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Dealing with hindrances in your life Understanding God’s will for our lives is not always a straightforward process. As we have seen, we need to have a God-centred perspective, with a close intimate relationship with God and we need to have the right motives. Here are some other hindrances that may prevent us from hearing God: Deliberate Sin Psalm 66:18 If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. John 9:31 We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly man who does his will. Throughout the bible, we find that sin separates us from God. Even though Christ has taken away God’s wrath, he still needs to discipline us if we stray from his standards. Hebrews Chapter 12 teaches that this only proves that we are the true children of God. No sensible parent would simply stand back and let their children do as they please. Since God is holy, he also wants us to be holy. If we want to know the will of God, we need to live a holy and sanctified life. 1 Thessalonians 4:3 It is God’s will that you should be sanctified… The above reference is really about sexual purity, but every act of disobedience can have a diminishing affect on spiritual lives: bad tempers, telling lies, being unkind, being argumentative and angry are just but a few vices that lead us away from God’s purpose. Disobedience 1 Samuel 15:22 But Samuel replied: “Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Some people chose to only do the things that suit them, things that they enjoy. God requires that we obey whenever he speaks. He will only reveal his will to those who having an obedient heart. An Unteachable Spirit There are some people who decide that their way is the only way and there is no telling them. They are simply unable to talk or receive any kind of constructive criticism. If they are unable to take instruction from their fellow Christians, it’s unlikely that they will not take any advice from God. Proverbs 1:30 Since they would not accept my advice, and spurned my rebuke, they will eat the fruit of their ways, and be filled with the fruit of their schemes. For the waywardness of the simple will kill them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them. Proverbs 12:15 The way of a fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice. Proverbs 19:20 Listen to advice and accept instruction, and in the end you will be wise. Proverbs 20:18 Make plans by seeking advice; if you wage war, obtain guidance. Pride Knowing that God wants to speak to and use us should be a very humbling experience. To serve God requires that we take on the attitude of a servant. John talks about the pride of life. This “pride of life” motivation is what drives many people to devote their lives obsessively to their career or to the pursuit of money. While we have our focus on personal ambitions, it will be extremely difficult to make God’s purpose the main thing. People who expect God to ‘fit in’ to their plans will be disappointed. Zephaniah 2:3 Seek the LORD, all you humble of the land, you who do what he commands. 1 Pet. 5:5 Clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Other Distractions There are many people who are happy to do will of God - until something better comes along. Their focus is on the excitement and buzz of the event, but as soon as the event is over the ‘day-to day’ journey soon looks much less attractive. An important part of fulfilling God’s purpose is faithfulness. Many people can only hold onto a ministry for a few months before they lose interest. God can only use people who are in it for the long haul. Hebrews 10:36 You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. Hebrews 12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Being Uncooperative God always works through community. He himself lives in complete harmony within the framework of the Trinity. We will not be able to fulfil the purposes of God unless we are prepared to work in cooperation with other Christians. We can do the ‘right thing’ but have the ‘wrong attitude.’ If we are not prepared to take advice or instruction from others, we are not going to get very far. If our way is the only way, then it’s unlikely that God will be able to entrust with ‘his way.’ If we are going to have God’s blessing, we need to submit to our leaders so that the work of the church can run smoothly. Ephesians 5:21 Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. 1 Peter 3:8 Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. No Spiritual Covering There are many Christians who just want to ‘go it alone’ and believe that they do not need the covering of leadership. God always works within the confines of leadership and government. People who reject the authority of the church are in danger of excluding themselves from the plans of God. Hebrews 13:17 Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you. Amen Personal Prayer In Part 4 we consider whether God's will for your life is something found in an event or is it found in your lifestyle?

