Shipwrecked Faith 1 Tim 1:18-20, Acts 27:27

What does it mean to shipwreck your faith? Paul said this had happened to at least two people, so I guess it can happen to you or any other believer. But how does this happen?


What causes faith to become shipwrecked?


In 1 Timothy 1:18, Paul talks about fighting the good fight as “holding on to faith and a good conscience.” These two things are connected. If a believer reject or cast away a good conscience his or her faith will be shipwrecked.  See 2 Timothy 2:16-18, Romans 7:18-24

What is shipwrecked faith?

Paul was a fisherman who spent a fair amount of time at sea and he liked metaphors that are sea related. He described spiritual infants as those “tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching” Ephesians 4:14. If you are not secure in your Father’s love – which you won’t be if your conscience condemns you – you’ll make a wreck of your faith. Like a ship that fails to reach its destination, you’ll fall short of all that God has in store for you.


Shipwreck faith according to this author means that you won’t mature in the faith Luke 8:14. It means you’ll lose the freedom that is yours in Christ Galatians 5:1, you will become unstable 2 Peter 3:17, and you’ll fear punishment that isn’t coming 1 John 4:18.


What does it mean to shipwreck your faith? It means moving from the secure foundation of Jesus Christ. It means diluting your faith in God with faith in self, faith in effort, faith in your ability to perform. It’s trying instead of trusting. It’s striving instead of resting.


For us believers we are in the ocean of this world, with a fair gale, we don’t know what storms we may encounter; therefore we must not take it for granted that we have obtained our purpose.


In act 27, we see sailors in a troubled ocean with chances of not surviving. Like us in the ocean of this world, they did not know what might befall on them at sea. However, one thing is sure when we are in troubled seas, Hope is in the Anchor- Jesus.


When the ship was caught up in the waves, the sailors panicked, and tried to leave the ship, hoping to save their lives. They pretended they were going to lower some anchors from the ship’s bow. Paul had stern warning to them all, "Unless these men stay with the ship, you cannot be saved." Acts 27: 31.  As discussed early, Paul knew the rules of the seas for he had worked as a fisherman for a long time.


In the ocean of this world, we go through trials and tribulations of many kinds. Unless we remain steadfast in God’s Word we will all perish.


God is our Anchor who sees us through the trials of life and is the one who gives us eternal life. For believers, being saved from the storm-tossed ship demonstrated the presence of God. It is therefore recommended that you stay anchored in God and He will give you victory over all the trials and tribulations that may come your way.

Jacob wrestles with God and prevails- Genesis 32:22-31

In Genesis 32, Jacob leaves his father in law's homestead terrified that his brother Esau would kill him for taking his birthright. Jacob tries to apease him and wishes to find favor in his brother's sight. See Genesis 32:3-5. When Esau comes close, Jacob is terrified, to a point of seeking divine assistance. 

However 32:7-21, he takes matters into his own hands by setting aside a significant portion of his riches to send them ahead as a gift to appease Esau. Here we see him not really depending totally on God, but his action. 

Genesis 33:22-31 here he does not know if his servants are even still alive for he has not heard from them. He even does not know if Esau has accepted his gift or not. And yet he sends his wives and children into the path of Esau and his riders. 

Up to this point the danger is across the water from him. He is safe, for a while; so he thinks or it so seems. 

While in fear of his brother and at this time of the night, Aperson he does not know wrestles him to the ground. Deuteronomy 28:24; Is 5:24, etc.). Jacob gave as good as he got. He wrestles with a stranger. The wrestling continues till day break. The person whom we can assume is an angel of God or God Himself did something to Jacob's hip and put it out of joint. This was at daybreak after the angel realises that he is not winning. It is clear hear that Jacob would cling on anything for a blessing that he hopes will save him from his brother's wrath.

Something important to note here is that Jacob knows he wrestles with one whose blessing matters.   The stranger wrestler reveals a concern before sunrise. He is concerned about what the sunlight will reveal, and demands that Ja cob let him go - Genesis 32:26. Although Jacob is fearful of his brother Esau, the reason to why he is fleeing, he is so tenacious when it comes to wanting a divine intervention. 

