Defilement of flesh and spirit

One of the sad things about the condition of the church today is the reality of defilement among the saints. Paul warns of defilement of flesh and of spirit (2Cor 7:1) meaning that it is not just the deeds of the flesh that we can be involved in. Defilement of the spirit is much more subtle and it can manifest as a lack of desire or an unwillingness to move on with God. It could arise from a tilt towards worldliness or some kind of rebellious attitude that is not easy to discern. Whatever the defilement, it has to be identified and cleared away. In the Old Testament, there is a clear distinction between unintentional and defiant sins. Even if it is an unintentional sin, when he comes to know it, he needs to offer the sacrifice and complete the cleansing. 
One of the sure signs of defilement that is still persisting, is the lack of confidence that one has in prayer. There is a sense of guilt that is still around and therefore the saint begins to ask for forgiveness as soon as he starts to petition for something. He feels that his prayer won't be answered. He senses a hindrance somewhere. The Holy Spirit is not giving him a boldness to ask and receive. The saint needs to understand that he is losing a great deal if he is unwilling to search his own heart. We not only have unanswered prayers but we even miss out on knowing what to ask. The Spirit of God should help us in our weakness (Rom 8:26).

Pride in being 'unworldly'

The enemy that we call the ‘world’ is an elusive one. We even fail to define it properly. How can we fight an enemy that we cannot even see? 1^st John warns us not to LOVE the world or the things of this world. And yet because we are living in this world and making use of it, how do we know when it is that our involvement with the world borders on loving the world? Everything that I am involved in regarding the world, seem to be necessary aspects of life and living.

But John is very clear in defining worldliness. He tells us that everything in the world that provokes the lust of the flesh, that arouses the lust of the eyes or that motivates the pride of life is to be refused and that too - on a consistent basis. When Eve saw ‘that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise’, she ate of it, knowing fully well that she was disobeying a clear commandment of God. Now the thing to take note of is that these three things work at different levels and are independent of each other. You may not give in at all to the lusts of the eyes or may refuse the lusts of the flesh, but what about the pride of life? Many of us take pride in not being 'worldly' in the aspect of its lusts but the boastful pride of life is equally part of being worldly. That attitude in us that prevents us from giving glory to God is the heart of worldliness and yet very few are able to discern it. 

No middle road!

It is a kind of hypocritical query for people to ask whether Jesus directly claimed to be God in the Bible. The point is that people who ask that question do not believe that the Bible is God's word from heaven. If it was mentioned there, their next claim would be that the Bible was corrupted. The fact is that the disciples called Him Lord and God after His resurrection and He did not refute it. All the letters of Paul and Peter are full of the deity of Jesus. I find it amusing that the apologetical wing of Christianity are trying hard to prove that He, at least indirectly, claimed to be divine through the gospels. Either the Bible is believed completely or not at all. People are believing in Jesus, not because He is a great moral teacher, but because they have come to believe that He is who the Bible claims Him to be. The largest religion in the world has adherents, not because they admire Jesus, but because they believe that He is indeed the way, the truth and the life. The Bible has became famous, not because people believe it is good though corrupted, but because it has truth that has captured the hearts of people. Either men are drawn to the light or they reject the light. There is no middle road. 

Now and not yet!

In Matthew, Mark and Luke, we see Jesus preaching and teaching the principles of the kingdom. From the time Jesus began His ministry (but before the cross), the Law was superceded by the Kingdom. The period of the Law was over and the period of the Kingdom was being ushered in. The vital thing to understand is that the age of grace had not yet arrived by then, because the kingdom was not yet rejected.  Only the cross could usher in the age of grace. The Jews were being offered the kingdom (whereas we are brought into it.) They had to take it by force (whereas we are safely inside it.)  The Jews rejected it the same way they rejected the Law. Now, in this time period called the age of grace, the church is being led into the spiritual realities of the Kingdom while the physical fullness is yet to come. It will return when the King returns. We are living in a time called 'NOW AND NOT YET'. Grace enables us to appropriate kingdom truths but we have to clearly see that even though the Kingdom is within us, we cannot enforce authority by ourselves. Everything has to be Spirit-led. This is where we have lot of confusion in the church today. Jesus Christ did not say in Matthew 28 - All authority is given to you. He said - All authority is given to Me, therefore go. We do not go and build our own kingdoms. We will miserably fail. He still holds the reins. We have to be led by the Spirit. We are building His kingdom. 

