“And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead.”
Revelation 1:17

It may be that like the apostle John you know Jesus Christ intimately, when suddenly He appears with no familiar characteristic at all, and the only thing you can do is to fall at His feet as dead. There are times when God cannot reveal Himself in any other way than in His majesty, and it is the awfulness of the vision which brings you to the delight of despair; if you are ever to be raised up, it must be by the hand of God.

“He laid His right hand upon me.” In the midst of the awfulness, a touch comes, and you know it is the right hand of Jesus Christ. The right hand not of restraint nor of correction nor of chastisement, but the right hand of the Everlasting Father. Whenever His hand is laid upon you, it is ineffable peace and comfort, the sense that “underneath are the everlasting arms,” full of sustaining and comfort and strength. When once His touch comes, nothing at all can cast you into fear again. In the midst of all His ascended glory the Lord Jesus comes to speak to an insignificant disciple, and to say – “Fear not.” His tenderness is ineffably sweet. Do I know Him like that?

Watch some of the things that strike despair. There is despair in which there is no delight, no horizon, no hope of anything brighter; but the delight of despair comes when I know that “in me (that is, in my flesh) dwelleth no good thing.” I delight to know that there is that in me which must fall prostrate before God when He manifests Himself, and if I am ever to be raised up it must be by the hand of God. God can do nothing for me until I get to the limit of the possible.

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In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son.
(Hebrews 1:1,2 NIV)

What was the tragedy of the old Israel? Of course, the tragedy of the old Israel, finally, is their dismissal.
Their dismissal: “The kingdom of God shall be taken away from you, and shall be given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.” That happened! and it stands today. The kingdom of heaven taken away – not for that Israel, but for another! The tragedy of Israel is that they are dismissed from the dispensation, or the dispensational movement of God. This has lasted for two thousand years. How many more years we do not know, probably, not so long, but you leave that alone.

Here I am going to upset a lot of you: you leave Israel alone for the time being. You will only get into terrible confusion if you get down on this earth with an earth touch in these things…. You see, you go on like that and it leads to confusion if you come down onto this earth. Leave it alone and see what God is doing, and God is doing a spiritual thing, not a temporal thing. I could take an hour to enlarge upon that last phrase, “not a temporal thing.” Do you see, in the sovereign activities of God, that now He is confounding and confusing and breaking down all temporal representations of His heavenly kingdom?! Men are trying to set up local churches after New Testament order. You have never had more confusion in local churches than you have today. They are trying to set up things, constitute things, Christian movements, Christian institutions, Christian organizations, and they are all in confusion and do not know what to do with one another. You may think that is an exaggeration, but you see what I mean? – God is breathing upon every temporal representation in order to have a spiritual expression of Christ! That is the heart of what we are saying, and that is what is here…. This new Israel is so much greater than the old because Christ, this Messiah, is so much greater than their conception of a Messiah… I am talking about the greatness of this One Who is introduced in Hebrews: “God, …hath at the end of these days spoken in His Son, Whom He appointed Heir of…” an exclusive party? – No, “of all things.” That is Paul’s great word all the way through: “all things, …all things, …all things,” and in the end, “to sum up all things in Christ.” And if I need to safeguard, I am not talking about universalism. I am talking about God’s ultimate realm and sphere where it will be nothing but Christ.

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you are worried and bothered about many things.. Luke 10:41
therefore – let us strip off every weight that slows us down” Heb.12:1

Scripture is the unique authority in prophecy, in science – in living and in dying,
Scripture is the only directive that we should adopt to live our lives,
Scripture is the one plum-line that we should use to develop doctrine,
- but beware lest the study of scripture divert you from the Subject of scripture.

Jesus said to those that rejected Him : You search the Scriptures
because you believe they give you eternal life,
but the Scriptures point to Me! – John 5:39
All scripture points to the Lord Jesus Christ,
Science, prophecy, life and death must all have Christ as the one, unique focal point.

