Archives for July 2020

King Solomon told us that seasons change and there is a time for one thing and later a time for something else.

“For everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven.” Ecclesiastes 3:1

Solomon goes on to list time for birth and death, planting and pulling up, killing and healing, demolishing and building, weeping and laughing, sorrow and joy, getting and losing, keeping and purging, silence and speech, love and hate, and war and peace.

Since there is a time for one and later a time for the other, then the times change. The season for sowing changes to a season for reaping. The season of youth gives way to the season of mature adulthood.

Seasons not only change in the natural world, but also in the spiritual world, which governs how things turn out on earth. The Bible reveals that people could tune into the spiritual season and know how to act based on that insight.

“Then the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai, saying: Is it a time for you to build your panelled houses, while the Lord’s house is in ruins?” Haggai 1:3,4

“Of Issachar, men who understood the times, to know what Israel ought to do, 200 chiefs, and all their kinsmen under their command.” 1Chronicles 12:32

“Elisha challenged him, Is it a time to receive money, and to receive garments, and olive yards, and vineyards, and sheep, and oxen, and menservants, and maidservants?” 2Kings 5:26

Jesus was aware of God’s timing and it had significance in His ministry. When his mother wanted Him to do a miracle He replied that His time had not yet arrived.

“Woman, why does this concern us? Jesus replied. My hour has not yet come.” John 2:4

“Jesus went into Galilee and proclaimed the gospel of God. He said, The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the gospel!” Mark 1:14,15

“They tried to seize Jesus, but no one laid a hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come.” John 7:30

Before Jerusalem was overrun by the Babylonians nearly 600 years before Christ, people in the city were preparing for long term living in the city. They did not accept that the time of destruction was close.

Jesus later warned people to look for the signs of the times and another destruction of Jerusalem.

“When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is approaching.” Luke 21:20

“When ye see these things come to pass, know that the kingdom of God is close at hand.” Luke 21:31

It is very helpful to know the times and seasons we are in. So let me point out to you some things that are part of this season on the earth.

We live in the New Testament age. It is also called the ‘Last Days’. It is a time when people can put their faith in Jesus Christ for forgiveness and salvation. It is a temporary season, even though it has been open for two thousand years. There will come a close to this season, and a closing to a time of repentance and forgiveness.

“The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.” Acts 17:30

It is also the season of the Holy Spirit’s ministry in our lives. Prophet Joel foretold the Holy Spirit being poured out on believers, as started on the Day of Pentecost.

“It will come to pass in the last days, says God, I will pour out of my Spirit on all flesh: and your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions and your old men will dream dreams.” Acts 2:17

With our salvation, being forgiven and adopted into God’s family as His sons, and with the Holy Spirit and the gifts of the Spirit active in our lives, another part of this season is worship of God.

Jesus explained this to a Samaritan woman who he led to faith when she came to draw water from the town well.

“The hour has come and is now here, when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.” John 4:23

The Jewish religion involved people worshipping God with animal sacrifices and rituals. Now, with the Holy Spirit in our lives we are to worship God in our hearts, with our life aligned to God and His glory.

After Jesus rose from the dead He returned to heaven and He awaits another special time for His return, which the Bible speaks about in several places.

“Heaven must keep Jesus until the time for restoring all things that God spoke about by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago.” Acts 3:21

Friends, your natural life will continue to go through natural seasons, from childhood to youth, maturity, family life and older age. You will have seasons of prosperity and sunny seasons, and also stormy seasons of heartache and challenge. You will need God’s grace to meet each of those seasons as they come.

At the same time, you are in a spiritual season that will not last forever. In this season you are to have a heart of repentance before God, putting your faith in Christ for salvation, living in the power of the Holy Spirit and glorifying God with the Holy Spirit’s help.

This is a wonderful hour in which to live. It is far more wonderful than the past seasons. And it prepares us and leads us into a yet more wonderful season in God’s presence forever.

I urge you not to be distracted by the temporary and changeable things of this life, but to be anchored in and alive to all the wonderful things that are yours in this hour. Friends, be alive to God and enjoy full salvation and the power of the Holy Spirit, for This Hour Has Come.

