Acknowledging God.

Heb 4:10  For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. 

Heb 4:11  Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.

Ceasing from our own works.

Is it possible at all in any way that perhaps God created the Seventh Day Sabbath so we would have an opportunity to learn to cease from our own workings and trust Him?

Remember this---

Lev 16:29  And this shall be a statute for ever unto you: that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, ye shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all, whether it be one of your own country, or a stranger that sojourneth among you: 

Lev 16:30  For on that day shall the priest make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, that ye may be clean from all your sins before the LORD. 

Lev 16:31  It shall be a sabbath of rest unto you, and ye shall afflict your souls, by a statute for ever. 

The Day of Atonement was a special SABBATH. People were to 'afflict' their souls and 'do no work at all'.

There is a very important lesson we need to learn about God's RESTING. 

We are to do NO WORK.

Read this--

Exo 16:14  And when the dew that lay was gone up, behold, upon the face of the wilderness there lay a small round thing, as small as the hoar frost on the ground. 

Exo 16:15  And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna: for they wist not what it was. And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the LORD hath given you to eat. 

Exo 16:16  This is the thing which the LORD hath commanded, Gather of it every man according to his eating, an omer for every man, according to the number of your persons; take ye every man for them which are in his tents. 

Exo 16:17  And the children of Israel did so, and gathered, some more, some less. 

Exo 16:18  And when they did mete it with an omer, he that gathered much had nothing over, and he that gathered little had no lack; they gathered every man according to his eating. 

Exo 16:19  And Moses said, Let no man leave of it till the morning. 

Exo 16:20  Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto Moses; but some of them left of it until the morning, and it bred worms, and stank: and Moses was wroth with them. 

Exo 16:21  And they gathered it every morning, every man according to his eating: and when the sun waxed hot, it melted. 

Exo 16:22  And it came to pass, that on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for one man: and all the rulers of the congregation came and told Moses. 

Exo 16:23  And he said unto them, This is that which the LORD hath said, To morrow is the rest of the holy sabbath unto the LORD: bake that which ye will bake to day, and seethe that ye will seethe; and that which remaineth over lay up for you to be kept until the morning. 

Exo 16:24  And they laid it up till the morning, as Moses bade: and it did not stink, neither was there any worm therein. 

Exo 16:25  And Moses said, Eat that to day; for to day is a sabbath unto the LORD: to day ye shall not find it in the field. 

Exo 16:26  Six days ye shall gather it; but on the seventh day, which is the sabbath, in it there shall be none. 

Exo 16:27  And it came to pass, that there went out some of the people on the seventh day for to gather, and they found none. 

Exo 16:28  And the LORD said unto Moses, How long refuse ye to keep my commandments and my laws? 

Exo 16:29  See, for that the LORD hath given you the sabbath, therefore he giveth you on the sixth day th

e bread of two days; abide ye every man in his place, let no man go out of his place on the seventh day. 

Exo 16:30  So the people rested on the seventh day. 

These people were journeying in the wilderness and needed rest.  They needed spiritual rest as well as physical. The spiritual rest goes back to creation- God created the seventh day as a rest day. To teach the people God gave them manna in the verses above you know what happens.

God- needs us to rest.

God needs us to CEASE from our work.

God worked and rested, man was to follow suit, even in the garden before the fall.  Setting aside SPECIAL time for God is a must. When we OBEY the Sabbath rest we are SUBMITTING to God fully, our whole being, all of us. Admitting we need to submit on such a strict level is admitting God should be first in all things.  We can go about our lives- having our soul-self submit to our spirit-self and we are TAUGHT this on a grand level in the Sabbath.

Can we rest in God as the Sabbath rest every single day? No. We weren't intended to make every day the Sabbath. The closest a person comes to keeping the Sabbath rest every day would be if they became a preacher- but that still would NOT ever be the seventh-day rest day. We were to live our lives in God always with the spirit first, not the soul, our WORK was to be done in the spirit with God, but in working our minds would NOT be focused fully on God. In the Garden as Adam and Eve went about tending it daily  they were not RESTING in God.  They were one with God, but the time with God renewed in a very special way. The Sabbath is GOD'S command to give up ALL of ourselves to him. When we do this, when we give up ourselves to Him for that seventh day rest we are acknowledging Him as our God in a very unique way.