The need for relationship in finding God's will for your life Finding God's will necessarily involves having a close relationship with God. This may seem obvious, but many people want to know God’s will without actually getting to know God himself. Human fathers instruct their children about what needs to be done because of their father/child relationship. God can only reveal his will to those who are close to him. Finding the will of God by its very nature means that we have to spend time with him. The bible is the primary source of revelation; prayer is the means with which we communicate with him. Trying to discover ‘God’s will’ without the bible or prayer would be a futile exercise since that would mean bypassing the two main forms of communication that God has given us. Our attitude will influence our response to God’s directions. A pliable and willing heart is an essential ingredient in hearing God. Are we willing to do what God requires? Isaiah 45:9 says, “…Does the clay say to the potter, ‘What are you making?” We need to understand that God’s plan may include difficulty and hardship. God’s will for Paul was that “he must suffer for my name” (Acts 9:16). When people want to know God’s will they are very often looking for assurance rather than instruction; what they want is to be assured that everything will go as they plan - without difficulty or trial! 1 Pet. 3:17 It is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good, than for doing evil. Many Christians are preoccupied with their own personal fulfilment. If this is the case, it will seriously restrict our ability to receive God’s instruction for our lives. God’s plan for our lives may well include a path that we did not expect. It is essential that our intent is to obey, not to evaluate. Some people believe that they have heard from God by the very fact that he confirmed what they knew already! Others desperately want something so much that they convince themselves that that is what God wants for their lives. There are difficulties with both scenarios. Often people have already convinced themselves even before God has actually spoken. They give the impression that they are really only interested in hearing from God if ‘he agrees with them’. We need to be vigilant in making sure that we are not merely listening to our own desires. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. James 1:4 but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. We are often the worst judges of our own intention; that is why we need to make sure that we are seeking godly advice and that we are willing to lay down our plans. James 4:13-14 Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Amen Personal Prayer In Part 3 we consider how to deal with the various hindrances to finding God's will for your life.

Does God have a plan for your life? This set of teachings is a modified version of a course delivered by Pastor Paul Meiklejohn assisted by Charles Green as part of a 'Digging Deeper' module. Any changes and amendments have been made exclusively by the second author. Almost every Christian would like to know what the will of God is for their lives. What is the will of God? Does he have a specific plan and if so, how do we go about finding out what it is? It can be frustrating when we don’t have a clear sense of direction. God spoke to Moses through the burning bush, to Gideon through a damp fleece, and to Paul with a big burst of light. However, it would be fair to say that these are atypical methods of God talking to people. Proverbs 3:6 "In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths." Psalm 37:23 "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord...." Isaiah 30:2 "Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, 'This is the way, walk in it,' whenever you turn to the right hand or whenever you turn to the left." From the above three scriptures, we can see that God's word clearly is saying that God will help us find his direction, but how does he do it? Defining the ‘Will of God’. Do we mean the ‘will of God’ or the ‘will of God for my life’? There is an important difference, the former is God-centric and the other is self-centric. When we talk about the will of God for my life, then we become the subject of the enquiry and the focus is on ourselves rather than God. When we talk about the true will of God then he becomes the primary subject and we become consequential. This is a vital aspect in the study of God’s will; his will needs to overshadow our lives. If our lives are the subject of the study, then it’s necessary for God’s will to ‘fit around our lives’ and not the other way around. Keeping God central is paramount if we are to discover and do God’s will. So, we start with God, not us. If you are making decisions based primarily on what makes "me" happy, then you have your priorities backwards and you will stumble at every turn. We are first and foremost studying ‘God’s will.’ Matthew 10:39, "If your first concern is to look after yourself, you'll never find yourself. But if you forget about yourself and look to me, you'll find both yourself and me" (The Message). Motivation is also an important aspect to our study. Many people want to find the will of God so that they can decide whether or not to do it! God will not reveal his will to people who are undecided as to be part of it, he only reveals his will to those who have already committed themselves to doing his will. If our motivation to finding God’s will is merely for information’s sake, then God will not answer our enquiry. James 4:2-3 You want something but don’t get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. 1 John 3:22 We have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him. 1 John 5:14 This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. What is your motivation for finding out God's specific will for your life? Amen Prayer Next time in Part 2 we consider the need for relationship when we try to discover God's will for our lives.

