Mt Sinai: Heb 12:18-21  For you have not come to the mountain that may be touched and that burned with fire, and to blackness and darkness and tempest, and the sound of a trumpet and the voice of words, so that those who heard it begged that the word should not be spoken to them anymore. (For they could not endure what was commanded: “And if so much as a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned or shot with an arrow.” And so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, “I am exceedingly afraid and trembling.”) (NKJV)

My Zion: Heb 12:22-24  But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel. (NKJV)

Mt Sinai: (earthly Mt) was the place of the giving of the law of the Old Covenant. How did God choose to represent this event?

It was a mountain ablaze with fire, gloom and darkness and a raging storm. God forbade the people to even touch the mountain on pain of death!

In fact, so awful and terrifying was the sight that Moses said, “I am terrified, aghast and trembling with fear!” (Heb 12:21)

My Zion: (spiritual Mt) was the giving of the Holy Spirit of the New Covenant. How did God choose to represent this event?

It IS a mountain of innumerable angels, the ‘joyful ‘ gathering of God’s firstborn righteous people, (the Church) who’s names are written in heaven. The place of Jesus and His shed blood that cries out for mercy and forgiveness!

Scripture makes plain to believers that they have not come to Mt Sinai, rather they have come to Mt Zion. They have exchanged the judgement and fear of God for His righteousness and joy.

Which mountain are you worshipping at today? Do you see God as a God of judgement, austere and to be feared! Is He a distant God, intolerant of sin and ready to punish the smallest mistake!

If so, you may be a New Covenant believer, but still have the mindset of an Old Covenant believer and are worshipping the God of Mt Sinai!

Whereas, if we see God as a God of unconditional forgiveness and love, a God who never leaves us nor forsakes us, who totally accepts and receives us as a friend, a God we can worship with joy and abandonment – we know we are worshipping the God of Mt Zion!

But what does God think of all this. Which mountain has He chosen! Let’s leave the final word with Him:

Ps 132:13,14  For the Lord has chosen Zion; “This is my resting place forever. Here I will dwell, for I have desired it! (NKJV)

Ps 87:2,3  The Lord loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob. Glorious things are spoken of you, O city of God! (NKJV)

Meditation Point: God Himself through His word beckons me to come to Mt Zion to worship Him in righteousness and with joy!

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

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IMPRISONED BY LAW (Gal 3:22-25)

1 Cor 15:56 The Strength of Sin Is The Law!

When we preach a law gospel that highlights people’s sin we are ignorantly preaching a gospel that has within it the seeds of its own destruction!

Hos 4:6  My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. (NKJV)

We have then become ‘blind leaders of the blind’ and fall into the ditch of bondage and defeat! (Mt 15:14)

 When we preach the law, we imprison people in their sin. Why is this?: The law was given to judge and condemn sin but it cannot deliver from sin, it cannot give people the power to climb out of sin! Hence every time we preach law we further strengthen its hold over people. We have locked them up in their sin and thrown the key away.

 Besides producing guilt and condemnation, knowing we cannot overcome sin leads to weakness, hopelessness and defeat. This is why many believers give up following Jesus. The standards are too high for them to maintain consistently on a daily basis!

 Then why did God give the law? He gave it not only to point out my sin, but to exacerbate it to such a degree, that we might cry out, “Oh wretched man/woman that I am, who will deliver me from this body of death?” (Rom 7:24) (NKJV)

 Rom 7:13  But sin, that it might appear sin, was producing death in me through what is good, so that sin through the commandment might become exceedingly sinful. (NKJV)

 This man/woman realises they cannot conquer sin by themselves and stand in need of a Saviour to set them free.

 Who is that Saviour? They cry out again, “I thank God through Jesus Christ my Lord!” (NKJV) (Rom 7:25)

 Friends, you and I died to the law at the cross! (Rom 7:4) The law no longer has jurisdiction over our lives. We now live under the New Covenant grace of Jesus Christ!

 It is the power of grace working within us that sets us free from the bondage of sin.

 Gal 5:1  Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke (law) of bondage. (NKJV)

 Are you trapped in debilitating sin today — call on Jesus! He is the great deliverer!

