Tag: new man

Articles

Abandoning Principles Leads to Error

Pete

The true church of Jesus Christ is not divided (1Co 1:13).  Christ is ONE with the Father and with His Christ.

Joh 10:30  I and my Father are one.

Joh 17:21  That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.

Christ being One with His Father and His people means the TRUE church cannot be divided and will be of one mind in matters of the Spirit and of Doctrine.

1Co 6:17  But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit.

The divide of Christ’s church is really a separating and a sifting of the wheat from the chaff as only a remnant shall escape from Jerusalem in this age.

Our fallen brothers and sisters have erred in vision and stumbled in their judgment all the Lords doing of course.  In love, we have tried and will continue to try as Lord allows us to win them back.

Denying the Lake of Fire is a subtle way of denying the cross and creating a different process (less punishment, more rewards) for the Jew vs the Gentiles in being saved.   But the truth is all men are saved the exact same way and given the exact same reward – THE MIND OF CHRIST.  The Elect just receives it first.  It is the carnal mind that has led our fallen away (the error of the wicked) elders into believing we deserve special rewards and prizes.  The Bible teaches otherwise when rightfully divided.  Here are five witnesses that more than establishing the truth of the true doctrine.

Act 15:8  And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us;

Act 15:9  And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.

Act 15:11  But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they.

Jud 1:3  Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.

Eph 3:6  That the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:

Luk 17:10  So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.

Mat 20:14  Take that thine is, and go thy way: I will give unto this last, even as unto thee.   SAME REWARD

Our living the Second Death which is the Lake of Fire is how we overcome and how we are saved.  It is not something to be avoided.

Rev 12:11  And they overcame him [Satan and his messengers] by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony, and they loved not their lives unto the [second] death. 

1Co 1:18  For the message of the cross (lake of fire) is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

Heb 2:14  Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death (second death, death to death) he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; 

Heb 2:15  And deliver them (SAVE US) who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage

“Come Lord Jesus Come” is what we should be saying rather than the Lake of Fire is not for me.  We must be baptized by His fire in the lake of fire.

Rev 22:17  And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.

Rev 22:18  For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book;

Rev 22:19  and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. 

Foundational Principles Abandoned

The origin on the errors is an abandonment of the foundational principles of how Truth is established.  Those errors extent deeper into other areas such as rightly dividing the First Resurrection and understanding what the Reward and the prize of the higher calling in Christ represent.

  1. The Word IS, WAS and WILL BE (present, past and future fulfillment) – Rev 1:8, Rev 4:8
  2. The Word is a two-edged sword speaking about the old man and new man in every word and every verse – Heb 4:12
  3. The sum of the word is true – Psa 119:160
  4. No scripture is of its own private explanation – 2Pe 1:20
  5. Man shall live (the IS/inwardly) by every Word God spoke – Mat 4:4, 1Co 3:21
  6. God speaks of things that ARE NOT as if they already are – Rom 4:17
  7. His words are Spirit and not to be taken by the letter – Joh 6:63
  8. Truth is found by comparing spiritual to spiritual – 1Col 2:13
  9. All things come alike to all, one event to all men – Ecc 9:2
  10. All things are done in parables to hide the meaning in the letter (Mar 4:11, Hos 12:10)

As we teach, we must always watch and prove all things, being vigalent in trying the spirits and testing the doctrines.

1Ti 4:16  Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.

2Co 11:3  But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity [living by every word, one event, etc] that is in Christ.

We Live Every Word Inwardly

One distinction that will help clear the smoke of confusion is to remember that “living by every word God spoke” is speaking about living them ALL INWARDLY.  Where is the kingdom of God and where is the Lord working to bring about Christ in us?

Luk 17:20  Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation;

Luk 17:21  nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.” 

We live all words INWARDLY, fulfilling the IS part of “is, was and will be” because now is judgment upon the house of God (1Pe 4:17).  Problems and quarrelsome questions come up on this subject when we forget to emphasize the inward and living part of that is what every man lives.

Heb 4:12  For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword

It has never been said that this means applying them in the WAS or the WILL BE sense to every man.  For example, we did not go thru the flood of Noah outwardly, but we did inwardly.  The same is to be applied for all events in the historical past, but we will live them all out in their INWARD application.  As a further example, we all come out of the world (Egypt) and then go through a wilderness experience after first coming to the knowledge of the Truth before we enter the promised land and begin to conquer sin (the giants) in our land.