Disabled and doomed! not us but the devil

In Col 2:15, we read that Jesus disarmed the rulers and authorities and we are very excited, but most believers do not know much regarding what Jesus disarmed! We mostly relate that to the casting of demons in His Name. We think that is all to it. Please understand that the devil is not the reason why we are condemned to hell but we are judged for our own sin. We also know that the devil cannot just  kill anyone in any period of time or he would have destroyed all. We see that the devil is still tempting man to fall, the same way he tempted Adam at the beginning. So what exactly did Jesus disarm? Please understand that Jesus did not destroy the devil but disarmed him. Also, the effect of that disarming can be seen only in those who believe in Jesus. The defeat was complete but contained.
Well first of all, Jesus removed not only the fear of death but the sceptre of death from the lives of people who are saved. The devil did not rule over death but he came close to doing so, because he was the first to fall into it. He then wielded it as a tool to inject hopelessness and despair in the lives of people. He could spread the aroma of death and darkness. Jesus wrenched that tool away from him by paying the price for it. Secondly, Jesus cleansed the conscience and removed its guilt by the forgiveness of sins. The devil can try to make us carry false guilt but we are no more guilty. The devil cannot gloat over us anymore because we have boldness to ask and receive. Our conscience does not stand in the way. 
Thirdly, Jesus can invade his territory at any time. Actually, his boundary walls have been removed. There is no one he can claim as his. The church is called to pull people out of the fire. The gates of hell cannot prevail. All praises to His Name!  

God has emotions like ours!

Well, actually I should have written it the other way around. We have emotions like God. It is He who made us like Him and not the other way around. But I wrote that heading for a purpose. We very often forget that God feels like we do! He can feel it so bad that when Israel sinned, He wanted to destroy the whole lot at once. He was fed up with them and rightly so. He waited ten times before He finally said, 'enough is enough' and decided that they would not enter the promised land. There was a time when He said regarding them that even if Noah and Daniel pleaded for them, He would not listen. 
What I want us to know is that we bring pain to the heart of God in numerous ways. He is grieved when we fail to honor Him in our speech or action. He is sad when we treat Him like our slave. He is upset when we treat His holy commands with scant respect. And why is it that we think about it so less? Do we see that we take great care not to hurt someone whom we respect here on earth but somehow treat God on a different level? Do we think that God just doesn't care when we - whom He so lovingly adopted as His own - treat Him as someone whom we met on the street and just waved Him off? If only we have a sensitive spirit that is so desirous to give Him glory in all that we do. He surely deserves it. Yes, we may still continue to cause Him pain but can we at least try to minimize it? God help us all.

Love is more than a feeling!

Love is more than a feeling. That is a cliche remark that we must have heard much and yet how less do we think of the consequence of such a statement. We have the perfect example in the life of Jesus who demonstrated that love supremely on the cross. However, we still find some kind of solace in singing love songs to Jesus while we fail to really love Him in return. The remark by Jesus is crystal clear - 'if you love Me, keep My commands'. And then we search hard to find out His commands, not knowing that there is one staring at our face all the time, i.e. to love the brethren. Well, we do love our brethren especially the ones who we love to love. But then, there are those who rub us the wrong way and then there are those whom we rather avoid, just to be on the safe side. We just don't have that love feeling for them. We think that by loving God, we will be able to love the brethren. But actually by loving the brethren, we are showing that we love God. We keep waiting on God to love the brethren and we find out sooner or later that God is waiting for us to take the plunge and do it anyhow...

The God who deigns!

