Not in Our Heads, But at the Father's Right Hand

"6And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. 7And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons." (Genesis 3: 6-7)

Just as Satan deceived Eve then Adam through the serpent to eat the forbidden fruit, so too today men and women believe that more knowledge of Good and Evil will make us good and not evil.

The truth is that through the law, the knowledge of good and evil, is the knowledge of sin.

The other element in this account is worth noting.

Adam and Eve started looking at themselves, and they saw that they had no clothes on.

Immediately, they felt naked, ashamed of themselves, and tried to cover their nakedness.

Then they heard the voice of the Lord:

"8And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden. 9And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?" (Genesis 3: 8-9)

When I read this passage again, I find it surprising as well as futile that God's creation, man, tried to hide from the presence of God.

There is no way that we can escape His presence:

"

7Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?

8If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.

9If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;

10Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me." (Psalm 139: 7 -10)

 

The fact that man is trying to run away from the loving God who created them and blessed them is a matter of the conscience, the inside of  man.

 

What is inside of us, however, is sin, and the sense that not only we do no measure up, but that we must do something about it.

 

Sin is the disease of "I don't need God" or "I am on my own" in this world.

 

Men and women, from Cain to the final apostacies of our times, and convinced that they can make this world a better place if they try harder, do more, invest more, follow the rules, do what they are told.

 

Yet the fact remains that when the federal head of the human race, Adam, ate from the wrong tree, the whole human race fell with him. We are all dead, separated from God, because of sin.

 

Yet God sent His Son to redeem us from sin and make us sons before God the Father.

 

What glory and honor God gave to man, Adam forfeited, but the Son not only restored by gave us better.

 

"For thou, LORD, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield." (Psalm 5: 12)

 

and also

"For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour." (Psalm 8: 5)

 

 Because of Adam, we are now dead, fallen:

 

"21But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; 22Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: 23For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; " (Romans 3: 21-23)

 

and

 

"Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: 13(For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law. 14Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come." (Romans 5: 12-14)

 

However, Jesus has restored us to His glory:

 

"4But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 5Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) 6And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:" (Ephesians 2: 4-6)

 

and of course:

 

"Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world." (1 John 4: 17)

 

So, why are we looking at ourselves, then, why are we lost in our heads?

 

We are called to bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, are we not?

 

"(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) 5Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; 6And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled." (2 Corinthians 10: 4-6)

 

In fact, we are supposed to remember that we are up there with Jesus, not down here in our struggling bodies and minds:

 

"1If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. 2Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. 3For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. 4When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory." (Colossians 3: 1-4)

 

Like many people in the Body of Christ, I have battled with my thought life, what I was thinking and feelings, as though what I was thinking and feeling defined my true being before the father.

 

We are not what we think or feel on the inside.

 

We have peace with God on the outside, and then the love of God the Father is shed abroad in our hearts through His Holy Spirit. The answer to our problems is not to look at ourselves, or our problems, but to Christ Jesus.

 

The Israelites made that terrible mistake just before entering the Promised Land:

 

"And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight." (Numbers 13: 34)

 

They saw themselves as grasshoppers, and so the Israelites were.

 

We need to fix our eyes on Jesus:

 

"1Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, 2Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God." (Hebrews 12: 1-2)

 

We are there with Jesus, and we need to see Him as our new life, for we are in Christ, no longer in ourselves.

 

Don't look at yourself, but see Him who has been from the beginning, Jesus.

 

The more that we see Him, the more that we are transformed from glory to glory like Him (2 Corinthians 3: 18), and we reign in life through Him, too! 

Look at Christ, Not Yourself

The AA cult is deceptive in its wickedness.

Jus as Adam and Eve were obsessed with looking at themselves after eating from the Forbidden Tree, so too this cult teaches men and women to look at themselves.

I remember being trapped in sentiments of resentment for the longest time.

I walked around so angry, so easily hurt and offended.

I was looking at my feelings all the time.

I was caught up in how I felt, and wondering if what I was feeling would determine whether God was with me or not.

AA teaches men and women to look at themselves, and to assess their standing before God based on how they feel and what they think.