 Give Him time to work in your life and He will set you free!

 Meditation Point:  The law imprisons me – Grace sets me free!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Meditation Is A Lifestyle

Jn 6:35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me shall never hunger. (NKJV)

Christianity has sold us the lie that reading 5 or 10 chapters of the Bible everyday will somehow make us into men and women of God.

It’s not that there’s no benefit from reading in such a way, but we’ve completely missed the truth that the Bible is not a Western book – It’s a Middle-Eastern book!

 In the West we tend to read – In the East they tend to meditate!

Gen 24:63 And Isaac went out to meditate in the field in the evening. (NKJV)

Ps 63:6  When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches. (NKJV)

Ps 119:148  My eyes are awake through the night watches, that I may meditate on Your word. (NKJV)

The word meditation in Hebrew means: Think, ponder, mutter, study, muse etc. This is why meditation became a lifestyle in the Hebrew culture.

The word of God only becomes bread to us as we meditate upon it. It’s meditation that releases the life that’s hidden inside the word. This is called ‘revelation knowledge’, and it’s this that feeds our spirit man, it’s this that transforms our life from the inside out, and it’s this that makes us come alive in the Spirit!

 Prayer: Jesus, help me to meditate your word!

 So, how can we meditate God’s word. Here are some pointers:

1)    Meditation: Cannot be rushed. Instead of reading a chapter, take a single verse and spend 20 mins pouring over each word. Lingering over each word, turning it over in our mind again and again. This is what it means to feed on Gods word.

 On the Eve of the Passover, each family partook in killing a lamb, roasting it over the fire and eating its flesh.

 Ex 12:8  Then they shall eat the flesh on that night; roasted in fire. (NKJV)

 They were feeding on the lamb! When we meditate God’s word we are feeding on THE lamb Jesus Christ, who is also the word of God. (Rev 19:13)

2) Meditation: Is two-fold – thinking and muttering. Practise verbalizing your thoughts. This releases the Holy Spirit to plumb the depths of your spirit and draw upon the deposit of God’s word that has been stored up within you.

 You have a treasure trove within you!

3) Meditation: Sows God’s word into our spirit in seed form. The Holy Spirit broods over this seed till the day comes when it bursts forth out of our spirit with revelation knowledge.

God always releases faith together with revelation knowledge, empowering us to put His word into action.

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

In Rom 10:17  The word ‘WORD’ in Greek is Rhema. It means the spoken word of God. This is a word that God quickens to our spirit for a particular occasion. This kind of word comes with faith, enabling us to put it into action!

A Rhema word is revelation knowledge. It is Rhema that is released as we meditate God’s word!

Meditation Point: Meditation means to turn over God’s word in the mind again and again!

 

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Jer 2:13 “For my people have forsaken me, the source of living water, and you’ve tried to collect water in cracked and leaking cisterns dug in the ground.” (NKJV)

There were two sources of water in Israel. Man made cisterns dug in the ground, that held rain water and were susceptible to leaks and stagnation, resulting in water loss, and underground fresh flowing springs of living water accessed by a well

The term ‘living water’ is flowing water that is clean, refreshing and pure.

When we received Christ, God removed our old sinful spirit and replaced it with a new righteous spirit (2 Cor 5:17). He filled our new spirit with His Holy Spirit. A symbol for the Holy Spirit is that of water. Life giving, sustaining, refreshing and pure water!

The Bible tells us our spirit is in our belly: Jn 7:38 Jesus said, “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart (belly, abdomen, womb) will flow rivers of living water.” (NKJV)

He also said, Jn 4:14 ”Whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain (well) of water springing up into everlasting life.” (NKJV)

We are to see ourselves as a deep well of salvation (Isa 12:3). At the bottom of the well is the water of life. We are to lower a bucket down into the well to access this water.

There are 3 buckets we can use to lift the water up to the top of the well (our mouth) and drink its life-giving qualities:

1)    Praying in other tongues: When we pray in other tongues we are filled to overflowing with the Spirit. Paul said to be filled with the Spirit (Eph 5:18). The words ‘be filled’ in Greek mean, ‘be being filled’ and is written in the present continuous tense.

