Pangs of living

We are no strangers to anguish, are we?  Sure, there are people who know tragedy, heartache, deprivation,  any manner of hardship more so than I have, or do. I can sit here and think of the tragedies taking place throughout the world I live in and know I have it very, very good. Yet, in my own sphere of existence I know the hardships of life. I know mental anguish, emotional trauma, and some physical pain- though by the grace of God, not much of that.  In fact I've been blessed in many ways. 

We read in the Bible about men and women of God who have it really great, and yet they suffer in their own ways as well. They know the hardships of living, of being a human being.

David was given riches, royalty, friendship, love and still he felt the pangs of living.

We all have them, these pangs of living.

Rom 7:24  O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?

Paul had them.

You just don't say words like those unless you are experiencing the pangs of living.

Have you ever felt the depths of self-loathing like Paul? Have you ever considered yourself a wretched person?

Psa 38:8  I am feeble and sore broken: I have roared by reason of the disquietness of my heart.

Psa 119:143  Trouble and anguish have taken hold on me

Men of God felt this way!  Men of God felt wretched, feeble, broken, disquietness in their hearts, troubled, filled with anguish.  Men favored by God were dealing with the pangs of living. 

More tomorrow by the grace of God.  More on the pangs of living and how we and the men of God in the Bible deal with such pangs.  The pangs will NOT cease, not ever, but how we live with the pangs can make our lives bearable.

All by the grace and mercy of our LORD and SAVIOR, Jesus Christ!

We are wretched men..

Rom 7:24  O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?


Rom 8:26  Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.


Psa 6:6  I am weary with my groaning; all the night make I my bed to swim; I water my couch with my tears.


Psa 38:8  I am feeble and sore broken: I have roared by reason of the disquietness of my heart.
Psa 38:9  Lord, all my desire is before thee; and my groaning is not hid from thee.
Psa 38:10  My heart panteth, my strength faileth me: as for the light of mine eyes, it also is gone from me.


Psa 119:81  CAPH. My soul fainteth for thy salvation: but I hope in thy word.
Psa 119:82  Mine eyes fail for thy word, saying, When wilt thou comfort me?
Psa 119:83  For I am become like a bottle in the smoke; yet do I not forget thy statutes.


Psa 119:143  Trouble and anguish have taken hold on me: yet thy commandments are my delights.
Psa 119:144  The righteousness of thy testimonies is everlasting: give me understanding, and I shall live.
Psa 119:145  KOPH. I cried with my whole heart; hear me, O LORD: I will keep thy statutes.


Eze 9:4  And the LORD said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof.


2Co 12:7  And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.
2Co 12:8  For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.
2Co 12:9  And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.


2Co 1:8  For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life:
2Co 1:9  But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead:
2Co 1:10  Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us;


Gal 2:20  I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
Gal 2:21  I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.


Gal 5:24  And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.


Gal 6:14  But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.


Col 3:9  Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;
Col 3:10  And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:


Rom 6:22  But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.


Rom 8:4  That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.


*******


Tomorrow….   A more in-depth study, tonight, these verses from the word of our LORD.


All grace, all power, all glory, all love in HIM, ALWAYS.

'Careful and troubled about many things' - (Jesus' words)

Does God have power?

Silly question? Not really. Do you believe God has power?

We live in our own self contain existences, despairing of ever being truly God's because we know the evil in our own hearts, the unrighteous desires to allow ourselves to be unloving of others and God. Okay, I say we, but what I really mean is 'I' ,  I live in my own self contain existence. I despair of truly being God's, because I know constantly the evil (and by evil I mean unloving, uncharitable, selfish, self serving) that lives in me and manifests itself daily in my thoughts. The unrighteous desires such as not wanting to be kind, but rather wanting to rail and rant against the injustice of things asked of me.  Yes, I believe I have the "Mary" Syndrome.

What's the "Mary" Syndrome? I'm glad you asked.  The Mary Syndrome is the desire to be so perfect in word in deed, in heart and spirit that I could be chosen to be used by God in some way. The Mary Syndrome is knowing there HAVE existed women of God, that God has used according to His purpose.  There are Martha's- who complain (like me) and are rebuked.

Luk 10:38  Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house.

Luk 10:39  And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word.

Luk 10:40  But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me.