Jacob demands a blessing. He has decided that he will not let go of the wrestler whose power he knows is more than his own and, the wrestler who wounds with a touch has neither destroyed nor rejected him vv26 & 27

Jacob got his blessings becaude he held on long enough. The wrestler asks Jacob's name and the wrestler grants him with a new name: "God-wrestler -- Israel." 

The author, like Jacob, seeks to unfold the mystery of the wrestler, his indenty and personality. Our text does not tell us who the person is see v 24 which refers to a "person." However looking at v 30 the author like Jacob comes to the conclusion that the wrestler is God. Jacob wrestled with God and prevailed.

Having said that, then it is good juncture to make an application. Jacob so fearful of his brother,  wanted blessings from God. This is a sign of remorsefulness for what he had done. Lying to his brother by taking his birthright.

While we may live an imperfect life, there is always opportunity for us to seek blessings from God. We may not need to wrestle as Jacob did, but we need to know that we can make our imperfect living perfect.

Finally Jacob limps away from the wrestling site  transformed. He will never be the same again. Each step he takes is marked by the divine touch. When we seek God's intervention in our life, we will never be the same. We may wrestler the whole night till day break, or longer, but if we prevail, we will be never the same.


Work Cited


The Holy Bible- New King James Version


Jacob the Wrestler- White and Bruno Authors


Authors Thesis notes -2006

God has not forgetten you- Isaiah 49:16

Isaiah 49:16 is waitnessing that God's people in this case Zion ( the choosen) are always in His sight, his eyes were ever upon them, and never withdrawn from them. Which shows how near and dear we are to him today as his choosen, what an affection he has for us, and care of us.

God, had drawn/carved or graven Jerusalem on his hands long before it was founded, and had it constantly before his eyes. The author's understanding of this is that God had laid out the plan of Jerusalem long before it was built, and that it was so dear to him that he had even engraven it on his hands. That is the same with us today. See Jeremiah 29:11.

The essential idea is, that Zion was dear to His heart; and that he had sketched it as an object in which he felt a deep interest, so deep to a point of carving its outlines on the palms of his hands, where it would be constantly before him. Think of a tattoo that reminds you of something dear to you. The author is not advocating tattoo piecing. However that is a topic for another day.

So what was God really saying to the Israelite children when they cried out to Him in despair? In their distress, they have accused Him of forsaking them and that He is not caring. He refers to the bond between mother and child, so sacred a bond. It is very rare for a good mother to forget her child. 

Here God says to Israel that it could happen, that “But not so my bond with you,” Isaiah 49:15. God assures his choosen that he will never forget them. What an assurance. It is like music in their ears. How could I forget you?” see Isaiah 49:15b. 

In His palm, God will hold them, He will carry them, He will lift them up lest they dash their feet against a stone. His eye is on them every moment of every day and every thought He has ever had toward them, every promise He has ever made, every prophecy that awaits fulfillment cries out to Him from the palm of that hand. See foot note.

Never will He forget those to whom He has pledged Himself. He has said it, it is fixed, it is carved, and it will be done. For those of us who love Him, there could be no greater words of consolation. Are there times you feel like God has forgotten you, like he does not care anymore. Know this today, that he loves you and has carved you in the palm of his hand. 

You are encouraged to read the entire chapter Isaiah 49

Footnote: Henry Matthews commentary on Isaiah

work cited

Holy Bible- New King James Version

Commentary on Isaiah- Henry Matthews

The Omnipresent God- Job 9:11

Job 9:11 is an expressive of the invisibility of God; God who is everywhere. He does not move to be at the next place. The angels in heaven always behold his face,  but for us Christians we see Him in the works of creation. Christians by faith have a comfortable and delightful view of him, His wonders, his love, grace and mercy in his word, and in the face and person of Christ, the image of the invisible. We will see Him in heaven most clearly as he is. He is invisible, not to be seen with mortal eyes, but not to be comprehended in the mind. He is the Almighty Invisible God, yet His presence is everywhere.