The Bible frequently instructs us to Look or to See things. The word ‘Behold’, meaning to see and observe something, is common in the Bible.

“Behold, I will do a new thing; now it will spring forth” Isaiah 43:19

“Behold all things have become new” 2 Corinthians 5:17

“Behold I stand at the door and knock” Revelation 3:20

Often when people are burdened or feeling low they look down. That’s called the ‘downcast’ look because the eyes are lowered.

“For troubles without number surround me; my iniquities have taken hold on me, so that I am not able to look up; they are more than the hairs of my head.” Psalm 40:12

God’s word prompts us to ‘Look Up’, as in abandoning our downcast feelings and looking to God for what He will do.

“When all these things begin to take place, look up, and lift up your heads, for your salvation is near!” Luke 21:28

“Then the angel who was speaking to me came forward and said to me, Look up and see what is appearing.” Zechariah 5:5

There is no prize for sticking our head in the sand. Failing to see what is happening is no help to us. The blind fall into a pit. So we are challenged by God to keep our eyes open and to look around. This is not just a natural wisdom, but a powerful spiritual process too.

“The prudent sees danger and hides himself, but the simple go on and suffer for it.” Proverbs 22:3

Prophets in the Old Testament were at times called ‘Seers’, because they could see into heavenly things. 

“Formerly in Israel, when a man went to inquire of God, he said, Come, let us go to the seer, for today’s prophet was formerly called a seer.” 1Samuel 9:9

They could see and understand what was happening outside the natural realm, and so could help people understand what was going on for them.

In New Testament times all Christians can be aware of spiritual reality. We have a relationship with God and are led by the Holy Spirit Who lives inside us, so we are able to ‘see’ and assess things clearly.

“The person with the Holy Spirit discerns all things” 1Corinthians 2:15

However, we cannot see or assess anything if we are not looking. If you have closed your eyes and stopped paying attention, then it doesn’t matter how good your eyesight is.

There are many things you need to ‘Behold’. There are things you should keep your eyes on. It is good for you to be ever ready to Lift Up Your Eyes and see the important things in your life.

If you were a shepherd in Bible times, caring for sheep on a hillside, you would need to scan the flock from time to time. You would become good at recognising the sheep and you’d be aware of where they are and what they are doing. You would notice if one is missing. You would be sensitive to whether they seemed alarmed. You would also scan wider to see if there were any predators or dangers coming.

“Pay close attention to the state of your flocks, and look carefully to your herds.” Proverbs 27:23

The Apostle Paul challenged the church leaders to do the same thing.

“Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers.” Acts 20:28

If you were out on the bay in a small boat you would keep an eye on the water and on the sky. You would be foolish to fall asleep and let the boat drift.

“In the morning you say, It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening. You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.” Matthew 16:3

The Bible tells you to keep watch or keep guard over your heart. You need to ensure your heart is clean and directed toward God. You need to be sure you haven’t reacted badly to others or allowed wrong attitudes to form.

The Bible also tells us to look to the Lord and see what He is doing. We are to be aware of the spiritual season, or time in which we live. That means we are to understand and accept the spiritual things which cannot be seen with natural eyes. We see that we are made new and seated with Christ in Heavenly Places.

“God raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,” Ephesians 2:6

We accept and ‘see’ all the things God’s Word says about us. We see that our sins are forgiven and that we are God’s sons. We see that we are a kingdom of priests and victorious over the devil.

At the same time we also keep looking to the Lord. The psalms gives us a picture of someone who is in need of help. They look to the hills surrounding them, which is where their help will have to arrive from. But then the question is asked, “Where does my help actually come from?” And the answer is, it comes from the Lord.

“I lift up my eyes to the hills. Where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth.” Psalm 121:1,2

The help may have to come across the hills, but whether it is by camel train, a fossicker or a search party, it actually comes from the Lord. So we look, but we actually look to the Lord, not to man.

