I AM CONVINCED

Jesus was gracious enough to appear to Paul. Christ knocked him off his donkey, onto the ground, introduced Himself and blinded him until he met Ananias in Damascus. Then Paul understood who he just encountered and how his life must change. 

For many Christians, not only is our personal salvation or conversion story a mighty convincing proof of Christ's love for us, but in many life challenges afterward as well. The accounts I have heard from the testimonies of others meant the provision of protection, deliverance and resources came only from God. The same can be said for Paul. 

One of Paul's well known phrases that proclaims this and that I love is "I am convinced...". It is one thing to hear a silver-tongue orator who is excellent at the word-smith skill to persuade his/her audience. It is another to hear a well educated speaker present his/her findings on a topic for our information or enlightened purposes. There is a totally different and convincing power behind a speaker, singer or author who has experienced what they are convincing you about. 

Knowing Paul's challenging life, this "I am convinced" carries the weight of a powerful testimony you and I cannot damage, slander or refute. I give my full attention to the words that follow Paul's declaration of "I am convinced" because of his track record with the risen Lord. 

Paul says in Romans 8:38-39 - 
"I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

I have been convinced many times on the assurance of God's love and care in my life. His mercies are new every morning (Lamentations 3:22-23). Are you convinced or being convinced also? Like Paul's strong witness down through the ages through his life and words, the rest of believers in Christ can join Him and say, even in the middle of a crisis, "I Am Convinced".

BECOMING A DOG OR PIG

Is it better to have never loved at all than loved and lost? I know that saying is switched, but the following is the same mentality. Is it better to stay a sinner, in disobedience to God, than to accept His salvation gift - Christ Jesus - and His lifestyle only to return to your old nature through a powerful, sinful enticement?

Peter says, yes, these individuals should never have known, tasted or experienced right standing with God. In Peter's second letter, he defended and explained the role of prophecy in Scripture while revealing there were past false prophets who did harm and there are still future, harmful false teachers to come - "there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you."

The deceiving, manipulative and enticing power these false teachers within the faith will have is staggering. This second chapter of Second Peter lines up with the lukewarm church that is depicted to be present at the end in Revelation 3:14-22. Peter has a hard word for those who give-in and succumb in finality, but also in habitual behavior to the lifestyle taught by false teachers.

"If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and are overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them."

In fact, Peter likens these backsliders to dogs and pigs that would rather keep company with their own puke and muck. Peter says, "Of them the proverbs are true: 'A dog returns to its vomit,' and, 'A sow that is washed returns to her wallowing in the mud.'" 

We all go through cycles in life. The nation of Israel went through vomit cycles if you will. We all have challenging seasons in our lives like this, but God's plan for our lives and the working out of our faith showcase Christ's continued grace and mercy. 

No doubt, I would rather my behavior fall in line with a child, warrior, or struggling sheep than a dog or pig. So, my warning and encouragement to all believers today is be discerning in your mind and spirit for false teachers are here among us. Keep rooted in The Word of God, using it as a check or sounding board on our lifestyle SO THAT we will not be so easily entangled and swayed to return to our vomit or mud, therefore Becoming A Dog Or Pig.

GOD'S PASSIONATELY, PURSUING NATURE

God's love reaches side-by-side with His justice as He gives us the choice to live this life and the next with or without His presence in our lives. Because of the belief in a lie, humanity disobeyed God and ever since, our relationship with Father God has been torn asunder. Then Christ Jesus was sent and has restored ALL of humanity's relationship with Father God. No matter the degree - past, present and future sins have been forgiven through our faith in His sacrifice. 

Yes, from birth we are the walking condemned. However, since Christ's sacrifice the same walking condemned are walking saved individuals. These people just have to accept His free gift of love. What will you activate and live out of - a disobedient, rebellious nature OR acceptance of a Christlike lifestyle.

The degree of God's love is unfathomable, but I still set my mind, heart and imagination on it. The degree He gave up, the degree He suffered and the degree He will still go to love on us is mind and heart blowing! Christ's sacrifice satisfied every human's sin in history - past, present and future. There is no word, thought or deed that Jesus did not miraculously pay for on The Cross. The phrase "It is finished" that Christ declared on The Cross means Paid In Full.