Job 9:11 the man Job decrees that" he passeth on also, but I perceive him not; this "going and passing on", This speaks clearly about the omnipresence; he cannot be thought to move from place to place though he is everywhere, he  fills heaven and earth with his presence, and there is no going from it: local motion cannot be said of him; but this respects the operations of his providence; he is continually working all around us, by supporting us in being, and supplying us with what we need, and so he is near us, and yet we see him not. 

Job  the man experienced the reality of his providence, as well as the blessings of his grace, in the time of his prosperity, and in the agony of life Job felt the weight of his afflicting hand upon him; but yet, Job could not see him; he was sensible that he was nigh him, and find a concern in all that befell him, but he could neither see nor comprehend him, nor account for his dealings with him: Job acknowledges that he had "passed by" him in his state of nature, and had looked graciously on him, and had said unto him, Live; he had "passed on" from him, and hid his face so that he could not see him, nor find him backward nor forward, on the right hand, nor on the left, where he used to work. Isn't this the way we feel about God. His blessings surrounds us everyday, everywhere, in every situation and condition yet we "see him not."

Look around you as you finish reading this article, see God's presence. Think about it, God is everywhere anytime all the time. He passes by you daily, he leaves his mark for you to see yet you may not "see him."

work cited 

Holy bible- KJV

J. B Coffman commentary of the bible

How BIG is your God? 1 Samuel 17:33-37

Matthew 19:26 “But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.”

Mark 10:27 And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.”

 

Luke 1:37 “ For with God nothing shall be impossible.”

 

At times I wonder how big we think God is. Do we think God is so big? I believe that the way

we live is a consequence of the size of God…in our mind.

 

The problem too many Christians have is that their God is too small in their mind’s eye. They are not convinced that they are absolutely safe in the hands of a fully competent, all-knowing-ever present really big God.

 

When we wake up in the morning, what happens if we live with a small God? We live in a constant state of fear and anxiety because everything depends on us. Our mood will be governed by our circumstances. We will live in a universe that leaves us deeply vulnerable. If we don’t live in the security of a big God’s acceptance, we become slaves to what others think of us.

 

When human beings shrink God, they offer prayers without faith, they work without passion, serve without joy, and suffer without hope. It results in fear, retreat, loss of vision and failure to persevere.

 

So, how big is your God?

 

Is He big enough to keep your salvation? Or do you have a smaller God that causes you to doubt it from time to time?

 

Is your God big enough to supply your every need? Or do you worry about your day to day needs?

 

Is your God big enough to protect you and your family from the perils of today’s living? Or do you constantly fear for your safety and your families?

 

Illustration: When a person wants to be stronger physically, they begin an exercise regimen. They lift weights or ride a bike or use a treadmill. Maybe join a health club. Then they have to be faithful to that program to build big muscles. And so it is with having a Big God. You have to exercise, but this exercise does not take a day.

 

Look at what Paul said to his preacher boy Timothy: 1 Timothy 4:7-8 “But refuse profane and old wives' fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness. For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.”

 

1. “Timothy .. you want to have a big relationship with a big God? Exercise yourself unto Godliness.

Exercise your relationship with God.

 

Timothy 4:10  “For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe.”

 

Young David had a big God. We know the story. A shepherd boy defies the big mouth

champion of the Philistine army. Even King Saul was afraid to go against this Giant of a man who stood

about 10 feet tall. Listen to this exchange between young David and the King of Israel-  1 Samuel 17:33-37

 

Three Hebrew boys had a big God. When the king demanded they bow down and worship his image, they stood firm and said they would worship no other gods. Ol King Nebuchadnezzar had a question for them: Daniel 3:14, Daniel 3:16-18, Daniel 3:24-26

 

Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, came forth of the midst of the fire. The king learned about a Big God!

 

Doctor Luke understood about his Big God when he wrote: Luke 1:37 “For with God nothing shall be impossible.”

And Luke 18:27 “And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with

“our really big” God.”

 

The Apostle Paul had a “so Big God”: Ephesians 3:20-21 “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end.” Amen.

