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Beatitudes Matthew 5:3-6 Summary of the Beatitudes Part 1 https://www.psalmonesermons.com/post/sermon-on-the-mount Jesus departed from the crowds and went up the mountain, the disciples came to him. This in a sense represents going on with Him i.e. a step of consecration, coming out of the crowd to follow Him. Being a disciple means to follow the Master and obey his teaching and commands. Come and meet Christ on the mountain if you want to be his disciple. Why go to the mountain; to get away from distractions and closer to God. To the fleshly mind the beatitudes seem like madness or confusion but to the spiritual man they are a source of joy and direction. Jesus commands His Church to go therefore and make disciples of all nations baptising them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Only disciples can disciple others and here is one of the major teachings to make us into disciples. . Matthew 5:3-12 Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when men cast insults at you and persecute you and say all manner of evil against you falsely on account of Me… Beatitudes; (Latin) blessednesses. Blessed; def. happy, to be envied and spiritually prosperous (that is with life joy and satisfaction with God's favour regardless of the outward conditions). This is the state of heart and mind we all long for! It is the attitude of heart or mind that is fulfilled in God. Blessed: Makarios; Greek is used to describe God himself; it is enjoying life as God enjoys it Consider a stepwise progression of the Beatitudes. They represent the starting point and how to make progress in coming to maturity. Maturity in Christ is our vision. It might also be that the beatitudes may give us the pattern of tackling every project in our spiritual lives! v.3. Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. We must admit our inadequacy and failure to God (sin, shame, pride, fear, insecurity, self-sufficiency). All our (own) righteousness, all our own good deeds are as filthy rags to God. This is the starting point. This poverty of spirit (attitude of heart/mind) opens the door to the kingdom of God. It is impossible to enter the kingdom in any other state of heart. The kingdom of God is within you i.e. when the love of Christ that is shed abroad in our hearts and influences our whole life, thoughts, and actions. Only admission of our poverty in spirit before and to God can enable Him to breathe His life into us (c.f. the salvation experience). v.4 Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted. This means mourning over our sins to go on with God we must firstly confess our sins and express sorrow on an ongoing basis before God. The Greek word for mourn is mainly used in the New Testament in the context of mourning over other sins. James 4:8-11; v.9 mourn and weep for your sins. 1 Corinthians 5:1-2; v2 This church had failed to mourn over incestuous immorality. 2 Corinthians 12:21; Paul mourns over the churches unrepented sin. We might need to ask the Lord to take away any enjoyment of the sin. We then ask for forgiveness and the grace to avoid falling into the same trap. When we reach this point of mourning over our sins God can do something with us. We must mourn for our own sins, for the church’s sins and those of the nation. v.5 Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth. Meekness is not weakness. Meekness incorporates strength and gentleness and includes humility (paradox). It is the branch that bears most fruit that bows the lowest on the tree. Humility is to see your true standing before God. To recognise His power and majesty (the surpassing beauty of holiness) and yet at the same time to realise his great love for you. In meekness we stop telling God how to do it and submit to His will. We then enter His strength and ability, as we become lesser in our own eyes, so He becomes greater and brings all his abilities into the situation. Meekness with humility removes paralysing fear from us and produces courage in us to go and possess the land, to begin to fulfil all our destiny in Christ. We no longer try to do things in our own strength. v.6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. Now that we are no longer bound in fear or in self-sufficiency (due to meekness with humility) we can ask God to fill us with a hunger and thirst for His things. Having confessed and turned from our sins and admitted our inadequacy before Him He is ready to create these desires in our hearts. To hunger for · The Word of God · opportunities to minister · opportunities to serve. To thirst for · His presence · His Spirit · His power in revival No more yesterday’s manna but hungering and thirsting for a freshness each day with God. We begin to long for the things that God longs for. Amen Prayer See summary of the Beatitudes Part 2 Matthew 5:7-12 https://www.psalmonesermons.com/post/sermon-on-the-mount-2

Does the church need a reboot according to Acts 2:42? Did you know that God is still at work during the pandemic? Do you know that there are no surprises for God with the global pandemic? Do you know that God is not on furlough, and that God has not retired, and that God has no fears for the future of his church? In fact, presently, many Christians believe that God has a specific plan for His church. Different streams of believers come at God’s plan in different ways although many people agree it has something to do with the book of Acts. Some say God wants to unleash his church, that sounds exciting, many of us have wanted rid of our leashes for years to be fully free to serve. Other believers say that God wants to bring a fresh revival to his people, a renewal, a fresh outpouring, and we say amen to all of that. My own take, on what I feel the Spirit is saying to the church, is that the Lord