God woos or courts our hearts, minds and lives. Jesus said, "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them," (John 6:44). If Hitler would have truthfully and sincerely repented, God would have restored Adolf's relationship with Himself through Christ's blood and victorious resurrection. But Hitler chose to hate God and His people, the Jews, so he receives the hand with Justice in it. There are no constraints on God's compassion and saving grace, but there is an equal scale of justice awaiting those who refuse this ultimate gift.

Yes, God woo's or courts the hearts of those that do not know Him but once the decision is made to have a relationship with Him, Paul is convinced that nothing can separate us from His love again.

"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:38-39)

In the parable of The Lost Sheep in Luke 15:3-7, the lost sheep is not an individual animal outside the fold needing to be added to the family of sheep. The sheep spoken of in this parable is one that was already part of the fold - "Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them." The shepherd leaves the ninety-nine he has, goes, finds, tends to the sheep's needs and brings it back into the fold - rejoicing! 

Notice the Lord did not mention another sheep going after the lost one, nor a servant of the shepherd, but The Shepherd himself went after the lost sheep. What a passionate love, a compassionate heart, a personal Master and Savior that Jesus has pictured for His own. 

There is a song called Reckless Love by Cory Asbury whose lyrics are perfect at this point. The chorus goes -

"And oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God.
Oh, it chases me down, fights 'til I'm found, leaves the ninety-nine.
And I couldn't earn it, and I don't deserve it, still, You give Yourself away.
Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God, yeah.

Bridge goes - 

There's no shadow You won't light up
Mountain You won't climb up
Coming after me

There's no wall You won't kick down
Lie You won't tear down
Coming after me"

_____________________

God's Passionately, Pursuing Nature

CHRIST THROUGH US (My Faith During Covid-19)

Ever since the virus of 2020 hit the globe in March, I have been questioning God - 

1. Where are you Lord?
2. What are you doing?

I have listened out for His voice in my spirit for the answer. I have listened in the sermons and teachings of others for His answer. I have asked others on a one-on-one level and listened for His voice in that setting. 

Many of the answers I receive are appropriate due to the omnipresent, all-powerful, all-knowing God that Christians put their faith, trust and hope in. Answers like God is on His Throne, everywhere and inside of us. Answers on the line of God is orchestrating history and this virus is just a step toward the chaos of The Tribulation Period. 

However, just like a two-year old in the faith, I always come around to the "why" question. I ask God, "But why Lord, knowing you are all that we need, you are All-in-All, and we have been crying out to you, will you not respond favorably and rescue the world from this virus and not let any more lives pass through the doorway of death?"

I have come to believe and receive from the Lord that trust in God's powerful prophetic plan shown in its due course is necessary. God's power and promises will be fulfilled, if not through His children then by whatever means He sees fitting. During this challenging time of suffering due to the virus, Christians need to pay homage to their Following of Christ by finding creative ways to execute the Great Commission and fulfill the prophetic Call on their lives.

"Moses and the children of Israel were in the wilderness and the Lord was about to punish them for their constant murmuring and unbelief. Moses, thinking in the natural, questioned God's ability to carry out His judgment (Numbers 11:21-22)

Moses's doubt challenged the power of the Divine (vv. 1-15). Had Moses forgotten that he had been not only a witness but also an instrument of the Almighty's work? God's matchless power had not waned from the time He had inflicted the plagues on Egypt, parted the Red Sea and rained manna from heaven. The Great I AM had not become weak or weary--He remained the same and His power was undiminished." [p.250, Earth's Last Empire, The Final Game of Thrones by John Hagee]

For some strange reason, I get like Moses a lot. The next mountain or great challenge in front of me looms greater than the one behind me and the climb to conqueror it even more daunting. I have prayed that The Lord remove this virus mountain, but He has not answered that prayer. Some mountains the Lord climbs with you instead of removing. This is the wonderment of it all - after travailing through the issue, He still seems to be silent. But in the silence God asks all believers - "Have you forgotten the power of your witness and my power in you as my instrument?"