 

Moses had a personal relationship with a very Big God. Listen as he counsels God’s people:

Deuteronomy 7:21

 

So, how big is your God? How big is the God of  this fellowship? Are we limiting God by our unbelief? Having faith does not mean never having doubts or questions. It does mean remaining

obedient.

 

We must put our total faith and trust in a God that is SO BIG. A God that is big enough to

knock down a few barriers and move a few puny little mountains.

 

Lastly- How big is your God? Is he big enough to save you from your sins? Is He big enough to take a lost sinner like you and me, cleanse us from the sin that separated us and put us on the right track? Is He certainly big enough to keep you, no matter what you may do that disappoints Him?

 

God is big enough to set you free from whatever is holding you back from having a close,

personal relationship with Him. His love is not restricted by the barriers that we place upon it.

 

God is also big enough to meet us at this old fashioned altar this morning. Are we big enough to meet Him? We serve an awesome God, let’s act like

Work cited:

John's commentary( Gospel according to St. John

Bible encyclopedia

New King James Version 

Encounter with a powerful God (Part two) Luke 24:31-32

"Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. They asked each other, ‘Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?’” (Luke 24:31-32).

Even with their hearts moved by Scripture, the two disciples didn’t get it! It was not until they sat at the table and Jesus broke bread with them that it dawned on them. The light broke through. They were able recognize who he was.

The encounter with God will initiate an acceptance and love when the bread is broken. see John 15:16) cf Luke 24:31. Then their eyes were opened. They did not recognize him with their human eyes. It was when God opened their eyes that “they recognized him.” God revealed Himself in a new revelation. An encounter with God refreshes your spirit, opens the eyes of vision, and turns faith into action. Christ led them to see that His suffering and crucifixion was all a part of God’s plan of redemption.

Only in fellowship at the breaking of the bread is the recognition of the Christ accomplished; His disciples’ eyes were opened and they recognized Him. God’s character is revealed out of intimacy and in the process you will recognize Him and hear His voice. That is the reason each believer is invited to partake of the Lord’s Table. It is during this moment of part-taking the Lord’s table we are able to encounter God and our eyes are opened to the truth of the Cross.

With a supernatural encounter with God, a person is never the same and the experience is unforgettable. There is a spiritual realm all around you, enveloping you and waiting for you to acknowledge it. As you reckon its reality, it will come alive. God is waiting for your response to His presence.

No one will ever understand salvation until he experiences it—it’s supernatural because God is supernatural. God cannot be known apart from experience. Your faith is born out of a relationship. You are as strong or weak in your faith depending on how you have cultivated that relationship with God. Faith is the conviction of the unseen realm and is able to drag that reality into your physical world Hebrews 11:1.

Without a faith encounter with God, you have no spiritual life -John 3:3.  A supernatural faith encounter with God will give you a mission, task, or revelation beyond yourself -1 Corinthians 2:12-13. Everything now made sense. Meeting the resurrected Jesus, the two disciples saw the triumph of the cross over sin, Satan, hell, death, and the grave. They rushed back to Jerusalem that very hour with the message of a risen Lord. That should be our experience and mission.

What they experienced on the Emmaus Road laid the foundation of faith and gave hope to the other disciples that they, too, could have an encounter with God. We too should have the same mission after the encounter. The encounter will cause you to take the risk of faith and die if need be -Acts 15:26.

Their hearts burned within with a new passion. This happens when you know you have broken through the dryness, emptiness, and darkness of your circumstances. You know that you have come into the flow of spiritual fullness and light when the pain, fear, rejection, loneliness, and failure have turned and given meaning and purpose.

To fulfill the mission of Jesus and to finish the Father’s work you need the anointing of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit by His very nature gives a supernatural ministry to those who have been anointed. To walk in the Spirit is to have an ongoing encounter with God- 1 Thessalonians 1:5.

On the Emmaus Road Jesus first accepted the two disciples and built a relationship by listening to them. He then explained His crucifixion and gave them a new revelation of Himself. He then “disappeared from their sight” Like 24:31. They put their faith into action by going back to their friends with this new revelation. Their faith allows them to see and hear things in the spirit—to look past the physical dimension and see what God sees from eternity. They were never the same. They had an encounter with a supernatural powerful God and so can you!