but whoever humbles himself shall be exalted Here are some biblical models for humility A. The Lord [Philippians 2:6, 3:9] B. Matthew 18:1-4 Verse 1 Disciples wanted privilege and glory. Verse 2 Jesus called the child, he did not know why, he just came because the Master called him. He knew nothing in a sense, but the Word’s voice. Verse 3-4; Disciples were humbled by the example of a child. This child was the closest to humility and was used as an object lesson to them because children know little but just trust in God. That is like us, we know little but must learn to trust him. There should be no place for price and ambition. You say, yes agreed, we ought to be humble but how do we do it? I do not pretend to know all the answers but here are some suggestions. 1. Level with God; Get down on your knees regularly and confess your sins to him, begging forgiveness and admit to him you can do absolutely nothing for him in the power of the flesh. Declare your total dependence on him, ask him to reveal your areas of pride. 2. Admit to yourself that you do not have all the spiritual gifts, abilities and that you are interdependent on your brother and sisters in church. Count them more worthy than yourself. 3. Confess your faults one to another 4. Confess your worldly ambitions and desires to God and ask him to remove them (red lizards). Ask a brother or sister to pray for you. 5. Ask God to remove that in you that loves to near your name mentioned. I need this. 6. Ask God for opportunities to serve people 7. Wash the feet of the saints 8. Fast regularly, puts flesh and pride down low. Caution- the danger of False Humility Colossians 2:18-23 God commands certain acts of humility, but the worshipping of angels was not one of them. We must worship God alone. The puffed up proud human mind reasoned that holy angels are superior beings. Our worship is meant to be done in humility (outward) not with inward pride and spiritual superiority. We should ask God what he wants from us in terms of humility and remember that our acts of the flesh have no reward. Amen Prayer

and he who humbles himself shall be exalted Pride comes before a fall. Satan fell because of pride because he wanted to be like the Highest. He forgot that he was a created being. Yes, pride does come before a fall, I can testify to that. A couple years ago, a colleague and I made a discovery about blood groups. He is a better scientist than me. Yet, at the scientific meeting, I sort pushed myself forward and when questions were asked at a national meeting, I completely fluffed it and ended up looking rather foolish. My wounded pride was made worse later that night when I found out that we had been favourites to win the national poster prize. Before the meeting I had asked God to bless the venture and he did so in his way, teaching me a valuable lesson. Because I exalted myself, I was humbled. Today we are going to investigate God’s word concerning the results of being humble and try to learn how we can become humbler ourselves. Key scripture Luke 14:7-11 Definition-To be Humble: To think lowly of oneself. To be meek Not to be proud, arrogant, or assuming To be modest To Exalt oneself: To elevate oneself in rank/standing. To lift oneself up (in pride) To raise oneself on high Whenever we find ourselves beginning to make comparisons between ourselves and others, we are already on thin ice. The tell-tale phrases such as “well, I am just as good as him/her” give away our own pride/ insecurity. Better that we do not make comparisons, but if we must, then count yourself the lowest in rank/standing. That is very practical and is the safest position to be in. You know your own heart and life, but so does God, and when you humble yourself in this way, he will exalt you in due season. If you ascribe the lowest level of honour/status to yourself, you can only go up! But if we push ourselves forward and take a high standing then He who knows all hearts may demote us. Do not develop a ‘top table’ mentality, which is a place of honour before men, but develop a servant’s heart like Jesus, be a foot washer. Some people can allow themselves to be exalted with religious titles. Pastor is an important role not a title. The only Reverend in scripture is the Lord God! Bishop is an important role not a title. Where we allow the accent to be on titles, there is a danger we can lead our people to exalt us in this way. Why should we be humble? A. Matthew 11:28-30 Because our God is humble. Jesus Christ Son of God, Saviour, and Messiah is gentle and humble in heart, he came to serve, and totally submitted to the Father’s will. Be Christ-like, be humble, be gentle, and ask God to give you a servant heart. B. We have already seen that Humility leads to honour but pride to humiliation. In fact, God loves his people so much that he undertakes to humble them. He humbled Israel in wilderness for 40 years to test their hearts. C. For many other reasons including because Jesus tells us to be humble. James 4:6-10; God gives grace to the humble. Psalm 32:11 The humble will inherit the land and will delight in abundant prosperity. Proverbs 11:2 When pride comes, then comes shame, but with the lowly is wisdom.. Summary We should be humble because.  Our God, Jesus Christ is humble, and Jesus tells us to be humble.  There is safety in humility, which keeps us from shame.  We can receive more grace.  We can inherit all God’s promises.  It is wise to be humble  It leads to great rewards. Amen Prayer In Part 2 we will consider the biblical examples of humility and give some suggestions how to live a humble life.