Scripture tells us how to live – how to die – how to overcome – how to be faithful,
Adopt any other strategy, or mix in your opinions and you develop a different doctrine.

Martha was bothered and worried and troubled about by many things,
But in her bothering and in her busyness she missed the vital presence of God,
We are all like Martha – bothered, worried and troubled about by many things,
And like her, all our botherings become hindrances in our relationship with Jesus.

But scripture tells us how to live our lives victoriously and wisely,
We are first and foremost to lay aside every hindrance to discipleship,
We are to put away everything that diverts us away from our life-calling,
And the life into which we are all called is to know God and to know Christ,
This is eternal life, that they may know You,
the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. John 17:3
This does not mean we are only to lay aside things we are not bothered about,
- it means that we are to lay aside the thing in our lives that do bother us!

We are to examine our lives and recognize the things that are hindering our calling,
We are to strip off all those hinderances –all that bothers – all that weighs us down,
We are to pair away everything that diverts us away from knowing Jesus.

This is a positive action that we are to undertake – it will not simply happen,
This is a decision of the will – it is a resolution we need to make in our minds.

God will not force His mind, His thoughts or His will on an unwilling servant,
And yet we are exhorted to let the mind of Christ dwell in us richly,
This will not simply happen but it is a decision of the will as we walk in spirit and truth/

We need to pray Thy will not mine be done..
But that prayer is a choice – a choice you will make or a choice you will spurn.

Some weights are certainly sinful but by no means are all weights sinful,
Some weights weigh us down unnoticed and are like shackles on the feet of a slave.
Some weights we are conscious about and need to deliberately set them aside,
Other things are unconscious weights which may have built up over many years,
- such unconscious weights came become a way of life,
- such unconscious hindrances can weigh us down.

The carnal mind often cries out for rest, recreation, security.
- not recognising these may all be shackles, hindrances, things to be laid aside.

Time can also be a big hindrances to which we all so stubbornly cling,
Time is often filled with all things that bother us all so much,
- but remember..what Jesus said,
Martha, Martha, you are anxious and bothered about many things.

The believer is exhorted to lay aside all that makes us anxious or bothered,
For Scripture indicates that the faithful servant must lay aside every weight,
Cast all your weights – all your burdens upon Me.

We need to scrutinise our life to uncover the things that bother us,
We all need to lay aside everything that hinders our spiritual progress.

We need to ask Jesus to show us the encumbrances in our own lives,
- and tell Him that with His guidance we are willing to lay them all at His feet.

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Stripping Off Hindrances

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“for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.”

-Romans 14:17 (Holman)

Thoughts on Today’s Verse

In totality the kingdom of God reaches to every place, in the entire universe, stretching through time and beyond eternity, but in His revelation to man, which is detailed in the Scriptures, the kingdom of God almost always restricts its horizons to God’s current work and future rule, through a group of His obedient servants. The kingdom of God is that heavenly sphere of life, where His children are willingly governed by the holy Spirit, in which righteousness reigns – and it refers to the body of Christ, the church of the Lord Jesus.

Man does not live by bread alone but by the whole truth of God’s Word, and the reach of God’s rule stretches far beyond the question of temporal needs such as eating, drinking and the necessities of this world, for the substance of God’s kingdom does not consist of external things, which are passing away but of spiritual matters, which are eternal – reconciliation to God, which gives birth to righteousness, peace and joy in the Lord.

But of all the godly qualities that are demanded of God’s children by their Father, three important issues have been brought to the focus of our attention: – righteousness, peace and joy, all of which can be summed up in the righteous requirements of a holy God.

Righteousness outlines our relationship with God, for having been forgiven of our sins – for we have been place into right relationship with Him and it behoves us to live righteously before Him all the days of our life.
Peace is the status that we are called upon when dealing with our fellow men, and Christian brothers, so that as far as it depends on us we are to live at peace with all men, reflecting the character of our heavenly Prince.
Joy should be the outer expression of our inner attitude of contentment, for the joy of the Lord is not only our strength but our eternal sufficiency.

