Running Ahead of God...

Jonah 4 – Running Ahead of God – His Heart or Our Agenda?

Jonah was doing fine. He was doing what he had no desire to do and getting the kind of success that he never wanted.

It was an ideal ministry – sort of.

The hand of God was upon him, but the heart of God was not in him. Yet, he was running with God up until the time that the people of Nineveh repented and God relented. Then, he pouted and began to run ahead of God.

Here is the Word of the Lord:

“ 1 But Jonah was greatly displeased and became angry. 2 He prayed to the LORD, "O LORD, is this not what I said when I was still at home? That is why I was so quick to flee to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. 3 Now, O LORD, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live."“

Jonah was greatly displeased. Make no mistake about it. He was not merely displeased with the circumstances. He was displeased with God. He didn’t like the way God handled things. He didn’t agree with God’s purpose. He liked absolutely nothing about this situation.

So what did he do?

Out of his intense displeasure, Jonah did what most of us are afraid to do. He prayed.

So, are you angry or displeased with God or something He has done or not done according to your expectations, ideas, or preferences? Have you discussed the matter with Him? I think the first step toward coming back into sync with Him is coming clean about where your heart really is.

Pray.

Here is what He prayed:

“God, if you really want to know why I didn’t want to go to Nineveh, this is it. You are a compassionate God. You are slow to anger and full of love and, frankly, I thin k you are a little “wishy washy” about how you carry out your threats. The least little repentance from these yahoos, and you change your mind. So go ahead and kill me, because this kind of life is not worth living and I really don’t want to be a prophet who is known for his prophecies not coming true.”

And what follows is …. NOTHING!

No lightening bolts from heaven, no sudden death, just a question:

“4 But the LORD replied, "Have you any right to be angry?" “

We would really like to get angry and be left alone most of the time – or heard with the desired effect of someone being completely caught off guard and then changing their behavior to our desired outcome.

God answers Jonah’s rant calmly, but firmly – not the way Jonah wanted. He did not desire to have his rant challenged, but god did it anyway.

He asks Jonah if he really thought he was within his rights to be angry about this matter. Jonah does not answer. He can’t answer. Most anger is not rational. When we are confronted with our irrationality, we have no answer. We just storm off and pout.

We truly believe it is our right.

Aren’t you glad we have a patient God who gives us a little space to work things out and come to our senses? And then, when we don’t, He gets back in our faces and tries again … and again .., and with increasing intensity until we confront the real issues.

When we run ahead of God, we abandon the heart of God.

Our hearts are not beating in rhythm with His.

“5 Jonah went out and sat down at a place east of the city. There he made himself a shelter, sat in its shade and waited to see what would happen to the city.”

Jonah takes his pout outside the city and there are some interesting characteristics to it.

 The first is that he sets himself apart from what God is doing. He removes himself from the city. When we get ahead of God with our own agendas, we often do just that. We remove ourselves from the center of His activity. If you are feeling apart from what God is doing, ask yourself if you have moved.

 The second characteristic is that he attempts to make himself comfortable. Arrogance and pride crave comfort. We desire the comfort of our own preferences, of peaceful shelter, of a detached view of things, and of our biased opinions.

 The third characteristic is that is evident in Jonah’s pout is a strange sort of denial that continues to hope that God will come around to our way of thinking and act in the way we think he should. Jonah had seen the city repent and had seen God relent, but still he sat down from a distance to watch them fail and come under the wrath of God. He was cheering for the wrong side.

"6 Then the LORD God provided a vine and made it grow up over Jonah to give shade for his head to ease his discomfort, and Jonah was very happy about the vine."

There is no human explanation for the love, compassion, and patience of God. The same grace He showed to Jonah when he was running away and later in midst of the sea, is what he showed to the people of Nineveh. It is the same that he now offers to Jonah again.

As much as Jonah does to make himself comfortable, he is still in a state of discomfort as we all are when we are outside of the will of God and the rhythm of His heartbeat. Running from God is not a comforting place to be, so God gives Jonah some temporal and temporary comfort – just to get him to the next place where He can deal with his heart.