Jesus teaches us to look at Him, and be transformed from glory to glory (2 Corinthians 3: 18)

For the longest time, I lived in constant fear of feeling bad, wondering what I would do if someone offended me.

I was easily offended, by the way, finding that I was looking in at myself all the time.

If I was feeling bad, it was because of someone else.

That is irresponsible behavior.

Yet AA induces men and women into irresponsible children who depend on the thoughts and feelings of others to attain any sense of peace or acceptance.

This leading is evil.

No wonder I was so trapped and conflicted.

No wonder so many people suffering in those rooms.

The last thing that we need is to look at ourselves.

As long as we think that we must change ourselves, we will find ourselves stuck in a maelstrom that never changes.

We need a new life. Not setting our eyes on self, but on Christ Jesus, who is our new self, our life, and our perfect standing before God the Father.

Not Knoweldge, but Awareness of Him

For so long, I was asking God to give me some knowledge or insight about something in my lives.

If my head was hurting, if my bank account was shrinking, if there were trials and upsets in my life, I was so focused on what I needed to do or think or feel differently.

I have written about this so many times, and yet just as Peter wrote to follow believers to stir up remembrance, so too we all need to hear and hear again the truth of God's Word.

We need to see Him who has been from the beginning, and we can see Him in the Word, which  never passes away.

We do not need more knowledge in our heads.

We need to see more of Jesus, who is alive and real, and well in our lives:

"1If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. 2Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. 3For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. 4When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory." (Colossians 3: 1-4)

This is not a game. Jesus is alive, seated at the right hand of God the Father.

We are seated with Him. This is no joke, either:

"4But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 5Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) 6And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: " (Ephesians 2: 4-6)

Of course, we cannot demean the truth of who we are today in Christ, either:

"Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world." (1 John 4: 17)

I did not need more knowledge in my head.

I did not need to fight with the bad thoughts and feelings in my head.

What I needed was the clear and growing awareness that Jesus Christ is alive, and that He is alive in me and in my situations, too.

I did not need to think different thoughts. I needed to believe on Him and keep receiving from Him.

This Him is the real Jesus, alive and working in our lives:

"27To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: 28Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus: 29Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily." (Colossians 1: 27-29)

He is alive, and He is our life:

"1If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. 2Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. 3For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. 4When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory." (Colossians 3: 1-4)

and also

"He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life." (1 John 5: 12)

I need life, not just more information. I need the greater revelation of Him in my life, not more knowledge about verses in the Bible. I need to know the truth who sets me free, not sound advice from the world.

Not knowledge, but awareness: we need Awareness of all that He is and is doing for us.

More to Share About the Living Christ

Thank You, Jesus, for your life.

You are Life.

 He is not a figment.

He is not a dream.

He is alive, and His life does not depend on my awareness.

There is so much to the teachings which I have been listening to.

I was looking at my feelings.

I was concerned with how I felt.

Then I remembered what one pastor used to say all the time.

He shared that He would see Jesus at his right hand, next to Him.

That is not imagination.

That is truth:

"28Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." (Matthew 11: 28-30)

I was caught in the lie that what I was thinking or feeling was interrupting His presence and power in my life.

I was looking at me all the time. I had the feeling that I had to be thinking about Him.

Did I know that He was thinking about me all the time?

No, I did not.

I wish that I could explain this better.

This element of force, this element of striving was so strong inside my body.

He is our life. This is not open for debate.

He Is Alive!

Jesus Christ is alive today!

He is not alive in our heads, nor is He a figment of our imaginations, nor is a figure of a support group.

He is not alive because we think that He is alive.

He loves us, and we receive His love.

It is so hard to accept this truth today, but I had believed for the longest time that how I had felt and what I was thinking determined whether He was working in my life or not.

The grace of God has appeared to all men, bringing salvation.

For a long time, I was focused on feeling better, or fixing what I was feeling.

When you realize that Jesus is a real Person, and outside of your experience, you stop looking at yourself and start looking at Him

Wow!

