health and well-being

Travellers wanting to fly must go through security check points. Electronic surveillance, sniffer dogs and body searches are designed to uncover explosive materials, illicit compounds and dangerous weapons. This is to ensure the safety of others as well as the individual.

The psalmist realised his need to be ‘explosives free’ in his journey through life. “Search me O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts” was his prayer. He wanted God to give him a security check. Why? The reason is quoted by Jeremiah: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it? (17:9).

In September 2017 a city in Germany had a number of city blocks evacuated. Why? Because a world war bomb was unearthed on a construction site. It was defused. There are many spiritual bombs often long buried in a person’s heart which one day could explode. The Lord is the ‘Bomb’ unearth-er so as to defuse and destroy the destructive devices of the carnal nature. How sad it is to see lives, relationships, fel

lowships blown apart because a person has put up a sign to God ‘do not enter.’

Doctor or other health professionals are there to provide us with a report on our well-being, health and fitness. They also can recommend the treatments for any ailments causing us concerns. The psalmist in psalm 26:2 has asked the Lord to “Examine me, O Lord, and prove me; try my reins and my heart.” There are times when we have to summon up our courage to seek a health check. We don’t want to know if there’ something amiss. This can apply to our relationship with God. Such an attitude is self-destructive. We can call Jesus the ‘Great Physician’ but steer clear of His surgery. Trouble with that is, one day we will stand before Him anyway but this time as our Judge.

Christ Jesus also has His health manual for us to do some self-examinations. The Bible is a book for spiritual, moral, mental and relational health and well-being. To disregard it is a sure recipe for unnecessary distress, broken relationships, loss of motivation for worship, witness and walking in truth and righteousness. 2 Corinthians 13:5 challenges us with ‘Examine yourselves, whether you are in the faith; prove your own selves.’ We can be in the ‘the faith’ yet not really enjoying it because of some ungodliness. We can also be a ‘virus’ infecting the life of someone in our family or circle of friends because of our mean spirit and flaying tongue. That is dangerous, especially when we worship the Lord and share in Communion. The account in 1 Corinthians 11:29-30 show the personal and corporate ill-health when a Christian is out of godly well-being. That is why we need to constantly obey 1 Corinthians 11:28 ‘Let a man examine himself. And so let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup.’

There is an increasing tendency for those seeking good health to have a personal trainer. That man or woman will put you through the various regimes to build you up and improve your life. The aim is only achieved as you push through the pain barriers, go beyond what you perceive as your limitations. Your coach is there for your fitness and you must rust him or her. This also applies to our relationship with our spiritual and moral personal trainer. The Holy Spirit has His regime for us to be able to walk the narrow way, stand strong against the forces of evil, and run the race set before us.

That involves kneeling before the Lord in worship, feeding upon His word, drinking of the Living Water, sharpening your relationships with faithfulness. Sometimes the personal trainer will take us through what is felt like ‘the trial of fire.’  Opposition to our faith, hurdles of hardship to jump, mountains of difficulties to climb and valleys of grief and confusion to negotiate. When you emerge from any or all of these you will realise that your personal trainer, the Holy Spirit, has been with you all the way. You may have felt alone but His promise is to be with you all the time, all the way. To use the analogy from Zechariah 13:9, “I will … refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, [you are] my people: and they shall say, the Lord is my God!”

“Lord search me! Examine me! Try me! And equip me to be your witness, to walk honourably, to worship you thankfully, to express your wisdom graciously and to express your winsomeness constantly. Amen”

Copyright Ray Hawkins 1 October 2017.

Demolishing the Devil's game-plan

In the Garden Satan commenced his ‘game plan.’ Distort God’s word plain and straightforward word. Cause a person to doubt that God means what He says. Destroy the relationship between the person and his or her Lord through unbelief leading to disobedience and into despair. That’s all wrapped up in a three letter word – sin!

The 39 books of the Old Testament record time after time how successful this approach has been. Fortunately, there were those who stood true to the revealed word of God, although they messed up in their personal lives. Then came Jesus! As the Second Adam He faced the full force of the Devil’s master plan. How did Jesus as the Second Adam prevail? By correctly interpreting, quoting and applying Scripture. “It is written” was the Son of Man’s sword which sent the Devil sulking to ‘lick’ his wounds.