 Future events for us also cannot be lived by everyone outwardly.  Only the very Elect who are completed in Christ in this age, will be the administrators and outward ruling with Christ in the next age.   For example, anyone already physically dead that was not Elect cannot be ruled over in the outward Millennium.  Yet all men in their order of harvest will live those words out INWARDLY even for those in resurrected spirit bodies as the kingdom of God is still WITHIN those men.

Lake of Fire and Second Death

The Lake of Fire is where salvation is found and the new man formed and completed by the wrath of God against our old man.  The revealing (revelation) of Jesus Christ in the hearts and minds of every man is the greatest gift and reward imaginable.  As this church has rightfully taught in the past, it is our living out those words that bring this greatest blessing and gives every man the mind of Christ.

Rev 1:3  Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things (lives them) which are written in it; for the time is near.

The new man is brought forth in this fire and Christ in us, the overcomer, is raised when the dead old man dies.  It’s not us overcoming, again it is Christ in us doing the work and ushering in righteousness in the kingdom of God.

1Jn 4:4  Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you (CHRIST – the new man), than he that is in the world.

The Second Death is a functional living event like all words of Scripture.  Those dead to death (the Second Death) are blessed indeed because at that point, it is finished and they have put on the mind of Christ and are at rest.  It is a blessing to die to death and live the Second Death.

Rev 14:13  And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.

The old man is destroyed and the new man (Christ in us) raised up in power by going through the wrath of God. That is the gospel and how one is blessed and made holy.

Rev 20:6  Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

As an overcomer, the fire of God’s word has already burned out all the wood, hay and stubble and we are complete in Christ in need of nothing.  Thus we see Christ and His Christ in the fire administering the Lake of Fire and the fire cannot hurt us.  Christ and His Christ can walk in this fire without hurt.  They had already overcome by the same fire.

Dan 3:25  He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.

Dan 3:26  Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, came forth of the midst of the fire. 

There it is.  The new man in us, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, overcome and come forth from the fire.  The new man in us is THE RESULT of going into the fire in faith and losing our life in the flesh.  Avoiding the lake of fire means no overcoming in this age.

Christ in us is the overcomer and only He can dwell in the everlasting fire and not be hurt.

Isa 33:14  The sinners in Zion are afraid; Fearfulness has seized the hypocrites: “Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? Who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?”

The answer is the NEW MAN in us, the overcomer…..

Isa 33:15  He who walks righteously and speaks uprightly, He who despises the gain of oppressions, Who gestures with his hands, refusing bribes, Who stops his ears from hearing of bloodshed, And shuts his eyes from seeing evil:

The new man is not appointed to wrath but to salvation.  Double witness right here.

1Th 5:9  For God hath not appointed us (Christ, the new man) to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,

Rev 2:11  He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh (Christ in us, the new man only) shall not be hurt of the second death.

The new man in us is not appointed to wrath!!!.  The Second Death experience will not hurt the new man. The new man is being raised up in the same proportion as the old man is being destroyed in the fire whether it be called Lake of Fire or fiery trials.  We are following in our Lord’s footsteps.

Rom 6:5  For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death (second death), certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, (the First Resurrection, the mind of Christ)

Rom 6:6  knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.

Rom 6:7  For he who has died (the second death) has been freed from sin. (Holiness, the blessing of the new man, Christ in us the hope of glory)

 

Articles

What Prayers Are Answered?

Pete

I was asked recently if God answers my prayers.  The questioner has been greatly afflicted with physical ailments and it appears the Lord is working with this brother and using this trial to do it.  Yet the brother was troubled because it appeared his prayers were not being answered.  Besides asking me for prayer, the question was asked does God answer my prayers.  This is a worthy question and worthy of sharing the answer as a post in hopes of edifying the family of God.

First, we should never lose sight of the Sovereignty of God in ALL THINGS.  This includes evil things as well as the good.

Isa 45:7 I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.

The Lord is the one who wounds us and He is also the one who heal us, all according to His will and purposes.

Deu 32:39 See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god with me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand.

