GOD’S CHANGE AGENTS IN THE WORLD

Eph 1:5-6 Having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.

 Before the creation of the world, God had already conceived the plan of salvation for mankind. Part of that plan was to bring us into sonship with Himself through His Son Jesus Christ.

 These verses tell us that it is the good pleasure of His will to make us accepted in His Beloved Son Jesus Christ.

 The word ‘accepted’ means, ‘To compass (surround) with favour, to honour with blessings.’

Ps 5:12 For You Lord will bless the righteous; with favour You will compass him as with a shield.

 Meditation Point: It’s God’s intent, His good pleasure, His express purpose now we are in His Beloved, to surround us with favour and honour us with blessings 24/7!

PRAYER: Father, whatever I do today, remind me to be conscious of You and Your desire to favour and bless me. Whatever problems come my way, I look to You, I put my trust in You, and I have an expectancy that Your favour and blessings will turn all of them around. I look to You to make me Your ‘change agent’ today in my marriage, my family  my work  my business and my Church! Thank You Lord!

 

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KEEPING SHORT ACCOUNTS WITH GOD

 

Rom 4:8 Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord will never count against them.” (NIV)

When it comes to God forgiving all our sins, there are those who teach we must keep short accounts with God. By this they mean that any sin we commit we must confess and ask God’s forgiveness, because to them, any unconfessed sin will:

 a)    Break our fellowship with God – your sins have separated between you and your God.(Isa 59:2)

 b) God will not answer our prayers. (Isa 59:2)

So we must keep short accounts with God if we are to expect a continuing relationship with Him and His blessing in our lives.

Let’s look at how God dealt with sin under the covenants:

 The Old Covenant— Forgiveness operated on a  case by case model, hence every time a person sinned, the priest would offer an animal blood sacrifice and the person would confess and ask for forgiveness. (Ps 51:1-4)

 If a person failed to confess and forsake their sin they would not prosper:

 Prov 28:13 He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.

 Many Christians today use this Old Covenant model in dealing with their sin in relationship to God.

 The New Covenant— Forgiveness operates on a once for all time and eternity model!  Christ as our sacrifice offered His blood  once to obtain forgiveness and removal of all sin,  past, present and future! (Jn 1:29, Eph 1:7)

Heb 10:12 This man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sin forever, sat down at the right hand of God.

Under the Old Covenant it was man who had to take the initiative in coming to God to deal with his sin. But under the New Covenant it was God in Christ who took the initiative to come to man, removing his sin once for all time and eternity:

 2 Cor 5:19 God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. (NIV)

 Heb 10:16-18 “This is the covenant that I will make with them says the Lord: “ Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.” Now where there is remission of these, there is no longer an offering for sin.

If God at the cross has already forgiven, forgotten and no longer counts our sin against us, all we need do is receive it, thank God for it, rise up and move on!

 This is the total freedom that God designed for man when He dealt with sin at the cross. At a stroke, it removes the vast amounts of time, energy and strength that we spend confessing and asking God to remove our sin.

 It also removes sin consciousness that forces man to continually look inwards and plagues him with guilt and condemnation!

 Take time to meditate on the verses below. Ask the Holy Spirit to open your eyes to the truth of forgiveness in Christ.

 Heb 10:1-4 For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? For the worshipers, once purified, would have had no more consciousness of sins.But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins. (NKJV)

 Heb 10:16-18“This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord:“Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.” Now where there is remission of these, there is no longer an offering for sin. (NKJV)

 Meditation Point: God has dealt with and removed sin completely from man’s life. All I needs do when I sin is receive God’s forgiveness, thank Him and move on without a backward glance!

 Footnote: If we sin against another person, we must still go to them and confess and ask their forgiveness because we operate with them on the case by case model.

 

 

 

 

 

 

God forgiving all our sins – there are those who teach -

 

We must keep short accounts with God – By this they mean that any sin we commit we must confess and ask God’s forgiveness- Because to them, any unconfessed sin will:

Break our fellowship with God – your sins hav

 

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‘GRACE WAVES DEVOTIONAL’

1 Kings 20:28 “God is a god of the mountains and not a god of the valleys!”

In this story the Syrian army attack Israel seeking to invade them. Because God is with Israel they defeat the Syrians.