How should we use love? Love as a weapon The concept of love as a weapon is not new as was used to significant effect by Martin Luther King; ‘’ Fifty thousand who took to heart the principle of nonviolence, who learned to fight for their rights with the weapon of love, and who, in the process, acquired a new estimate of their own human worth’’. God has provided each believer with protection for day to day life and this includes the whole armour of God which describes to us the revelations we need to incorporate into our lifestyles for us to be continually fully protected in our spiritual lives. The weapon known as the sword of the spirit is when we use God’s rhema word as weapon against temptation in its various forms and disguises. In the church life the weapon of love is displayed in our various actions such as forgiveness, kindness, tolerance, unity, and service (be addicted to service of the saints- tasso). Are we practicing these day by day? Love is a drug, but it is a good habit. John 13:35 “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another,” This is the acid test of our discipleship. Brotherly love is a great witness and highly reproductive. The weapon of love helps us to win people to Christ. 1 John 3:16 “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers,” Agape love is a sacrificial love. Romans 13:8“Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law,” You owe me a debt of love and I owe you a debt of love, When we forgive each other in love it releases each other from the bondage of unforgiveness which is the breeding material for Satan’s destruction of our relationships. Love is all about giving and forgiving. Radical love -Loving our enemies Luke 6:27 But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, In any given situation if we can demonstrate God’s agape love then we will be wielding our most powerful weapon. Jesus tells us not to render evil for evil but do good to our abusers and tells us even to pray for them. King David fasted and prayed for his enemies. Pretty radical. Most times we struggle to fast and pray for a friend! In this life if we can keep showing love when people treat us badly then something must give and where we show longsuffering love it will break through albeit later than we had hoped for. Some ‘Dirty’ tactics The late Dutch woman and evangelist Corrie Ten Boom had to forgive a prison guard from Auschwitz where her father and sibling were murdered. She could only do this through the love of God. We need to act in love and just as importantly react in love. Corrie said this; You never so touch the ocean of God’s love as when you forgive and love your enemies: this is very challenging. Many years ago a neighbour whose marriage had broken up in the then recent past came to complain about my son hitting her son. We told her that we would investigate and get back to her. We sent our son over with chocolate biscuits for her, befriended her and were able to lead her and her son to Christ. Love is a powerful weapon Do not underestimate the power of even small kindnesses and ask God to show you how to do them every day in life. Many situations can be turned around by small kindnesses. A cup of cold water on a hot day, a bowl of warm soup on a cold night? The Love Weapon in our speech Proverbs 15:1 A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger How about telling a sibling you have had an argument with that ‘you love them with love of Lord and that you can see in them the glory of our King’!? It is hard to fight against such power because the love of God is active in it and will touch their heart! How to use the love weapon In the spiritual type of battle we often use the opposite spirit to defeat the enemy e.g. when someone forces us to go a mile, we go the extra mile. They are compelling us be we are submitting to them. If they ask for our tunic give them our cloak as well. They are demanding but we are compliant. When people are mean to us, we should be kind to them. Love is giving and love is forgiving. Matthew 5:40 If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. Walking in love, repentance, and forgiveness –some people have equated this to wearing the shoes of the gospel of peace- (among our weapons of spiritual warfare) and have suggested that this lifestyle is effective against curses, sickness, and hatred. Perhaps this is worth thinking about! In personality clashes with people when we respond in a godly way by showing love or forgiveness then this usually turns the situation around. Love is indeed a powerful weapon. When you want to hit them, hit them with weapons of love, forgiveness, and kindness! Conditional or unconditional- my opinion This love of God is unconditional in the sense that it does not look at who we are, where we have been or what we have done but focuses on what we will become when we are willing to be changed by the most powerful love of God. The ultimate victory of Jesus Christ’s victory over sin and death has the condition that we must believe it to receive the new birth with forgiveness of our sins and the inheriting eternal life. Wear your weapon of love and wield your weapon of love each day as a lifestyle Summary We need to ask the Lord to continue to pour out the Holy Spirit into our heart’s day by day so that the liquid love of God will flow through us producing fruit in our lives that can be tasted by those around us. Be continually filled with the spirit. We need to use this agape sacrificial love which is out most powerful weapon. We might need to 'fight dirty' to win hearts and minds and souls to achieve God’s purposes in our lives! Amen Prayer

