Sparks From The Gospel Anvil
Lamentations 3:40/ 2 Corinthians 13:5
Found in these two passages is a command, a declaration, Jeremiah states that we are to “examine our ways and test them and let us return to the Lord.” And the Apostle Paul declares, “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you, unless of course, you fail the test?” this is a call to examine yourself. As humanity looks at this we tend to look at others, we examine others and list things that we notice about others. Their shortcomings, their faults, their weakness, but this is a call for us today, I wonder HOW IS IT WITH YOUR SOUL? Let us take this time, this moment and examine ourselves and see are we living in closer communion with heaven? Are we becoming more and more like Christlike? Are we growing more and more into His likeness? Otherwise our lives must be a blank failure! If we are not going forward we are going back and not only we ourselves, but all those who are clinging to our shadows. Those that declare that we are Christians, that we are called by HIS NAME, those that are the Sons and Daughters of the Most High God. Have you really more of His nature, more patience, more power, more truth? More of that spirit that led Him to Calvary, more self-sacrifice, more of His tenderness for the souls of those around, more courage to convict them of their sin?
Oh, I feel like praying as never before that we may be the people that God would have us to be! It is so easy for us to go rushing ahead and yet to accomplish nothing compared to what we might do if we lived more within the veil! Have be become so heavenly minded that we are no earthly good? Listen, as I mentioned previously about our prayer life, are we getting alone with the Lord and asking Him, by His Holy Spirit to search us through and through and to reveal any sin or failure in our life, and especially to show us our secret sins in the light of His countenance. This self-examination is to see ourselves as God sees us. To see ourselves as we really are, not as others think we are and not as we think we are. We can hide our failures from our friends and even pretend to be saintly, but we cannot hide from God. (Jeremiah 23:24)
The Father urges and pleads with us to come to Him and He guarantees that when we do, He will give us a full pardon, “Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return unto the Lord and He will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.”(Isaiah 55:7) But this pardon does not give us a license to sin, we must daily renew and re-consecrate ourselves to Christ, Paul said that He died daily, and if he, who met Christ face to face, said that, I believe that we need to do that as well. The arms of the Lord Jesus Christ are opened wide and He waits for us to come, because He reminds us that “All that the Father gives to me shall come to me and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.” (John 6:37). The Father’s arms are large enough to receive all people to come to Him, are you in His arms? Are you hiding in the Shadow of the Almighty? Do it today, you may not have another chance or opportunity. ing, prostrate; as to process, silently in the heart or audibly from the heart; as to the particulars, there are many types of prayers, the most common list include, adoration, thanksgiving, confession, petition and intercession. In the next phrase, Paul tells us to pray in the Spirit. Listen to pray in the Spirit not only means to pray in the energy of the Spirit, but to pray in agreement with the Spirit. It is impossible to separate the Spirit from our supplications. According to Galatians 4:6, it is the Spirit Himself that creates the desire within us to pray. “And because ye are sons, God hath sent for the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying Abba Father.” The Holy Spirit is not dependent on us, but we are dependent, totally dependent on Him for prayer. Have you been praying for our nation? For our president? For our local leaders? For the law enforcement and emergency services? For the local pastors? For our friends and neighbors? We need to pray today.