“I lift up my eyes to You, the One enthroned in heaven.” Psalm 123:1

Keep your eyes open. Look to the Lord and all the things He has done, even if they can’t be seen by natural eyes. In all your situations, because God is the source of all the help you need, Lift Up Your Eyes to the Lord.

Have you noticed that some people are quick to tell you what they know, but slow to actually listen. This is a form or pride and arrogance that is harmful to our natural life and our spiritual journey.

Having a teachable heart is very important. Being too quick to have our own opinions and trusting our own understanding can turn out to be quite harmful.

We are told not to rely on our own understanding, but to look to God and rely on what He tells us, through the Bible.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and don’t rely on your own understanding” Proverbs 3:5

In my youth I felt the need to show people how smart I was. I tried to look well informed and had great confidence in my own intelligence to work things out. I was often quick to give my opinion, expecting to show how clever I was.

King Solomon clearly warns against the stupidity of trusting in your own ideas.

“Don’t be wise in your own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil.” Proverbs 3:7

“Cease from your own wisdom.” Proverbs 23:4

“He who trusts in himself is a fool, but one who walks in wisdom will be safe.” Proverbs 28:26

Often enough, after I had shown how much I knew and how clever I was, someone else would bring updated information and I would be shown up as ignorant.

Rather than being quick to show off what we think we know, we are advised to listen and to learn.

“My beloved brothers, let every man be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger” James 1:19

It is said that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. One application of that is when we have enough information to think we know all about something. At that point we stop taking in new information and consider ourselves well informed. We may have a completely wrong idea of something, but close ourselves to the truth because of pride that we already know.

A common instruction in the Bible is for us to listen or pay attention to something. We are to be teachable and to take in what God is saying, rather than closing our mind due to what we think we know.

Jesus repeatedly made a comment about people having ‘ears to hear’. It is possible to have ears that do not hear – ears shut to new information.

“He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” Matthew 11:15

A teachable person has ears that hear. An arrogant person simply has ears, but no hearing. Jesus knew that in His audience there were wise people with an open heart. He also knew there were proud and arrogant people to whom His words would go in one ear and out the other.

So beware. One of the great dangers of your life is that you shut your ears in arrogance or pride at what you think you know.

It takes humility to listen and greater humility to admit you were wrong, or had the wrong understanding.

At times people who have been proven wrong keep protesting what they believe or think, maybe hoping to make it real by their insistence. How foolish!

People find security in various ideas and beliefs. When the beliefs are overturned people can feel insecure and troubled. That’s why people surround themselves with those who think the same way they do. They want to have their ideas reinforced.

This is very dangerous when a person is living in delusion and rejects the truth. The truth sets us free, but delusion keeps us in bondage.

Another reason people don’t hear truth is that they want permission to do their own will, not wanting to obey God’s instructions.

“But they refused to pay attention and turned a stubborn shoulder and stopped their ears that they might not hear. They made their hearts like stone and would not listen to the law or to the words that the Lord of Hosts sent by His Spirit through the prophets.” Zechariah 7:11

There are some things we can confidently hold onto, including God’s Word and God’s reality. We can safely trust God. But there are many things that are changeable and there is plenty of delusion and deception in the world.

The way to be most teachable is to accept and embrace all the things God says, and to check everything against that foundation.

Paul warned the churches that if anyone or even an angel were to speak against the Gospel they are to be rejected.

“Even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contradicting the one we preached to you, let him be accursed.” Galatians 1:8

“There are men who are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ.” 1Corinthians 11:13

What you learn is limited by the quality of your teacher. If you are taught by a fool, you will only learn foolishness. If you are taught by an arrogant teacher who trusts only in his own understanding then you will become like him. If you are taught by someone whose ideas are outdated, your knowledge will be outdated.

If you are taught by the world you will end up trapped in the world and heading for the world’s destruction.

You need to be taught by the Lord. There is no better teacher and no more powerful truth than that which God gives. God’s truth sets you free. God’s truth is the foundation for all understanding. 

It is a wonderful thing to be taught by the Lord.

“All your children will be taught by the Lord and great will be the peace of your children.” Isaiah 54:13

My friends, have a teachable heart. Open your heart to God and allow Him to tutor you in the ways of life, keeping you from that which will destroy you. And may the peace of God rule in your hearts as you continue to Be Teachable.

