:5 ESV	PRAYER FOR THE UNSAVED How many types of people on this earth, Fear the Lord and tremble at His Name? There’s only two. One group has second birth. The others do not care that Jesus came. Why should they if they think God’s a lie? A crutch to help those crippled in the mind. Raise their hands and, pointing to the sky, Ask us if we think that they are blind? Show us this Almighty Deity! Demonstrate to us that He is real. If we cannot see Him, He can’t be. Neither can we hear Him, smell or feel, Anything to prove that He is there. “Lord be merciful. We find them everywhere!” Jim Strickland Written 29th July 2012 -oOo- WEAPONS CANNOT PROSPER When God is on your side, there’s naught to fear. The weapons of the wicked can’t prevail. Atom bombs and bullets won’t come near, Because the Master’s promise cannot fail. No weapon used against us will succeed; Even if they drag us off to court; None of us will even have to plead; All their prosecutions come to naught! The Sun of Righteousness will bring His rays, To reveal it is a trumped up charge. This will happen all our earthly days, To all Christians; both the small and large. This is the inheritance of those, Who, as Saviour; Jesus Christ have chose! Jim Strickland Written 29th July 2012
				17 But no weapon that is used against you will succeed. People might bring charges against you. But you will prove that they are wrong. Those are the things I do for my servants. I make everything right for them," announces the LORD. Isaiah 54:17 NIrV
				7 For the angel of the LORD is a guard; he surrounds and defends all who fear Him. 8 Taste and see that the LORD is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in Him! 9 Fear the LORD, you His godly people, for those who fear Him will have all they need. 10 Even strong young lions sometimes go hungry, but those who trust in the LORD will lack no good thing. Psalms 34:7-10 NLT
				6 Your boundary lines mark out pleasant places for me. Indeed, my inheritance is something beautiful. Psalms 16:6 GW
				2 "But here is what will happen for you who have respect for me. The sun that brings life will rise. Its rays will bring healing to my people. You will go out and leap like calves that have just been let out of the barn. Malachi 4:2 NIrV
				32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all--how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Romans 8:32 TNIV