Luk 10:41  And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things:

Luk 10:42  But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.

Careful and troubled about many things- that's ME! 

And yet Mary who made the decision NOT to serve or help her sister chose better. Should Martha have not served them, but sat down and listened as Mary did?  It was Martha's instinctive desire to serve those guests in her house- but why? Was it custom, if so how could Jesus say that Mary was doing the 'good part'?  What would have happened if Martha hadn't served them, would they have been hungry, would they have chided her for being a bad hostess? 

Martha was doing what SHE thought was required of her as a good woman, she was thinking of the needs of others and playing her part in taking care of them, but STILL Jesus told her that she didn't choose the 'good part' a part that can't be taken from her. So in essence, Martha chose to serve and in doing so was rushing about here and there in constant motion to fulfil the wants of those there in her house and if you think about it, once those people in her house (including Jesus) were gone, she'd be left with what? The knowledge she'd cared for them, and perhaps a feeling of SELF righteousness in doing her duty towards them, but she would NOT be left with the very important words of Christ. Was serving the others at the expense of Christ's words really a self-serving not a self-less serving?

We do need to think… well I need to think about these things. 

The Mary Syndrome has me wanting to be something I am not by my own personal nature. The Mary Syndrome has be wishing I were naturally kind and loving and had only loving and kind thoughts about others with a desire to love my neighbor and NOT myself. The Mary Syndrome has me wanting to be RIGHT with God and what is wrong with that? Is it perhaps a SELFISH syndrome? That desire to be someone else believing that someone else had it different, that perhaps they were not tempted like I was (am), that they are not sinners like I definitely am and they definitely were? I want to be Christ's. I want to be among the righteous not the sinners. I want to do good, not evil. I want NOT to be the awful person that I know I am. I read God's word and it reveals how far I am from being the person who loves their neighbor and God- from my own nature. 

My nature WARS violently against the Spirit.  My flesh does NOT want to be Spiritual.  And HOW do I separate my flesh nature from my Spirit nature and know which one is the one that is real? By that I mean, how do I know that it's not a bad spirit in me that thing I call the flesh nature?  Is it easier perhaps to call the flesh an evil spirit in us? (Not literally in this discussion, though… )  When my natural inclinations are towards things of the flesh and I have to truly push and force, and cajole the Spirit nature to overrule the flesh, what does that mean?

I'll tell you what it means, it means I'm AT WAR! I'm WARRING.  I'm fighting the good fight! I'm warring against the flesh and knowing with my intelligence (God given) that good is better than evil, spirit is better than flesh.  So while my nature has me embroiled in this WAR (not some tiny little spat or short-lived fight) I must LOGICALLY, intelligently KNOW beyond a doubt right from wrong and no matter how enticing that wrong (and boy can they be incredibly enticing) that wrong is something I should not indulge in and right is something I should indulge in and encourage.

What makes this seem like an impossible feat? The reality that I can war all I want and NEVER prevail if I'm counting on me, myself, and I to win this war.  I will NEVER win this war on my own, never! I can never win a single victory over the flesh on my own (unless it is  something that in reality is a self-serving victory and therefore negated as being a win-Satan loves these little tricks of his.)   I have to get it through my thick, VERY thick skull and very hardened heart, that  I CANNOT do this, I CANNOT change myself, but there is ONE who DIED to be able to do all for me that I cannot do.

This has to be REAL for me.  This has to be TRUTH in my heart that I will NEVER be a naturally good person.  I will never be naturally righteous. Those good thoughts I have are not proof I'm becoming righteous.  I must get it through my thick skull that I will NEVER be righteous but Christ will be righteous for me.  When the Bible talks about us being righteous it is us choosing Christ and allowing Christ in us so that we are able to choose right over wrong.

God has POWER.  God has the ability to CLEAN MY HEART. God has the ability to make me WHITER THAN SNOW. 

Paul warred and I relate to the war he waged.  'Oh wretched man that I am.' His words!  And I can shout the same thing for me. 'Oh wretched woman that I am!'   Who is going to save me from my wretchedness? Who is going to save me from my unrighteousness? Who is going to understand that my natural man is warring against my spiritual man? 

ONLY CHRIST JESUS MY LORD and SAVIOR!

I thank GOD that He can save me from my wicked self!