At the moment, Jonah was happy. He was beginning to rely upon the temporal, temporary comfort of the vine in much the same way that we take for granted the blessings God gives us and become addicted to our comforts.

He could almost forget how displeased he was with what God was or was not doing about Nineveh.

But God was simply waiting for Jonah to be ready for the next encounter with truth.

Don’t get complacent with your earthly comforts. God is not averse to shaking things up to move you beyond where you are to where He wants you to be.

"7 But at dawn the next day God provided a worm, which chewed the vine so that it withered. 8 When the sun rose, God provided a scorching east wind, and the sun blazed on Jonah's head so that he grew faint. He wanted to die, and said, "It would be better for me to die than to live."“

God provided a fish in the sea and a worm in the desert. Both were about grace and neither were obviously so.

The temporary, temporal blessing of the vine was gone and now Jonah was back to where he had begun at the start of this chapter. He was left only with his disgruntled attitude and again, he wanted to die.

The pout was back and so was the question God had let ride for a season: “Do you have the right to be angry?”

Now Jonah is not only angry, but he is faint and depleted. His fight is gone. He is depressed and lethargic and yet, he answers with a resounding, “YES I DO!”

“9 But God said to Jonah, "Do you have a right to be angry about the vine?"

      "I do," he said. "I am angry enough to die." “

Just how angry is one when one is “angry enough to die?” People commit suicide every day in this world to get back at other people. They shoot themselves in the feet, sink their own ships, and sabotage their own lives because they are mad at someone else.

But God does not deal with his threat. He has a larger purpose and a larger issue. If Jonah can get this one, he can get over wanting to die and start to live at a higher level, his heart beating with the heartbeat of God, running at God’s pace, living in His grace.

“10 But the LORD said, "You have been concerned about this vine, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. 11 But Nineveh has more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left, and many cattle as well. Should I not be concerned about that great city?"”

The vine had been an object lesson. It was about a larger lesson that God wanted to teach.

Like many of us, Jonah was thinking it was all about the vine, but it was not. Nor was it all about Nineveh – or Jonah’s wounded pride or damaged reputation or loss of power and influence. It was about the heart of God, a heart that beats with compassion for people.

That was the lesson for Jonah. It was the lesson that God wanted to teach Israel centuries later as the story was told and retold and eventually written down.

God’s love and compassion are not just for you. They are for the world.

“God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.”

It is not about the vine in your life, not about your pride, reputation, preferences, prejudices, power, or comfort. It is about the mission of God. It is about the heart of God.

Anything else is your own agenda.

Anything else is running ahead of God.

It is an unholy pout.

God gets the last word in this book and He had better get the last word in your life.

What could Jonah have said? Actually, it is unimportant. We know that He told the truth about it because no one else could have known and told the story. He told it. He gave God the last word. He made himself out to look like the bad guy. He obviously learned the lesson. Otherwise, we would have never heard.

But the response is left blank at the end of the book of Jonah – for us to fill in the blanks – for us to ‘get it,” and modify our attitudes and behaviors.

This day, each of us has a decision to make in each of our hearts. Will be step back from our own feelings, beliefs, and preferences and listen to the heart of God? Are we willing to put aside our own agendas and take up His? Are we willing to repent of wanting our own way and desire only His purposes?

Are we willing to run with God with full heart engagement and absolute submission to his will?

God may be using you and have His hand upon you, but you will be miserable until your heart beats with His.

Make the change today. It is a simply change of mind and He will do the heavy lifting in your heart.

Now is the time.!!!

Posted by Tom Sims...Thank you! this is awesome! :-)

As I was walking along the beach, worshiping Jesus, singing to Him...♪♫ I saw a butterfly in the sand.. it was washed by the waves.. The pretty colours caught my eyes and I picked it up.. It was dead in my palm.. Then I had a thought!! :-D.. “In Jesus Name, may life come back into this butterfly’!! Well! Yeah, you guessed it!! The butterfly jolted into action! I was like.. Oh Glory to God! And then I sensed the Lord wanted to speak to me.. I felt I needed to pay close attention..