When John the Baptist came on the scene to prepare people for Christ, two thousand years ago, he had a simple message. He called people to ‘repent’.

“In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” Matthew 3:1,2

John called people to Change their Ways. The word ‘repent’ means to turn around. Stop going in the direction you are going and go the other way.

It is interesting how universal the word ‘repent’ turns out to be. John didn’t list off the sins of the people. He simply said ‘repent’. Each person was to recognise in their own heart and life things that had to change.

In effect the message was, “Your ways are out of order and you’d better change them right now for God is close at hand.”

Each person’s conscience told them of their need to change. Some would have been aware of obvious sins, such as immorality, abuse, bitterness, jealousy, theft, violence and so on. However, we learn that just about the whole populace went out to John and was baptised to show their change of heart.

Surely not everyone was a murderer, or a criminal. Each persons’ conscience convicted them of where they were out of order before God. For some it may have simply been selfishness, living as if they were king, when God is Lord of all. For some it may have been independence, resisting parental authority, or being stubborn and rebellious. For some it may be that they were complying with instructions on the outside, but seething with resentment on the inside.

Multitudes came to be baptised by John and his disciples, to say to God, “I am changing my ways. I am putting off my wrong lifestyle, in the fear of God.”

When Jesus began His ministry he started by doing the same as John. Jesus called people to repent.

“From that time on Jesus began to preach, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” Matthew 4:17

People came to Jesus and His disciples to be baptised, just as they went to John.

“They came to John and told him, Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, about whom you testified, behold, He is baptising and all men are coming to Him.” John 3:26

The call to repent was not invented by John the Baptist. The great prophet Ezekiel called people to repent, in the years before the destruction of Jerusalem and the Babylonian captivity.

“If the wicked turns from all his sins he committed, keeps all my statutes, and does what is lawful and right, he will surely live; he will not die.” Ezekiel 18:21

“Have I any pleasure at all in the death of the wicked? declares the Lord God. Would I not prefer he turn from his ways and live?” Ezekiel 18:23

“I will judge you, each according to his ways, declares the Lord God. Repent and turn from all your transgressions, so your iniquity will not become your ruin. Cast away from yourselves all the transgressions you have committed, and make you a new heart and a new spirit. Why should you die, O house of Israel?” Ezekiel 18:30,31

“I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn, turn from your evil ways; for why will you die, O house of Israel?” Ezekiel 33:11

The list of sins that people can commit is extensive and some of them were mentioned by Ezekiel. He included idolatry, immorality, theft, oppression, murder, extorting money and cheating, abuse and selfishness.

On the positive side Ezekiel mentioned caring for the needy and making just judgements. Earlier in Ezekiel’s visions God showed an angel that would go through Jerusalem and mark those who were acceptable to God. These were the ones who did not like the evil that was going on.

“The Lord said to the angel, Go through all the city of Jerusalem and put a mark on the foreheads of the men sighing and groaning over all the abominations done there.” Ezekiel 9:4

God respected those with a tender heart, who grieved at the rise of evil. Others, however, would have seared their conscience, so it stopped pointing out to them their wrongs. They justified whatever they were doing.

“Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron.” 1Timothy 4:2

Don’t be like the adulteress, who is described as one who sees no wrong in what she is doing.

“This is the way of an adulterous woman: she eats and wipes her mouth and says, I have done no wickedness.” Proverbs 30:20

God is always calling us to repent.

“The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.” Acts 17:30

You are called to repent. So let God’s Holy Spirit challenge your heart about the things in you that offend God. God’s Kingdom is right here, so you had better get right with God.

I call on you, as John the Baptist and Jesus did centuries ago, to Change Your Ways. Repent of your evil actions and your evil heart. Actually change direction and stop the things you know God does not approve of.

Get on your knees before God and ask Him to forgive you, and turn from your selfish and sinful ways. Serve Him with humility of spirit, not serving yourself, but living for God.