wants to ‘reboot’ the church. ‘Reboot’ sounds a bit geeky, so, let me explain what ‘reboot’ means. If you have ever been in employment with a company that has an IT department, you will know that when you report a problem, the first things the IT people usually tell you, is to switch your computer off and on again to reboot the system. Very often this is successful, your computer returns to how it was meant to work in the first place and your problem disappears. Reboot means to go back to the original programme and function. So, what if God decides to reboot his church what would it look like? What was his original plan/blueprint for his church? Fortunately, the Lord has recorded his original plan for his church in Acts 2:42, and this is what it looks like. The context: on the day of Pentecost, in Acts 2, we see Peter preaching and telling the crowd to repent and be baptised and in response 3000 souls get saved and water baptized. Here is what happened to the believers next. Acts 2:42 They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship (koinonia), to the breaking of bread and to prayer. The four elements of the new and thriving church were as follows, call them a, b, c, and d. a) Apostles teaching (doctrine) = the apostles verbally communicated the inspired word of God which was then passed through the early church community. These inspired teaching of the apostles have been captured in the bible. So, the rebooted church would have bible study as a main priority. b) Fellowship = sharing lives together, this koinonia fellowship is an intimate sharing of lives, not just a club, a handshake at the door, or a cup of tea after the meeting. Christian fellowship is a key aspect of the Christian life. Believers in Christ are to come together sharing in love, faith, encouragement, and materially. That is the essence of koinonia. God himself lives in a dynamic sharing of life and fellowship as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The Methodist preacher W E Sangster put it like this; the fulness of the Christian life cannot be known except in fellowship - fellowship with God and fellowship with one another. Moreover, the purposes of God in this world require a social organism by which to express themselves. That is us, his church, his koinonia fellowship of true believers. To love one another is not optional! Jesus commands us to love one another in John 13:34 A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. 35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. The rebooted church obeys Jesus by loving one another c) Breaking of bread = sharing meals together from house to house, not communion in this context. They all ate of the same food, the same bread as they recognised that Christ has brought us into one family. Eating and drinking together, is what a family does. The rebooted church shares meals together. d) Prayer = we communicate with God in 5 main types of prayer, which include 1) confession of sins, 2) praise 3) thanksgiving 4) intercession and 5) petition. The rebooted church prays together and separately. I understand that the Greek in Acts 2:42 suggests a relationship between the more spiritual activities of a) bible study and d) prayer with the two more practical activities of b) koinonia fellowship and c) sharing meals together, like a sandwich in the middle. We need to have all four of these elements to reflect God’s original plan for his church. So, here is what happened next, when the church of Acts 2:43-47 did these 4 things (doctrine, shared meals, koinonia fellowship, and prayer) … Acts 2:43 Then fear came on everyone, and many wonders and signs were being performed through the apostles. 44 And all that believed were together and had all things common.45 And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.46 And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,47 Praising God and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved. Shared love is a great witness to the unbelievers, our shared love is reproductive in terms of the salvation of unbelievers. Beloved, Acts 2:42-47 is what the rebooted church ought to look like, and the effect we should have on our city/town, so let us get ready for God is still at work during this pandemic. Action: Let us be reading and meditating on Acts 2 just so we know how it should be. Amen Prayer Lord, please prepare our hearts during this pandemic and make us ready to be revived, renewed, refreshed, and unleashed into all you have for us. We acknowledge our need for the church to be restored to its original form and function. Help each one of us, your saints, to be ready individually, as a body and as a koinonia fellowship of believers. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen

The story of Rev Morris Dutch I met and received Jesus as my Lord and Saviour at the age of 17 on the evening of Saturday 29 March 1969. On my way to meet my pals and have a night out in Glasgow, I was walking up Renfield St. when I was stopped by a girl and given an invitation to visit St George’s Tron (Church of Scotland) Café on Bath St. In the course of chatting, I was asked if I was a Christian, to this I said yes not realising that attending Sunday School as a child and later very rare visits to a church service on Sunday was not what she meant. Saying goodbye and shortly arriving at the Majestic Dance Hall at the top of Hope St., I was most upset when the bouncers at the door refused me entry. Bewildered and feeling quite insulted I began to make my way back to the Central Station when I remembered about the Café invitation I had received earlier. Entering the Café I met a Christian fellow who engaged me in discussion about Christianity. At that point I became very aware that he had a living faith and also talked about God in a personal way. To my surprise I heard that