I let the butterfly stand in my hand as the wind was blowing.. I thought the wind will help dry its wings from the water..After a while I took a little stick to separate its wings and see if its body was ok.. After that I had the thought it might be hungry and in need of some nectar! So I took it to a bush of flowers.. Immediately the butterfly got into it! And as I sat waiting until it had its fill,  just checking and encouraging and thanking God for His beautiful creation.. In a little while, It just flew away.. Full of life and joy and I am sure on his God-given adventure!!

I sensed the Lord speaking directly to my heart.. He was saying the butterfly whilst it was ‘dead’ is like every person He created.. There is  some beauty, but no life of His Holy Spirit...(Well, you know this, you must be born-again of the Spirit of God)

He said that most people go past something that looks lifeless without a second thought.. e.g., an addict, a prostitute, a Muslim.. Etc... He wants us to stop and sense  if He is doing anything.. Share the love of God with them. It is the work of the Holy Spirit what happens next..

Well it all is really!

Next, He was saying, it is easy to have His Spirit and come alive.. He came to make dead man live!.. Justification! He paid the price!! It’s a prayer away.. A Name away.. it is those who believe and call upon the Name of Jesus.. ..He said most of the time though, the new convert doesn’t  get exposed to just basking in His presence.. (SONbaking!)

As I held the butterfly to the wind (the Holy Spirit) I sensed Him say we need to create a place where people can experience His presence, His holiness, His power.. “In His presence there is fullness of JOY.. Psalm 16:11 tells us! Often we put people in programs and believe that a few songs on a Sunday will do the trick!  I believe we need to show people how to worship the Father in Spirit and in Truth..Provide that for them. I believe that’s why so many people are.. joyless!

Next when the butterfly was sucking on the nectar.. The Lord spoke to me and said, that is symbolic  my Word.. We need to be filled with the Holy Spirit and then filled with His Word.. Not just read it.. But read it to find Him.. Read it to see Him.. Read it until the fullness of Christ is experienced.. Meditate on it.. Chew the cud!! I could write a book on how good the Word is.. (oh yeah! There is one already written!! ) and remember, it’s not enough to hear the word from someone else! We need to read and meditate on it for ourselves! Lets encourage always people to read the Word of God..

And other thoughts I had was, once a believer is a worshipper, filled with the joy of His salvation, and has eaten the Word of God, let him go! Yes! LET THEM GO!  Allow God to use them to go and do the same.. Don’t keep them to serve you, or any man made programs.. Don’t keep them inside the walls that we have come to call church! The living church is organic and active and happens outside the walls sharing the love of Christ ,  sharing the Gospel and making disciples!! The church is a ‘called OUT people’.. living, breathing flowing in the Spirit of God.. So unless God directly speaks to you to keep them “inside”.. Please! let them go!

After people are filled with Holy Spirit and have encountered the LIVING God and been disciple in the Word of God, they are by now bursting with the love of God.. they want  to minister to their loved ones!! I remember I was too busy with church to be with people outside ministering to them and loving them etc.. Remember when you were first ‘saved’.. the zeal! The desire to talk about the lover of your soul Jesus to everyone you met!!

 Love them, pray for them, and visit them if you have to! But be Kingdom minded! For God’s sake! J

Let them go serve their Master where He leads them!!  Perhaps we all need to rethink about  and renew our mind about this!

Well that’s what He spoke to me I think! And there was one last question the Lord asked me... “When you took the walk, what did you  set out to do?” And I said, ‘I wanted to seek you Lord, to hang out!...

Blessings J

and the truth will set you freeeeeeeeeeeeeee...............

Jesus’ Blood Is On The Mercy Seat

Leviticus 16:14

“He shall take some of the blood of the bull and sprinkle it with his finger on the mercy seat on the east side; and before the mercy seat

he shall sprinkle some of the blood with his finger seven times.”

