Demolition Day

Time is up now is the time - right now - no more delays - demolition day is upon us!!

Right now is the very time God is demanding our utmost devotion. Heart and soul - in all respects - in toto - utterly and totally.

Jesus didn't die for lukewarm devotion - He didn't die to share His life with anything or anyone else!

What idols have you got lurking there - This had me thinking really hard and I know God wants to change all of us bumping us out of our lethargy and making us His Warriors and new creations in Him.

This is a new day - a new time - the old has indeed passed away and the new has come in Jesus - we need to know for sure that there are no idols not even ME in there anywhere - we need to live our lives wholly and solely for Him.

When we think of idols we can't help thinking about wood and stone images set up and people falling down and worshipping them - sort of the like the golden calf in the wilderness all those years ago.

There was a god of the Philistines mentioned in the Bible - Dagon was it's name - fierce looking thing - a fertility god I think it was - huge beast of thing.

The Israelites had been defeated by the Philistines and they had captured the Ark of the Covenant (God's very presence) and had lain the Ark in the temple of Dagon - I guess it was like a trophy for these poor deceived people.

The next day the huge idol was found lying prostrate before the Ark - so the dutiful people hauled it back up again and there it stayed throughout the day BUT the next day it was once more lying prostrate before the Ark. This time however, it's head and hands were severed lying on the podium in front of the Ark.

Then of course there is the amazing and gobsmacking story of Elisha and the prophets of Baal and their contest on Mount Carmel - such a dramatic example of the power of God and His intolerance of anything or anyone that comes before Him.

Of course idolatry extends to far more than the worship and of stone and wooden idols - our very lives can be idols that we place in front of God.

We are living in uncertain times and more and more I am aware of how fragile life can be and I want to live for Jesus - he is far more than words on page or some history book written and studied - he is far more than just a story and because he is who he is - he deserves far more than lip service from us who call ourselves Christians.

God needs to be EVERYTHING to us - far more than our dollars -  far more than our families - far more than anything that we put in front of Him.

Idolatry lives inside of us - in our heart region - our very souls need to be controlled by the only ONE who can change us. Our Hearts need to be where God  is - We need to be singing from the same page as Him - He needs to change us radically and permanently - to rid us of any and all idols that lurk in our lives.

Idolatry ultimately leads to rebellion against God and he will not ever tolerate it - we can't be serving our own aims and goals and still be called his servants.

Surrender control to God - Now is the day to say Yes to Him - He needs to control everything.

So today is "Demolition Day" - the day we demolish anything and everything that comes up before Him that isn't dedicated and sacrificed to Him.

Let's look deep inside our hearts and souls and give to God complete and utter control handing everything over to Him - no idols of any sort.

What is honestly controlling your life right at this moment? maybe unforgiveness, maybe jealousy, maybe self-centredness, maybe pride, maybe money, maybe family, maybe job security - the list continues.

The Bible screams out to us of the sin of Idolatry and that God and He alone is the only one worthy of our worship. Idolatry robs God of what is rightfully His - His place in our lives - He will not tolerate second place.

My prayer for us all this week is that God will show us through His grace and mercy just where our idols lie and will give us the boldness, strength and courage to demolish them entirely and permanently from His throne.

God bless you as you embrace Demolition Day in your Life - and may His peace and joy reign in your life as you live for Him.

Trembling Hands

Ever been so nervous and anxious that you can hardly stand?

The sweaty palms, the unsteady legs, the trembling hands, the light headedness just to name a few of the symptoms.

Yes!  nervousness and anxiety can be a real problem. Especially if you are concerned and worried about things that are really not in your control

Fear of going to Hell for example can be a prime subject to get even the most sincere Christians feeling a bit woozy!

Some people turn to God out of a fear of going to hell - In my view that is a distorted view of faith - Fear is NOT faith! In fact I heard once the fear is faith in reverse. Fear and faith are opposing forces.

As Christians we should have a holy fear of God without being frightened of God. If we are frightened in our walk with Him, it makes me wonder what are we actually afraid of? The answer to that is generally Hell - Some can be very frightened of Hell and it consequences.

Walking in fear with God instead of in Faith with Him is actually believing in something other than God and that something is more than likely a fear of going to hell.

People walking in fear of going to hell and trying their utmost to live Godly and/or holy lives are actually trying to earn their own salvation and not really trusting in God at all. Fear can lead us into a dark place and as we know God is not the author of darkness but the King of light.

Timothy 1:7 says "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind".  Fear doesn't sound like God to me at all - Fear reduces our faith in God making us focus on the situation and keeping our eyes off Jesus altogether.

Satan is the author of fear - He loves to hit us where we are most vulnerable and if our fear of hell is where our weakness lies then that is exactly where he will aim his artillery.  The devil will lie to us and his lies are focussed on telling us that we need to act on our own because we can't trust God to be there - or is God really there?

So come to Christ because of your faith not because of your nervousness about going to hell when you die. Yes! there is a hell that's for sure, but we need not worry about it ever, if you have faith and love for Jesus.