God not only loved me but also He answered prayer. Wow!!!! I had never met someone around my own age that could share this stuff with me. Always believing in God’s existence, I could never understand where Jesus fitted in and it was at this point that I was shown 'The Bridge' Illustration. Seeing in picture form Jesus’ cross bridging the gap of my sin to bring me into relationship with God our loving heavenly Father, I knew immediately that this was for me. Arriving home later that night I prayed and asked God to forgive me and to enter my life. I had a very real inner experience of the love and security of God with me. What a weekend! Packing up my tools and putting away my overalls into my big green toolbox at work on the Friday night I entered the weekend not knowing that God’s hand would be guiding everything ahead. Opening the same big green toolbox at 7.30am on Monday morning was an incredible experience. As the Apostle Paul said so well in 2 Corinthians 5:17, ‘the old had passed away and the new had come’ I felt completely clean and fresh and knew a deep peace and joy in my heart. Innocently telling all my mates at work on Monday morning that I became a Christian on Saturday evening catapulted me into the world of sharing and defending my newfound faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. What a privilege! Life from that point was a quest to learn, understand and grow more in my new Christian life. Some years later, working in engineering, I began to appreciate that I was actually a Minister doing the wrong job. This realisation eventually led me pursue formal theological study which opened the door to serve my Lord as a Minister of a Church. “God does move in mysterious ways and His wonders to perform.” Wouldn’t change any of it for a moment!!!! Amen

Even when our world today is changing fast Two years ago we were just beginning to hear about the Covid-19 virus which went on to cause a worldwide pandemic. In our lockdowns, many jobs and businesses have already gone bust, many families have lost loved ones and many with health concerns cannot get access to the proper medical treatment. New types of vaccine have been developed at a pace never seen in human history. Most people do not know where to look for security and safety and yet during our most difficult times in our lives God is saying to us today “For I, the Lord, do not change... Malachi 3:6 There are several scriptures in the bible which tell us that God does not change. In the new testament we see Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. It is part of God’s being to be eternal and unchanging. It is difficult for us to imagine what eternity is exactly or indeed what an eternal being is like. Eternity is not a long, long stretch of time but rather eternity is timeless. We should note that, whatever is going on the world today has not caught the Lord by surprise and even if we cannot see what his plan is, be assured that he does have a plan. He is carefully weighing everything. God has ever been and will always be entirely consistent to his word as written in the bible. His character and approach to the unfolding of history is entirely consistent. His love and protection of his old covenant people and his new covenant people is permanent. The God of old testament that opened the Red Sea for Moses and his people to cross over, is the same God for the church today and tomorrow. The seasons in our lives change but God is the same. God is immutable. Our God is a God of the ‘big picture’ in terms of what is going on in the world. I want to give you an example of this from the book of Daniel whose main message is ’Heaven rules’. We pick up the story in Daniel 5 the infamous Belshazzar’s feast. The king and his drunken guests toasted the false gods and had the impudence to use the holy vessels from the holy temple in Jerusalem. 5 In the same hour came forth fingers of a man's hand and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaster of the wall of the king's palace: and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote. 6 Then the king's countenance was changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees smote one against another. D5:7-9 As with his grandfather before him, none of the astrologers, Chaldeans, or soothsayers (wise men) were able to interpret this message from God. D5:10-11 The queen tells Belshazzar to send for Daniel, in whom is the spirit of the holy gods; and in the days of thy father light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, was found in him. Daniel had been chief over the groups of wise men under Belshazzar’s grandfather Nebuchadnezzar. The king summoned Daniel offering great rewards including be promoted to the third ruler in the empire. Daniel declines all rewards and reminds Belshazzar how the Lord God had to humble his grandfather Nebuchadnezzar by driving him mad for seven years. Daniel points out that despite Belshazzar knowing all this and much more about the God of Daniel, he was lifted by pride, and had insulted the Living God, by toasting idols using the vessels from the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. Daniel now interprets the writing on the wall, and it is extremely bad news for Belshazzar. D5:24 Then was the part of the hand sent from him; and this writing was written. 25 And this is the writing that was written, Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin. 26 This is the interpretation of the thing: Mene; God hath numbered thy kingdom and finished it. 27 Tekel; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting. 28 Peres; Thy kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians. Whilst the banquet was still in progress the Medes and Persian troops had captured the city of Babylon and King Belshazzar was put to death that very night. He had mocked the Lord. Learning points: How is this relevant to us today? 