The width, length, depth, and height of God's love Ephesians 3:18-19 Picking up from Part 1 in Ephesians 3:18 we see that there is a supernatural order of the dimensions of God’s love. The Holy Spirit directs our attention as follows. A. What is Breadth? We have some difficulty in seeing the breadth of God’s love to all men of every race and colour, every age from a foetus in the mother’s womb to a man on his death bed, embracing each one of these. In all time past, back to Adam and forward to Christ’s second advent. This breadth tells the Jewish believers of God’s love for the Gentiles and tells us now of His love for all the various parts of the body of Christ. In my Father’s house there are many mansions. God’s love is so broad it embraces His whole family beyond any man-made barriers. He is not a respecter of rank or position. His love is so broad it includes from the humblest to the most exalted of his people. B. Length, this invites us to meditate on the eternal nature of God’s love. Christ loved us before we got born again. 1 John 4:19 tells us that we love him, because he first loved us and as his love knows no end, so it has no beginning and is from everlasting to everlasting. Jeremiah 31:3 Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love, therefore with loving kindness. I have drawn thee the Lord says this to each one of us. His drawing of us unto himself is the effect of his love. John 13:1 Jesus loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end. Romans 8:35-39 Nothing can separate us from God’s love. Are you catching a glimpse of its length? C. Depth, another way to look at the depth of God’s love is to look back to where we came from, dying and on the way to eternal death. Each one of us can take a minute to meditate on how deep our Father’s love was to raise us up out of the pit of our sinful lives. We were children wrath by nature see Ephesians 2:1-6. Does this not speak to your heart of the Depth of our Father’s love? D. Height, so far, we have seen the love of God has a boundless breadth, an endless length, a fathomless depth then surely its height is measureless? In trying to comprehend the height we may look to both our present privileges and our future promises as clearly identified in the word of God. 1 Samuel 2:8, Isaiah 56:5 Romans 8:16-17, 1 John 3:1, and Revelation 22:4-5,19 that we might know the love of Christ which passes knowledge by the Holy Spirit that you might be filled with all the fullness of God. Did Paul get carried away with it here or was the Holy Spirit showing us the summit of the prayer? Are we not heirs of the Father, joint heirs of Christ? If we ask for bread, will he give us a stone or a snake instead of a fish? This is the point; the word of God tells us that God wants us at filled with all His own fullness. Our hearts and minds must constantly be occupied with the love of Christ to be prepared for the being filled with all his fullness. Do you hunger and thirst for righteousness as in Matthew 5:6? The Greek for ‘filled with all the fullness’ suggests a continuous process, a progressive and enlarging experience. As a vessel is filled to the brim the vessel then expands and the process continues thus our hearts will grow and take in more of him on an ongoing basis. Suggestion: Let us agree not to pray any more weak and feeble prayers! Pray for yourself and others in this manner. Prayer Father God we bow our knees to you in the name of Jesus Christ. We ask that you grant us, according to your riches, that we might be strengthened with your mighty power in our inner man. We pray that Christ may be dwelling in our hearts by faith, and that we are becoming rooted and grounded in your divine love. We ask that we may be able to comprehend with all your saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height of your love, and to come to truly know your love which surpasses mere human knowledge, that we might be filled with the love of God as you are Lord. Lord, we know you can do much more above all we can ask or even think because your power is at work in us, and we say. Amen

Part 3 How ought we to live in the light of God's grace? Because God’s grace and blessings lead to eternal life, how then should we be living? Romans Chapter 6 is a go to chapter for how to live in the light of God's grace. Romans 6:1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? Romans 6:4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.7 For he that is dead is freed from sin. Paul here in Romans chapter 6 shows the biblical approach to our lives that we are to live in absolute, loving dedication to God the Father and Jesus Christ. We do this by walking in obedient faith through grace. Romans 6:11 Likewise, do not yield your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin; rather, yield yourselves to God as those who are alive from the dead and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. 6:12 For sin shall not rule over you, because you are not under law, but under grace. Now we can clearly see how we are to live our lives before God the Father. We are to do so as if we were alive from the dead; in willing, loving submission to God, and to live according to the will and grace of God. You may recall the childhood hymn 'O what can little hands do to please the king of heaven'? In this hymn the child's hands are to be used to meet someone's need, their lips for praise and words of kindness, their eyes for looking up to heaven and reading the bible, and lastly, their little hearts can love their Maker, Saviour, and Friend. Such grace to mine be given! This is an example of using our members (all our faculties and senses) as instruments of righteousness. Such grace also to mine be given! Ephesians 1:2 Grace and peace be to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 3. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly things with Christ. 