I have been sharing in church about the mercy of God for the past few weeks and it was quite a spiritual treat for me as well. We often either ignore or minimize the mercy aspect of God's nature and I suspect it is because we are uncomfortable with the fact that we were once children of wrath and deserve nothing but judgment. Mercy has to do with sinners and we want to erase that past as much as possible. What we fail to realize is that sin is never too far away and we need His mercy even now. We feel we are more deserving now that we are saints and sons and we think that God is now working in our lives apart from mercy . Mercy also give us a picture of bowing face down before Him deserving only judgment and we are not very keen on that. We would rather think and meditate on God's love because it seems to set us more on equal terms with God. We fail to see that love of God cannot reach us without His mercy falling on us first.
Please understand that the mercy seat in the tabernacle had cherubim on both sides signifying that the God who delights in showing mercy on His people is also the God of glory. The cherubim reveal the glory of God and we have to see Him not on equal terms but as the God who is exalted beyond compare. And yet, He is the Lord God who decides not to destroy us for our rebellion but deigns to reveal His compassion on a level that is astounding and awesome. All glory be to Him now and forever more. 

Even the devil has a doctrine but some saints seem to have none!

People who say that we do not need doctrine actually do not know what they are saying. They are unknowingly becoming tools for Satan whose main aim is to prevent believers from holding on to truth which can set them free. Now it is also true that believers can fight over truths that are of not much consequence. However to say that within a fellowship of believers, only love matters and doctrine should not come in the way means that our fellowship does not include the God who is truth and whose throne is one of righteousness and truth. We are closing the doors of obedience to others and preventing them from trusting in the words of the One who alone can save. If there is no doctrine, there is no truth and if there is no truth, we have lost our belt that alone can hold everything else together. Those who neglect the truth do so at their own peril and they are a stumbling block to others. Some have become masters in minimizing truth and speaking against doctrine. They do not realize that they are indoctrinated by the devil.  They have infiltrated the church from within and their influence is over a large number of unsuspecting saints since their lives seem deceptively good. Their judgment is soon to follow and will be severe since they prevent new babes in Christ to progress in the faith. 
Let us uphold the truth and let it prevail over every lie of the enemy. Our God is not a God of confusion. The devil is trying hard to suggest that He is. Be gone, in Jesus Name! 

The church is in a mess!

The church is in a mess! Or more accurately, messy. Actually it is bound to be. It is a stage where real life battles evolve. There is lot of gory flesh (not merely natural) scenes and fierce struggles. Light falls on the darkness and the darkness reacts violently. We hear lot of heart cries and see people in the throes of death (again not talking about death in the natural realm). Well, the church may not be in the pink of health at any point of time but the thing that concerns me is whether we are much worse than we think we are. Maybe as the time nears, we are endorsing things within a church setting that we would have refused to accept in a previous generation. Do we have any role models (other than those in the Bible) who can chart a path across this stiff resistance that the world is placing before us? The Bible says that which is born of the flesh is flesh but it seems like today's flesh is largely concealed within the garb of freedom in the Spirit. Power is the in-word in the church but it is a one-sided kind of power that ignores humility and dependency on God. It is a free for all in the name of Holy Spirit anointing. Everyone has much to say and yet nothing much is being said. One pastor declared boldly - if we want to have fellowship in today's church, we have to backslide and join the many because there are too few up in front. We need to arise even if it costs our everything! We may lose the little friends that we have but the battle is too big for us to hold back what we have. Let's give the 'flesh' a fair fight. It deserves it! 

He was not an alien!

It seems like we need to reflect on the humanity of Jesus more than we usually do. The aspect of a mediator who was like us in every way is not easily digestible because we do not just accept what the Bible says, plain as it is. Somehow, in the back of our mind, we have a feeling that Christ operate in some other realm. We know he was hungry and could get tired just like us on a physical level but we feel that in His mind, He operated on a different plane. Now we do not have to delve into the complexities of the mind of Jesus, but there is one thing we have to just believe and accept and that is this - Jesus became a man just like us; with all its frailties and limitations. Unless we accept this completely, we would never see Him as a perfect example. And if we do not see Him as a perfect example, we will never really aim to become like Jesus here on earth. We voice out this desire in our prayers all the time, but it is mostly hypocritical. We never sincerely work towards that prayer becoming a reality. Can you see how important it is to believe what the Bible says and get our minds cleared up about the glorious truths of God. Nothing is more important than sound theology. Right understanding alone leads to right living.