IF there is supposed to be some miraculous change in my nature where I suddenly no longer behave unrighteous in all things, that I naturally think all good and righteous thoughts then GOD will perform that miracle. I have to believe that He will do all for me that I simply cannot do try as I might. No I won't stop chiding myself over the various uncharitable attitudes that come from me, I have to because I'm in this war.  I must recognize constantly the sin in me so I may seek true repentance, a true desire to be Christ's and not my own. 

Christ has the power! Please Savior, save me from my self!

I am helpless to save myself. I am helpless to be that person I know I should be doing the things I know I should (or should not) do.  With my MIND I WILL be that person! With my mind I will trust in my Savior who has the power to change all that needs to be changed in me.  He can do this through HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS!

So while I know my uncharitable thoughts and feelings are wrong and NOT of God, and I feel helpless to change those thoughts and feelings, I must rely upon my MIND to tell me they are wrong and undesirable.  I must ask for forgiveness for that NATURAL part of me, that part that can claim 'I am what I am like it or leave it', that awful part of me that is the natural self that says such things must be silenced by God. I know the right from wrong, the light that has been given to me and I must NEVER try to call wrong right, or right wrong.  I must CONFESS my faults and seek forgiveness for them, never excuse them by the grace of God!

Please FATHER in heaven, PLEASE save me from myself. Take me, all of me and use Your power to let me belong to You and Your only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Let me be YOURS, please, Lord, let me be YOURS! 

Amen.

Christ our RIGHTEOUSNESS

Satan would have us believe that it is impossible for us to belong to God. He wants us to believe that our own personal cause is hopeless. Satan LOVES it when we despair.  Satan will twist and warp passages of Scripture so that we simply give up, and give in to his wickedness.

What is sin? The transgression of the LAW.

Not my words, God's words-

1Jn_3:4  Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.

Can we be forgiven for sinning, for transgressing the law of God?

1Jn 2:1  My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:

1Jn 2:2  And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

Yes. However… we are NEVER to revel in our sins as if they are of non-importance, as if they mean nothing.  We cannot swipe a forgiveness card and have sins taken off our record. It's NOT as simple as muttering a few words and enacting a magic spell of forgiveness.  It isn't merely praying a couple of familiar phrases and saying that is that, as if you are covered in mud and jump in a lake coming up clean.   I say it ISN'T that simple yet we've been taught to believe it IS that simple. That we have the magic words of forgiveness and know how to use them.  We treat forgiveness as something not worth bothering about once we've asked for it and believe we have it.  We get up from our knees, or open our eyes, or simply go about our business after praying as if we KNOW already we are going to sin some more but it's okay, we have the get out of sin free card that never expires.

The thing is…   WHY does God tell us to sin NO MORE, and why are we told things like the following...

1Jn 3:8  He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.

1Jn 3:9  Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.

1Jn 3:10  In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.

1Jn 3:11  For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.

1Jn 3:12  Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous.

1Jn 3:13  Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you.

1Jn 3:14  We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.

1Jn 3:15  Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.

1Jn 3:16  Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

1Jn 3:17  But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?

1Jn 3:18  My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.

1Jn 3:19  And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him.

1Jn 3:20  For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.

1Jn 3:21  Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God.

1Jn 3:22  And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.

1Jn 3:23  And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.

1Jn 3:24  And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.

Did you read all that? Did you note the part about 'whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God'?

We don't WANT to read that part!  We want to do not righteousness and be forgiven.  NOTE the word 'WANT'.  We are knowingly, willingly doing unrighteousness.  How can we do this, and continue to do this without any true repentance that calls us to stop, to do all we can to stop the unrighteousness?

God will NOT be mocked.

Yes, Satan wants us to think our cause is hopeless, but it isn't.

We MUST see Christ in a REAL way, make Him a part of our lives in a REAL active way, not a pretend put on Christ when it's convenient type way. Our Savior WILL forgive us, but He will not be lied to. He will not forgive a person who is truly unrepentant even if they BEG for forgiveness with tears.  Just mouthing the words means absolutely NOTHING.

Heb 12:16  ...as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.

Heb 12:17  For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.

His heart was NOT in it! He did NOT want to repent but he wanted forgiveness crying out for acceptance.