Hard to believe, but I had spent so much time compensating for Him, trying to create God in my head and in my life.

That was never the case.

He was always there for me, and never once did I have to wonder where He would be.

What Rest is Really All About in the Scriptures

One of my favorite sermons, or at least a sermon which I had been listening to for a long time, is called "Have a Throne Attitude: Let the Lord Make Your Enemies Your Footstool."

Released in February 2008, Pastor Joseph Prince took the following verses as his opening Scripture:

"A Psalm of David. The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool." (Psalm 110: 1)

This verse I had a hard time with, along with a great deal of Pastor Prince's sermon.

What was I supposed to do if I am resting?

The answer is right there in the verse above -- God our Father, our Daddy is making our enemies our footstool.

One part that stands out throughout the Sermon, of course, is that we rest in the Finished Work of Jesus Christ.

The Finished Work is an unfinished revelation for me, as it is for all of us who are in the Body of Christ.

Why else did Peter write in his Second Epistle:

"But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen." (2 Peter 3: 18)

We have so much to draw from in what Jesus did at the Cross.

The rest which He speaks of rests in the perfect knowledge that all our sins are forgiven, and that even the sins in our flesh has been condemned, and that the handwriting of ordinances against us has been removed, in that Jesus fulfilled the law and removed its curse from our lives.

I am starting to realize now, for the first time if ever, that Jesus Christ lives and moves not because of us, but because of all that HE has done.

Our feelings, our thoughts, our setbacks cannot prevent Him from working in our lives. We need never fear that our feelings are cutting us off from God, or that what we are thinking will prevent Him from loving us and living in us:

"37Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 38For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8: 38-39)

Now that He is our life, He is living and moving in us:

"27To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: 28Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus: 29Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily." (Colossias 1: 27-29)

This part frustrates people, most of the times because we think that we provide a little help.

We treat God too small, and we see ourselves too large. We think that if we try harder, then we can do more, do better.

If we are dead, then it doesn't matter how hard we try. If we have life, then we can do all things.

He has given us His life, and all things pertaining to life. That is what rest is all about.

We rest, and He works, because apart from Him, we can do nothing.

Not Bad, But Dead

I am not a bad person. None of us are.

That's assuming that we have anything to offer.

I am a dead person. That offends a lot of people.

Yet if we say that we are good persons, we are totally wrong:

"The fool says in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good." (Psalm 14: 1)

and also

"There is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God." (Romans 3: 11)

Solomon, for all his wisdom, had to admit during his time on the earth:

"For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not." (Ecclesiastes 7: 20)

We are dead in our trespasses. We have nothing to offer God, for everything we have, we have from Him:

"But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly after this sort? for all things come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee. " (1 Chronicles 29: 14)

and

"The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." (John 10: 10)

and also

"I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing." (John 15: 5)

Casting Our Cares on Him -- Not Running From Him

"6Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: 7Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you." (1 Peter 5: 6-7)

I have been learning a lot about this passage.

For the longest time, I realized that I was not casting my cares on him.

Even this translation is somewhat inaccurate, because "care" should be plural.

We have cares.

These cares do not go away forever. They do not go away right away.

Every time that I felt fear, I was convinced that I was sinning, and I had to do something how I felt.

I was running from God, or worse I felt that God was one thousand miles away.

The Bible is crystal clear: "I will never leave you nor forsake you!" (Hebrews 10: 5)

For the longest time, I was convinced that I had to do something about my fears when I got afraid.

No! I am called to cast them onto Him.

Today, I began asking: "How do I cast my cares on You, Lord?"

I was asking the wrong question. He has been holding onto everything, including my cares.

In fact, the verse answers the question. We cast our cares, because He cares for us.

We know that He cares for us because He sent His Son to die for all our sins:

"13And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; 14Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; 15And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it." (Colossians 2: 13-15)

To give us His life:

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3: 16)

To give us the standing of His Son:

"4But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 5Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) 6And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:" (Ephesians 2: 4-6)

and of course:

"Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world." (1 John 4: 17)

The big issue for me, though, was that there was a sense of shame every time I got afraid.