Fixing our eyes on Jesus - but only on holidays!

Sorry guys but I was away for a couple of weeks and couldn't find time to pen anything. I was thinking recently about what perspective the saints have with regards their job or vocation. There are many believers who are very faithful in their job and try to excel in it to the glory of God. They want to please God in serving their masters well and rightfully so. However, it is good to ponder regarding how and when our job can become an hindrance to serving God instead of a means to serve God. If we are so focused in our job that we do not reflect on God frequently during the day, then something is wrong somewhere. Are we meant to fix our eyes on Jesus only on a Sunday or on holidays? If we are very hard working, but always forget about the prayer meetings, then we better check our moorings. How often do our minds go back to Him throughout the day? Am I serving my company for God or am I serving God through my company? There is an important difference between the two. 
I believe that there is a false dichotomy that we have in our minds regarding 'secular' and 'spiritual' work. If we work in a secular institution, then it seems like we lack something. Not true. Think of Daniel and Joseph. However, I also believe that if given a chance to work in a setting that may provide less benefits, but we could be useful for people in a more direct way and which can give us more opportunity to turn to God, I would say - grab a hold of it. If it is more in line with our passion and our giftings, I would ask - why hesitate? I did it myself and do not regret it one bit. 

the song in the heart !

Paul exhorts us to be continually filled with the Spirit in Eph 5:18. He also wants the Word of God to dwell richly in our midst (Col 3:16). If we read carefully, we find that both of these are evidenced by spiritual songs and thankfulness in the heart. This is most surprising and has to be made note of. We usually associate Spirit-filling with power and Word-filling with knowledge. Some of us confuse being filled with the Spirit as always having some ecstasy experience like tongues, visions etc. Speaking in tongues is an initial evidence of being Spirit filled, (i.e. when we are baptized in Spirit for the first time) and moreover, it is the immediate effect and not the ongoing evidence of being Spirit filled. For then on, it becomes a manifestation of the Spirit just like any other gift like prophecy etc.

What we need to understand is that the song from the heart is much more important than we realize. The activity of God the Spirit in our heart is always accompanied by a sense of peace and joy. The entrance of His word also brings a similar reaction. We tend to forget that the psalms are actually songs. Songs that enrich the heart and mind at the same time. The psalm is vital to our sense of well being. Speaking to others in the spirit of the psalmist is even more necessary. 

Once saved, always saved?

There is a lot of heat over the so called 'once saved, always saved' issue with believers on both sides of the spectrum baring claws at each other! Peter and Paul would both be surprised because they have made their stand very clear. Peter writes, 'make certain about His calling and choosing you...' and Paul says, 'Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith'. In other words, when in doubt, don't look at the root but at the fruit. The only clear evidence that you are in the faith is whether there is an ongoing activity of God taking place inside your heart or not. The epistles are clear on this. Paul constantly refers to the fact that his confidence in the saints is because of the evident growth in their lives. The question should never be whether I am saved or not. The query should always be whether I am being saved or not. How do I know whether I have been touched by God? It is because He is touching me today. We would like to have a more sure foundation but we are not allowed that liberty in the Scriptures. Yes, we have to pull ourselves out of our past experiences no matter how rich they are. Our security is that His presence is with us, all the time. If you cannot sense it, you better seek it. Nothing is more important than that. 

The living dead!

There is a verse in Hebrews chapter 2 that needs careful unpacking. There are many verses like this in the Scriptures and only those who are willing to look closely will be able to unravel its blessed mysteries. The Word of God is rich and deep and it yields more treasures only to the diligent.
Here we read that through death. Jesus rendered him powerless he who had the power of death, that is the devil. Now this verse cannot be used to claim that the devil could destroy people whenever he wanted. We cannot give the devil more than his due. Mankind came under the clutches of death because he sinned. The power of death is over all who sinned including the devil. The devil cannot control death. He can only utilize it to further terrorize people. He has no mastery over it. But he entered into it first. In that sense he is its father, just like he is the father of lies. The spectre of death does not haunt him because he has no conscience. However he uses it to haunt humanity. He takes pleasure over it. Jesus freed his people from this bane because death no longer holds sway over His own. He broke its power over us and in that sense, we are released from the devil because we are free from the bondage of death. We were subject to slavery because we were walking in death and couldn't escape its influence. We were the living dead. 