My Prayer

Loving Father, I pray that I may be one that walks in righteousness, before You, at peace with all around me, while rejoicing in You for the privilege of being made a child of the kingdom and a son of the most High, in Jesus name I pray. AMEN

Today’s verse illustrated

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Morning

Listen to the MORNING Audio:

• Ephesians 4:30
• Romans 15:30
• John 14:26
• Isaiah 63:9; 10
• 1 John 4:13
• Ephesians 1:13; 14
• Galatians 5:16; 17
• Romans 8:26

Evening

Listen to the EVENING Audio:

• Hosea 5:15
• Isaiah 59:2
• Song of Solomon 5:6
• Isaiah 57:17; 18
• Jeremiah 2:17
• Luke 15:20
• Hosea 14:4
• 1 John 1:9

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MORNING and EVENING – May 24

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“Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; `
nor yet for your body what ye shall put on.”
Matthew 6:25

Jesus sums up common-sense carefulness in a disciple as infidelity. If we have received the Spirit of God, He will press through and say – Now where does God come in in this relationship, in this mapped out holiday, in these new books? He always presses the point until we learn to make Him our first consideration. Whenever we put other things first, there is confusion.

“Take no thought . . .” don’t take the pressure of forethought upon yourself. It is not only wrong to worry, it is infidelity, because worrying means that we do not think that God can look after the practical details of our lives, and it is never any thing else that worries us. Have you ever noticed what Jesus said would choke the word He puts in? The devil? No, the cares of this world. It is the little worries always. I will not trust where I cannot see, that is where infidelity begins. The only cure for infidelity is obedience to the Spirit.
The great word of Jesus to His disciples is abandonment.

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Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in My Name, claiming I am the Christ, and will deceive many.
(Matthew 24:4,5 NIV)

In a somewhat extended life and ministry, again and again I have seen dear people of God who were out in the open going on with the Lord in the liberty of the Spirit with great promise and then they’ve been caught in some “ism.” They simply are helpless to escape themselves from the tenets of that “ism.” Again and again I’ve seen it! Tragedy…. There’s a great “ism” sweeping right over America and over Europe in these last years. I can dare to mention this one, well I’m going to at any rate: Universalism. It’s an “ism” which has captured multitudes! And you just can’t get anywhere with these people once they’ve got it. But I have known them, oh so promising… so promising and then this thing has come subtly along their way, attractive and fascinating…. So appealing: everybody, ultimately, including the devil himself, will be saved. What are you going to do with that? Willy-nilly they’ll be saved… undercutting so many of the very vitals of the Gospel.

You may call these things gross errors, but there are things that are not such errors. Not such errors, indeed in themselves they’re quite true, but they have become the beginning of all and the end of all to the people who have taken them on. You can get no further, no further. They have lost the great ground, the vast ground of God’s full purpose for this dispensation and become stuck on some thing that is only partial at best. Arrested… like Judaism; come to a standstill, or going round and round in a circle, the circle of this particular thing. It should be a warning to us because, you see, this is the thing that has been the enemy of the fullness of Christ all through the centuries – this sort of thing…. There are many antichrists in the world and an antichrist is not a spurious, fearful creature, you know, with a tail and a pitchfork. No, an antichrist is something that assumes the place of Christ…. And with the natural judgment, natural powers, you are not able to distinguish between the true and the false. The Christ and the antichrist seem to be so much alike. You can’t discern the difference, but the Anointing will tell you! The Anointing which you have received, when you come into touch with something false, will tell you if the Anointing is really governing, saying, “Be careful,” not in words, but inside. You have a feeling there’s something not quite clear here, not transparent here, not safe enough… “I don’t feel happy about this, I can’t tell you why but I just don’t feel quite happy about this… there’s something in me that says: beware.” I am convinced that in a day like this of deceptions and misleadings and all that, the great need is our spiritual discernment; of knowing the Holy Spirit in this way, that He’s able to warn you.