As we pray in tongues (the mouth of the well) we are lifting up the water of the Spirit and drinking its life-giving qualities.

Many believers have stopped using the gift of the Spirit, speaking in tongues, because they only do it when they ‘feel’ good. NO! – We pray by an act of our will. It is a discipline and we are to practise it until it becomes second nature to us.

We can pray in tongues, driving the car, cleaning the house, walking, jogging etc. Let’s buy up these opportunities while we can.

2) Praise and Worship: As we praise the Lord in song, we pump up the living water to our mouth and drink to our fill.

Isaiah the prophet looked forwards to our day, the day of the New Covenant and prophesied:

Isa 12:1-3 And in that day you will say: ”O Lord, I will praise You; Though You were angry with me, Your anger is turned away, and You comfort me. Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; ‘For Yah, the Lord, is my strength and song; He also has become my salvation. ’” Therefore with joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. (NKJV)

Again, many believers reserve praise and worship for Sunday. NO! – We are to offer a sacrifice of praise! (Heb 13:15) as a lifestyle.We praise if we feel like it and we praise when we don’t feel like it.

3) Confessing God’s Word: As we speak out God’s word over our lives and circumstances, we are releasing this life-giving flow of the water of life.

Jesus said: Jn 6:63 It is the Spirit who gives life; The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.

Many believers who know these truths still insist on going to the world to resolve their problems.

Can the world help you? Yes it can. But it cannot impart the life of the Spirit, the life of Christ to you. The word for ‘life’ in Greek is Zoe life. This is God’s own life. His eternal life that saves, heals and restores everything it touches!

The worlds ways are at best are a leaking, stagnant cistern. Instead, why don’t you try going to the best medicine that God has placed within us to meet your needs today.

Rom 6:4 Just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life (Zoe). (NKJV)

Meditation Point: When I need help, I will go to Jesus who can not only help me but impart His life to me!

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

 

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Ecc 3:11 HE HAS MADE EVERYTHING BEAUTIFUL IN ITS TIME

 

Gen 1:3,4 God said, “Let there be light”, and there was light! And God saw the light that it was good (beautiful)

Everything God makes is beautiful! In Gen 1 at the close of each day of creation, God surveyed His work and saw that it was good. The word good means beautiful. God saw His creation was beautiful. On day 6 He said, “It is very beautiful” (Gen 1:31)

God has never created anything that is ugly poor or second-hand. NO! He has made everything beautiful in its time!

He has created you and I as new creations (2 Cor 5:17) He’s created us beautiful after the image of His Son Jesus Christ.

The fashion industry has done a successful job of playing on the insecurities of women: size, shape  lack of confidence, perfectionism, air brushed beauty etc. Some women are exhausted trying to be beautiful!

Jesus is calling Christian women to live out of their new creation reality in Christ. They are beautiful and perfect in Him! He’s looking for women to proclaim that there is freedom in Christ! Freedom from the yoke of the bondage of the law of the fashion industry! (Gal 5:1)

Gen 1:31 God saw everything that He had made and indeed it was very good (beautiful)

TRANSFORMATION (inward change) NOT CONFORMATION (outward molding)

Esther has been entered into a beauty contest to find the most beautiful woman for the king to marry. (Read Esther Ch 2)

She was under immense peer pressure to be the most beautiful contestant, to choose the best designer wardrobe and beauty preparations.

How did Esther respond to such pressure! She refused to allow others to set the agenda for her life. Esther was at rest and content within herself and trusted God to make a way for her. How do we know this? Because, in every which way she turned, the favour of God was upon her.

It was not Esther’s beauty that won her the hand of the king in marriage, it was the grace and favour of God.

Esther is a type of the body of Christ and as such, Christ will make sure His bride has everything she needs!

Est 2:15 When the turn came for Esther to go into the king, she requested nothing but what the king’s eunuch advised; and Esther obtained favour in the sight of all who saw her.

 ‘MIRROR MIRROR ON THE WALL, WHO IS THE FAIREST OF THEM ALL!