Faith as a little child has faith in their Mum and/or Dad. A child-like faith, no matter how small or weak. Actually weak faith is the very time that God can use us - in our weakness then we are strong because in our weakness we rely on Him and Him alone.

Having fear instead of faith is like looking and walking into a huge tunnel that only goes deeper and deeper into the darkness - faith on the other hand tells us we are going in the wrong direction - turn around and see the light - you have been looking and walking in the wrong direction. You won't see the light while you are focussed and concerned and worried about stumbling along in the dark.

Living in fear of going to hell makes us rely solely on our ability to be 'holy' or to gain God's approval by the amount of times we can withstand temptation, Or mount up 'brownie points' by helping others and knocking ourselves out working for the church.

Faith tells us the exact opposite - there is absolutely nothing we can do to make God love us more than He does already - there are no amount of good works that will gain us entry to heaven - no amount of 'holiness' on our part will open the gate to God's glory.

All that is required of us is simple trust in the God who saved us through the sacrifice of Jesus and then live according to Ephesians 5: 8-16 - Grab a new version or a plain English version e.g. The Message - tells us plainly and simply.

So if you came to Christ mainly based on your fear of ending in Hell then you are more than likely trying to earn a way in with Christ - there is absolutely no way you will be able to 'earn' your way into Heaven.

Let's put that notion to bed once and for all - Put aside your fear of hell and it's consequences, come to God and repent asking Him to 'help your unbelief/doubts.

In Mark 9 we have the story of the young dad bringing his mute son to Jesus - (I just love how The Message Bible puts it) - the young dad said to Jesus

"If you can do anything, do it. have a heart and help us!"
Jesus said "If? There are no "Ifs' among believers. Anything can happen."
No sooner were the words out of his mouth that the father cried. "then I believe. help me with my doubts!"

Sort of says it all doesn't it!

So what can we take away today - Fear is not faith! and faith is not fear!

Jesus died an agonizing death why? to pay for all of your sins - the past, the present and future.

Trust in Him as He trusted in His Father to always do what it right and good.

No amount of things and/or work will get us into heaven. It is only through faith that we will gain access to God.

I trust you will be blessed as you pray the prayer that young Dad prayed all those years ago. "Father, I do believe, please help my unbelief and doubts"

Mind the Gap

Ever stopped to consider just how many 'warnings' there are that surround us every day?

There are hundreds of different warning signs - you just have to walk down a main street to spy just a few - from pedestrian crossing signs to watching our health and safety - they are everywhere.

When visiting overseas, you have probably been warned hundreds of times when getting on and off trains to "mind the gap" - why it's even plastered on tee shirts!

We are warned to take life easier or risk a heart attack, then we are warned to get more exercise or risk the same. We are warned to work smarter not harder or risk getting overrun by a more cost efficient company.

We are warned when we lose too much time from work that we can't keep doing this - "Take this as your final warning!!" We are warned not to eat too much fatty foods and watch our calories.

We are warned not to venture to close to the edge or warned that there is a hazard on the road and 'keep clear'. And so the list continues. Heaps of 'warnings' often for our own benefit.

The Bible is also chock full of warnings. Beware of falling away from serving God - Jesus said "Count the cost" Luke 9:62 and so we should! Beware of forgetting God,  Deut 8:11, Beware of hypocrisy, Mark 12:38. And again the list goes on - many many warnings and 'bewares' listed for us and also many examples throughout the Word of God.

There is one major warning that stands out in the Bible and one we should all heed to our peril. As sure as there is a heaven there is a hell and we should all sit up and take notice to the warnings given.

Please don't be mislead here - heaven isn't for 'good' people, kind, loving and giving and hell isn't for 'bad' people who aren't  kind, loving and giving. That is such a wrong message!!  The Bible clearly teaches that there are none righteous no not one! that includes you and me - no one - none - nada!!

A lot of people just can't bring themselves to believe in hell.

"It's so easy to believe heaven but I don't believe God could create a hell" I was told just recently after I had completed an on-line Bible chat. "How could a so-called perfect God create a  place like hell?"

Well, I reckon a loving God had to create a place like hell - Why? Because if 'everyone' went to Heaven when they died, many would be forced to worship a God they didn't believe in, serve or worship while on earth. Then Heaven wouldn't be Heaven. there would be no point.

Satan rebelled against God and so do we when we totally ignore Him, doing our own thing, having no regard for what Jesus did for us and rejecting the Gospel entirely.

Believe me when I say that the day is coming when we will answer to God for what we've done. God loves us so much He doesn't want any of us to perish or slip away from Him - He loves YOU and because He loves you so much He wants you to repent of your sins, confessing them to Him.

There is absolutely no salvation from Hell without repentance and forgiveness.

So here we have this HUGE warning from God -  to avoid Hell - Repent of your sins, ask forgiveness, turn around and follow Christ.

Good works alone will never gain us a place there.

So please do MIND THE GAP! - It's a perilous place to be. Make sure you surrender ALL to God.

God bless you this week as you consider again complete surrender to Christ.