Frank’s Christian Blog

I love Frank’s Christian Blog.

I love how he explores the topic of each of his posts with such thoroughness and the British tones and accent give a wonderful and warm tone to his musings.

In exploring his blog yesterday, I came across a post where he talks about his times of doubt in his Christian faith, and sums up his human frailty with the wisdom of Solomon.

As Christians we all do have doubts from time to time. Mine don’t take the same form as Frank’s do, yet of course I do at times suffer from feeling down and then sensing a doubting spirit trying to crush me, to defeat me, or at very least disable me from bearing any fruit of the Spirit of God. I don’t doubt God nor His promises, my doubt is self-directed, and it eventually brings me to the understand that my focus is too much on myself and my inabilities rather than keeping my focus on Jesus and what He has done for me. This brings to my mind the problem  the Apostle Peter experienced when he struggled to walk on the water because his gaze was on his surroundings and his inability rather than keeping it on the Lord.

But do check out Frank’s thoughts here:


http://sauna-nut.blogspot.ca/2017/09/when-i-question-my-faith.html

I’m sure you will find a blessing to think on today 🤗

About Halloween

Every year I see the decorations out on people’s lawns, and the ghosts, and witches and pumpkins for sale in the various shops, even supermarkets, and of course the many blogsters and Facebook posters who denounce it as evil, demonic, satanic, devil worship. And of course then there are those who say they hand out Bible tracts instead of candy, or hand out candy and say “Jesus loves you” etc. Can one celebrate Halloween as a Christian by having a “harvest festival “ and having the kids dress as Bible characters? is also debated as well.

My husband and I do not put a pumpkin on the porch, and certainly don’t have witches and ghosts decorating our lawn. We choose not to give it any recognition at all, leaving the lights out, and sometimes leaving the house to go out to dinner until we think it is late enough to be safe to go home. I certainly won’t argue with anyone who thinks they might reach lost children for Jesus by handing out tracts, the Lord can and I’m sure does use that to save someone at times of His choosing. It just isn’t something that has been laid upon our heart to do such a thing, but I do not subscribe to the “cookie-cutter Christian” idea that everyone must do it the way I think it should be done. YES there is freedom in how the Spirit moves us to do or not do.

1 Corinthians 10:31
Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

Our Wretchedness, and God’s Righteousness

Today’s “church” is mostly self-deceived, and I fear many only have a “form of godliness” while they continue to deny His power.

Lyn from “Saved by Grace” blog shared a link with me which I shall give an excerpt but I pray you will take the time to read the entire offering given by A.W. Pink.

Excerpt:

“Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” “Who shall deliver me?” This is not the language of despair, but of earnest desire for help from without and above himself. That from which the apostle desired to be delivered is termed “the body of this death.” This is a figurative expression for the carnal nature is termed “the body of sin,” and as having “members.” (Rom. 7:23) We therefore take the apostle’s meaning to be, Who shall deliver me from this deadly and noxious burden—my sinful self!

In the next verse the apostle answers his question, “I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord.” It should be obvious to any impartial mind that this looks forward to the future. His question was, “Who shall deliver me?” His answer is, Jesus Christ will. How this exposes the error of those who teach a present “deliverance” from the carnal nature by the power of the Holy Spirit. In His answer, the apostle says nothing about the Holy Spirit; instead, he mentions only “Jesus Christ our Lord.” It is not by the present work of the Spirit in us that Christians will be delivered “from this body of death,” but by the yet future coming of the Lord Jesus Christ for us. It is then that this mortal shall put on immortality, and this corruption shall put on incorruption.

But, as though to remove all doubt that this “deliverance” is future, the apostle concludes by saying, “So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.” Let every reader note carefully that this comes after he had thanked God that he would be “delivered.” The last part of verse 25 sums up what he had said in the second part of Romans 7. It describes the Christian’s dual life. The new nature serves the law of God; the old nature, to the end of history, will serve “the law of sin.” That it was so with Paul himself is clear from what he wrote at the close of his life, when he termed himself “the chief’ of sinners (1 Tim. 1:15). That was not the exaggeration of evangelical fervor, still less was it the mock modesty of hypocrisy. It was the assured conviction, the felt experience, the settled consciousness of one who saw deeply into the depths of corruption within himself, and who knew how far, far short he attained to the standard of holiness which God set before him. Such, too, will be the consciousness and confession of every other Christian who is not blinded by conceit. And the outcome of such a consciousness will be to make him long more ardently and thank God more fervently for the promised deliverance at the return of our Savior and Lord, when He shall “change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body, according to the working whereby He is able even to subdue all things unto Himself’ (Phil. 3:2 1); and having done so, He will “present us faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy” (Jude 24). Hallelujah, what a Savior!

http://www.pbministries.org/books/pink/Miscellaneous/romans_7.htm

If we truly are born of the Spirit of God we struggle daily with the sinful nature that is our flesh. If we, like the Pharisee in the temple spoken of by Jesus, see ourselves superior to others, thanking God that we aren’t like those other poor slobs, we need to ask the Lord to examine our heart and reveal the real truth about ourselves to us, not to dwell there in constant agony, but to have our eyes truly lifted to fully understand God’s grace and mercy on us, bringing His true joy even in the midst of our suffering.

I pray you will seek Him with your whole heart so that truly you will be found by Him and in Him, in Jesus name, amen!

For Those Who Have Ears to Hear

True Hope vs. No Hope

Proverbs 14:32  The wicked is driven away in his wickedness: but the righteous hath hope in his death.

There is so much more in those words than what is to be perceived upon first glance. Many (particularly atheists) will look on such a promise as a threat, a condemnation, because they do stand condemned and are without hope.

But what about those who claim to be “good” , who have “religion” and seem to convey a love of God and the truth, and yet betray the truth in their unregenerate nature in the fact that they have a false hope that believes in a “god” that simply bows to their own bidding, a “god” that isn’t true and definitely doesn’t save. A “god” that haughtily makes some to be superior with a motive that greedily seeks to elevate himself in the eyes of all.....???

Sadly there are many who believe in “that god”, the god that the Bible calls “the god of this world” who in actuality is the devil himself.  That “god” fools his followers into believing they are saved however they only have a false belief system that lies to themselves and to others. 

It is a religion of pride, where the true religion of the truly converted heart in a regenerated life in Christ is one of complete surrender and humility. 

It is a religion that is hopeless because their  hope is one that is still grounded on self and a desire to only escape hell, rather than a hope that is truly founded on and submitted to the will of God the Father through the saving sacrifice of His Son for our sin. 

It is a false hope that has no basis in truth, and eventually the Lord will reveal to them that He NEVER knew (a word that means intimacy in this full knowledge) them.

Where is your hope? Is it in wealth? Is it in your own “goodness” or”wisdom”? Is it in a “god” that is obedient to your fantasies, your own desires whatever those desires may be? 

Or is it grounded on the true risen Saviour who died for your sins? Does your heart fully surrender to His will over your life, and your ultimate death? If it truly is grounded in the truth of His payment, His sacrifice for you, you won’t feel a superiority over those who are yet without Him. You instead understand how grievous and hopeless their situation truly is and only hope they will one day come to a true and saving knowledge of The Truth that truly can and will transform their lives by the power of God’s perfect Will.