4. According as He has chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, in order that we might be holy and blameless before Him in love. 5. Having predestinated us for sonship to Himself through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of His own will, 6. To the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He has made us objects of His grace in the Beloved Son. 7. In Whom we have redemption through His blood, even the remission of sins, according to the riches of His grace, This chapter brings out many facets of God’s glorious GRACE. Everything that the apostle Paul speaks of in this chapter is part of and is an expression of God the Father’s GRACE through JESUS CHRIST! Chapter 1 goes on to reveal wonderful blessings to each believer. Practical Conclusions- how ought we live in the light of God's grace? Be grateful that God has poured his grace into your life. Celebrate His amazing grace. Refuse to live in sin by considering your old man ‘crucified, dead, and buried’. But rather walk in newness of life and being holy and blameless before Him in love. Such a lifestyle reflects how wonderful God was/is treating us as the targets/objects of His grace. 2 Corinthians 12:9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness… Remember that the same sufficiency of grace that the Lord supplied Paul with, is ever available to you. The grace of God enables us to overcome sin and enter the victories that Jesus Christ has prepared for us. The grace of God is our enabler and only comes through Jesus Christ. Amen Prayer

Part 2 the all-sufficient enabling grace of God The all-sufficiency of God’s grace This passage of scripture (below) tells of Paul’s experience with his so called ‘thorn in the flesh’. 2 Corinthians 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. 8 For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. 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. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong. Many have speculated on the nature of Paul’s thorn in the flesh with various approaches including it being an eye condition etc. However, I am persuaded that since Paul uses the Greek word ‘angelos’ in v7. translated as ‘messenger’ this refers to a hindering spirit that followed Paul and stirred up trouble and persecution of him everywhere he went. Sometimes as we try to discern the nature of the thorn, we can miss the big story. Paul’s thorn in the flesh whatever it was, we should note that God’s grace was enough to cause Paul to succeed in everything God had called him to do. God’s grace was enough to keep Paul going through many trials and difficulties. Paul realised that he could welcome the many difficulties in his life because where his own strength was insufficient then God’s all-sufficient grace kicked into action to enable him to succeed and keep on going in his mission. Whatever buffeted Paul, God’s grace was sufficient to keep him going…what about you? Romans 5:20 Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, Whatever sin can do in the life of a person, God's grace can thwart it and overcome it to produce wonderful outcomes. How amazing is God's grace? God’s enabling grace for us. Ephesians 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: God’s attribute of grace seems to have a double action which firstly deals with sin in our lives bringing us to repentance and salvation which in turn enables us to have the sublime rewards and privileges of being seated in heavenly places as members of God’s royal family. Without God’s grace we would never be enabled to come to repentance, salvation, and the heavenly rewards. Amen Personal Prayer In Part 3 of God's grace we consider how we ought live in light of His grace.

The grace of God Part 1 A.W. Tozer has described the grace of God as follows. ‘His goodness directed toward human debt and demerit. It is by His grace that God imputes merit where none previously existed and declares no debt to be where one had been before. Grace is the good pleasure of God that inclines Him to bestow benefits upon the undeserving.’ [1] God has an inherent inclination to pity the wretched, spare the guilty, welcome the outcast, and bring into favour those who were before under deserved disapproval. Grace makes it possible to save us sinful persons and not only this but to makes us to sit in heavenly places as we see the exceeding riches of God’s kindness to us. Modern definition “Grace,” according to the dictionary, is the unmerited favour of God toward humanity. The word “grace” is used over 170 times in the New Testament alone. Grace is not bought. It is a free gift of almighty God to needy humanity. Billy Graham EA. God’s grace flows out to the believers through the channel of Jesus Christ, crucified and risen. The Pauline epistles of the New Testament extol the power of grace in our redemption but always with the conjunction of God’s grace with God’s crucified Son e.g. in… Ephesians 1:5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. 7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace. John 1:17 17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. Tozer urges us not to make the mistake of trying to make this verse stand by itself by suggesting that Moses knew only law and Jesus Christ knows only grace. The law was given to men through Moses, but it did not originate with Moses. It had existed in the heart of God from before the foundation of the world. On Mount Sinai it became the legal code for the nation of Israel; but the moral principles it embodies are eternal. There never was a time when the law did not represent the will of God for humanity nor a time when the violation of it did not bring its own penalty, though God was patient and sometimes “winked” at wrongdoing because of the ignorance of the people. Paul’s careful arguments in the third and fifth chapters of his Epistle to the Romans support the above conclusion. The source of Christian