Faith needs friends!

It is truly an eye-opener to read in 2nd Peter regarding how our faith needs to put on some flesh. It is possible to operate on a 'raw' faith level but that is a sign of babyhood. Too many of us are just concerned about whether we have faith and we try to inject more faith into our being. Peter is telling us to work around our faith instead of working at it. We need a bulwark for our faith. It is so serious that Peter tells us we are blind and shortsighted if we ignore it. He talks about moral excellence. We are lost without it. He mentions knowledge, a knowledge of God and His ways. We cannot act as if we have not learned any lessons on the way. Much of our doubts vanish if only we knew how God operates. Peter adds a few more virtues. Remember that our faith does not work in isolation. Faith needs friends.

Are all my troubles sanctified?

It is a bit scary to think it this way but it is true that God has to permit any mishap that happens in the life of a believer. If the Scriptures say that He has us in the palm of His hand and that we are the apple of His eye, then surely God is mindful of every small thing that crosses our path. When we have a fall and hurt our knee, He has already seen it. When we go through a sickness, He knows. However we have to hold this truth in its entirety. Because God cannot be tempted nor does He tempt anyone (James 1:13). God takes no pleasure in our suffering. He is not a perverse God who delays one bit in saving His people. Everything is permitted for a reason. And also, we cannot in any way claim that God is the one who initiates our trouble whatever it may be. He does not in any way orchestrate our mishap, neither He nor His angels. We sometimes find ourselves in a nasty spot because we are careless. If we think that He has to always carry us and that every trouble is sanctified, then we are in real trouble. Yes, we learn from our mistakes but God does not have to engineer our mistakes. Romans 8:28 does not tell us that all things that happen to us are good. However it says that God can make all things turn out for our good. 

All forgiven, why confess?

The whole truth of the forgiveness which Christ purchased on the cross is quite awesome to behold and the believer needs to cherish it with all of his senses. There is nothing like it and this one time sacrifice for the sins of all time is glorious and all-consuming. However, whenever someone preaches loudly that Jesus died for all of your sins including the ones that you are going to commit, something just doesn't sound right to me. It is almost like telling an unbeliever that you can be saved only if God grants you repentance. The theology may be fine but it should not be spoken that way at that point of time to that kind of person.

It is indeed true that Jesus died for the sins of all time but that cannot be presented in a way that minimizes sin or make it less grievous than it is. The fact that He paid the price for every sin of mine does not make Him look at sin with less severity. Every sin that I commit grieves His heart and it should make us grieve over it as well. I am not supposed to look at my sin as already forgiven and treat it lightly. It can lead me to a place where my confession seems less important. Some already preach - why confess when you are already forgiven. They miss the point. We are taught not to sin (1 John 2:1) and any teaching that minimizes sin is dangerous.

Man cannot be violated by God!

I have been thinking a lot about the way God manifests Himself to the world. He reveals Himself through His invisible attributes - Paul says in Romans 1. Sounds like a contradiction and yet that is the only way He can draw man to Himself without violating the law of the will in man. For God to appear before mankind is no big deal for Him but then He would be doing away with the requirement of choice. Man would then choose God not because he wants to but because he has to. Beyond a certain point, man would be crossing the line between choice and compulsion. That is why even in the miracles that God does, none are irrefutable. Man can always explain it away and that is a necessary part of how God works. He does not raise the dead every day. He cannot make it too obvious. Because then man would not have the freedom to choose. He would be forced to choose. Mankind is always brought to a place where His senses are not violated. And then he has to decide regarding his future. Man should always turn to Him in faith. God will accept no other way.

Filled and yet fleshly!

