Friday, October 22, 2010

My Journey 10/17 - 10/21/2010

God's insight to me:

I love reading devotionals in the morning. I can hear God speaking to me through them. One of my favorites is J. C. Philpot. My journey these 5 days I want to share excerpts from his devotionals. In his first devotional he writes about patience. Well, for a lot of people that is a needed item to get them through their day. At times myself included, but I must admit I am a patient person. When I read that God gives us afflictions so that He may give us the patience to bear them, it made sense to me. Without need you would have no wants.

In the next devotional it talks about agreement. Agreement with God. Whenever you walk in the worldly light you are not walking with God. The world is sin. That goes back to Genesis and the fall of man. The last sentencence in this devotional says it all, "When once we have the mind of Christ and see with the eyes of God, then God and we become agreed, and being agreed, we can walk together."

The third devotional speaks about the Word of God. It states the importance of it as a sword to fight the devil and his adversaries. A very important fact to remember is it is only effective as the "sword of the Spirit', for it is then applied by Divine power. Praise God!

In the fourth devotional J. C. Philpot writes about God speaking to our hearts. I love this line from the devotional "by the voice of God heard in the heart that a saving faith is raised up in the soul." Also J. C. Philpot states that through our trials and afflictions that we understand the need to hear God's voive in our hearts. For it is through Him speaking to our hearts that it reaches our souls so we can find "rest and peace" that only He can provide.

Now this last devotional speaks about "joint-heirs with Christ". I can not imagine how someone could not want this. Whatever our needs here or in Heaven, He will supply! Wow! So what it boils down to is this; "Everything in time, everything in eternity, in this world and in the world to come, are all on our side, if we are heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ. So how do we become joint-heirs? Just by asking Christ into your heart and to forgive you of your sins. Ask Jesus to become your Lord and Savior. If you can say it and mean it you are then heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ.

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10/17

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

Why is patience needed? Because if we are the Lord's people, we are sure to have many trials. The Lord sends us afflictions that he may give us the grace of patience to bear them.

We need patience with each other, with the world, with our relations in life, and with the Church of God. We need patience when anything is said or done to hurt our minds, wound our feelings, irritate our tempers, and stir us up to revenge. And what a mercy it is, under these sharp trials, to have patience, and thus follow the example of the blessed Lord, "who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not, but committed himself to Him that judgeth righteously."

10/18

"Can two walk together, except they be agreed?" Amos 3:3

There was a time, child of God, when the world held in your heart the chief place. It was not so in God's heart. You and he were therefore at variance. But now, through grace, you are brought to make eternity your chief concern. You and God are agreed there; for in the mind of God eternity as much outweighs time as the stars in the midnight sky outweigh a grain of dust.

The Lord saw the world under his curse, and you loved its favour and its blessing--seeking madly and wickedly to enjoy that which God had denounced; therefore you could not agree. Thus you see that in order to be agreed with God, we must have God's thoughts in our heart, God's ways in our soul, and God's love in our affections. "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord."

When once we have the mind of Christ and see with the eyes of God, then God and we become agreed, and being agreed, we can walk together.

10/19

"The sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." Ephesians 6:17

There is only one weapon whereby we can fight Satan to any purpose, and that is the word of God. But observe, that it must not be merely the letter of the word. It must be the "sword of the Spirit," and therefore a spiritual sword, which can only be taken in hand when the word of God is applied with a divine power to your heart, and you have a living faith in it as made "life and spirit" to your soul.

The word of truth, therefore, is full of most gracious promises, and sweet encouragements "to endure hardness as good soldiers of Jesus Christ," and never in heart or hand submit to be conquered by sin or Satan.

10/20

"Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak comfortably unto her." Hosea 2:14

It is in the margin "to her heart;" and God speaks to the heart; that is the special characteristic of his voice. Men may speak to the ear, and they can do no more; but God speaks to the heart, for it is there that his voice alone is heard. All religion first and last lies in a man's heart. He may have his head well furnished with notions, yet a heart destitute of grace. But not so with the vessels of mercy, for they "believe with the heart unto righteousness;" and it is by the voice of God heard in the heart that a saving faith is raised up in the soul.

If you are passing through trials and afflictions; if you are exercised with a variety of temptations, and are brought into that spot where the creature yields neither help nor hope, then you are made to see and feel that nothing but God's voice speaking with power to your soul can give you any solid grounds of rest or peace. But is not this profitable? It may be painful; it is painful; but it is profitable, because by it we learn to look to the Lord and the Lord alone, and this must ever be a blessed lesson to learn for every child of God.

10/21

"Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours; whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours; and ye are Christ's; and Christ is God's." 1 Corinthians 3: 21-23

Whatever there be in heaven, whatever there be in earth, that can be for your spiritual good, all is yours so far as you are an heir of God and a joint-heir with Christ.

Whatever your temporal wants may be, he can supply them, because he is king on earth as well as in heaven. Whatever enemies you may have, he is able to defeat them; whatever evils may press upon you, he is able to subdue them; whatever sorrows surround you, he is able to console you under them. Everything in time, everything in eternity, in this world and in the world to come, are all on your side, that are heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ.

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