Evil includes the afflictions and the trials the Lord gives us beyond our sins.  Here the same word for EVIL [H7451 in Strong’s or spelled “RA”] translated as afflictions.  They are one and the same yet the Lord will in due time deliver us out of them all.

Psa 34:19 Many are the afflictions [H7451 Evil] of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all.

The short answer is that yes, the Lord answers my prayers.  But He only answers them according to His will.  We must remember the ways of the Lord are different than that of the natural man aka the carnal mind.

Isa 55:8  For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.

Isa 55:9  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Prayers are answered according to the Lord’s will not the will of any man.  The Lord’s will is always being done and that truth includes prayers but also ALL THINGS.

Eph 1:11  In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:

Another key point is the aspect of time and when the Lord answers prayers.  A day to the Lord is like 1,000 years and vice versa. So the Lord marches to a different time factor than the natural man.  In fact, the way we are supposed to possess these bodies of clay is with patience and of course, none of us have any until the Lord gives it to us and we learn it as we mature in the faith.

Luk 21:19  In your patience possess ye your souls.

So let’s look more at the Scriptures, our only source for truth to see if we can add some more definition to the basic answer to your question on prayer.  We see lots of Scriptures, some saying He answers prayers and some saying He does not answer prayers.

He does not answer these prayers

Prayers of the old man made seeking to have his flesh blessed and prospered, contrary to the will of God are not answered in our day of the Lord, in our day of judgment.  The Lord does prosper the wicked and the righteous for a season and this does help keep the entire world deceived to the truth I am sharing here in answering you.  But when judgment has come on our house, then those carnal prayers will not be answered.

Jer 11:14  Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up a cry or prayer for them: for I will not hear them in the time that they cry unto me for their trouble.

The old man is the marred vessel of clay made to be destroyed.

Pro 1:26  I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh;

Pro 1:27  When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you.

Pro 1:28  Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me:

When we pray contrary to the Lord’s will (asking amiss) or simply ask not because we do not have faith, our prayers are not answered and we do not receive.

Jas 4:3  Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.

The Lord is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.  If we have needs we need to go to Him but we should be doing that constantly or diligently.

Jas 1:5  If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

But we need to ask in faith and not doubt.  If we doubt and are still being tossed and turned we are still that double minded man, mixing carnal thoughts with godly thoughts and James tells us we should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.

Jas 1:6  But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.

Jas 1:7  For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.

Jas 1:8  A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.

When we pray not according to His will, He does not answer them as we prayed; because it is HIS will being done, not ours.  His will is our sanctification and He is working ALL THINGS to bring that about.  He is destroying the old man and our carnal way of thinking to bring forth the new.  So when we pray asking the Lord to bless our flesh or take away the burden, we are more than likely praying amiss.  When we come to understand what the Lord is doing and that it is the trials through which we are remade and saved, then we won’t pray for the removal of the trial, but we will pray for the strength to endure the trial and the increased faith to believe what His word says and to trust in the Lord.

Rom 10:11  For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

Isa 40:31  But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

This is why it is said, in our patience (waiting on the Lord) we shall possess our souls.  Many witnesses to waiting, that is the mark of the Lord’s people, having great patience.

Hos 12:6  Therefore turn thou to thy God: keep mercy and judgment, and wait on thy God continually.

This is required to enter into true REST, to enter into Christ who is the Sabbath.  This is the rest that remains for the people of God that few are given in this age to find.

Psa 37:7  Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.

This waiting and enduring the TORMENT to the old man, is the patience of the saints.  The very verse false prophets use to teach the lie of eternal torment shows those who have ears to hear and eyes to see the truth.

Rev 14:9  And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,

Rev 14:10  The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:

Rev 14:11  And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.

Rev 14:12  Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.

Understanding what I just reviewed about Rev 14 is very important.  If you can be given to understand that than you are well on your way to spiritual healing, the greater work that Jesus wanted done.

Those who keep the commandments are those in the “is, was and will be the process of being judged now”.  It is the same chastening grace that torments the old man and ultimately destroys those fleshly and carnal desires within us.  That is the patience of the NEW MAN to endure thru that process and trust in the work the Lord is working within us to bring Christ forth from the death of our old man.

We are not to pray for the world or for worldly things.  The fact is the Lord is not saving the whole world now, He is only working with His Elect in this AION (age).  While Babylon means well and it seems good to pray for all those suffering around the world, God’s people are not to be focused on worldly things, events or circumstances.