As I pen off, I encourage you to experience the power of God as He is revealed in you. You may be in your own Emmaus road, trying to get away from the hustles of life or escape from what makes you stressed up. Seek the most power God while He is available to you.  Isaiah 55:6

Work cited:

The encyclopedia of the Bible

The Gospel of Luke according to Dr. Luke (commentary of the Gospel of Luke)

New King James Bible

Encounter with a powerful God.(Part one) Luke 24:31-32

Luke 24:31-32 “Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. They asked each other, ‘Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?

If the Holy Spirit is flowing like a river, splashing over your banks in power and grace to save, heal, and deliver others, I hope this article will serve as energizer for you to do much more for God.

If you are like me, you may be feeling a deep need to see God and meet him daily in your day to day routine. If there’s restlessness, an unfulfilled hunger, a desperate desire, and an unsatisfied thirst for a fresh encounter with God, this article will you have a supernatural way in which you might encounter a powerful God.


God met two disciples at their lowest hour on the Emmaus Road. Two disciples encountered God, and so can you.Luke records that on the afternoon of the first Easter Sunday, Cleopas and a fellow disciple were walking to Emmaus only a few days before Jesus had been betrayed, tried, mocked, flogged, and crucified. The seven-mile trip was an escape from Jerusalem. The thought of just relaxing and being rejuvenated in body, mind, and emotions was something worth doing for the couple.


They had hoped that Jesus was the Messiah. The disciples had been hiding in fear behind locked doors. Then there were the “rumors” of an empty tomb and the disappearance of Jesus’ body. The reports were confusing. Their disappointment had turned to grief. Both of these disciples were in the pit of depression and hopelessness. Their hopes were dashed. They wanted a break from the stress and strain and from the tragedy of the past few weeks. So they are getting out of town to Emmaus, but in reality going nowhere. More than anything, they needed a fresh encounter with the living God they now thought was dead.


Just like these two disciples, most of us are working out a theology of God through the tragedies and trials of our life. The working out of problems, suffering, crises, and grief will teach you more than you will ever get out of a book or a school. You must come to know how God relates to this world and the way He works through secondary causes to reach you. Troubles of life will make you bitter or better.


Countless times in my ministry to the sick, I have met patients who once believed but after a prolonged suffering start doubting the existence and benevolence nature of God. While this is human nature, we should realize that it is through tough times we build our faith and strengthen our walk with God. Isaiah 38:17God uses personal trials to rewrite your spiritual agenda and to bring you into a new relationship with Him.


The calamity will make you desperate for God. It’s not the fierce trials that will change you, but a passionate pursuit of God. God is determined to use those difficult circumstances to bring you into a faith encounter with Him. Out of this encounter will come a revelation, an understanding, a salvation, and a freedom with God as He transforms your character into His image. Romans 8:28-29.


When you are born-again, you move into the supernatural realm. Scripture affirms that hearing God’s voice is natural to a child of God .John 10:4. To a spiritual person the supernatural moves into the natural.

It is in our weakness and need for wholeness and fulfillment that most of us desire an encounter with God. Emmaus is not so much a place as it is a state of mind. For the two disciples on the road, it was an escape from suffering and stress. It’s a place where you want to go to “get away,” where you are likely to say, “Forget it. The pain, rejection, loneliness, and failure are not worth it. All seems lost and hopeless. It does not matter anymore.”

The road to Emmaus is that place where you think you can escape the demands of life, an ungrateful family, betrayal of friends, and self-rejection. The desire is that the “warm springs” of Emmaus may help you to relax and get revived.

At your darkest and most desperate hour, when you have come to the end of doing it for yourself, when you are unable to conceive of any way out from your problems, God meets you. This is when you are most able to recognize your need for Him. This is the moment that you most desire God in His infinite grace to rescue you. You are hungry, thirsty, anguished, desperate, and desiring. This is the perfect opportunity for God to meet you.