morality is the love of Christ, not the law of Moses; nevertheless there has been no removal of the principles of morality contained in the law. No privileged class exists exempt from that righteousness which the law enjoins. The Old Testament is indeed a book of law, but not of law only. Before the great flood Noah “found grace in the eyes of the Lord,” Genesis 6:8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. and after the law was given God said to Moses, “Thou hast found grace in my sight.” Exodus 33:17 And the Lord said unto Moses, I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken: for thou hast found grace in my sight, and I know thee by name. What else can we expect from God-the God of grace? Grace is an integral attribute of His Holy Being. The heroes of the old testament needed the same grace that we need today. No person has ever been saved except by grace and there is no path back to God except through the goodness and grace of God. Grace only comes to us through Jesus Christ which worked prospectively in the old testament and prospectively in the new testament. God’s grace like all his attributes is infinite and eternal and where our sin abounds God’s grace abounds much more. Hallelujah! God’s grace allows us to lift our heads up to God seeking his forgiveness, mercy, help etc. Prayer Father God, we bless you and praise that your amazing grace expressed through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ has provided a way for sinful people like us to be reconciled to you, the Holy God. We continually acknowledge your grace in every area of our lives. Thankyou Father Amen [1] A.W. Tozer The knowledge of the Holy: Chapter 19 In Part 2 we consider the idea of grace before judgement .

The goodness of God part 2 In Part 1 we defined an attribute of God as something of His own nature that He has revealed to us. We then looked at several ways by which God has revealed His goodness to us. Once we recognise the goodness of God: what next? We can give one of two responses to the goodness of God, which are 1.the right response, and 2. the wrong response. The wrong response: by the rich young ruler Matthew 19:16 Now behold, one came and said to Him, “Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?” 17 So He said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.” 18 He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness,19 Honour thy father and thy mother: and Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.20 The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet? 21 Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. 22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions. The story of the rich young ruler (RYR): we only arrive at a composite description of the RYR by reading sections of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. This story can be used to teach many different biblical truths. Today we want to recognise that the RYR called Jesus ‘Good’ and wanted to know which good works would give him salvation. Jesus seems to meet him where he is and tells him to keep the commandments of the Law of Moses, but which ones the RYR replies. Jesus gives him a list. The RYR replies that he has kept all these commandments since his early youth. Jesus identifies the RYR real problem that he is caught up with his status and wealth and bids him to sell his property, give to the poor and follow Jesus. The RYR went away very sorrowful for he was not prepared to give up his wealth to follow Jesus. The right response to the goodness of God: Zacchaeus Luke 19:1 Then Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. 2 Now behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich. 3 And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was going to pass that way. 5 And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said to him, “Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house.” Zacchaeus was a chief tax collector and whose business gave him lots of opportunity to cheat and defraud those from whom he collected taxes. Jesus saw 'wee' Zacchaeus atop a sycamore tree. Jesus tells Zacchaeus to climb down the tree for Jesus wants to be his houseguest. Luke 19: 6 So he made haste and came down and received Him joyfully. 7 But when they saw it, they all complained, saying, “He has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner.” 8 Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold.” 9 And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; 10 for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” No good deed goes unpunished and when Zacchaeus slid joyfully down the tree the bystanders were complaining that Zacchaeus was a sinner implying that Jesus had made an unworthy choice in Zacchaeus. When the goodness of God came to Zacchaeus he received Jesus joyfully, and unlike the RYR began to give away his fortune, giving half his wealth to the poor and offering to restore any financial misdeeds multiplied times four. What a difference between the RYR and Zacchaeus, the former would not let go of his wealth and did not follow Jesus, whereas the latter made generous financial restitution to his customers and began to follow Jesus. What is your response to the goodness of God today? ¨ Be joyful. ¨ Be thankful. ¨ Be willing to share what we have and put wrong our misdeeds. We first encountered the goodness of God at the point of our salvation. But almost every day we can see the goodness of God at work in our own lives and those of others. We can see the goodness of God in his daily provision, protection and blessing etc. Conclusion The main point is that our God, the God of the bible is good, He is friendly towards us because we are His people. Whenever we come to God in praise, worship, thanksgiving, or petition we must never forget that the goodness of God affects our every interaction with Him. Taste and see that the Lord is good! God shows His goodness to us in many ways as seen in this psalm; Psalm 103 Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. 2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: 3 Who forgiveth all thine iniquities, who healeth all thy diseases. 4 Who redeemeth thy life from destruction, who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies. 5 Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's. Amen Personal Prayer

