Tag: Christ

BE TOUGH

By Rick Mathes

Acts 26:19 Consequently, King Agrippa, I did not prove disobedient to the heavenly vision,

I encourage you to take the blows which came to shape us and to fulfil His vision for us.

There it stood, a deformed, cracked and huge block of useless marble in the quarry. It was discarded to the rubble heap and past over by all the leading artists of the day except one, Michelangelo. He requested that block of discolored and ugly marble and sculpted it into the finest statue of King David in the whole world. He was once asked, “How did you make such a world-class masterpiece out of this useless stone?” He responded, “I just chipped away all that wasn’t David.” And so it is in our lives as the Lord shapes us back into His image and likeness.

Disobedience in an invitation for the hammer blows to begin and boy they sure do!

The first blow you may suffer is the loss of usefulness. When you begin to be disobedient to His will, nothing you touch will be blessed. Those what are walking in the Spirit will see right through you; you can’t be part saved nor obedient, any compromise with either disqualifies your attempt of good works to the trash bin in flames.

Your inner-strength will shrivel and collapse within you. The Word dries up and the Spirit steps back and let’s Satan have a go at you in this weakened condition. You need Father God to take a belt to your butt and He will. God does not approve of you getting yourself into this weakened condition.

There is no substantive reward when you are shaking the bars of your self-imposed jail cell. All you have worked so hard for will slip away and you will wind up with a handful of sawdust and a shadow of what might have been.

Your health begins to fail as your family abandons you one after another until your very life is at risk. You wealth and reputation become history.

The battering will fall on you like a sledge hammer until you obey your Creator as a creature of His hand is commanded to do so. Understand that God so loved the world that He didn’t send a committee. He sent Jesus and all He wants to hear from you when He speaks to you is, “Yes sir!”

Thank you Jesus that I have been an anvil that has been the cause of many broken hammers: all in your strength for your glory and honor.

ATTENTION SINNERS

By Rick Mathes

1 Timothy 1:15 (NASB77) ¹⁵   It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all.

Civilizations in every age back to Adam have demonstrated in every nation of people without change to ratchet up the decrees of their actions continue without change to where sin is normal and bad has been accepted as good. You need to search long and carefully to find a penitent when you are the chief and worst of sinners.

Some truths are never learned and yes, history repeats itself. For example, many professing Christians confess Jesus is Lord but don’t always confess Jesus as Lord. They have intellectual ascent but have not surrendered to lordship salvation. Justification without sanctification is a fraud or akin to talk without walk. You can’t be part pregnant. You can’t get part of you into heaven.

On and on, one after another are convinced by the devil an the Roman church (or do I repeat myself) that you can be saved from hell by your good works; that you can be self-righteous and stand in the presence of God. Hogwash! You cannot make yourself savable than you can breathe under water unaided by a respirator. You need your Savior, walk your talk, believe-obey and make Him your Lord: your Master. When you do, the Word will flow through your veins like fire and you will openly confess Christ to others.

I strongly suggest that you join a Bible believing church that confesses Bible only, Jesus only, Faith only, and Grace only. They will guide you in reading and studying God’s Word correctly. All other churches that the true church will have something to add to add like Pope, tongues, sacraments, confessionals, rosary, second baptism, Apocrypha, etc. These churches have a demon in the pulpit!

The true test of your commitment will be your desire to spend time with Jesus in prayer. He loves to hear your voice and learn about all those things that are a part of your life. He loves you dearly and if you put your hand in His, you will walk in His footsteps, on His path to be again in His will as it is on earth and in heaven. So listen up and pay attention, bone head!

AT HIS FEET

By Rick Mathes

Hebrews 2:8 (ASV) Thou didst put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he subjected all things unto him, he left nothing that is not subject to him. But now we see not yet all things subjected to him.

The word “Tetelestai” means “It is finished!” Jesus spoke this from the cross, gave up the ghost and died. I did too. My knees hit the ground and my soul soared in glory and submission to His Lordship at that moment I heard the word. And even to this day, my heart beats close to His and my spirit comes under His authority: at His feet.

All unfortunate sinners such as those suffering are reaping the reward of their disobedience. They must turn from the flaming king of this world and turn to the everlasting King of this universe in repentance and prayer.

Wayward children afflict fathers with shame and give good, praying mothers much sorrow and grief. No amount of crying and begging forgiveness will bring relief to their distraught parents or sin sick children but the blessing and forgiveness of our Lord. He said for us to bring our burdens to Him and He would give us rest.

