Absolute Assurance

And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given to us. ~Romans 5:5

If the Holy Ghost is in you, you know that God is concerned about you. He has started working in you; and if God starts, God will continue. God never begins a work and then drops it. As certainly as God begins, He continues, He will end. It is an absolute certainty. It is the fact that our glorification is the work of God that guarantees our final glorification; the Holy Spirit within us is a guarantee of that work.

There are those who are constantly emphasizing our activity, our choice, our decision, and our 'willing to be made willing.' In their scheme of salvation everything always depends on us - our initial decision for Christ, our decision 'to fully surrender' later on, and our 'abiding in Christ.' Which leads to the conclusion we may lose all we may have had. If we were all left to ourselves, we would of course all be hopeless.

Thou wouldst not be seeking me unless thou hadst already found me.

~Blaise Pascal

A man who wants Christ is a man who HAS Christ.

Shame on us for being so lethargic and cold and lifeless and lacking in joy! Why do we not realize that these three Blessed Persons in the Holy Trinity are interested in us and concerned about us and have done amazing things in order to rescue and redeem us into the Family?

Taking responsibility for your own life

A wise woman will always be growing, learning, stretching. Now there are seasons when just surviving seems to be the way of life. Yet, I have seen, that I must be responsible for my own life and that means planning and incorporating wisdom as a part of my every day–reading books, articles that stretch me in the direction of excellence. Feeding my soul on scripture, on writers who stimulate me to love God, to serve others, biographies that inspire me is what gives me ideas to discuss, thoughts to lead my heart and wisdom to share. It does not come from a vacuum–we must invest in what we hope to become. What we sow we will reap.

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The Mind of Christ

Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:

Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:

But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:

And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. -Philippians 2:5-8

Christ came to earth as the perfect example of servanthood and self-denial. As children of God, we have confidence of our standing in His eyes. Yet He calls us to humble ourselves and consider the fact that there are many who still need Him. He calls those who claim salvation to be a testimony of who Christ is and why He came. May we seek daily to have the mind of Christ.

It is so easy to get wrapped up in ourselves; to focus on our own thoughts and desires. But Jesus challenged us to something higher.

And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant:

Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. -Matthew 20:27,28

And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. -Luke 9:23 This is not the message of the world today! Abundant joy and peace are ours if we humbly and obediently yield to His call to forget ourselves, follow Him, and be filled with His Spirit. Do our lives bring attention to Christ or to ourselves?

What is revival?

Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit. Psalm 51:12

Restore means to take back to the starting point. Synonyms: revive, quicken. Meaning "to take back to the beginning; to live again."

Revival is for God's people. We possess everlasting life, but are we living it? "Revival" should be the norm! It is God's standard for the normal Christian life. We have the opportunity to live victorious, Spirit-filled Christian lives every day. When we are converted, we are brought from spiritual illness to health; from pride to grace; from the abnormal to the normal.

Revival requires a recognition of sin. Revival is for those who are guilty. It requires taking responsibility.

Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.

For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. -Psalm 51:2,3

Conviction of sin is a work of God. When we begin to "go through the motions" in our relationship with God; when we do not give Him our full attention, everything becomes mechanical and routine. We get in a rut. We don't even realize that we are living without the power of the Spirit, rather we are living in our own power, trying to serve the Lord in our own strength, ignorant of our own poverty. We become weak and useless, being blind to our own sin and moral decay. We lack sensitivity to sin in our lives and (even as the psalmist in the text) fall into sin and out of fellowship with God.

David was given the truth about his sin in II Sam 11:1-7. It is God's mercy that reveals the truth to our hearts.

By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the LORD men depart from evil. Prov. 16:6

Revival requires repentance. We must agree with God about our sins, accept the consequences, and ask God to forgive and cleanse. There must be earnest seeking of reconciliation with God.

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. Ps. 51:17

Revival results in rejoicing and restoration. We have been cleansed; there is nothing (no sin) between us and God. Full fellowship is restored and we rejoice in His great mercy and grace.

Great Grace

For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,

Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;

Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ -Titus 2:11-13

In this day and age, a popular belief is that grace excuses sin. Nothing could be further from the truth! Grace does not excuse sin, rather it delivers us from sin, it brings salvation. Grace is for the guilty, the helpless, the speechless; not the proud and self-sufficient. We have the responsibility to receive it.

But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.

Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

-James 6:7-10

Grace is not a "once and done" thing. Daily we need God's grace in our lives.

The grace of God does not allow us to continue in our sin. As our heavenly Father, He does what is best for us; He rebukes and chastens those whom He loves. The word "teaching" in Titus 2:12 includes chastening.

Grace proclaims truth and teaches us to deny ourselves what is dangerous. Lack of a reverence for God results in sin and living in the flesh. Resisting the truth means resisting grace and the Father. Are we open and submissive to the truth; are we speaking the truth in our hearts?

Grace produces life - it teaches us how we should live. Everlasting life begins with salvation. "He that hath the Son hath life." Victorious, Spirit-filled, joyful, revived Christian living: are we squandering our "everlasting life," or are we living it?

Going down to verse 13 of Titus 2 we read that we are to live soberly, righteously, and godly. They address how we live with respect to ourselves, to others, and to God. Living soberly means exercising restraing, moderation, and rational thinking. Living righteously means living rightly with respect to others; being honest, just, and true. Living godly lives entails great reverence for God; having the fear of God instilled in our hearts.

Grace produces hope for Christ's return. 1 Thess 4; 1 Cor. 15

For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first.

What will YOU do with grace?

A promise for today

Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared. ~Exodus 23:20

Servanthood

Whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister;

And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant:

Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto,

but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

-Matthew 20:26b-28

How can YOU give up your life to "save" others?

Servants are responsive to the needs of others. Their concerns are not with themselves and how others could serve them but on how they could be a blessing to others. God's attributes of love, compassion, kindness, patience, and mercy, when manifested in the life of a believer beholding the glory of God, result in Christlike service for others. This is mature Christianity.

Servants are also responsive to the will of another. The spirit of our age preaches that if you do not like the will of your master, it is all right to ignore or defy it. By contrast, Christ's attributes of meekness (willing to be goverened), humility, faith (confidence in His Father), and temperance when manifested in the life of a believer result in Christ likesubmission to authority. Christ suffered at the hands of human authority. He was a servant because He responded to the needs of others. He was known for His sacrifice. He denied Himself in order to be submissive. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus!

The path of the righteous is like the light of dawn which shines brighter and brighter until the full day. Proverbs 4:18

His focus for me as a child is that I move from immaturity towards maturity. From self-absorption to self-sacrifice. His discipline for me is daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, training my appetites of life to His ways. Teaching me to love righteousness and to be sensitive to His heart. Learning in my real paths of life how to life my life his way, with His wisdom.