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Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us……” Hebrews 12: 1

In any courtroom the testimony of witnesses that can verify the truth is crucial,
The number of available witnesses and the quality of their evidence is often critical,
And from the start of creation there are many who witness to God’s faithfulness,
- men and women who trusted God and proved Him to be faithful and true,
- men and women who grew into that great cloud of witnesses, of Hebrews 11.

For thousands of years such testimonials have affirmed the truth of God’s Word,
And the Spirit of God has compiled this substantial witness into a worthy record,
- so that the Word of their testimony may bolster your faith and mine.

The witness of men and women of faith can be a great stimulus to out own trust,
And these women and men who trusted God demonstrate what faith is all about,
We live by the faith and not by sight. 2 Corinthians 5:7
For without faith it is impossible to please Him. Hebrews 11:6

As believers we have been given a substantial testimonial through a cloud of witnesses,
We have the first hand evidence of God’s gracious faithfulness towards His children,
We have the clearest possible verification of what God requires from His children,
- God wants us to trust Him : to believe in His Word : to have faith in Him alone,
And so He gives an extended list of named saints & unsung heros who exemplify faith.

Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12: 1

The Holy Spirit calls to the witness stand a multitude of mighty men and women
So that the church, which is His body, may be encouraged by their example,
He calls to the podium examples of good and faithful stewards, who trusted God,
He calls on church-age believers to unreservedly follow this example of faith,
– faith in the SON of God Who loved us and gave Himself for us. Galatians 2:20

Faith is the one element that unites this innumerable crowd that trusted their Lord,
Faith is the foundation that rivets together this mass of martyrs, so pleasing to God,
Faith is the component traced through of the lives of this great cloud of witnesses,
- for faith in God is what pleases the Father,
Believing His Word and trusting His faithfulness is what is demanded of each of us.

We are to lay aside every hindrance and any weight that may inhibit our spiritual walk,
We’re to strip our life of every obstacle and encumbrance that may impede our growth,
- such hindrances may not be sinful, but nothing must obstruct our trust in the Lord,
We may have to put down or subordinate what is good in order to gain the very best.

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A Great Cloud of Witnesses

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“But the fruit of the Spirit is… JOY.”

-Galatians 5:22 (KJV)

Thoughts on Today’s Verse

The beautiful fruit of the Spirit comes out from the Holy Spirit and is perfected by Him, and each facet is a jewel that beautifies the life of a believer. Each grace stands alone and yet together the fruit of the Spirit unites into one perfect gemstone, which is rooted and founded on God’s love. The love of God pours forth a fountain of graces that are each uniquely attractive, but which intertwine together into a complimentary oneness, that so exemplifies the gracious goodness of our God.

When God’s love is the first and foundational fruit, it is interesting to note that joy is the first pretty face that peeps out from the radiance of His love. Joy in the heart of the believer must be grounded in God’s love, without which it fades into man’s feeble attempts at happiness. The joy of the Lord was the fruit that caused Paul to rejoice, as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing, for in all our affliction, I am overflowing with joy.

The wonders of salvation and mercy of God that forgives us our sins and imputes us with Christ’s righteousness is joy indeed, as is the glorious hope of our eternal home that God has prepared for all those that love Him. One day we all will be together – a company of saints that is overflowing with joy, for in His presence there is fullness of joy, when He will wipe away every teardrop. But in the meantime may the love of God be manifested through an inner joy that is founded on Him. Let us be genuinely joyful when others rejoice and not resentful of their good fortune. Let us be prepared to share the joy of the Lord sensitively with those that are in pain and be a channel through whom God pours His love into the lives of those we meet.