A very confounding issue for most of us is the topic of the infilling of the Holy Spirit. A natural picture we have is that a filling takes place when a vessel is empty. Therefore we tend to think that the Spirit infilling happens to those who are most yielded to God. This is however, not true in the spiritual sense because God fills the new believer who has repented, not the believer who has emptied himself the most. In fact the emptying and the yielding is a lifelong process and leads someone to be full of the Spirit, a term that is vastly different that being filled with the Spirit. 
The filling of the Spirit (called the baptism of the Holy Spirit when it happens the first time) is given for a deep inner cleansing and an empowerment and has little to do with how spiritual a person is. It gives a new confidence in God and a new boldness in witnessing. It is also surprising to find out how quickly a cleansed believer can be defiled if he does not begin to walk by the Spirit. Please note that the flesh is not subdued by the infilling. This is where most of us are confused. An infilling does not cause love to overflow. It can only cause power to overflow. Love can overflow only when the flesh is subdued. The key is that we walk in the Spirit and we will not fulfill the desires of the flesh (Gal 5:16). A verse that can add to the confusion is the King James translation of Romans 5:5. The actual translation is not 'love shed abroad' but 'love has been poured out into our hearts' by the Holy Spirit. The context clearly shows Paul saying that we do not just look forward with hope but we can experience depths of God's love right now due to the present dispensation of the Holy Spirit.

To speak or not to speak!

We should always interpret verses strictly within its context because sometimes it can be used to mean something that it was not meant to, if we take it in a broader sense.

A classic example is with regards to the teaching regarding conduct of women. In 1 Corinthians 14 - women are to remain silent in the churches does not mean that a woman cannot preach or teach or prophesy. The context in that verse shows us very clearly that a woman cannot raise her voice and try to force her opinion (she may call it revelation!) in matters of church life. She is better off if she is able to get her husband to bring her the clarity that she needs! The context here is about order in a church setting.

In 1 Timothy 2, the context is totally different and the setting is not the church but in individual lives especially in a family context. Here Paul uses the singular tense. He maintains that a woman should not, in any way, show that she rules over a man either by teaching him or instructing him, thereby showing that she is superior to him. The context is strictly personal and most likely a domestic setting.

If we interchange the verses and use them out of their context, we can falsely conclude that a woman cannot teach or preach at all. What a loss for some of our ill-informed churches!

Laying out the Law!

A proper understanding of the Law (or law) is vital for our spiritual growth and key to stepping out of bondage into the very life of God. Unless we do a careful study, it will be impossible to decipher the different aspects of the Law that the Scriptures present to us. It is a fascinating study and the entire mosaic slowly falls into place if we persevere. When Paul says that we are free from the Law, we can become entirely confused. In Romans, Paul is using that statement to mean that we have moved out the bondage of sin into the atmosphere of grace where we have broken free from the curse of the Law. Why is it a curse? Because we have to do it completely. It is all or none! 
In Galatians, Paul is using that same statement to declare that we do not need the help of the Law to please God. Instead, it becomes an hindrance to us if we fall into the works of the Law. In Matthew 5 to 7, Jesus presents the real demands of the Law and shows us how impossible it is for us to fulfill the Law even when we are trying to keep the Law. 
There is also a grave lack of teaching in explaining the Law in relation to the sanctification process. We almost entirely relate to the Law in connection to being justified before God. We speak about how we are set free and are no longer stigmatized by the Law. What we fail to see is how easily we can be captured and brought back into bondage if we are not renewed in mind and heart. There is an ongoing deliverance from the Law and its effects into the abundance of the life of God.

Mercy and love contrasted!