1. No matter how powerful kings, presidents, and rulers are, God carefully weighs their actions in his balance. It is a sobering thought that God weighs the actions of mankind. Thank the Lord, we can get ongoing forgiveness through 1 John 1:9. Proud people seldom change and revert to their sinful ways all too quickly. God gave Nebuchadnezzar a second chance but not Belshazzar. God really looks at the the human heart. Now here is the good news: God is saying to each one of his people today… I am the Lord I change not. No matter what is going on in your life with the pandemic, the failing economy, your family, your job, your health concerns and other worries, no matter what life throws at you...God will have the last word. So remember heaven rules, remember God rules. He will get you through everything that the world, the flesh, and the devil can throw at you and even when this life is ended …underneath are the everlasting arms. He has got you covered in life and He has got you covered in death. He has got your loved ones covered. Prayer Unchanging Father, in Jesus name, we cast all our cares and fears upon you today because we know you care about every detail in our lives, even the number of hairs on our heads! We put all our fears, cares, worries and the like into your barrel and roll them over to you. Lord we take one hand off the barrel now we take the other hand off the barrel. As we take both our hands off the barrel, we hand over all our fears, cares, worries and suchlike for you to deal with in the full confidence you genuinely care for each one of us. Lord we rest in you. Amen Personal Prayer

Be sure your sins will find you out When I was a little boy, I sometimes used to think that when I closed my eyes that nobody could see me. Can anyone else identify with that? I was deceiving myself. This reminds me of how the devil seeks to deceive Christians into believing that we can commit sins and keep them hidden from God. For he knows that if we will not confess our sins to God, we are out of fellowship with the Lord and therefore unable to please Him. We will see in this teaching that there is no such thing as ‘hidden’ sin but only ‘deceived’ sinners who have forgotten that the Lord our God is omniscient, all-seeing and all knowing, and longs for men and women to turn in repentance to Him. God knows your heart and my heart tonight, he knows our faults, he knows our sins, and he wants us to surrender afresh to Him tonight by confessing and forsaking our so called ‘hidden’ sins. Key Text: Joshua 7:1-26; Context: Israel had just won a fantastic supernatural victory at Jericho. Their morale could not have been higher. Then Satan incited Achan (means troubler) to commit a sin then hide it. This sin caused Israel to be defeated in the next battle. Here is a prophetic word: Always remember that after your biggest victories in your life, the enemy will move in to tempt you into sin so that you will be defeated in your next battle. Remember to give thanks to God for your victory. In Joshua 6:17-19; God had already placed all goods and life stock under a ban (i.e. forbidden to take them) also all precious metals (treasury). All living things (except Rahab and family) were to die. Why such utter destruction? Could it be that all these things were spiritually contaminated in some way? Metal could be purified in furnace. God held whole nation accountable for sin of one family. What if he did this today because of sin in church? Would the Holy Spirit be unable to move because of serious sin. We know that Holy Spirit will still move up to a point be can we sin beyond that. Joshua 7:2-5; A small village called Ai should have been no problem to Israel army. They sent up a small detachment and got completely defeated. Thirty-six men were killed, the rest lost heart, and fled. Why did this happen? What do you think? 1. To humble them 2. To draw their attention to God`s displeasure Joshua 7:6-9; Joshua tore clothes as sign of grief, realising that God had not gone into the battle with them. Lay face down before God, several hours. Elders did likewise! Dust on heads to show grief and mourning. Joshua prays and begins to reason with God. Surely God didn’t bring them over the Jordan to experience defeat at Ai. Did God the Holy Spirit cause you to be born again so that you could be defeated at the small hurdle in your life? Joshua was concerned about God`s honour in this matter. Are you thinking about the Lord in your battles? Joshua 7:10-12; Joshua complained to God not about God. God tells him ‘get up’ and explains why defeat happened i.e. because Israel had sinned. Sinned in many ways, they sinned by: 1. Breaking His covenant: It had been agreed that God would take all spoil from Jericho and Israel would get spoil from other cities. 2. Someone had taken items ‘devoted’ to destruction. 3. Someone had stolen goods and hidden them. 4. Someone had lied about it and kept goods with own goods. God solemnly warns Israel, these sins prevented Him from going with Israel into the battle at Ai. And further warns them that they are on their own until they put this matter right. We go nowhere with God until we put things right. Joshua 7:13-15; God could easily have named the culprit there and then. Why do you think He didn’t? The Lord gave Joshua an elaborate plan to expose the sinner. Picture this, all Israel to assemble tribe, clan, families, and individual man. Can you imagine if this happened in your church? All congregation assemble house-groups, households, and individual persons. Why did God do it this way? 1. To create zeal in Joshua and Israel to get things sorted out 2. To give the sinner time to repent. At any stage Achan could have come forward, but the sinner was hard-hearted. Did he think that God really couldn’t