‘MIRROR MIRROR NOW I SEE, THE CHRIST IN ME THAT SETS ME FREE!’

There is nothing wrong with being fashionable, up to the minute and stylish in the way we present ourselves!

 

As Christians we can react to fashion by claiming it is worldly, and after all, doesn’t God look on the heart? Yes He does, but He also looks at the whole man, spirit soul and body!

In our reaction, we push ourselves to the opposite extreme and become an anachronism! Lol! You may have to look up that word in the dictionary!

It’s when we look into the mirror and highlight the blemishes and imperfections that dissatisfaction, discontentment and hopelessness set in!

But be encouraged. The scriptures show us a better way. They say to us, “Do not look into the mirror of self, instead, look in the mirror of God’s word and see yourself as a reflection of Jesus Christ!

Read the word of God, not to look at what’s wrong with you but what’s right with you in Christ! He gave His life to set us free from every bondage and to experience contentment and rest in this life! (Phil 4:11-13)

2 Cor 3:18 We all, beholding the glory of The Lord in a mirror (the word of God) are being transformed into the same image!

Meditation Point:  When I see myself reflected in Jesus, all my imperfections vanish away!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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GOD’S NOT ANGRY WITH YOU!

Isa 54:9-10 “For as I have sworn that the waters of Noah would no longer cover the earth, so have I sworn that I would not be angry with you, nor rebuke you,” says the Lord, who has mercy on you.  (NKJV)

Under the Old Covenant, God may have been slow to anger, but when He was angry, He was very angry! Why? He was angry because Israel had chosen to live by the law. Subsequently they had to live with the consequences when they broke it!

Ps 103:8 The LORD  is compassionate and gracious,  slow to anger and abounding in loving-kindness.

(NASU)

Ps 106:29 Thus they provoked Him to anger with their deeds,  and the plague broke out among them. (NASU)

Under the New Covenant however, Jesus chose to take upon Himself the punishment of God’s anger for the sin of the whole world. This appeasing of God’s anger enabled God to substitute His anger for His love, making the cross the greatest demonstration of His love for mankind!

1 Jn 4:10  In this is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to  be the sacrifice for our sins. (AMP)

The removal of God’s anger paved the way for God’s acceptance! Hence, no matter the depth of sin, repeated failure or the many mistakes we make, we are still accepted by the Father. His welcoming arms are always open towards us!

Eph 1:6  To the praise of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.

AN OATH ATTACHED TO A PROMISE

Isa 54:9-10  ”For as I have sworn that the waters of Noah would no longer cover the earth, so have I sworn that I would not be angry with you, nor rebuke you,” says the Lord.

In Hebrew culture, to make a promise was a declaration of intent by the person who made it, but they were not legally bound to keep that promise.

In order to make a promise legal and binding, an oath would be added! An oath meant to call on a higher or divine being to execute sanctions or curses against that person if they reneged on their promise. The Hebrews would invoke the name of Jehovah.

In Isa 54:9,10  God is promising to not be angry with the forthcoming people of the New Covenant. To enforce His promise He swears an oath to bind the promise. Because there is no one higher to call on, He swears by Himself!

Heb 6:13-18  For example, there was God’s promise to Abraham. Since there was no one greater to swear by, God took an oath in His own name, saying: “I will certainly bless you, and I will multiply your descendants beyond number.” Then Abraham waited patiently, and he received what God had promised. Now when people take an oath, they call on someone greater than themselves to hold them to it. And without any question that oath is binding. God also bound Himself with an oath, so that those who received the promise could be perfectly sure that He would never change His mind. So God has given both His promise and His oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. (NLT)

To add an oath was a cast iron declaration that the promise would be fulfilled! God loves us so much, He is determined to convince us that He means what He says and He says what He means: I will not be angry with you, nor rebuke you!

The next time you are tempted to believe that God is angry with you, for whatever reason, use this promise with God’s oath attached to remind yourself and the devil, that God keeps His word under all circumstances.

Meditation Point: God’s promise with an oath attached is my cast iron guarantee that God will never again be angry with me. I am always accepted by Him because I am ‘In Christ!’

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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