If you have watched the movie, Raiders Of The Lost Ark, you would remember that when the lid of the ark was lifted,

strange-looking creatures floated out and destroyed the people around it. Interesting as it may floated out and

destroyed the people around it. Interesting as it may be, this is biblically inaccurate — the ark of the Bible did not

 contain strange-looking creatures.  What were the things inside it then?

There were three items in the ark: the golden pot of manna, Aaron’s rod and two stone tablets on which God had written

the Ten Commandments. (Hebrews 9:4) These items are actually symbols of man’s rebellion. The golden pot of manna

represents man’s rejection of God’s provision. The rod of Aaron represents man’s rejection of God’s leadership and the

two stone tablets of God’s commandments represent man’s rejection of His standard of holiness.

But because God delights in mercy, He had these items put away in the ark and covered with the mercy seat, which had

two cherubim on it. (Hebrews 9:5) And once a year, the high priest would enter the holy of holies where the ark was and

sprinkle the blood of the animal sacrifice on the mercy seat. This means that God’s eyes, represented by the eyes of the

cherubim, did not see the symbols of man’s rebellion. As long as the blood was there on the mercy seat, He saw only the

blood and accepted the people.

Today, Jesus is our High Priest and He Himself has sprinkled His own blood on the true mercy seat in heaven — the throne

of grace. (Hebrews 9:23–26) Interestingly, the number of times that the Old Testament high priest had to sprinkle the blood

on the mercy seat — seven — speaks of Jesus’ perfect sacrifice. And because His sacrifice is perfect and He is perfect, we

who are in Christ have perfect standing forever before God!

My friend, as you come to God today, don’t worry about falling short of His standard of holiness. He does not see your sins.

(Hebrews 8:12, 10:17) He sees His Son’s blood on the mercy seat. You have perfect standing before Him forever!  Glory to God!

Lots of love and have a great weekend....xxxxxxx

A chapter a day, Keeps the devil away!!! A christians bar of Soap!!

I like this! A CHAPTER A DAY KEEPS THE DEVIL AWAY!!! * well, you know, it's all about our relationship with Jesus Christ..

He is reminding me this morning of this great truth.. Jesus used the written Word to overcome!!

 I find this great food for thought and encouraging!!

In Mathew 4:1-11. We read about His journey into the desert and how satan tried his best to tempt Jesus.. in  V4 "Scripture says, 'A person cannot live on bread alone but on every word that God speaks.'"

I  find these verses just fascinating!  Jesus used the word of God to overcome temptation and resist the devil..  and the result in v 11 “Then the devil left Him; and behold, angels came and began to minister to Him.!!

And In John 17:16-19 Jesus says that we have a practical progressive sanctification of our present life by the application of the truth of God’s Word.!!

The Holy Spirit uses the Word to do His work within the believer.

As we daily appropriate God’s Word we are sanctified by it. We are set apart to God and changed in the way we live so that we bring honour and glory to the Father.

We are in the need of daily sanctification by the truth of God’s Word. This is a progressive work that will go on in our lives until we are presented perfect in Christ at His second coming.

Sanctification is not the eradication of our sinful nature, or of the “old man” in a once and for all experience.  

We were discussing this very subject last night in our bible study.. We are set apart, called out of the worldly  systems and beliefs.. God takes His Word, not human speculation or opinions, and sets us apart from the world to Himself. We are set apart for God’s special use. Therefore, our values, goals and behaviours are distinct from the world’s. ..

The Word of God sanctifies us as we study, meditate, memorize and apply its truths to our daily life.

The Holy Spirit uses it to make us aware of sin, confess it and repent. He takes the Word and reveals God’s perfect will for our lives. We grow in His grace through the knowledge of His truth. As we yield in obedience to His truth we are sanctified by the truth.

And going back to John, Jesus prayed to His Father, “For this sake I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth” (John 17:19). Jesus was already set apart to God. Indeed, He was sinless. However, the night before His death on the cross He was dedicating Himself “that they too may be truly sanctified.” Literally, He said, “sanctified in truth.” Jesus’ death eternally separated believers to God and His kingdom, and God’s truth is the means of their daily sanctification.