I was convinced that I needed to do something, struggle against the feelings, against the thoughts. Then I would get all tangled up with the feelings.

Instead of running from God, or thinking that God had left me because of my feelings, He was inviting me to come to Him.

Wait a second. . .He has invited us many times to come to Him:

"28Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." (Matthew 11: 28-30)

and then

"Let 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: 16)

When we feel fear, the answer is not to try and figure it out ourselves. Because we know that He cares for us, we cast, we let go, we heap these cares on Him

The Greatest Danger is. . . Mixture

Satan is the father of lies, and when he lies, the best lies he relies have a small element of truth.

Alcoholics Anonymous is suffused with these frauds.

There are passages in the AA Book which talk about being reborn, that God is our Father, and we are His children.

Yes, God is our Father, and we are His children, because we have received a spirit of adoption through Jesus!

"33Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear." (Acts 2: 33)

This Holy Spirit grants us the conviction of righteousness (John 16: 10), and makes us sons in Christ before Daddy God:

"For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father." (Romans 8: 15)

Yet we are not called on to keep looking at ourselves, our feelings, our thoughts, any sentiments of fear and anxiety.

We do not outgrow our fear, because "Perfect love casts out fear!" (1 John 4: 18)

We do not identify with dead Adam, and all the perversions pertaining to that first man, including alcoholism, drug addiction, and any other abuse or perversion.

We have been made the righteousness of God in Christ (2 Corinthians 5: 21)

When God sees us, He sees His own Son:

"Herein is love perfected among us, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world." (1 John 4: 17)

It is a cruel lie for people to go around calling themselves "alcoholics" or to be taught that they are "bodily and mentally different" from other people, when in reality they suffer from the same shame and setbacks which other people struggle: sin in our flesh, in a dying world.

The other perversion is that we need to keep one step ahead of our sins, or that alcoholism (or whatever other problem) will end up gripping us one more time.

That is all wrong. We have been set free from all sins, from all condemnation. We no longer identify with dead Adam, we are now dead to sin, and alive to God in righteousness.

We were sinners, but now we are saved. We were dead, but now we are alive. We were alienated from God. Today, He is our Father, and we have a perfect standing of Sonship with him.

When we are angry or upset, the first thing we need to do is. . .go to God.

What does AA teach? We need to run to someone else, confess our sins (our bad feelings), then run and help someone else.

BS!

The  mixture of law and grace in AA is the worst form of it, precisely because there are many Christians out there who think that you can trust Jesus and live by the Twelve Steps, too.

Jesus did not die on the Cross for me to work Twelve Steps.

We live from faith to faith, not from faith to works.

"For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith." (Romans 1: 17)

and then

"Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?" (Galatians 3: 3)

God invites us to grow in grace and knowledge of Him, not busy ourselves with an empty life of petty charities in order to stay one step ahead of alcoholism.

AA is a dangerous cult, in part because the program offers itself as a program from living, and many people see the Bible, church, and Jesus Christ as amenities to help us live good lives.

The truth is - we need life, not just help. We need a Savior, not an advisor, and we need salvation every day, not just as a new identity in Christ when we first get saved.

I Was Afraid to Come At Him Bold

I worked with a young lady who lived in a heavily Latino inner-city area.

She said to me: "Are you coming at me bold?!"

What she meant was "Are you trying to start a fight?"

She was joking with me, of course, and it was really funny.

Every time we see each other, she would say to me: "Come at me bold!"

Then I remembered an exhortation from the Bible:

"Let 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: 16)

God invites us to come at Him bold, to ask for His help in our times of need.

Yet whenever I felt afraid or was angry (or struggling with some sin), the last thing that  I wanted to do was come to God boldly.

How can anyone of us come to God boldly if we still think that we owe Him something?

As long as I was convinced that I had to work these Twelve Steps, as long as I was operating according to this life that everything depending on me in some way, then I was not going to go to God for anything.

All my life, people had been telling me what I needed to do.

I was getting this mixed message all the time, especially this hateful piece of fraud:

"God helps those who help themselves."