My Prayer

Loving Father, I bless you for the joy poured into my life, for once I was lost but now I am found. May I learn to rejoice in my sufferings and may Your joy flow through me to all I meet today, to Your praise and glory in Jesus name I pray, AMEN

Today’s verse illustrated

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Morning

Listen to the MORNING Audio:

• Exodus 28:12
• Hebrews 7:24; 25
• Jude 1:24
• Hebrews 4:14-16
• Deuteronomy 33:12

Evening

Listen to the EVENING Audio:

• Esther 6:1
• Psalm 77:4
• Psalm 113:5; 6
• Daniel 4:35
• Psalm 77:19
• Psalm 76:10
• 2 Chronicles 16:9
• Romans 8:28
• Matthew 10:29; 30

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MORNING and EVENING – May 23

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“That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee,
that they also may be one in us.”
John 17:21

If you are going through a solitary way, read John 17, it will explain exactly why you are where you are – Jesus has prayed that you may be one with the Father as He is. Are you helping God to answer that prayer, or have you some other end for your life? Since you became a disciple you cannot be as independent as you used to be.

The purpose of God is not to answer our prayers, but by our prayers we come to discern the mind of God, and this is revealed in John 17. There is one prayer God must answer, and that is the prayer of Jesus – “that they may be one, even as We are One.” Are we as close to Jesus Christ as that?

God is not concerned about our plans; He does not say – Do you want to go through this bereavement; this upset? He allows these things for His own purpose. The things we are going through are either making us sweeter, better, nobler men and women; or they are making us more captious and fault-finding, more insistent upon our own way. The things that happen either make us fiends, or they make us saints; it depends entirely upon the relationship we are in to God. If we say – “Thy will be done,” we get the consolation of John 17, the consolation of knowing that our Father is working according to His own wisdom. When we understand what God is after we will not get mean and cynical. Jesus has prayed nothing less for us than absolute oneness with Himself as He was one with the Father. Some of us are far off it, and yet God will not leave us alone until we are one with Him, because Jesus has prayed that we may be.

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It pleased God… to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him.
(Galatians 1:15,16)

Since Paul’s day so very much of Christian activity has been the furthering of a movement, the propagating of a teaching, and the furthering of the interest of an institution. It is not a movement, nor to establish a movement in the Earth and to get followers, adherents, members, support. It is not an institution, even though we might call that institution the church. The church has no existence in the thought of God apart from the revelation of Jesus Christ, and it is judged according to the measure in which Christ the Son of God’s love is in evidence by its existence. It is not a testimony, if by that you mean a specific form of teaching, a systematized doctrine. No, it is not a testimony. Let us be careful what we mean when we speak about “the testimony.” We may have in our minds some arrangement of truth, and that truth couched in certain phraseology, form of words, and thus speak about “the testimony“; it is not the testimony in that sense. It is not a denomination, and it is not a “non-denomination,” and it is not an “inter-denomination.” It is not Christianity. It is not “the work” – oh, we are always talking about “the work“: “How is the work getting on?” – we are giving ourselves to the work, we are interested in the work, we are out in the work. Nor is it a mission. It is Christ! “…That I might preach Him.”

If Christ had remained central and preeminent all these horrible disintegrating jealousies would never have had a chance. All the wretched mess that exists in the organization of Christianity today would never have come about. It is because something specific in itself, a movement, a mission, a teaching, a testimony, a fellowship, a ministry has taken the place of Christ. People have gone out to further that, to project that, to establish that. It would not be confessed; nevertheless it is true, that today it is not so much Christ that is our work. Now beloved, an inward revelation is the cure of all that. Am I saying too hard a thing, too sweeping a thing? It is the existence of all that represents the absence of an adequate inward revelation of Christ.

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We are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses …” Hebrews 12: 1

We are each called to be a witness – a witness to the world at large;
- a witness to our brothers and sisters in Christ – a witness to those we love;
- a witness to a lost and dying world – a witness to those that hate us;
- a witness to the holy angels – and to the principalities and powers of darkness;
- a witness to our own self – for we alone know if our heart is genuine;
- a witness to the Lord our God –Who alone knows the intentions of the heart.

We are not lone witnesses, however cheerless, isolated or hard our spiritual walk,
We are not a solitary witness, however deeply Christendom wallows in apostasy,
We are preceded by a numerous and exemplary cloud of worthy witnesses,
Witnesses that however humble in spirit are giants in the faith that pleases God.