“Sanctify them in truth; Your Word is truth” (v. 17). Just as Jesus was set apart for special use, so are the believers. “The truth” is communicated in the “Word.” As we hear the Word, we comprehend the truth and obey it. This changes our values, our lifestyle, and a behavioural change takes place. We are changed in our everyday practice.

True daily sanctification in this life comes through the ministry of the Word of God. Jesus told His disciples, “Now are you clean through the word which I have spoken unto you” (John 15:3). God set us apart to Himself when He saved us.

Remember it’s  the Holy Spirit that enables us to obey God’s Word. He is the author of the Word and He uses it to enlighten our minds, enable our will and encourage our hearts.

Lets choose to believe this amazing truth that we were made clean through the Word at the new birth. As we obey the Word of God daily the defilement is washed out of our lives. When we sin we do not need to be saved all over again. We will never be regenerated a second or third time. After you bathe, you do not need to bathe again when you get your hands dirty. You wash them off and you are clean once more. God has given us a bar of soap. It is found in 1 John 1:9. Use it daily.  Oh I love this!!!

This is the practical and progressive sanctification that is seen in Ephesians 5:25-27 as Jesus sanctifies and cleanses His church. As the believer makes himself available to the Holy Spirit he is changed from the inside out. The Word of God has the liberty in the heart of the Spirit-controlled Christian to displace sin and replace in its place the righteousness of God. The blood of Christ cleanses the believer from actual sin.

It is our responsibility to apply the word of God daily in the power of the Holy Spirit. It does not come automatically. For example, to abstain from sexual immorality requires the exercise of self-discipline enabled by the Holy Spirit.

God’s perfect will is that His people be holy (1 Thess. 3:13). “For this is the will of God, your sanctification” (1 Thess. 4:3). The context deals with sexual immorality; however, the truth can be applied to any area of our lives. “For God has not called us for the purpose of impurity, but in sanctification” (v. 7). Paul has in mind the progressive sanctification of his readers whereby they are conformed to the image of Christ in daily experiences.

A holy life demonstrates God’s supernatural power at work in a believer’s life. A holy walk involves a right relationship with God.

Do you have an appetite for God’s pure Word? Let the Holy Spirit empower you to walk in holiness as you search the Scriptures and obey His Word.

Selah!

“Now are you clean through the word which I have spoken unto you” (John 15:3).

Stand Firm :-)

Stand Firm

In Exodus 14:13-14 Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”

Fear originates from the Enemy and love originates from God. It is fear that causes people to run rather than stand firm.

If you remember God’s instructions to Joshua in Joshua 1, God told him three times to be strong and courageous. God was telling Joshua to not allow fear to get into his spirit and to not run from the battle.

Fear results in withdrawing and shrinking back. But as Believers in Jesus Christ and ones empowered by the very Spirit of God, we can stand our ground in the face of extreme opposition. And here’s the reason why...

We never stand alone!!!

“Oh, Holy Spirit speak to us right now I pray.”

We do not stand in our own strength; we stand in God’s fullness of power! We do not stand in our own ability: we stand with God’s wisdom and unmatched ability! It is not ME standing there; it is US – God and me. Glory be to God!!!

Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.

All things includes standing firm. Do not let fear and intimidation cause you to run or shrink back. Stand firm and see what God can do!

(Further Reading: Ephesians 6:10-18)

Lets remember to pray for our brothers and sisters to  Keep our eyes open. Keep each other's spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out from standing on God's Word, In His Strength and His Purpose..

Remember also that God's Word is an indispensable weapon.!!

Love Mary :-)

HOW SECURE IS OUR SALVATION?

For twenty years I have struggled with the fear of losing my salvation, especially during periods when my love for God has grown a bit cold or I have succumbed to recurring sins.  For some reason I was always drawn to the scary scriptures in the bible that seemed to indicate that I could fall away if I wasn’t careful.