In that encounter God comes and confronts your hang-ups and confusion. 1 Corinthians 11:32.

You learn from the Emmaus Road that at your point of need you encounter God. John 8:32.

WATCH FOR PART 2

Work cited:

The encyclopedia of the Bible

The Gospel of Luke according to Dr Luke( commentary of the Gospel of Luke)

New King James bible

How to Draw Near to God(Lowly Submission) James 4:7-10

Do you feel disconnected from God? Many do. How can we draw near to God? I don’t personally know anyone who would not like to draw near to God. Drawing near to God is essential to salvation and thus to the Christian life. How can we endure without being close to Him? What comfort can I have without Him? The Spirit of Christ spoke through Paul in Athens saying in Acts 17:24-28:

 

“God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things. And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their pre-appointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grasp for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.’”

God has made this world so that people may seek Him and find Him. The times and the boundaries of our dwellings have been set and established by God for this very purpose God wants you to find Him and has blessed all people everywhere to be able to do that.

 

From TZ to Kenya, from South Africa to North Africa, from South America to North America, from Europe to Asia, from Middle East to Near East, from your home to mine, you can find God.

 

Jesus promised, “Seek and you will find” (Matt. 7:7). 

 

The Spirit of Christ said in Romans 1:20, “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and divinity, so that they are without excuse,”

 

The second thing that we see is that God is not far from each one of us. Though many are separated from God by their sins and their own false gods, God is not so far that we cannot reach Him.

 

No matter your sins, your race, your gender, or ethnicity; God is not far. If I am not close to God, it is my fault despite the hindrances from others.

 

Christ’s Spirit said in James 4:8, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” Here is the command with a promise. The command is draw near to God, and the promise is that He will draw near to you. When we stand before the judgment seat of God, what will we say?

 “God, I didn’t know where you were.” “I looked, but I just couldn’t find you.”  “God, I was in church”, “I prayed”, “I was good to people.”

Some people come (go) to worship in the Church and get nothing out of it and do not know what their worship has done. Why do so many not get anything out of worship?

 

If you don’t have a thirst and hunger for righteousness, then you may be a Christian in name only. You have to draw near to God. Drawing near to God is essential for our salvation, and that Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection was to do exactly that by reconciling God and man (You) through Christ.

 

We draw near to God by humble submission or in other words lowering ourselves into obedience.

 

James 4:7-10 “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.”

Humility is essential to submitting in obedience to God. Jesus is the author of salvation to those who obey Him.

 

Heb. 5:8-9. For the Spirit of Christ has revealed the words of Christ through His Apostles and prophets to transform us back into the image of God (2 Cor. 3:18).

 

It is humble submission that helps us overcome sin. For by this we resist the Devil and he flees.

 

We draw near to God by cleansing our hands because we are sinners. If you are disconnected from God, it is because of your sins (Col. 1:21).

 

We draw near to God by purifying our hearts being doubled-minded or even better as the Greek word disuchoi literally means “two-souls”. Sinners claiming to be Christians have to be doubled-minded. “Lament and mourn and weep!” Mourn for your sins.

 

Now what? Christ’s teaching is clearly revealed through Paul in  2 Corinthians 7:10.  “For godly sorrow produces repentance, leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.”

 

If we would humble ourselves, then we would have joy and a lasting joy. Jesus will lift us up. what does it mean to be humble? To humble means to make yourself low. 

 

Just as the original word is used for mountains being brought low in Luke 3:5, and Christ being in the form of God came in the likeness of man in Philippians 2:8.

 Are you desiring to draw nearer to God? How close do you really want to get to Him?

 A closer walk must begin with a preparation of the heart. 


PREPARING YOUR HEART

Jeremiah 4:3 “For thus saith the Lord to the men of Judah and Jerusalem , Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns.”

The Lord is speaking about breaking up the hard ground in your heart, that part where the Word of God isn’t finding root and lodging, where it isn’t flourishing and growing, where it isn’t bearing fruit.  


DRAW NEAR TO GOD IN PRAYER

James 4:8 “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.”