This huge throng of many unnamed souls fills our spiritual horizon,
We live and move and have our being in Christ – in the wake of their testimony.

Some imagine this huge throng to be peering in on their own private little lives,
An intrusive band of peeping-toms invading our personal space or scrutinizing us,
We have no scriptural authority to see them as spectators, looking in on all we do!

Their witness was by their lives – lives that were lived by faith in God,
Lives that in many cases were sordid and sinful – yet lives that trusted God.

Theirs were rarely a life that we should emulate – for many engaged in foolish actions,
Oft-imes their faith for which they are applauded was weak, sinful, carnal, or careless.

They were not a witness to what they did but a witness to the One in whom they trusted,
- a testimony to His faithfulness – despite their variations of mood or bad decisions,
- a witness to the One in whom they trusted – not necessarily a life to be emulated,
- an evidence of God’s grace – despite many imprudent actions or foolhardy words.

From the beginning of time and into eternity – there will be a great band of witnesses,
Multitudes that have borne a testimony of faith in the One that is faithful and true,
A great cloud of witnesses to the faithfulness of their glorious covenant-keeping God.

All in this great clouds of witnesses – had to die to self and finally trust only in God,
Abraham had to sacrifice his Isaac
Jacob was broken at Peniel;

Isaiah’s foul mouth had to be cleansed with a coal from the alter -
Reluctant Jonah was taken to the gates of hell and back;
Zacharias was made mute
Peter had to come to the end of his prideful boasting,
Mary broke her precious alabaster box of spikenard – for love of her Lord.

All had to deny the self-life, that is so prominent in each of our own individual lives.
God must bring us all to our own personal Patmos, so we too can have a vision of Jesus.

For many years Paul kicked against the pricks – resisting the urgings of the Lord,
But finally that proud man was humbled before the living God – by the living God
Until at the end of his life—he could say that he considered his life as garbage!
- for the excellency of knowing the Lord Jesus Christ.

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A Great Cloud of Witnesses

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“For all things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, and you are Christ’s, and Christ is God.”

-1 Corinthians 3:21-23 (ESV)

Thoughts on Today’s Verse

Paul was the apostle appointed by God to reveal many mysteries to the church that had been hidden from man’s understanding and which the former prophets of old longed to look into. Paul is a teacher that builds-up the theme of his teaching on a logical progression, which have their ultimate focus on the face of the lovely Lord Jesus Christ and the gospel of grace..

Having reiterated the principal that God is the source of all wisdom and believers are the privileged recipients of His illumination, we are reminded that no teacher of the good news should have pretentious claims to personal wisdom for all are all are servants of God, and are all equally equipped from above and all should be wholly united in humbly proclaiming the wonderful wisdom of God, by grace through faith in Christ, to all who believe.

We are all called to minister, but no minister of God, no matter how distinguished his position or humble his calling, can glory in his own cleverness, nor should those who learn from the ministry of others, elevate the importance of one believer above another, for we are all one in Christ and we all have the same common benefits of being in Christ – we are all declaring God’s established gospel, all are proclaiming the faith, common to all believers. But like Paul we should all desire to be bond-servants of Jesus so that He alone is lifted up – let all His servants glory in the LORD and the truth of His wonderful word, for in Christ we have been given, all things richly to enjoy, for we are all in Christ and Christ is in God.

My Prayer

Loving Father, how I thank You that I have all be given all spiritual riches to richly enjoy. Thank You for equipping me in the ministry that You have  give to me. May my eyes look to Jesus, and not to the one that has instructed me about Jesus, for He alone is worthy of praise, in His name I pray, AMEN

Today’s verse illustrated

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Morning

Listen to the MORNING Audio:

• John 14:27
• 1 John 2:17
• Psalm 39:6
• Romans 6:21
• Luke 10:41; 42
• 1 Corinthians 7:32
• John 16:33
• 2 Thessalonians 3:16
• Numbers 6:24-26

Evening

Listen to the EVENING Audio:

• Romans 8:26
• John 14:26
• 1 Corinthians 6:19
• Philippians 2:13
• Romans 8:26; 27
• Psalm 103:14
• Isaiah 42:3
• Matthew 26:41
• Psalm 23:1; 2

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MORNING and EVENING – May 22

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“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness;
and all these things shall be added unto you.”
Matthew 6:33

Immediately we look at these words of Jesus, we find them the most revolutionary statement human ears ever listened to. “Seek ye first the kingdom of God.” We argue in exactly the opposite way, even the most spiritually-minded of us – “But I must live; I must make so much money; I must be clothed; I must be fed.” The great concern of our lives is not the kingdom of God, but how we are to fit ourselves to live. Jesus reverses the order: Get rightly related to God first, maintain that as the great care of your life, and never put the concern of your care on the other things.

“Take no thought for your life. . . .” Our Lord points out the utter unreasonableness from His standpoint of being so anxious over the means of living. Jesus is not saying that the man who takes thought for nothing is blessed – that man is a fool. Jesus taught that a disciple has to make his relationship to God the dominating concentration of his life, and to be carefully careless about every thing else in comparison to that. Jesus is saying – “Don’t make the ruling factor of your life what you shall eat and what you shall drink, but be concentrated absolutely on God.” Some people are careless over what they eat and drink, and they suffer for it; they are careless about what they wear, and they look as they have no business to look; they are careless about their earthly affairs, and God holds them responsible. Jesus is saying that the great care of life is to put the relationship of God first, and everything else second.

It is one of the severest disciplines of the Christian life to allow the Holy Spirit to bring us into harmony with the teaching of Jesus in these verses.

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My determined purpose is that I may know Him.
(Philippians 3:10 AMP)

There are few words in his writings which reveal how committed to the Lord Jesus this man was. The whole context is one consummate outpouring of his heart to the One whom he said had “apprehended” him, and he focuses all in a brief half sentence: “That I may know Him.” The impressive thing about this expressed ambition is the time at which it is made. Here is a man who has had a revelation and knowledge of Jesus Christ greater than any other man up to that time. That knowledge commenced when as he said, “it pleased God to reveal His Son in me.” That beginning devastated him, and sent him into the desert to try to grasp its implications. Later he had been “caught up into the third heaven and shown unspeakable things, which (he said) were not lawful to be uttered.” Between, and around those two experiences, there is evidence of an ever growing knowledge of Christ. Here, after all that, near the end of his life, he is crying passionately: “That I may know Him.”

The very least that we can say about this is that the Christ in view was a very great Christ indeed, who outstrips the greatest capacity and comprehension of man. This stands in such tremendous contrast to the limited Christ of our recognition and apprehension! How very much more there is in Christ than we have ever seen!

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A time is coming (in time) – when the Church will be completed,
A time when the fullness of the Gentiles will have come in,
A time when the Lord Jesus comes for His bride – at the rapture…
A time when the 2000-year long Christian dispensation is completed.

A time is coming when God will once again turn His attention back to Israel,
A time of prophesied tribulation; a time of judgment; the time of Jacob’s trouble,
A time when the gospel of the kingdom will have been taught – worldwide
A time when the veil over the heart of the Jewish nation – is lifted.

The millennial rule of Christ will be ushered in,
The mystery of God will be accomplished and completed,
The finished, finalised house of the Lord will be built up of living stones,
The 6000-year long dispensation of man under Satan’s rule will be over,
- and Satan will be bound for 1000 years in the bottomless pit.

But while Satan is still active, believers overcome the enemy by the blood of the Lamb,
The way to overcome Satan in any dispensation – is described in Revelation ch. 12.
“They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb ……,” Rev.2:11

No-one who isn’t covered, cleaned, redeemed, forgiven, born again can overcome,
Forgiveness through faith, is the first crucial step to being an overcomer.
For without the blood of Jesus there is no forgiveness of sin,
And without the blood of Christ there is no communion with God.

Without the blood of Jesus, no one can defeat Satan, sin and death,
Without the blood of Christ, no one can overcome the world, the flesh and the devil.