We need to cry out for our hearts to be made CLEAN, for our repentance to be REAL, for a real walk- a living, breathing, daily action filled life in Christ!

May the HOLY SPIRIT abide with US! 

May we live FOR CHRIST.

As Satan buffets us unendingly reminding us we're not good enough and never will be, let us pray in all sincerity for our Savior to be good enough for us, living in US, HE is our righteousness, this is the righteousness we must have, HIS righteousness in US! 

Please FATHER…. Please. 

For a little while

Jas_4:14  Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.

Truth.

We've no clue what tomorrow will bring, none.  We think we know, but in truth we don't. We make plans, and often they go just like we imagine they will. Yet, other times nothing goes as we believe it will. Sometimes they go horrifyingly wrong.

Through it all, through every day of life- the days that go according to plan and those that do not, we have to have faith.  Our faith should never fail because it is the only true reality, the only unchangeable thing that we can count on that will never change.  Good or bad going on in our lives, God is always our God.  The hope of ETERNAL LIFE is ours through JESUS CHRIST OUR SAVIOR! 

Our life is as a vapor.

We have our life for a little time and then it vanishes away.

We know mankind has been in existence near 6000 years, and yet we know so few of our ancestors. We barely know our own great grand parents.  A few generations into the future and we will barely be known, we will be as a vapor vanishing completely.

Our HOPE is eternal life, not this life! 

Please, Father, please be our HOPE eternally, our HOPE.

Also, please Heavenly Father please bless my cousin John whose daughter passed away today leaving a 3  year old son.  Bless Him and all those in Angela's life, give them hope in YOU, eternal hope. Comfort them, their hearts are truly broken.

Thank you!

In the name of our Savior, Jesus Christ!

Amen.

Do you want to live a long life..

Do you want a long life?

Seriously, do you want to live for a long time?  Most people would say that they would, well here's what God's word tells us...

1Pe 3:10  For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile:

1Pe 3:11  Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it.

1Pe 3:12  For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.

Psa 34:12  What man is he that desireth life, and loveth many days, that he may see good?

Psa 34:13  Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile.

Psa 34:14  Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.

Psa 34:15  The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry.

Psa 34:16  The face of the LORD is against them that do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.

TRUTH!

Refrain our tongues from evil and speak NO lies.

Hate evil.

Do good.

Seek peace.

The Lord watches the righteous.

The Lord hears the prayer of the righteous.

Again, SPEAK NO EVIL, TELL NO LIES.

Don't do evil.

DO good.

Seek peace actively!

Do you do or not do these things?  Seriously...do you or don't you?  Are you listening to the Lord's word?

It isn't easy, it's impossible in fact for us to do on our own. We must have the Spirit in us. Christ must live in us for us to live righteously.

I'm constantly reminded how far from all this I am.  I don't want to LIE. I don't want to speak evilly. I want to do good. I want to actively seek peace. I desperately want the Lord to watch over me and hear my prayers.

Only through Christ is this going to happen, there is NO other way.

We must be ACTIVE in our pursuit of the LORD, not passive. We cannot sit back and believe our walk with Christ ends with our knowing Him. Even devils know and believe Him, that does not make them His.  We are only known by Christ through a very active spiritual life, living in Christ, living for Christ.

Please, Lord, we would be YOURS! Wholly YOURS!

Keep us from falling, please!

Jud 1:24  Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,

Jud 1:25  To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.

We cannot stand on our own before God the Father.  IF we are not standing with our Savior we are not going to be standing at all!

Our Savior is ABLE to keep us from falling. He and He alone can do this! No other has the ability to present us FAULTLESS, none!  How can He do this? It is the entire reason for His existence in the flesh.  It is His entire reason for His suffering and death! It is His entire reason for His rising from the tomb.

Our Lord is the ONLY hope we have and we cannot forget this, we dare not forget this, not ever!

He is our WISE GOD. He is our SAVIOR. 

All GLORY, all  MAJESTY, all DOMINION and POWER right NOW and EVER belongs to HIM!

He keeps us, we must LET Him keep us. We must depend upon Him in ALL things. 

We are NOT called to understand, but to accept Him as our EVERYTHING.

Please, Lord, be ours, KEEP US from FALLING, present us FAULTLESS before the presence of God.

All in YOU, always, ever!