If we could help ourselves, then we would not help in the first place!

No, God comes to us when we were half-dead, with no hope, and gives us His hope.

If we are drowning, He does not throw us a "How to swim" manual, but holds us and carries us to shore.

In fact, He cares for us, and He invites us to cast ALL our cares on Him (1 Peter 5: 6-7)

I have struggled with this mixed message all of my life. Now that I know that I have His Life .  .  .

 

-- That I have your Life, dear Jesus --

 

 

Then I know that I can trust Him with all things.

 

I read this passage in Psalm 34:

 

 

"4I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears." (Psalm 34: 4)

 

 

We come to Him when we have our fears.

 

We should not be trying to deal with our fears on our own, then come to God.

 

Obviously, David had fears, then he came to God, then God delivered him from ALL his fears.

 

The issue in the Body of Christ has placed too much on our doing, and not His doing.

 

We  do not believe that we are dead in ourselves. We still think that we can do some things (or something), when God invites us to receive all things from Him:

 

"The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." (John 10: 10)

 

and

 

"31What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? 32He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? 33Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. 34Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us." (Romans 8: 31-34)

 

Do we believe what the Bible says, or don't we?

 

If we struggle to believe, we can rest in the truth that He supplies us His faith (Mark 9: 24):

 

"20I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. 21I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain." (Galatians 2: 20-21)

 

Today, I am not afraid to come at Him bold, because I am nothing apart from Him, and either I rest in His boldness, or I am left with my weakness.

 

I prefer His strength!

Once Again -- We Need Divine Help -- Not Self-Help

Thank You Jesus for Pastor Tullian.

Billy Graham did a great work in bringing the son, and then a grandson who came into the world to make it very clear.

We do not need help.

We do not need assistance.

We need life.

We need grace.

We need God.

God does not need us.

However, despite the fact that man is nothing of himself, churches still present this idea that we can do many things, but we need God's help for the big things.

What does the Bible say?

"I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing." (John 15: 5)

We have to rest in the truth that in ourselves, we have nothing. This revelation enabled Abraham to receive all things from God:

"16Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all, 17(As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were. 18Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations; according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be." (Romans 4: 16-18)

Abraham saw the good that God is doing in our lives. He did not consider his own dead body, but considered rather the living Word and the testimony of the Lord Jesus.

Abraham tried in his own efforts to get a child, and the result was a weak and sickly child, and he had to be cast out so that when the child born of grace, based on promise had come, there was no more place for man's efforts.

We take no credit for anything that we do. None.

We do not need help. We need life. We do not need self-help, or tips on how to use God for our ends. We need divine help, and in every aspect of our lives, because He is our life (Colossians 3:4)

Pastor Tullian Nailed it (Blasts Divine Self-Help)

I was listening to another pastor on Sunday morning.


Pastor Tullian

Normally, I watch Pastor Joseph Prince, or another pastor who focuses on marriage.

Then this Pastor, Tullian Tchividjian (grandson of evangelist Billy Graham), was on TV talking about the grace of God.

First the first time in a long time, I was listening to someone explain the importance of the grace of God.

How are lives, our minds, and this world are all geared toward our doing, rather than His done.

"We have to hear the Gospel, because we will not come up with it on our own"

How true that is.

"Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of Christ." (Romans 10: 17)

This lesson has been one of the hardest for me to accept. For so long, I have spent time and energy trying to figure things out on my own.

Yet the Bible speaks of how we have all knowledge:

"20But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things. " (1 John 2: 20)

and then

"27But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him." (1 John 2: 27)

He then made jokes, drawing from a fictional account in the parody newspaper "The Onion". He talked about a child who got angry with his parents. Why? Because he found out that the had been going to bed when he was told, doing his homework, fulfilling all his chores, only to find out that his parents would love him anyway, unconditionally, regardless of what he did.

Imagine a child getting angry with his parents because they will love him, regardless of all the things that he does! Yet if we are honest with ourselves, many of us engage God in that kind of a relationship.

We believe that we are working for something from God, when God has done all the work, and we proceed from what He has done.