The problem with election and predestination has rankled the saints for centuries now. The main contention, and understandably so, is whether God's love is partial to some or not. How could it be, that God who wants all to be saved, and who loves without partiality, elect some for salvation? We have tried to find many ways around it and talk about extreme Calvinism and moderate Calvinism and the like. We try to redefine foreknowledge to mean something else, but we conveniently forget that a word called predestination is connected to it. Does man take the initiative for his salvation or does God? It cannot be both. I strongly feel that many have not gone through the prophetic books to see how God decides to save a remnant in Israel even when they were hostile to God and showed no sign of thawing.
The answer I believe, has to be found outside of the love of God. We have to delve into another nature of God called mercy. The love of God is impartial but mercy by nature itself, is partial. The love of God is left untouched, even as He shows mercy to some. There are numerous verses that stress on this - Rom 9:15, 9:23, 11:30, 1Tim 1:13, Titus 3:5 etc. We do not and cannot cast a shadow on the love of God. It is all encompassing. and forever true. But because He is rich in mercy, many are appointed to eternal life. Romans 11:32 does not contradict what has been said. Mercy has to be exclusive by nature. In its context, Paul expounds that mercy was shown to the Gentiles because of Israel's disobedience. Finally Israel would be shown mercy too. But not for now. Mercy is not free flowing whereas love has to be.

No forced slaves in God's kingdom!

Another amazing aspect of God's nature with respect to His dealings with man is the fact that God can be grieved. The fact that the Holy Spirit is grieved when we behave wrongly, is very striking. It shows us that the Spirit of God must have been speaking to us and we continued to disobey or failed to see our obstinacy. A parent is not grieved when his child disobeys the first time. But persistent failures after constant reminders is the prime reason for grief. The parent must have punished enough and now he is grieving because the child has not changed his ways. The fact that God could also grieve like that, speaks volumes about God.
This also shows something surprising to some of us who have not understood grace in a greater manner. Grace does not mean that all of us will stand before Him unashamedly when He comes. Grace means that we have all been offered help. Grace does not mean that God will take over our lives without our cooperation. Of course He can, but He will not. No one is a forced slave in the kingdom of God. Grace means that God will continue to remind us and offer to help us. But there is always be a final day for all of us. We have to decide to become partakers of the grace of God. (Phi 1:7) There is a line which God will not cross. There are things that grace cannot do. Or else it not be grace. Yes we may finally scrape through. But not in a way that can glorify God. Our failures should not be used to enhance God's glory. That is a twisted way of witnessing to the grace of God.

Plenteous in Mercy!

The more we walk with God, the more we are amazed at His goodness in His dealings with man. One of the things that strike our attention is with regards to His way of disciplining the saints in the New Covenant. Most of the time, He shows abundant mercy and seems to overlook our mistakes and mishaps to an extent that we would never do in our relationships with others. The surprising thing is that even when He disciplines us, it can come at a later stage and not immediately. We see this many times in God's dealings with the people of Israel too. 
But what I find most surprising is that God does not continue his discipline until we are thoroughly repentant. He does not bear down on us all the way down till we admit and change our ways. Many a time, we realize only later on as to why we went through that phase in our life.  It almost seems like He regretted punishing us (or 'discipline' if you don't like the word 'punish') and does not even wait to see if we have learned our lesson or not. He withdraws His rod quickly, and draws us back with love and compassion. He is a God who is slow to anger and plenteous in mercy (KJV). What a great God we have!

Playing the blame game!

I never gave much attention to it but the core of Paul's argument in the first few chapters of Romans regarding  sin is actually our own judgments over sin. Our biggest problem is not that we openly sin but that we are so quick to condemn people who make the same mistakes that we do. This hypocritical attitude is what constitutes the core of our being and what is actually so much of an anathema to God. We not only cover up our own sins but we are so quick to find fault and uncover what we see in others; we almost never see it inside us, at least not immediately. We not only play the blame game but we actually think that we are better than the one who was just caught and exposed.
Surely man is a complex being but only because he has put layers of deception over his own life and it is almost impossible to unwrap them and see what is really inside. I use the word 'almost' because there is hope. The Holy Spirit is willing and wanting to peel them off one by one. We have to allow Him to do it. It is our only hope of greater glory. If we think we have it, we have lost it. It is a battle against all odds. But we have to win. The groanings of the Holy Spirit in us are not just for those 'other people'. Who will save me from the body of this death? It will happen when Christ Jesus truly becomes our Lord and  Master (paraphrase of Romans 7:24,25).

Submit? Of course I do!

