“For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. 16Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:15-16
By grace we are saved. By grace we get help in the time of need. Grace is not for salvation alone, grace is needed to continue to obtain mercy, live for God and have victory over sin.
“Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice, (8) Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness:” Hebrews 3:7-8
The writer of Hebrews is quoting Psalm 95:7-11. This is a Psalm that David wrote. However, we need to be reminded that the Holy Spirit is really the author. If we forget that God is the author of our whole Bible then we may start to consider God’s word as just the teachings or opinions of man.
“When I shall send Artemas unto thee, or Tychicus, be diligent to come unto me to Nicopolis: for I have determined there to winter.” Titus 3:12
When you decide to do something sensible and practical, do you always feel like you have to qualify it by saying, “the Lord is leading me to do this?” If there was a man who lived a life that was led of the Lord, it was the apostle Paul. Yet Paul made a decision, and the way it sounds, he made it through the use of common sense. Don’t over spiritualize your walk. Honor God with good sensible living. After all, doesn’t wisdom come from the Lord?
“When a righteous man turns away from his righteousness, commits iniquity, and dies in it, it is because of the iniquity which he has done that he dies.” Ezekiel 18:26
How does this apply to the born again believer? To turn away from Jesus, who is our righteousness, is when a believer falls back into sin.
“Son of man, you dwell in the midst of a rebellious house, which has eyes to see but does not see, and ears to hear but does not hear; for they are a rebellious house.” Ezekiel 12:2
Rebellion makes your spiritual eyes and ears of no use.
“And I will make thy tongue cleave to the roof of thy mouth, that thou shalt be dumb, and shalt not be to them a reprover: for they are a rebellious house. 27But when I speak with thee, I will open thy mouth, and thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; He that heareth, let him hear; and he that forbeareth, let him forbear: for they are a rebellious house.” Ezekiel 3:26-27
It may be at times you may need the Lord to make your tongue cling to the roof of your mouth so you don’t say anything before He gives you something to say.
“And they, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear, (for they are a rebellious house,) yet shall know that there hath been a prophet among them.” Ezekiel 2:5
Whenever anyone would go and speak a “Thus Saith the Lord” to a rebellious people, it better be that they go as a prophet who really has a message from God, not as an arrogant, finger pointing, self-righteous individual.
“For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. 12They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.” Psalm 91:11-12
This is a testimony from 11/18/2017
The nine day gun deer hunting season opened this last Saturday. I went out hunting about 40 miles from my house. I had to go by myself because my son Justin could not go. It was a miserable morning because it rained and snowed for about two hours. That made the tree that my stand was in nice and wet. Around 11am I decided to get down from my stand. I put my back pack on and slung my rifle over my shoulder and climbed down on some branches on my tree to a 12 foot ladder I had leaning against the tree. Before I left I wanted to cut a few branches out of the way from another tree to open up a shooting lane. After leaning my rifle against a tree and cutting several branches, I climbed back up in my stand to see if I had all the branches removed. When I climbed back down my foot slipped on a wet branch and I fell from my stand which was about 15 feet in the air. I fell in the direction of my ladder but when my foot hit it, it just fell to the side. My fall seemed to get delayed for an instant, but then I fell the rest of the way to the ground. I landed feet first in some water and muck. As I got up I looked and the contents from my backpack were laying all around. After I took my backpack off, I saw that it was ripped from top to bottom. Then I realized the protective hand of God over me. I fell sideways and could have landed on my head and broke my neck, but the backpack got caught on a branch which turned my body to fall feet first. All I ended up with is a sprained ankle, a small cut on my chin, and a little pain in my side. The more I thought about this the more I know the Lord charged His angels to bear me up. Hallelujah, thank you Lord.
“A Psalm of David, to bring to remembrance. O LORD, rebuke me not in thy wrath: neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure.” Psalm 38:1
If a person can cause God to be hot with displeasure, than it must be that we can cause God to have pleasure. Will you bring pleasure to Him?
“Then took Jeremiah another roll, and gave it to Baruch the scribe, the son of Neriah; who wrote therein from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of the book which Jehoiakim king of Judah had burned in the fire: and there were added besides unto them many like words.” Jeremiah 36:32
Jehoiakim refused to heed the words of Jeremiah that were written on a scroll and he burned them. So Jeremiah gave Baruch another scroll to write down the words again, but this time, more words were added. You see, rules are for those who will not be ruled. Laws are for the lawless. The more you obey God, the more liberty you will feel. If you disobey God, the weightier the words of God are and more rules will be needed to constrain you.