The Goodness of God Part 1 Recently I have been reading The Knowledge of the Holy by A. W. Tozer. In this book Tozer defines what it is meant by the expression an ‘attribute of God.’ So we are starting this bible study by trying to define what is meant by an attribute of God. A Divine attribute can be expressed in simple terms as ‘something that is true about God.’ Or we could say whatever may be correctly ascribed to God. The attributes of God include the self-existence of God, the eternity of God, God’s infinitude, God’s immutability, God’s omniscience, God’s omnipotence, God’s faithfulness, God’s goodness, the love of God, and the grace of God etc. For the purposes of our bible study today ‘an attribute of God is whatever God has in any way revealed as being true of Himself.’ We can only know of God what He has chosen to reveal to us and that we are somehow been made capable of knowing. We can find out what God is like from the three main ways that he communicates His Divine attributes to us: 1. Through the natural world i.e. the Creation. 2. Through the Holy Scriptures. 3. Through the person of His Son Jesus Christ. The reason that Bible teachers and scholars have chosen the word ‘attributes’ concerning God is to try to avoid the use of mere human descriptions that can only express themselves in human terms. But God can only be described in His own terms if we are to avoid error. The attribute of: The Goodness of God Psalm 34:8 O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him. In everyday language the words ‘good or ‘goodness’ mean many different things to different people. For this bible study our approach to defining God’s goodness is that which disposes Him to be kind, cordial, benevolent, and full of good will toward men. Psalm 107:1 O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. He is tender-hearted and of quick sympathy, and His unfailing attitude toward all moral beings is open, frank, and friendly. By His nature He is inclined to bestow blessedness and He takes holy pleasure in the happiness of His people. Psalm 119:68 Thou art good, and doest good; teach me thy statutes. That God is good is taught or implied on every page of the Bible and must be received as an undisputed article of faith. We could say that the Goodness of God ought to colour all our thoughts of Him and help to keep us thinking straight. If God is not good, then there can be no distinction between kindness and cruelty, and heaven can be hell and hell, heaven. The goodness of God is the purpose behind all the God’s blessings He pours out each day on His people. God created us because He felt good in His heart, and He redeemed us for the same reason. We need to understand that the unmerited, spontaneous goodness of God underpins all His acts of love[1]. Psalm 145:9: The Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works. Since God is immutable (unchanging) He never varies in the intensity of His loving-kindness. He has never been kinder than He now is, nor will He ever be less kind. He is no respecter of persons but makes His sun to shine on the evil as well as on the good and sends His rain on the just and on the unjust. The cause of His goodness is in Himself, the recipients of His goodness are all His beneficiaries without merit and without recompense. Always God’s goodness is the ground of our expectation. Our faith in God is faith in the Goodness of God. When believers are thinking straight, we will realise that we dwell under a friendly sky and that the God of heaven, though exalted in power and majesty is eager to be friends with us. When any person approaches God with a petition for forgiveness, healing, or help etc., what is God like and what can we expect when we approach him? John 14:9 Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father? When Jesus Christ walked on earth, he showed people exactly what God the Father was like and revealed the true and loving nature of God in all his dealings with humankind. The hypocrites and the insincere will find Him cold and aloof, but the repentant will find him merciful and the self-condemned will find Him to be generous and kind. To the frightened He is friendly to the poor in spirit He is forgiving, to the ignorant, considerate; to the weak, gentle; to the stranger, hospitable. By our own attitudes we may determine our reception by Him. Though the kindness of God is an infinite, overflowing fountain of cordiality, God will not force His attention upon us. If we would be welcomed as the Prodigal was, we must come as the Prodigal came; and when we so come, even though the Pharisees and the legalists sulk without, there will be a feast of welcome within, and music and dancing as the Father takes His child again to His heart. The greatness of God awakes fear within us, but His goodness encourages us not to be afraid of Him. Psalm 84:11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. This is a staggering promise in God’s word, that if we walk uprightly before God then He will allow us to have every good thing as He defines them. Amen Personal Prayer [1] Julian of Norwich in Revelations of Divine Love. In Part 2 we consider the practical implications of the goodness of God by comparing the responses of the Rich Young Ruler and Zacchaeus and how we might apply these lessons in our own lives,].