I am indebted to the bible teaching of Chuck Missler for challenging my beliefs on this important topic and for encouraging me to explore the “whole counsel of God” throughout all of scripture rather than looking at just a few verses in isolation and out of context. 

To my surprise, I have found numerous scriptures throughout God’s Word that either directly or indirectly promise believers that they will never lose their salvation.  The following scriptures make it very clear to me now and I pray that they will illuminate your understanding as well:

Romans 8:33-39  “Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect?  It is God who justifies.  Who is he who condemns?  It is Christ who died, and furthermore is risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.  Who shall separate us from the love of God?.......For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” 

The real clincher for me in the above verse is “any other created thing”.  For some reason I always thought that by my own will, by my own bad choices, I could walk away from God’s hands, but it finally dawned on me – my will is also a created thing , a gift from God, which means it cannot separate me from the love of God either. 

John 10: 28-29  “ And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of my hand.  My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no-one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand.”

John 6:37 “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me , and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.”

1 Corinthians 1:6-8 “..even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you, so that you come short in no gift, eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will confirm you to the end, that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Ephesians 1: 13,14 “In Him (Jesus) you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.”

2 Corinthians 1: 21,22 “Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us in God, who has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.”

Matthew 28:20 “....and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

John 14:16 “And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever...”

Philippians 1:6 “...He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.”

1 Thessalonians 5:23,24 “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul and body be preserved blameless at the coming of Christ.  He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.”

So, if it is as clear as the above scriptures suggest, that our salvation is eternally secure, how do we explain the scriptures that seem to indicate that it is not so secure?

I am no bible scholar but let me share just a few insights from my own research of God’s Word and from my own experience.

Firstly, for years I have failed to appreciate the difference between justification, sanctification and glorification which all form part of the amazing salvation process of our spirit, soul and body. 

In simple terms justification relates to us being freed from the “penalty” of sin, (ie. separation from God) where our spirit is “translated from the power of darkness into the kingdom of the Son of His love.” Colossians 1:13.- Justification gives us ‘entry’ to heaven.  Justification results in us receiving the Holy Spirit and becoming sons and daughters of God.  The only part we play in justification is to “believe” in Christ.   “..and by Him everyone who believes is justified from all things from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses”  Acts 13:39. 

Sanctification relates to us being freed from the “power” of sin where our soul /mind becomes transformed into the image of Christ from glory to glory as we learn to co-operate with and walk with the Holy Spirit moment by moment.  “But we all... are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord” 2 Corinthians 3:18.  “Don't be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what is the good, well-pleasing, and perfect will of God”  Romans 12:2.  Sanctification gives us an ‘inheritance’ in heaven if we persevere and overcome.  To be sanctified we not only need to “believe” in Jesus Christ but also “obey” Him. 

Glorification relates to us being freed from the “presence” of sin, where our body will be transformed from an ageing, sensual, earthly body into a glorious, incorruptible heavenly body.  “Who will transform our lowly body, that it may be conformed to His glorious body..”  Philippians 3: 21.  Glorification gives us ‘residence’ in heaven.  Glorification flows inevitably from being justified.  “... whom He justified, these He also glorified.”  Romans 8:30.

Another way of looking at it is that there is a past, present, and future aspect of our salvation.  Our justification is a ‘past’ tense as it was accomplished by the Christ’s completed work on the cross and received the moment we believed.  We can therefore say that with confidence that we have ‘been’ saved.  The process of sanctification results in us ‘being’ saved (present tense) and eventually at some time in the future we ‘will be’ saved when we are glorified.

The light really came on for me when I recognised the difference between “entering” heaven ( via justification) and “inheriting” heaven (via sanctification).  Seriously, I can no longer find anywhere in scripture where our justification/sonship can be lost or the Holy Spirit taken from us.  On the other hand the scriptures quite clearly show me that my spiritual inheritance in heaven can be squandered or forfeited if I do not yield to God’s sanctification process.  And this is where every believer’s true spiritual battle begins, learning to crucify the flesh by walking in the Spirit.  I challenge everyone who reads this to search the scriptures for themselves and to check out the context and original Greek use of the word “salvation” before they question theirs or anyone else’s eternal salvation in future.