The blood of Jesus is often only seen in the context of forgiveness of sins,
But there is more that this cleansing flood has achieved in a believer’s life,
It includes His indwelling; sanctification; glorification; overcoming the enemy.

All that can be achieved in our lives – is connected with the blood of the Lamb,
“And They overcame (the enemy) by the blood of the Lamb ……,”

The devil comes with all subtlety to accuse the brethren, and many believe his lies,
But the liar accusing you is really pointing his scabby finger through you to the Lord..
For Christ stands between the accuser and you – and nothing can touch you,
No sickness or illness– no loss or deprivation – no trial or disaster – nothing at all.

Nothing can touch one child of God who is purchased by the blood of the Lamb,
- nothing – including Satan, can defeat the blood of the Lamb.

Oh, God may permit sickness or loss, and will allow trials or disaster,
But nothing will remove you from the protective covering of the blood of the Lamb,
And nothing else is good enough but the protective covering of the blood of the Lamb.

When the accuser starts to point his intimidating finger in your face,
Don’t try to answer his charges by means of your own self-effort,
Don’t slip back into your old ways of penance and afflictions of the flesh,
Don’t step out independently – thinking God cant work out your problem by Himself,
Don’t answer his accusations by producing your own good works of righteousness,
Don’t believe the accusers lies – that God is not sufficient for all our needs.

Remember the victory was won at Calvary,
Remember the only way to overcome is through the blood of the Lamb,
The way to overcome in any dispensation is described in Revelation 12
“They overcame him………. by the blood of the Lamb …………..…”

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The Blood of the Lamb

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“But seek you first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you.”

-Matthew 6:33 (AKJB)

Thoughts on Today’s Verse

Not one word in scripture is superfluous and when the word BUT starts a sentence it is a conjunction of contrast – it is a word that introduces an opposite outcome and is a clue that the upcoming statement is about to qualify something important. Having taught His disciples to pray to the Father in faith, Christ has given a long dissertation on the futility of fretting, the fruitlessness of worry and the anxiety that is caused when our primary attention is on how WE can provide for our own temporal necessities of life.

Through a series of amusing examples Jesus points out that both birds and lilies do not fret for their food or clothing, but are graciously cared for by God, pointing out that His children are infinitely more precious to Him than pretty flowers or feathered foul. But then comes the important teaching that instead of futile fretting and needless worry our principal thoughts and prime pursuit should be on the eternal kingdom of God and the righteousness that flows from Him, rather than seeking to provide for ourselves through the bankrupt dominions of this passing world system. God knows that worry entraps the heart and fear fractures faith, which can cause a believer to spiral down into a pit of despair. BUT He also knows that we have daily needs and He has given many precious promises throughout scripture that He will be our Provider for all the needs and necessities of life – if we will but simply trust in Him

Instead of seeking first the things of this world, through our own effort, we are urged to seek Him first – to develop a right perspective, to exchange natural thinking for godly thinking. This is simply done by trusting Him to fulfill His promise to provide for our needs, and when He is our main focus, ALL the things that we need, both temporal and eternal will be provided.

My Prayer

Loving Father, I know that too often a lack of faith in Your promises of provision have caused me to seek after the things of this world by myself. I confess this is a lack of faith in You and pray that the eyes of my ahead, in Jesus name I pray. AMEN

Today’s verse illustrated

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Morning

Listen to the MORNING Audio:

• Ephesians 6:10
• 2 Corinthians 12:9; 10
• Psalm 71:16
• Romans 1:16
• Philippians 4:13
• Colossians 1:29
• 2 Corinthians 4:7
• Nehemiah 8:10
• Colossians 1:11

Evening

Listen to the EVENING Audio:

• 1 Corinthians 1:9
• Matthew 1:21
• Philippians 2:8-10
• John 4:25
• Isaiah 61:1
• 1 Corinthians 15:45; 47
• John 20:28
• John 13:13-15

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MORNING and EVENING – May 21

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