Joh 17:9  I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.

Jer 14:11  Then said the LORD unto me, Pray not for this people for their good.

Jer 7:16  Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up cry nor prayer for them, neither make intercession to me: for I will not hear thee

This seems harsh and unloving to the carnal mind but it is the truth. All men will be saved, we just need to learn patience in that regard as well.  The Lord does not need our help; He is working all things right on schedule.

Act 17:25  Neither is worshipped with men’s hands, as though he needed anything, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things;

Rom 11:36  For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.

Psa 127:1  A Song of degrees for Solomon. Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.

The Lord does answer ALL prayers of Faith, in His timing and in His ways

Here are some well-known passages that speak to the Lord answering prayers, but they are prayers made in FAITH and not in unbelief.  The stories around these verses tell us that.

Mat 7:7  Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you

This is right after we are told not to cast our pearls to swine and engage in discussion with those the Lord has blinded in this age.

Mar 11:21  And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him, Master, behold, the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away.

Mar 11:22  And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.

Mar 11:23  For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.

Mar 11:24  Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.

This speaks not to literal things but to spiritual.  Getting mountains removed is removing the giants in the land, our besetting sins, and the lies and false doctrines, or the idols of our heart we setup and worship.  This must be done within us for the temple we are to be cleansed.

1Co 3:16  Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?

1Co 3:17  If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.

A prayer that keeps the old man alive or allows a false doctrine or unbelief to fester in our mind (heavens) is not going to be answered.  The Lord is in the business of destroying the beast we all are when we are given to hear His word.  The Lord will not answer prayers that perpetuate the defiling of His temple and the blaspheming of His Holy name. He comes with a sword to make war in our heavens and nothing is going to stop the process from running its course.  He will not spare, He will not pity the old man or listen to our cries for help if they go against His purposes.

Eze 7:9  And mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity: I will recompense thee according to thy ways and thine abominations that are in the midst of thee; and ye shall know that I am the LORD that smiteth.

This sounds all so negative and it is for the old man. But the SUM of the Word tells us the Lord is good and He is merciful and He is not going to give us any trial or affliction we cannot bear.

1Co 10:13  There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

There is always a way out and that is called Faith.  The rest of Scriptures tell us to go seek the elders and to cast our cares upon Christ (1 Pet 5:7) and by doing so we shall be healed.

Jas 5:14  Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:

Jas 5:15  And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.

Jas 5:16  Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

It is the Elect of God that make up His Body that have great power in their prayers made according to the true faith.  This is how deliverance comes and we are primarily spiritually healed (the greater works of John 14:12).  Yet the Lord also does heal us physically and does answer prayers for such healing according to His will.  We must ask for those healing but need to be prepared to wait for an answer or endure if it is His will not to answer.

We must learn to pray like Christ demonstrated.  Christ suffered and so will His Christ on a cross being hated and rejected by those in the world.  We will pray for the removal of this cup of suffering but as our faith grows, we will pray the right prayer which is the Lord’s will be done.

Luk 22:42  Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.

A prayer of faith is required for a prayer to be answered.  Anything not of faith is sin.   If we think it is up to us and our free will as an example, that is not a prayer of faith but is a prayer of unbelief.  All things must be done in the name of Jesus Christ, but what does that really mean?

Joh 14:12  Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.

Joh 14:13  And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

Doing the greater works is bringing spiritual healing and salvation to all men in the end.  We are the instruments, the BODY thru which the Lord works.  When we ask things according to His name, referring to obeying Him and true doctrines not how you pronounce or say the name physically, then those prayers are answered, He will do it.

Joh 15:7  If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

See the condition here.  “If we do things in His name” which means obeying His commands and standing on pure doctrine then He answers us, it will be done.  Those that abide in me, are those that continually abide in Him.  Those are the very few disciples indeed that are distinguished from those who abide only for a little while in “me”.

Joh 8:31  Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;

Here is one OT witness, there are many more but for brevity I show just the one.

Jer 33:3  Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.

The great and mighty things we knowest not is the remaking of the old man into the new man by this process of judgment.

So when we ask for prayer according to His will, we are praying that thy kingdom come on earth as it already is in heaven.

Luk 11:1  And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.

Luk 11:2  And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.