 

Let this verse sink down into your heart, and apply it to your life. You have the responsibility of taking the first step. When you begin to draw near to God, He will automatically draw near to you.  

 
STUDY GOD'S WORD

Isaiah 55:6,7 “Seek ye the Lord while He may be found, call ye upon him while He is near: 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.”

Besides spending time in prayer, we need to also spend time in the Word: If we take time to read the Bible and to study it, we will find that, all at once, it becomes alive unto us. There will be something about it that draws us, something that enriches our heart. 

One way to draw closer to God is to enlarge our understanding of Him and of His ways. This is very important. Nothing can take the place of reading the Word of God - not even books about the Bible. You need to get into the Bible for yourself - every day! It is food for your soul.  

LAY ASIDE MEANINGLESS THINGS

Romans 8:6 “For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.” 

Redeem that idle time, giving yourself over to God and earnestly seeking Him. You’ll find yourself enjoying life a lot more if you pull apart from the things of this world, and really give yourself over to God.  

 
KEY SCRIPTURE FOR GETTING CLOSER TO GOD

Romans 12:1-2 “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”  

 

I firmly believe that the Bible has all the answers we need. It has the answers to everything pertaining to life and godliness. If we really want to draw closer to God, all we need do is follow what the Bible has to tell us.  If you want to draw closer to God, you are going to have to do so on His terms - not on your terms.

 

“Be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind.”  This is what takes the place of conformity. Let your mind be renewed by drawing nigh to God and to His Word.

How to be used by God -Timothy 2:20-21

 I want to speak in this article to all who want to be used of God. I would suspect that deep in every person's heart here there is a desire that God might use them. That is a normal and a proper desire.

There is no thrill like the thrill of being used of God. There is excitement, satisfaction and fulfillment, the consciousness that one has been the instrument in the hands of the Almighty to do some of His work to change the direction of someone's life, perhaps,

 1. To prevent an injury,
2. To resolve an argument,
3. To answer a challenge,
4. To heal a weakness,
5. To rebuke a ruler, or to turn a nation.


I have seen men tremble with a sense of awe as they realized that on a given occasion they were the instrument of God's working.

I can tell you from personal experience that is something that is without compare in this life. It can happen anywhere, anytime.

God works in wonderful ways, not always in very dramatic ways, but in ways we do not anticipate. It can happen to anybody.

Being used of God is not confined to pastors, preachers or teachers. Anybody can be an instrument in God's hands.

In the passage we are looking at this morning from Second Timothy, Chapter 2, beginning with Verse 20, the Apostle Paul describes what it takes to be used of God.

 Timothy 2:20-21 “In a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and earthenware, and some for noble use, some for ignoble. If anyone purifies himself from what is ignoble, then he will be a vessel for noble use, consecrated and useful to the master of the house, ready for any good work.”

The great question then is to what end, for what purpose is he using you?

"In every house," he says, "there are vessels." That is true of all homes -- we have "vessels for honor," i.e., dishes we eat from, pots and pans we cook in, decorated vases, etc., are all vessels unto honor.

They are not only useful but they are preserved, they are permanent, we want to keep them.

But every house also has "vessels for dishonor" -- we have garbage cans, slop buckets, bedpans, trash barrels, wastebaskets. We do not display them.

They are useful, but they are not presentable. We may even intend to dispose of them, sometimes after only one use. Those are vessels of dishonor.

Application 1- That is the way God sees you. If we want to understand life as it really is, we have to look at each in that way. God sees all of us as useful vessels.

We see that in Verse 21: "If any one purifies himself from what is ignoble, then he will be a vessel for noble use." We have no choice of whether we are going to be used of God or not; the choice we have is what God is going to use us for.

Choice determines the way God uses us. God will never set man's will aside and use him for a good purpose without him being willing to be used. 1 Samuel 3:11

Application 2- God does not force us to be used of him; it must always be a willing choice on our part. But we have to do something about it.

…"he must purify himself,"… we are responsible to use the cleansing that has been provided.

