JULY 4

OUR PERSONAL PROMISES

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John 16:13

“However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.”

Ephesians 1:3

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,”

Ephesians 1:20

“which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places,”

Ephesians 2:6

“and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,”

1 John 4:4

“You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.”

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We are reading a book by Corrie ten Boom, with daily recordings she made to broadcast over Trans World Radio.  Her Dutch family  sheltered Jews during the Nazi invasion of Holland.  As a result, she, her sister Betsy and their father were taken to concentration camps in Germany. The Lord did many miracles to allow both Corrie and Betsy to bring the Gospel to the other women in their camp.   Their father was murdered in an extermination camp and Betsy was sick, dying just two weeks before Corrie and the rest were freed.  After her freedom, Corrie traveled the world, telling everyone even in remote areas, about salvation through Christ, besides radio and writing many books.  This one is entitled, “Not I, but Christ.”

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NEVER-FAILING EQIPMENT FOR BATTLE

I see a clear resemblance between the life of a child of God in these days and a soldier, standing on the front line.

Ephesians 5:10-13:

“finding out what is acceptable to the Lord.  And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.  For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret.  But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light.”

An army has provision officers.  Imagine a soldier coming to such an officer after a battle and saying:  “I could not fight:  I had no gun.  I was hungry, but there was nothing to eat.  I saw my mate bleed to death, but I could not do anything to dress his wounds.  All the time I did not know what the staff expected of me.”

The officer who had seen to everything would answer him:  “but there were guns and food, which I provided.  You had the first-aid kid with the bandages.”

Imagine this soldier saying:  “Oh, yes, the bandages – I used them to polish my shoes.”   And  he said, “I never knew what I had to do.”

The officer might say:  “I gave you a walkie-talkie, by which you could remain in constant touch with your staff.”

That soldier would be punished severely.

But what are we doing, if we do not use the provision of the Holy Spirit in our battle?  What are our riches; what is our background?  What is our provision?  We have a mighty High Priest and legions of angels on our side.  We have the intercession of the Lord Jesus Himself and of the Holy Spirit.  “We know not what we should pray for as we ought:  but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered……It is Christ that died, yeah, rather, that is risen again…who also makes intercession for us.”  (Romans 8:26 and 34).

Also we have the presence of the Lord Jesus, who said:  “Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the world.”  (Matthew 28:20).

He is standing at our side, in us, with us.  We stand on victory ground.  We have a walkie-talkie, …..the Holy Spirit….making our prayer a talk, a wonderful fellowship with our King.

They that are with us are much stronger than they that are against us.  One day when I had to go to a place that was dangerous, I was afraid.  Then somebody said to me:  “When you enter, Jesus comes in.”  That is true, for if Jesus is in us and we are in Him, He is always with us.  God’s provision is perfect.

We need food, and the Bible is the bread that never gets stale. Heaven and earth shall pass away but the Word of God remains in eternity.  We have the instruments, the connection with our headquarters.  The Holy Spirit gives it to us by His fullness.  He makes our prayers a talk with the Leader.  You know, a provision officer can do much, but if the soldier does not obey, loses courage, or gets afraid, and leaves the provision without using them, then this officer cannot help him.

I fear that when, later on, we hear God’s judgment regarding our lives, we shall be ashamed because we lived as beggars.  “Yes, but I was so heavy laden and I was so deeply impressed by my sins.”  Then the answer will be:  “Heavy laden?  But you had My Word:   Matthew 11:28 ~ “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

You were anxious, but I told you to cast all your care on Me.  But you didn’t do so.”

Imagine that we would say:  “I couldn’t forgive.  I was so full of bitterness.  To love my enemies surpassed my strength.”  Then the answer would be:  “but you had your Bible in which it says:  “The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit which is given to us.”  (Romans 5:5).   God’s ocean of love was there for you personally to use every minute of day and night.”

Imagine that you would say:  “My sins worried me so much.”  Then you would hear:  “Have you no Bible?  Did you never read in 1 John 1:  “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins.” (Vs 9) And “the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sins.” (Vs 7)?

And 2 Corinthians 5:21:   “He has made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him”

All God’s promises are yes and amen in Jesus.  God was serious about the promises He gave us in the Bible.  Take the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God.  Because of this sword we are strong and God’s Word shows us that we are more than conquerors through Jesus Christ.

Lord Jesus, please forgive us that so often we are discouraged because we look in the wrong direction.  Teach us to accept all the riches, the strength of Your Word, and to enjoy them that we may become Your strong, conquering soldiers.  Thank you that we know that the best is yet to be.  Cause us, by Your Holy Spirit, to be ashamed when we rely on ourselves and not on You.  Thank You, Lord Jesus, that we can never expect too much from You.

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