Luk 11:3  Give us day by day our daily bread.

Luk 11:4  And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.

Heaven and earth are not speaking to things in space.  The kingdom of God is within us (Luke 17:21).  Heaven is our heart and mind and earth is our body and our walk.  So this prayer is asking the Lord to take what is already in heaven, THE TRUTH, the pure doctrine and make that manifest in our walk on the earth.  So we may know it is a sin to lust after a woman in our heart.  Yet we still battle that in our life.  We pray for the Lord to deliver us from that sin.  That is asking thy kingdom come thy will be done (which is our sanctification) on earth as it is in heaven.  This is the will of God, that we be cleansed of all things that defile and abstain from mixing things of the world with the things of God (fornicating).

1Th 4:3  For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication:

So be ready for how the Lord works.  If you ask for something according to your will, the Lord is going to bring trials that will test those very things we have prayed for.   The trials of our faith are what is precious to the Lord.  For example, if we ask for deliverance from lust or patience, we will get trials and be put in a situation to tempt us to try our faith.

1Pe 1:7  That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:

Those trials and the subsequent falling down and getting up again is the chastening grace of the Lord and how we are caused to obey Him with time and His will is done in our life.

Rom 5:20  Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:

Eze 36:27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.

Isa 26:9 With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.

And here is what real grace really is.  It is the furnace that melts away the old and purifies the dross within us.

Isa 48:10  Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.

Act 14:22  Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.

This is why it pleases the Lord to bruise us, His Christ.  We must become a living sacrifice to complete the work of the Lord.

Isa 53:10  Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.

Col 1:24  Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church:

So to your situation Steve.  I am praying for your deliverance of the ailments you describe.  Your prayer in asking for that is perfectly fine, as the Lord can and does heal but not always.  You need to be willing to accept this burden as part of the cross the Lord has given you to carry, if that be His will.  But the Lord may just deliver you and you must ask for that.  Paul also had an ailment but the Lord did not deliver him of that to keep him humble so he could use him in ministry.

2Co 12:7  And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.

2Co 12:8  For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.

2Co 12:9  And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

When your faith grows and you see the good that comes about from your infirmities, than like Paul you will be able to rejoice in those infirmities knowing they work the true righteousness of Christ within you.

The Lord cannot use us if we are puffed up.  I hope you are beginning to appreciate the Lord’s work and give Him thanks for all things (Eph 5:20).  He does not choose many noble or those who look well by the world’s standards to be in His Body.  He chooses those the world rejects and thinks are nothing that is who makes up the Christ in this age.  Knowing the Body of Christ, I can tell you that you and your ailments are in very good company.  Here is a witness to this truth from the new and the old testament.

1Co 1:26  For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:

1Co 1:27  But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;

1Co 1:28  And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:

And these verses define our Lord but they also define His Christ, His Body who are doing His work in every age.

Isa 53:2  For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.

Isa 53:3  He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

I am in fervent prayer for your healing, both SPIRITUALLY as well as physically.  THY KINGDOM COME, is the most simplest prayer of faith that honors the Lord.

Mat 6:10  Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

We are commanded to pray without ceasing.

1Th 5:17 Pray without ceasing.

Obviously one cannot pray physically without ceasing.  We have to eat, sleep, work etc. and focus on other things to live a life in this world and in these clay vessels.  So what is being said here really comes down to what true spiritual prayer is all about.  Praying is doing the will of God.  Coming to the place of rest, where we no longer seek to do our will but your will O Lord is how we pray without ceasing.

Heb 4:9 There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.

Heb 4:10 For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his

Entering into true Sabbath rest, is how we can pray without ceasing.  We are always striving to do our Father’s will and sacrificing the wants and desires of our flesh to the commandments of the Lord.  This takes much labor and trial to attain and we only arrive in down payment form in this life. Yet we are striving to enter into that rest and it is enduring through the process that we pray without ceasing.

Heb 4:11 Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.

Heb 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

Said another way, we are becoming a DOER of the Word and not just a HEARER by praying without ceasing. That is when our prayers are truly powerful and save the spiritually sick including ourselves.

Jas 5:15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.

Jas 5:16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

Questions and comments can be emailed to me at peterjwilson56@gmail.com.  Or you can leave one here on the blog site subject to approval.

Your brother in Christ,  PETE