If we can't give ourselves up to God for the seventh day rest day - acknowledging Him wholly as our God, can we expect to give ourselves up to Him throughout all our days?

More on this tomorrow- by the GRACE and WILL of our GOD, now and forever!

In the Lord, Jesus Christ our Savior.

Amen.

Is it possible...

'As God’s Word is implanted we receive its new nature into us and are thus enabled to bear fruit. We obtain the life of the Word from the Word of life. Although the organs of the soul still remain, these organs no longer function through its power; rather, they operate by the power of God’s Word. This is “the salvation of your souls” (1 Peter 1.9).

1Pe 1:9  Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.

Human nerves are rather sensitive and are easily stirred by outside stimuli. Words, manners, environments and feelings greatly affect us. Our mind engages in so many thoughts, plans and imaginations that it is a world of confusion. Our will is agitated to perform many acts according to our sundry delights. None of the organs of our soul can bring us into peace. Singly or collectively, they disturb, they confuse, they shift us around. But when our soul is in the spirit’s hand we can be released from such disturbances. The Lord Jesus implores us: “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matt. 11.29). If we are favorably inclined to yield to the Lord, to take up His yoke, and to follow Him, our soul shall not be aroused inordinately. If we learn of Him by seeing how He, when despised by men, continued to follow God’s will and not His Own, our soul shall return to tranquility. The reason for our hurt feelings lies in the fact that we are not amenable to being treated as our Lord was and are loathe to submit ourselves to the will and ordering of God.'

Excerpt from - The Spiritual Man by Watchman Nee

Mat 11:28  Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 

Jer 6:16  Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein. 

Heb 4:10  For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. 

Heb 4:11  Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.

Ceasing from our own works.

Is it possible at all in any way that perhaps God created the Seventh Day Sabbath so we would have an opportunity to learn to cease from our own workings and trust Him?

More on this tomorrow by the grace of God!

We need to let God-the Holy Spirit work in us.

Angels desire to comprehend our lives, why? Because we are given the Holy Spirit. We are given the Holy Spirit when we accept the Lord as our Savior seeking to live in Him. We can grieve the Holy Spirit and quench the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is a God and He chooses to be our comforter, our helper, our convicting Spirit who will go to great lengths to teach us even if it means teaching us through many hardships and much suffering.   We need to be taught to trust wholly in Christ.  We need to be taught of God's love. We need to be rid of our selfishness. Our faith needs to be tried so it is purified. We need to LET the Holy Spirit work in us, He will NOT force Himself on us, not ever.

1Pe 1:3  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 

1Pe 1:4  To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, 

1Pe 1:5  Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 

1Pe 1:6  Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: 

1Pe 1:7  That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: 

1Pe 1:8  Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: 

1Pe 1:9  Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls. 

1Pe 1:10  Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: 

1Pe 1:11  Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow. 

1Pe 1:12  Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into. 

'Our souls under the reins of the spirit.'

'Believers should seek to experience oneness of spirit and soul. Were we to allow the cross and the Holy Spirit to operate thoroughly in us we would discover that what the soul has relinquished is scarcely a fraction of what it ultimately gains: the dead has now come into fruition, the lost is now kept for eternal life. When our soul is brought under the reins of the spirit it undergoes an immense change. Beforehand it seems to be useless and lost to God because it is employed for self and often moves independently; afterwards God gains our soul, though to man it may appear to be crushed. We become as “those who have faith and keep their souls” (Heb. 10.39). This is much more profound than what we commonly term “saved,” because it points especially to life.'  Watchman Nee- The Spiritual Man

Heb 10:36  For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. 

Heb 10:37  For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry. 

Heb 10:38  Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. 

Heb 10:39  But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul. 

1Pe 1:3  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 

1Pe 1:4  To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, 

1Pe 1:5  Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 

1Pe 1:6  Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: 

1Pe 1:7  That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: 

1Pe 1:8  Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: 

1Pe 1:9  Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls. 

1Pe 1:10  Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: 

1Pe 1:11  Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow. 

1Pe 1:12  Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into. 

More in-depth study on all this tomorrow, by the grace of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Ask for the Holy Spirit.

Do you REALLY want a truly spiritual walk with Christ?