In this Covid-19 Virus attack on the world, the Christian must keep his/her eye on Christ and His power and promises He has for us. Both of these, His power and promises, are released through studying, receiving, getting excited and sharing God's prophecy and its fulfillment.

"The study of prophecy and its fulfillment reveals that God's powerful hand will stretch as far as needed to achieve His divine plan. This is the same power that measures the depth of the seas and the heights of the heavens (Isaiah 40:12).

The greatest proof of God's power lies within His Word and its fulfillment, which includes our personal redemption from sin and conformity to Christ's resurrection. It is through the fulfillment of His Word that God responded to Moses's doubt. Remember this truth:  God is power. His Word is power; therefore, when God speaks--it comes to pass!" [p.250-251, Earth's Last Empire, The Final Game of Thrones by John Hagee]

There is no better person to speak to the condition we are facing and God's presence in it than Christ Himself. Just as we have many questions swirling around our heads and faith, the disciples did also and The Lord responds to us all - 

"Let not your hearts be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me." (John 14:1)

However, Jesus did not stop with don't worry, everything is going to be o.k., just keep your eyes on me. In the very next verses, The Lord gave all those who believe in Him prophetic hope by saying,

"In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself that where I am, there you may be also." (John 14:2-3)

Because Christ's prophetic track record was perfect, revealed to the disciples in person and explained to two in particular on the Road to Emmaus - the promise to return was believed by them and believers down through the ages.

God's prophetic call on our lives will be seen to completion. Sound familiar? Paul encourages the believers in Philippi by the Holy Spirit - 

"being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." (Philippians 1:6)

God told Abraham he would be the father of all who would believe and so it was (Hebrews 11:8-12). The Virgin Mary was told she would give birth to the Son of God and she accepted this great responsibility (Luke 1:38). Paul's conversion came with a price - many sufferings and this was revealed to Ananias (Acts 9:13-15). 

All these people, with or without difficulties at first, came to believe in Christ and place their trust of their future in His hands. When Jesus confronted Thomas after The Resurrection, Christ was also confronting me. He said, "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." (John 20:29) Although at the time this was referring to Christ's bodily victory over death, Hell and the grave - I also believe we are blessed in believing in the Power and Promises we have not yet seen. The prophetic that is yet history, in many cases through us, has to be in us first - 

"To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory." (Colossians 1:27)

I have been allowing challenging situations define me, like this virus, instead of who Christ says I am, whether in or out of trials. If all Christians would believe and operate in the power of God's prophetic plan over their lives then perhaps the world, especially during this time, would see more of Christ Through Us.

REPRESENT HIM WELL

The bottom line is to represent my Savior, Christ Jesus, well. I believe this idea begins with the realization of Christ's sacrifice for each of us, then moves to an attitude of passionate desire and need to serve and represent Him for life. He died for me, I'll live for Him should be every Christian's life-formula.

Whenever humans represent another individual, business, government or the like - usually that means the party we are representing cannot physically be present. The burden then falls hard on The Ambassador of the person, company or nation to reflect the other party accurately. There is no doubt that we have failed miserably at portraying our friend, work, country and God to others in the past. But there is a Helper, especially for presenting Christ to people.

God's representation method is slightly different from humanity's. With humanity, where the represented party is not present when we personify them, God is. His Holy Spirit is standing next to others when we witness to a friend, acquaintance, co-worker or stranger. His Holy Spirit is in the crowd when we share our testimony or teach to a gathering about Jesus. His Holy Spirit is hovering over a nation and pricking the hearts and ears when a leader speaks of the grace of Christ The Savior.

However, even more comforting than the Holy Spirit in the audience is the assurance He is beside us with our friend, on stage with the masses and supplying the script for an entire nation - to us, the ones who desire to represent Him well. He is our very present help in time of need. He is someone who will stick closer than a brother. He watches and hears how we represent Jesus and counsels at the same time on how to better mirror Christ's presence and characteristics on earth. The bottom line is I want to Represent Him Well.