This battle took place on the mountains of Israel. The Syrians in their ignorance think they were defeated because the god of Israel is only the God of the mountains not the god of the valleys, so they return to fight Israel in the valley of Aphek, but God is with Israel and again they defeat the Syrians!

God says to us today, “Do not be ignorant of who I am to you. I am not just the God who is with you in your mountain-top experiences; I am also the God who is with you in your valley experiences! Therefore, trust me in the valleys and they will be to you as the mountain-tops!”

Kenneth Hagin (the Father of the Faith Movement) when asked about how he went through his valley experiences said, “What valleys?”

What he meant was that although he went through problems, pain or failure, he was never affected by them because his trust was always in God.

Therefore, he rejoiced in the Lord just as much in the valleys as he did on the mountain-tops!

Ps 23:4 Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for You are with me, Your rod and staff comfort me!

Meditation Point: As I trust God in the valley experiences of life, my heart will be at peace and rest, and I will see God work on my behalf!

Phil 4:8 Think (meditate) on these things.     www.peterwilsonministries.org

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Repentance Is Not Saying Sorry

2 Tim 2:24-25
The Lord’s servant must be kind to all, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth. (NASU)

Often we say to someone who has sinned, “Have you repented.” What we really mean is, “Have you said sorry and asked God to forgive you!

But this is not repentance – this is confession of sin which is no longer necessary under the New Covenant. Rather, repentance is a change of mind which leads to a change of behaviour.

 Let’s look at how Strong’s Greek Dictionary translates the word, ‘repentance’.

 REPENTANCE: Reversal of a decision, a change of mind, a change of purpose, compunction for guilt.

 The only phrase included here that could be linked to confession of sin is – ‘A compunction for guilt’, which means a sorrowing for what we’ve done; and that’s what it was under the Old Covenant.

 But now under the New Covenant, God has dealt with sin once and for all and there’s no longer any need to sorrow, be guilty or mourn over our sin!

 Rom 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. (NKJV)

 Can you see how confusing repentance with confession moves people away from the truth of the gospel of grace and traps people in a life of bondage to sin.

 When we understand that repentance means to change our mind towards Christ because He has forgiven all our sins, repentance becomes something to rejoice and joy in!

 Repentance: Granted By God — We’ve evolved this idea that repentance towards God is something we choose to do. On the contrary, repentance is something that can only come from God.

 Acts 5:31 Him God has exalted to His right hand to be Prince and Saviour, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. (NKJV)

 Acts 11:18 When they heard these things they became silent; and they glorified God, saying, “ Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life.” (NKJV)

 Repentance from God comes in the form of revelation from His word.

 When God quickens His word to our spirit, He always releases faith to put His word into action. This is repentance because it enables us to change our mind leading to a transformation of our behaviour.

Rom 10:17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word (Rhema: Revelation) of God. (NKJV)

 Rom 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

 Repentance is inward change by the power of God’s grace! Any other kind of repentance is dead works. (Eph 4:22-24)

 New Covenant repentance is exchanging the dead works of the flesh and embracing the good works of the Spirit!

Meditation Point: Repentance towards God is an inward change of the heart facilitated by the power of the Holy Spirit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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‘GRACE WAVES DEVOTIONAL‘

Rom 5:1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God.

In this verse, the words, have been  are in the past tense. These words tell us that when we exercised faith in our Lord Jesus Christ for salvation, we were (past tense) justified (made righteous).

This was a once for all done deal, never to be repeated, never to be revoked. So that having been  justified, we now have  peace with God. The word have  in this instance is not past tense but present tense.

That is, once we have been  justified, we will always have  peace with God. Hence in the midst of every circumstance, every problem and every failure, we have  (present tense) peace with God.

What mountain, obstacle or hurdle are you facing today? Are you in emotional turmoil, have your thoughts spun out of control, do you feel you have failed God?

The Holy Spirit wants to remind you to stand in your justification, stand in the knowledge that you have  peace. This will equip you to reject every negative thought, quell every emotion and cast out every failure, returning you to a place of security and stability.

Isa 32:17 The work of righteousness shall be peace, and the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance for ever.

 

Phil 4:8 Meditate (think) on these things.               www.peterwilsonministries.org

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