Submission to leadership in the churches is not a favourite topic to discuss but I believe it is far too important for us to be unclear about it. Everyone will be quick to point out that leaders are not perfect, so the problem is not there; at least in theory. However the practical outworking of that is not usually ‘therefore, be in submission’ but rather ‘wait and see how they perform’. It is vital to understand here that unless we set our mind to submit, the devil will soon trick us into being open minded to reconsider our options. I cannot afford to give a foothold to the enemy. If I am unsatisfied, the first thought the enemy would put in my mind is to think of a change of leadership or to quit. Soon, my unsatisfaction turns into complaint. I stop praying for my leaders and start playing with the devil. 

Please realize that we are not ignoring or trying to forget the weaknesses of our leaders. That is why we pray for them. We accept them even though we know that they lack in this area or in that. They have their strengths too. And more importantly, God has placed them over our lives. And we will quit only when things go out of control. And that too, we can walk away in peace. Because God is showing us the journey ahead. 

Mule-headed!

Another problem that disturbs me is when people put the blame on the devil for everything. Now, it is true that the devil works in unexpected ways and only those anointed by the Holy Spirit can figure out that he is the reason for some issue or problem at hand. Who would have thought that a person is deaf because an evil spirit resided in Him and Jesus had to cast the demon out? However to curse the devil for all our problems has serious ramifications. Jesus did not do it and neither should we.
 For instance, we do not see that our flesh can equally be at work. We are not willing to humble ourselves and take responsibilities for our action, at least when it is obvious. Secondly, when we do spiritual warfare for all our sickness and disease, we may be pursuing the wrong track. I hope we are not saying that all sickness is directly caused by the devil. If so, we do not even need to pray to God (or seek prayer) for healing James 5:14. All we need to do is to curse and cast out the demons inside us. But that is not the entire witness of Scripture, even in the New Testament. Healing is not just a deliverance ministry all the time, especially in the case of saints in Christ. I have seen some who are wearying themselves out in 'spiritual warfare' and not accepting a realistic view of their condition. We keep on fighting in the same manner and are not even willing for a rethink or a change of tactics, which every wise general does. God help us when we are mule-headed, and not able to hear the still small voice of the Holy Spirit. 

God help us all !

It is so important that we allow the Holy Spirit to direct our minds in the right way as we take this spiritual journey here on earth. It is not just the false doctrines that we should beware of. We can also be misled just by a wrong perception of a particular truth and find ourselves in the wrong places. I am constantly surprised to find out how saints can make spiritual truths more complicated that it is. Do we need more anointing or do we have all the anointing we need? Do we confess that we are well so that we can be made well? Is the devil a toothless lion or can he still bite? Some Bible teachers seem to repudiate everything what other teachers teach. Well it is true that we have false teachers in the churches planted by the devil. But I personally feel that saints who are well intentioned but who lack the anointing to teach who are the real problem. The church is full of 'teachers' who are not willing to do some serious learning themselves . One of the solutions to this  is that the saint has to be a Berean at heart and examine all these teachings before coming to a conclusion himself. God help us all.

He made everything new!

    In this new year, it is good to remind ourselves of what has been deposited in us. God in His infinite kindness towards us in Christ Jesus, has Himself come to dwell in us. He has become our inheritance. We have the seed of eternal life planted in us. He has given us a new heart and a new spirit.
These things become all the more precious when we think of the people of Israel. Yes they were brought out of Egypt with a mighty arm and with great signs and wonders. Yes, they literally saw the hand of God guiding them by cloud and by fire. God was present in their midst, even though they did not receive the benefit of it in a spiritual sense. After all these benefits, their only security was if they continued to obey His commandments. If they disobeyed, they were even warned that they would be taken by ships back to Egypt. In other words, they would lose all that they had gained. Everything depended on their decision to continue to obey. And they miserably failed. However out of the belly of their failure, came out the One who would conquer sin and death. Yes, while we were still dead in our sins and trespasses, HE MADE US ALIVE. We are together with Him in the heavenly places. We have been given a new heart, meaning that it is now desirous to obey. What a glorious salvation! What a hope-filled future! BECAUSE HE LIVES, I LIVE. Hallelujah! He makes everything new.