And may God have mercy on your soul, lifting you out of your shameful ways and setting you on a rock, to live in freedom and victory as a shining light for the Kingdom of God as you Change Your Ways.

One of the most life-transforming lessons that has blessed me and others is that God loves us. God loves me and you, Just the Way We Are.

That’s a hard truth to accept, especially when we have experienced rejection or abuse, or been given love on condition that we earn it.

I was locked into feelings of rejection as a youth. I have no idea where they came from, but I was deeply self-conscious, readily feeling shame, feeling insecure and keen to get people’s acceptance and approval.

For me, that led to me being fake, putting on a good image all the time and trying to look much better than I was.

In my late teen years I began to hear preachers teaching on the Love of God. I knew many of the Bible verses but they had never meant anything to me personally before then. I knew that God loved the whole world and sent Jesus to die for our sins.

“God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him would not be destroyed but have everlasting life.” John 3:16

However, I saw that love as a kind of distant thing, like a benefactor caring for people in a far-off land. I did not see it as a personal kind of love.

That combined in my thinking with the idea that God was remote from our world. I developed the idea as a child that God was in heaven, far away, watching us through a window. I felt that God was going to judge me if I did wrong, but He was too far away to be any help if I needed him.

That idea is carried in such thoughts as “God is watching us, from a distance”. A hymn we sang in my early years talked of sending a message to God in Heaven. These ideas suggest God is remote and not really on hand to care and help us.

During the charismatic revival days last century we saw God actually taking interest in people, healing them, blessing them, answering prayer. I had never known such things in my childhood and most of my teens.

At the same time preachers preached on God’s love, quoting verses I had not noticed before. They pointed out that God loves us in a very present sense, as a loving Heavenly Father caring for His children.

“The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying, I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have drawn you with loving kindness.” Jeremiah 31:3

“As a father shows compassion to his children, so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him.” Psalm 103:13

Feelings of rejection and inferiority took quite some defeating in my heart. I could understand God loving others, and I could understand God loving those who had great potential, as God would get good value out of loving those people.

Then I learned about the nature of God’s love, as expressed in the Koine word ‘agape’. This is a sacrificial love. It is not focused on what it can get, but on what it can give. It wants the best for us, despite the cost.

And I also realised that love is not a feeling, like some gooey tenderness toward someone, but an act of the will.

You can see that it is an act of the will by the fact that God commands us to do it. It would be wrong for God to command us to do something we can’t do. The command would be a joke. If God were to command us to fly like a bird, or to breathe under water we would scoff at that. The command would be absurd, since it is not actually possible.

So, when God commands us to love God and to love our neighbour, then love must be something we have control over and which is in our capacity. It is an act of our will, to choose to love others.

That then led to the realisation of how God loves me and you. God does not love us because we have potential, or talent, or can pay Him back for His love to us. God loves us as an act of His will. It is His choice to love us.

So all those things that I felt disqualified me, such as my weakness, selfishness, fear, failure, shame, hopelessness and timidity, do not block God’s love. God is not loving you because you deserve it, or because He wants to own you and use you, or because you have a perfect track record. God loves you as an act of His will, despite all the things that disqualify you.

And so, God loves you Just the Way You Really Are. He even knows the truth about you that others don’t know. He knows what parts of you are fake, hiding your failure and flaws. And yet God still loves you, knowing all that about you.

A song we sang decades ago talked of us being able to love one another, because “the one who knows me best (that’s God) loves me most”.

I had developed a false front to present to people, suggesting I was confident and secure in myself, when I was afraid of rejection, and pretending I was more impressive than I was, and to win friends and be liked.

So it was wonderful to know that God didn’t need me to pretend. He already knew what I was really like and He loved me Just the Way I Am.

God loves you, and God loves you Just the Way You REALLY Are. That’s wonderful news and I pray that God’s Holy Spirit release within you a revelation of God’s amazing love, pouring it out on the inside of you.

“The Love of God is shed abroad (splashed around) in our hearts by the Holy Spirit” Romans 5:5

May discovery of God’s complete and unconditional love set you free as you accept that God Loves You Just The Way You Are.