This is hard for many people to accept as it is, and many people in churches, especially so.

Then Tullian quoted Jim Carey:

"More people need to experience the blessing of wealth and fame, so that they can learn that wealth and fame are not the answer to people's problems."

Most churches have not rested in this truth. Carrey would be a great preacher, since he is so funny.

Tullian then talked about the importance of righteousness. No matter how we may feel about it, what we feel within is the need to know that we are OK.

Then we spend much of our time working hard so that we accomplish this.

Righteousness by works defines our world, defines our experience.

Yet that is not the Gospel:

"Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him." (Hebrews 10: 38)

Here, the context of "drawing back" speaks to returning to animal sacrifices for salvation, when Jesus accomplished this work once for all at the Cross.

The writer of Hebrews was quoting from Habakkuk:

"Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith." (Habakkuk 2: 4)

Wow!

Yet this truth is fallen away, and many churches are preaching what Tullian calls "Divine Self-Help."

I could not agree with him more.

Instead of teaching people to cast their cares on Jesus, people are carrying their cares, and cast about with fears and doubts.

Tullian got really angry about this agenda of Divine Self-Help.

"If you want self-help, you've got Tony Robbins for that. God does not help us to improve. He makes dead things live."

The congregation started clapping.

"You are applauding when I am angry. I'm worried about you guys," Tullian joked.

I applauded what he said, too.

Tullian nailed it. He explained perfectly why I do not go to church anymore.

I do not want to hear about Divine Self-Help. I need to hear about Divine Divine-Help!

Churches are pushing self-help, and yet in ourselves there is no help. If we could help ourselves, then in effect we would not need help in the first place.

Tullian shared about Abraham next, an example of how we don't need help, but the grace of God:

"1What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? 2For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. 3For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. 4Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. 5But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness." (Romans 4: 1-5)

Abraham was not justified before God through works. He was not blessed because of what he did, but what God did.

And what God promised to keep doing:

"And, behold, the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir. 5And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. 6And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness. 7And he said unto him, I am the LORD that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it." (Genesis 15: 4-7)

God helps those who help themselves is not in the Bible, Tullian affirmed.

Not even one month ago, I was talking to a Christian, and he said exactly that. I rebuked him for that comment. That statement is nowhere in the Bible. Not at all.

And that perversion is creating huge problems in the Body of Christ. We treat Jesus like an add-on, when He is the whole show. We act as if we can work with Him, when He wants to work in us.

"27To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: 28Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus: 29Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily." (Coossians 1: 27-29)

When a man is dead and needs life, he needs more than help. He needs more a little assist, or some steps or advice. He needs life, and Jesus provides Life, and that more abundantly! (John 10: 10)

God Loves Me -- No Buts!

I have been thinking a lot about the protestations offered by Christians.

Especially in mainstream churches:

"God will take care of you but. . ."
"God loves you, but. . .
This issue of but, but , but suggests that God's love and caring is not unconditional.

The word "but" does feature prominently in some Scriptures, but the emphasis is on what God is doing for us, not vice versa:

"One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. (Proverbs 18: 24)

That friend is Jesus!

"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." (John 15: 13)

More regarding "but" in the Bible:

"These things have I spoken unto you in proverbs: but the time cometh, when I shall no more speak unto you in proverbs, but I shall shew you plainly of the Father." (John 16: 25)

No longer will we have to settle for parables, but plain truths revealed to us.

In the Bible, but is all about moving from the Old Covenant to the New Covenant, in which the grace of God teaches us all things (Titus 2: 11-14).

Here is a perfect example of "but" taking us from law to grace:

"But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD." (Noah 6: 8)

This verse contains the first mention of "grace", by the way, and grace stands in connection with Rest, for Noah means "rest".

When we talk about God's love for us, there are no buts:

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3: 16)

and then

"For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8: 38-39)

As I have written before, we have to be persuaded of God's love for us, that it is unconditional, especially in a world which presents God as just as demanding as our earthly parents or our peers.

There is no buts to God's love for us, for you and for me.