Yahweh has spelt out His masterplan. The Devil doesn’t want you to read it, believe it or share it. He uses everything in his arsenal to deafen a person to God’s word. As soon as the early Church began its outreach with “It is written” the Devil tried to deface the message and offer either alternatives or adversaries to crush it. The book of Acts is an account of the conflict. Perhaps the most succinct book in the New Testament revealing his infiltration and perverting is Jude. Revelation 2 and 3 also tells a similar story. What promises victory? Summed up in the phrase “that which has been delivered once and for all (time). That is, the message of the cross and the person and victory of Jesus! Righty dividing and applying God’s word confronts the half-truths, misquoting and outright lies of the deceiver.

However, those who belong to the Lord have a personal responsibility necessary to ensure victory. 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 ‘Though we walk in the flesh, we are not carrying on our warfare according to the flesh and using mere human weapons. For the weapons of our warfare are not physical, but they are mighty before God for the overthrown and destruction pf strongholds. [Inasmuch as we] refute arguments and theories and reasonings and every proud and lofty thing that sets itself up against the knowledge of God; and we lead every thought and purpose away captive into the obedience of Christ (Amplified version).

What Eve, then Adam failed to do in Eden continues to be a challenge for their descendants who follow Christ Jesus as Saviour and Lord. That is, lead every thought and purpose captive by obedience to Christ and His word. I find this a constant challenge. Whether it is pride, pleasure, ignorance or indifference I will sometimes be led on a detour from doing what God’s word says. I then find that my spiritual ‘arm’ is lead’ and my stamina as the Lord’s soldier had evaporated. Getting off the detour, taking refuge in the grace of the Lord and accepting His discipline is the only way to tackling the Devil’s strategies. We are only overcomers by being faithful to the Overcomer, Jesus! We can only be faithful through knowing His word and growing in His grace. We will ever only thwart the Devil’s game place when we are people of sincerity and pure motives and speak the word of God in Christ and in the sight and presence of God. (check 2 Corinthians 2:17)

Remember as servants, we are accountable to the Master. As soldiers, the Lord of Hosts will inspect. As saints, our relationship to the Redeemer will be scrutinized. As witnesses to the game plan of the Lord our defence and promotion of it will be evaluated.

Our prayer must include “Lord, teach me your word. Lord keep me faithful. Lord, stand with me so that I will stand true to you!”

Love's lifestyle

I once read where a gangster in America’s prohibition era inquired about becoming a Christian. When challenged to renounce his criminal lifestyle he baulked at such a thing. His reply, as I recall, was that he wanted to be known a Christian gangster.

In the mind of some is a similar misunderstanding of God’s grace in Christ. When Jesus summarised His lifestyle requirements as love for God and love for others. This seemed to be a charter for self-determination and indulgence. They could ‘love’ and God’s grace would still cover them. The mind of men and women is twisted, corrupt and seeks to be a god unto itself. To read the New Testament is to grasp the battles those responsible for discipleship faced. Writing to the church at Ephesus Paul called upon them to remember that to walk with the Lord required a walk different to the walk of the unconverted. For the unsaved have their understanding darkened and are alienated from the life of God within because of heart blindness (Ephesians 4:18). This form of living meant no boundaries, no moral code and a hardening of their sensitivities towards others. Then the apostle declares “You have not so learned [about] Christ [and His call on your life] Ephesians 4:20.

If there was ever an abused word in any language it must be ‘love!’ It is used to influence Christians into accepting such things as same-sex marriage, euthanasia and sexual practices specifically denounced in Scripture. For the proponents of such behaviours ‘love’ is the guidelines and the over-arching battering ram to make Christians agree - or else! Fortunately, God’s word cannot be changed! Fortunately, there are those who stand tall in defending it even at great personal cost. Fortunately, the majority of Bible reading and believing Christians decry the abuse of the word love and Scripture. Who knows how long before all followers of Christ will endure the ‘love’ of those who have darkened understanding, ignorant minds and blind hearts.

No one can say they love God and trample on His lifestyle calling. True, when we first turn to Him and enter into His grace and salvation there are many things of which we are unaware. He is very patient with us. However, God’s Holy Spirit will lead you out of ignorance into knowledge and then you become accountable. You cannot worship God and play in the Devil’s yard. You cannot say “I love Jesus” and commit murder. A person cannot bully or defame or hate then imagine God is pleased when that person takes the Lord's Supper. No-one can be a paedophile and kneel before God’s throne and talk about loving God. No one will be able to say “I love God” and yet rob Him of His glory, shred His word and cripple His Church’s testimony through immorality. No one! No one! No one!