Example:- If you have been working on your car or in the yard and your hands are dirty, you go into the bathroom to clean yourself up with soap and water -- you deliberately choose to use the soap and water provided -- when you have done so you say, "I've cleansed myself." It was not you that did the cleansing (it was the soap and water), but you used that which was provided.

We have a responsibility to use the redemption that has been provided in Jesus Christ, to lay hold of his provision for the forgiveness of sin.

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness," (l John 1:9.

You can go into a bathroom with dirty hands and there is soap and water there, but if you refuse to use them you will come out just as dirty as you went in. You cannot blame the bathroom for that. You are to blame.

You can come to church and hear the truth of the Word of God, but if you do not apply it to yourself it does you no good.

You cannot blame God because he did not give you all the good things he promises to those who come to him, if you have not come to him. Even as a Christian you cannot expect to be used of God in beautiful and wonderful ways unless you are willing to purify yourself and use the instruments he has provided.

Everybody wants to be used of God if he is a Christian, but you cannot be used of God for good purposes unless you are willing to say "No" first.

You must say "No" to the wrong before God will say "Yes" to the right. You cannot go on living like you have always done and expect God to use you. He cannot, he will not, until there is a cleansing.

…"If any one purifies himself ... “he will be, a vessel unto honor, ready for any good work." He will be "consecrated."
Finally, he is "ready for any good work." He becomes adaptable; God can use him in many different ways.

All this hangs on your willingness to turn away from the wrongful attitudes, philosophies and actions of life.

This is the proper interpretation, and it is proved by the way Paul specifically applies this to Timothy. In Verse 22 he says,

Application 3:- You never start with wanting to be used by God; you have to start with refusing to be used by the wrong.

If you want God to make you an effective instrument of his working in this world throughout your life, that is where you have to start.

If you have not learned to say "No," if you drift along with whatever the crowd is doing, you will never be an instrument used by God for noble purposes.

You have to say "No" to unbelief and "Yes" to faith.

What is the foundation of your New Year's resolutions?

As we enter New Year 2015, on what foundation do you build your live on? We are told in Ephesians:

“You are . . . fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.” Ephesians 2:9

Obviously from this verse, the ultimate foundation on which to build our lives is Jesus. We build our lives on Jesus because this sinful world does bring problems and death, and we need the forgiveness and life that only come through Jesus.

According to Ephesians, God builds us on Jesus through the apostles and prophets, through his word. So, using Scripture through worship and personal devotions is a way to build our lives as children of God.

In addition, we build relationships with others when we spend time with someone and when we talk and share with them. Our relationship with God is also built when we spend time with our Lord through prayer.

So, as we begin the new year and seek new opportunities and blessings, there are some simple practices we can follow that can build us up.

Are you regular in worship with God’s people? One person reminded me on Christmas Eve that God’s word tells us, “Let us not give up meeting together.” Hebrews 10:25

When God’s people gather around the word and sacraments in worship we are pointed to Jesus, and we are built up in Jesus who is the cornerstone of our faith. We are built up for lives that receive health and blessings in this world of sin and death. That is why I like another verse that talks about worship even more. Psalm 122:1 says, “I rejoiced with those who said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the LORD.’”

Since we are built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, on the word of God, will you take time for Bible class and a regular devotional life in the coming year? Regular, personal time in God’s word also helps build our faith in Jesus.

Since we hope to face a new year with the love and blessings of our Lord, will you be regular in your conversations with the Lord? Will you go to him in praise and thanks, with your fears and your hopes? Will you go to him for yourself and others? Prayer builds our relationship with Jesus.

Perhaps you have made resolutions for this year. Why not consider these three habits of faith: faithfulness in worship, faithfulness in Bible study and devotional life, and faithfulness in prayer? These may not sound life changing. But, these behaviors will build us up on a firm foundation on Christ Jesus.

In Jesus we will know the blessings of God’s love in this year, even in the midst of this world’s trials.

I pray your Christmas brought you peace and joy and love through worship and through family time as you again received the gift of God’s love in Jesus.

I pray that in the year 2015, you may build on this gift of Christ Jesus as God reveals him in the prophets and apostles, as we find him in God’s word and through prayer.