We need in-depth Bible studying as opposed to superficial Bible studying. Instead of sipping the milk we are seeking the full meat of the Word of God. Milk goes down easily, meat needs to be chewed thoroughly.  Milk is given to babies, you'd never give a baby meat for sustenance. While older children can have meat often it is cut into small pieces for them so they don't choke. Older children can cut meat and eat it for themselves. If we forever drink the milk of the word of God we will never grow to our spiritual full potential but be weak and poorly. You'd never only give milk to a person as they grow. What is perfectly fine for a child - drinking milk only for a couple years even- if that is all that is available, beyond those couple of years or so you would need to give them more. Sometimes we even give young babies a few months old something more solid than simple milk (mother's milk or formula).

We need SOLID spiritual food as adults in Christ. We need food that must be cut into pieces and chewed very, very well.   The metaphor here is reading the word of God and studying it, truly studying - praying for full comprehension. We must take even a familiar verse and read it seeking full spiritual sustenance.  May we continue on with our study of GOD'S word first and foremost in relation to the book- The Spiritual Man, by Watchman Nee.  May we be blessed with a full meal of spiritual meat to create in us a well-nourished, healthy spiritual life.

*

 The Spiritual Man - Watchman Nee - 'These are the conditions which we on our side must fulfill. The Holy Spirit requires our cooperation.'

Luk_11:13  If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?

We must ASK for the Holy Spirit.

Eph 4:30  And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. 

We can GRIEVE the Holy Spirit.

Act 7:51  Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye. 

We can RESIST the Holy Spirit.

We resist the Holy Spirit when we do NOT heed His teachings, but stick to our traditions, and things that are pleasing to our ears. 

1Th 5:12  And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you; 

1Th 5:13  And to esteem them very highly in love for their work's sake. And be at peace among yourselves. 

1Th 5:14  Now we exhort you, brethren, WARN them that are unruly, COMFORT the feebleminded, SUPPORT the weak, BE PATIENT toward all men. 

1Th 5:15  See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever FOLLOW THAT WHICH IS GOOD, both among yourselves, and to all men. 

1Th 5:16  REJOICE evermore. 

1Th 5:17  PRAY without ceasing. 

1Th 5:18  In every thing GIVE THANKS: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. 

1Th 5:19  Quench not the Spirit. 

1Th 5:20  Despise not prophesyings. 

1Th 5:21  Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. 

1Th 5:22  Abstain from all appearance of evil. 

1Th 5:23  And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

1Th 5:19  Quench not the Spirit. 

We can QUENCH the Holy Spirit.

We quench the Holy Spirit by refusing to cooperate with Him in allowing Him to live in us to enable us to - comfort, support, be patient towards others, to rejoice, to pray and give thanks.  The Holy Spirit in us will guide us towards this end if we do not QUENCH the Holy Spirit.

Act 5:3  But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? 

Act 5:4  Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God. 

We can LIE to the Holy Spirit.

 Lying to the Holy Spirit- Lying to GOD the Holy SPIRIT- one of the three God's who are one in agreement- is worthy of death. When we lie to God the Holy Spirit, we are in truth seeking to live in Satan. We are choosing a path of evil. Please LORD, please, we would NOT lie to the Holy Spirit! Please! Cleanse our wicked, wicked hearts!

Peace we can't understand.

Php 4:6  Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 

Php 4:7  And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. 

Everything.

The entirety- all the items, actions, or facts in a given situation. (Encarta)

In EVERYTHING-  Pray.

In EVERYTHING-  Supplicate.

In EVERYTHING-  Thanksgiving.

In all actions- pray, supplicate, and give thanks.

Truly if we cannot pray, supplicate and give thanks in what we are doing- should we be doing it at all? If we have requests they should be of God. If we have any concerns at all about anything at all we should be seeking God over those concerns and when we pray, when we appeal to God, we need to thank Him and KNOW that He has heard us and will answer our requests with HIS wisdom- not ours.

If we do this, if we truly keep these words and believe them- the PEACE of GOD- which passes ALL understanding will keep our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

If we can honestly learn to leave our concerns with God, if we can really truly trust in God, giving Him our worries and we BELIEVE He will answer in HIS wisdom, then we should have this peace we cannot comprehend. We thank Him because we know He's in control. We understand that NONE of our worrying will alter a single thing. 

We need our hearts kept.