1 Corinthians 3:11-15 really nails this for me.   It teaches us that our unsanctified works of the flesh will be consumed by fire at the bema seat judgment of Christ, resulting in a loss of rewards or inheritance in heaven, but will by no means prohibit our entry therein.  “Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is.  If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward.  If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.” 

Now I realise that the apostle Paul was never paranoid about losing his salvation/justification in scriptures like 1 Corinthians 9:7 “But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.” but about losing his rewards or inheritance.  When you read the book of Hebrews with this perspective in mind you get an incredible insight into the dangers of not being sanctified or pressing on to maturity.

To be honest, I suspect that my pride also contributed to my view that I could lose my salvation.  Somehow, I thought that I had a major part to play in my salvation through my faith and my repentance.  I seemed to place more confidence in my faithfulness (or unfaithfulness more like it) rather than God’s faithfulness.  If I had a major part in earning my salvation then I guess I could successfully argue that I could also reject it or lose it.  Scripture however makes it very clear however that it is God alone who :

Calls and draws us “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.” (John 6:44).  “For whom He foreknew, He also  predestined...whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.”  (Romans 8:29-30)

Saves /Justifies us – “.. being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:24). 

Gives us faith – “For grace you have been saved through faith, and that not from yourselves; it is the gift of God.”  (Ephesians 2:8)

Leads us to repentance - “Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance”. (Romans 2:4).

Gives us eternal life – “And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins..”  Ephesians 2:1, “And I give them eternal life...” (John 10:28).

Our part in receiving this miracle of salvation is simply “believing” in our Saviour and what He has done.  “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved..”  (Acts 16:31).  “... these things are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.”  (John 20:31).  “To Him all the prophets witness that, through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins.” (Acts 10:43).  “Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law”  (Romans 3:28).

If it is God who has saved me and justified me, could it be “unbelief” or “calling God a liar” if I doubt His promise to keep me in His hands to the end and to never leave me or forsake me?  Could it be that the fear of losing my salvation somehow blocks the flow of God’s love in and through my life?  Could it be that doubting His eternal salvation results in me removing my spiritual armour (ie. helmet of salvation in Ephesians 6:17), making my mind vulnerable to satan’s  lies and torments?  Just a thought!!

In concluding, it wouldn’t surprise me if the exodus of God’s people from Egypt under the hand of Moses and Joshua is some sort of parallel on this important subject.  All the Hebrews were covered by the blood (ie. Passover lamb) and led through the red sea (baptism) on their deliverance from Egypt.  This appears to represent our “justification”.  To the best of my knowledge, nowhere in the bible do any of the Hebrews return to Egypt.  The fact that God closed the red sea behind them (also drowning most of the Egyptian army in it) seems to shut the door on that prospect rather firmly don’t you think?

For the next forty years they wandered throughout the wilderness learning to trust and obey God. This seems to represent our “sanctification”.  Although there were some severe judgments by God for unbelief and disobedience during this time, I can find nowhere in scripture where God disowns His called out people during this time.  Interestingly enough though, a large number of God’s people (including Moses) did miss out on their inheritance however - the promised land.

Finally, under the leadership of Joshua, the generation that finally trusted and obeyed God successfully crossed the Jordan river and inherited the promise land.  This may be symbolic of our “glorification” when we finally inherit our true spiritual homeland – heaven.

So, where does your confidence lie in regards to your salvation?  Is it in God’s proven faithfulness and unshakeable Word or in your weak faith and limited understanding of His Word.  Whatever your views on this subject, I pray that God will draw you closer to Himself and remind you of how remarkable and glorious His grace and plan of salvation is through Jesus Christ.  G.R.A.C.E. – God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense.  Amen, Hallelujah!!!!