A follower of Christ, whatever his or her status in life, has to come to grips with Christ’s definition of love. It is vastly different to that of the World’s religions or those without religion. New believers need to realise while we are free from the Mosaic Laws, Judgements and Statutes, we are actually under a higher calling. The Law of Christ, Love for His Father and for others, liberates the spirit and reigns in the soul. Sure there are times when we trip up and fall short. Yes, there are times when ignorance gives grief. Undoubtedly, the World, the Carnal nature and the Devil entice us into error. BUT! Love for the Christ of Calvary who gave His life on our behalf to redeem us won’t allow us to continue in that arena. His love for us has provided a way for our love of Him to escape the muck and murk of mistake, ignorance and stupidity. It is called repentance! It leads to a deeper gratitude. This in turn leads to a stronger devotion. This is fed by a craving to honour the Lord. When this envelopes us we want to understand and live out His Word. As that knowledge permeates then liberates, cleanses and dictates our lifestyle. In the midst of all this there is a realisation that love of God protects, enriches, empowers and propels the believer into a deep appreciation of His grace.

Lord, may my love for you colour my love for others according to your word. May I reach out to your love when I crash in my Christian life and grasp it through repentance! In the arena of my life when there is a cost to pay because of obedience to Christ’s word, please, let your l0ve to me shrink the cost into nothing but a nuisance and an opportunity to  share your love. Amen!

©Ray Hawkins April 2^nd 2017.

Keep your eyes focused.

As 2017 opened its hours to welcome me aboard it also challenged me to have a motto. As I was reading the letter to the Corinthians the following verses impressed itself upon me. ‘Keep alert, stand firm in your faith, be courageous, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love’ (1 Corinthians 16:13-14). There are 5 imperatives mentioned. Over the next five weeks I’d like to share some insights to each of these.

As this year unfolds Scripture urges us to keep an active lookout for our Christian life and witness. ‘Keep alert’ has both a negative and a positive aspect to it. We are warned to be on guard against the prowling, roaring and devouring intent of the Devil (1 Peter 5:8). To be honest, the ‘lion’ aspect doesn’t worry me so much. I can discern him. I can hear him. I can, by the grace of God and His word, run and hide. Where is my hiding place? In the company of the Lord Jesus and His word.

The danger which engulfs me is the enemy within. It is called the carnal or flesh nature. It is so cunning. It is so insidious. It is so hard to discern and resist. James 1:14 describes it as ‘one’s own desire.’ The KJV calls it ‘lust.’ Scripture goes into a lot of detail to spell out and warn us of this inner power. Check 1 John 2:16. Galatians 5:16-21.

As I live in a society addicted to ‘Lust’ it is so easy to be seduced. Standing within the shadows is the Devil casting a hypnotic power to hide the devastating and degrading consequences. How can I resist, especially when I don’t want too? By keeping alert and knowing the end of ‘Lust’ is moral, spiritual, relational death (romans 8:6).

The motivational aspect of ‘keep alert’ is to seize opportunities to honour the Lord and bless His people. So much of the New Testament is occupied with challenging us to be men and women with vision, vitality and virtuous. To do this requires an ever conscious commitment to our calling to walk worthy and to the fellowship of Communion. Sounds easy! Sounds noble! Trouble is the World, the Flesh and the Devil want to drown out that sound. Therefore ‘keep alert!’

In Revelation 31-6 is the story of the church in Sardis. It had a name for being alive – Jesus saw it as dead. He called upon it to ‘wake up and strengthen’ what was left but fading. Failure to respond would result in discipline which could build up to being severe. The Lord called upon the church to be a conqueror not conquered. One of the ways out of the mess of self-deception and the lethargy caused by self-confidence was to ‘remember!’ Remember what? Remember the things received, heard and obeyed at the beginning of their new life in Christ. When the Church did that the next word was ‘repent!’ That was the steps to becoming awake and back into a meaningful relationship with the Lord Jesus.

Sardis is an apt metaphor for many Christians. It has applied to me at times in my Christian life. I’m so glad the Lord didn’t leave me in that spiritually comatose state. He stepped in through various means to wake me up, some not too gentle either. Should He do it to you be thankful. The alternative is miserable.

So, as 2017 begins I want to take the words ‘Keep alert’ to heart. How about you?