We need our minds kept.

We need the keeper of our hearts and minds to be our Savior- Christ Jesus!

Please, Lord, teach me to surrender to You in all things. Teach me to know Your peace with I will not be able to understand.  All through YOUR grace and mercy, YOUR love, now and forever.

AMEN.

Our Part.

Can the Lord work in us if we really don't want Him too? If part of us refuses to yield to Him? If we see our cross before us and do not pick it up will He force it into our hands? Living in the spirit, not in the soul-self, not in the flesh- are we made to do this if we really don't want to? If the flesh lusts, and the soul-self power is more of what we want, are we forced to give either of them up? 

How often have we wished we were forced into doing something- in retrospect? While the situation was unfolding we fought against it and prevailed, but later on with deep regret we wish we'd never fought, but allowed ourselves to be compelled even grudgingly, to do what we didn't want to do.  I know it's happened in my life.  Part of us wishes we could be forced into salvation, forced into submitting, to yielding to the Holy Spirit. Part of wants desperately to be made to give up the flesh lusts that would consume us. We want to be transformed into sinlessness, even as we find ourselves prone to corruption. 

We do what we DON'T want to do. Yet, we want to do what we shouldn't do and at the same time we don't want what we want. What a miserable life it can be when we look to ourselves for salvation, we will never find it there.  Yes, we must yield, we must choose, and we must pick up our cross. We must do our part in submitting, in allowing the Holy Spirit to work in us. We must make the choices when we are called to do so. We must seek forgiveness when we err.   All by HIS grace and mercy, HIS love always- In Jesus Christ our Lord!

*******

The Spiritual Man - Watchman Nee - 'These are the conditions which we on our side must fulfill. The Holy Spirit requires our cooperation. The Lord will not be able to do His part should we fail to do ours. But were we to discharge our responsibility, our High Priest would tear apart our spirit and soul with the sharp Sword of His Spirit in the power of His cross.

Everything which belongs to emotion, sensation, mind and natural energy would be separated one after another from the spirit so as to leave no trace of fusion.

To lie on the altar is what we must do, but to divide the soul from the spirit with the well-honed knife is what our High Priest undertakes. If we truly commit ourselves to the cross our High Priest shall not fail to execute His ministry in separating our spirit and soul. We need not worry about His part. Upon seeing we have fulfilled the requirements for His working He shall part our spirit and soul at the appropriate time thereafter. Those who have apprehended the danger of a mixture of these two organs cannot but seek deliverance. Open though the road is to deliverance, it nevertheless is not without its difficulties. Believers must persevere in prayer that they may see clearly their own pitiful state and understand the indwelling, working, and demands of the Holy Spirit. They need to know the mystery and reality of the Holy Spirit dwelling within them. May they honor such holy presence; may they be careful not to grieve Him; may they know that, aside from sin, what grieves Him the most as well as what harms themselves the deepest is to walk and labor according to their own life. The first and original sin of man was to seek what is good, wise and intellectual according to his own idea. God’s children today often make the same mistake. They should realize that since they have believed in the Lord and have the Holy Spirit indwelling them, they ought to give the Spirit complete authority over their souls. Do we think because we have prayed and asked the Holy Spirit to reveal His mind and to work in us, that all shall accordingly be done? That assumption is not the truth; for unless we deliver to death specifically and daily our natural life, together with its power, wisdom, self, and sensation and unless we equally desire honestly in our mind and will to obey and rely upon the Holy Spirit, we shall not see Him actually performing the work. The Lord’s people should understand that it is the Word of God which parts their soul and spirit. The Lord Jesus is Himself the living Word of God, so He Himself effects the division. Are we disposed to let His life and accomplished work stand between our soul and spirit? Are we ready to have His life so fill our spirit that the soul life is immobilized? The Bible is God’s written Word. The Lord Jesus uses the teaching of the Bible to separate our soul and spirit. Are we willing to follow the truth? Are we ready to do what the Scriptures teach? Can we obey the Lord in accordance with the teaching of Scripture without putting in our opinion as well? Do we consider the authority of the Bible as sufficient without seeking human help in our obedience? We must obey the Lord and everything He teaches us in His Word if we would desire to enter upon a true spiritual path. This is the Sword which is operative to the cleaving of our soul and spirit. '