The crowd that gathers at His feet frequently includes sinful women who do unnatural acts with each other and sell their sexual favors to the highest bidder. Women, made virtuous as an example of God’s purity rule; live and employ themselves with men that step fresh from the garbage and refuse of humanity.

A mission field that is frequently encountered in third world countries are those struggling with demons of alcoholism, drug addiction, mental illness and other supernatural attacks from hell. Those countries must infiltrated by Christianity are most i9nclined to hold off Satan’s demonic arrows so the father of hell goes to the weakest link which are those most inclined to fear the underworld and the attacks of the devil.

But the number one enemy and priority target of the devil is those who are seeking the truth because it’s the tuth that clearly defeats the devil. This truth is only found at the feet of the Lord. And let’s not forget the bereaved Christians in the weakness of their sorrow or the reverent worshippers in the weakness of their vulnerability or being out on the water. It’s at the precious feet of our Savior in respect and adoration that we are more than conquerors.

ANOINTED

By Rick Mathes

Luke 4:18 THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME, BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR. HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO THE CAPTIVES, AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND, TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE DOWNTRODDEN,

The biggest assurance I have of being saved from sin is my conviction of sin. Satan would not nag me to repent so it must be the Holy Spirit within me. Only the offended can demand restitution form the offender. And only a sinner who has a Savior can respond and be regenerated and baptized in holiness, not of ourselves but the holiness imputed to us from the final sacrifice of God’s Son and our Savior on the cross that was risen from the dead.

I thank Jesus with all that is within me that He left His Holy Spirit behind to teach and guide me and to intercede when my sinful knees hit the ground and my soul aches for only the salvation Christ can gift us with.

The anointing of the Holy Spirit fills us with His righteousness and cause to rise on behalf of the King. From the top of our head to the soles of our feet we are committed to the cause of Christ. We put on the armor, lift the sword and dig in our cleats to keep the faith, fight the good fight and finally finish the race.

The best analogy of being Spirit-filled is being in love. You can’t see it, you can’t hear it, you can’t taste it, you can’t smell it but you sure can feel it! You start out being the hand and the blood of Jesus becomes the glove that protects the hand: that’s justification. Then you exchange places. You become the glove and your skin covers our Lord who becomes your hand. Then you go about the Father’s business with Him working it out through you.

The witnesses of Father, Son and Holy Spirit agree that you are theirs and sealed until that last day when you will be released: like a caterpillar into a butterfly, from black and white to color. He indwells in you and when people get to know you they get to know Jesus.

Once born-again and exchanged for Him we are endowed with all the blessings of our first nature to walk in the coolness of the evening and have communion with the God of our creation on earth as it is in heaven.

AMBIENCE

By Rick Mathes

Acts 28:2 the natives showed us extraordinary kindness; for because of the rain that had set in and because of the cold, they kindled a fire and received us all.

There is a special comfort in building a campfire to gather around in Christian fellowship. The chill of the winter air is so refreshing but the crackling flames, songs that fill the air and wholesome laughter transform both body and soul. Such is the emanation from Holy Spirit from the pages of God’s love letter to us. The Bible brings an enlightenment that awakens a love within that only His cross could provide. It embraces our body, mind and soul in a rush of His resurrection and the enablement of the Holy Spirit to step forward as an ambassador of the King, in peace.

Prayer is that special ability to bridge the gap from the created to the Creator: this is a privilege for believers only. In private, we can dialog with Jesus our deepest secrets and fear without restraint. It’s a social intercourse that words sometimes cannot capture. The Holy Spirit intercedes, the Lord brings our praise or petition to the Father and He nods His approval. Think of what can be accomplished in our church society if we would all point our swords in the same direction: that’s when the warming assurance and comfort comes up on the Body of Christ.

We then lift our spiritual ears to the heavens and have that special communion and fellowship with Jesus. Meditation is the lesson we receive from Him often prompted by our prayers. For a seeking sinner or forgiven saint, it’s a big bear-hug from our best friend, Jesus. If you are astute and have your spiritual antennae up you feel that in the fellowship of like believers. The Body of Christ, the church, the visible and invisible engulf our very being when this experience occurs with a repentant heart.

The fellowships of Christians help us to return to our first love, to worship and enjoy our Savior and Lord. The Holy Spirit invites us to join Him in the friendship and love of fellow believers. This is a fulfillment of returning to our first nature of actually being love in His Shekinah light: perfecting once again an ambience that only a submission to Him can provide in holiness.