identify him? A ‘disgraceful’ thing in Israel. Achan's penalty was the utter destruction of him as the culprit, his family, his livestock, and goods. Joshua 7:16-19; According to the oral tradition of Jews:Judah were a very honourable tribe their men drew swords and would not sheath them until justice was done. Achan eventually was taken, although by lot this was no lottery. God exposed the exact man. Achan had put God to the test. Joshua spoke kindly to Achan ‘son’ not ‘fool’. Joshua 7:20-21; Caught red handed. Achan makes a full confession. Consider the mechanism of Achan's sin, He “Saw“ “Convicted” “Took” “Hid” It started with the Lust of eyes Look not upon the wine that is red Look not upon the woman so fair Look not upon the drugs The best way to stop sin is at first sight, don’t look at what might snare you. Resist coveting Don’t take, touch, taste, or handle Don’t hide your sin, God has seen it all! Joshua 7:22-26; Joshua's men checked out Achan`s confession The evidence was then publicly displayed Achan, his family, stolen booty, livestock, and goods to place of execution and destruction. There is a play on words ‘Achan’ means troubler. Sin brings trouble not only on perpetrator but on the family and associates. All were stoned and burned with all Israel in agreement. God`s fierce anger was then turned away. It was a righteous man (Jesus Christ) who turned away God`s anger from us. Conclusion There is no such thing as “hidden” sin from God. Do not be deceived any longer. If we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9) Prayer Let us keep short accounts with God today. Amen

The book of Genesis is the bedrock on which the rest of the Bible stands. The book of Genesis is the bedrock on which the rest of the Bible stands. It is the book of beginnings and tells of how we came to exist, and its silver thread winds its way all through the rest of the Bible. Without Genesis we might as well cry with King David, “If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?”. For there we learn about the first Man when he defied GOD, sin and Death entered His creation. We also learn in the New Testament that Jesus the second Man, came to redeem that self-same creation from the disobedience of the first Man and all its consequences. Now it should not be hard to understand that if the narration of the first man is brought into disrepute that the necessity of the second Man is, to say the least, moot at best and even destroyed. Years ago, when I was in my teens, I visited a youth club in a church hall. There at the time I visited, was a man who was a minister in a popular denomination. This man tried to engage me in discussion concerning Jesus. I was quick to point out to him that the first book of his Bible was not true! His reply was to say that it was a place to start! This, for me, was totally unsatisfactory. I was being asked to believe that Jesus had come to deal with my sin and offer eternal life. Yet the person who was telling me was not prepared to defend the passages in Genesis which gave the reasons for Jesus having to come and die in the first place. This was where the conversation came to an end. Years later, when in my thirty fifth year, I became a Christian. I felt God’s call on me over a period of months and gave my life to his leading on the twentieth of August, Nineteen Ninety-Two. Once this was made known, as every Christian knows, came persecutions. This was expected but what was unexpected to me was another time I met another denominational minister with his wife. Conversation began and in due time the subject of beginnings came up. To my surprise I found myself standing for the validity of the creation account in Genesis. The minister was trying to marry evolution to the Genesis story. I felt different emotions as he told me that he did not have his head in a bag. The obvious implication; as I believed the Genesis narrative,was that I did have my head in a bag. I then asked him the question: “If Genesis doesn’t mean what it says, how do you know what it does say?” To which his wife replied ‘Oh, we haven’t discussed that’. I am not trying to have a go at denominational ministers; these examples happened. Men of the cloth not standing for Genesis. So logically, if that is the position held, that person cannot stand for any of the principles laid down in Genesis and if you cannot stand for Genesis then you cannot stand for any other book in the Bible as the rest of the Bible stands on Genesis. You cannot stand for God as He is first mentioned in the first sentence of Genesis. You cannot stand for traditional marriage as God made woman for a help meet to Man which is found In Genesis. You cannot stand for only two sexes as God made them Male and Female, which is found in Genesis. Well, I could go on. Sufficient to say that the churches which have left the defence of the book of Genesis have compromised on major teachings therein and if you can compromise on one book then the rest are all now up for grabs. Just look at the churches which stood so strong not so long ago. Churches which are now barely recognisable to what they once were. And why? Since the attack on Genesis from Darwin and his dupes, many churches have tried to mix Darwinism and God’s word into alloy; an alloy which has succeeded in weakening the churches. Churches who forgot that our God is the God of... Thus, Sayeth the LORD! Genesis is the foundation of the Scriptures! It is a fool who builds his house foundations on sand! People who deny Genesis, perhaps unwittingly, charge God with foolishness! Stand for the foundation! Amen Personal Prayer

Guest blogger Ian Atkin thinks we could be 2020/21 and the Covid-19 pandemic – What does it mean? Is the pandemic one of ‘the signs of the times’ which points to the ‘end of the age’? Matthew Chapter 24 is a key and significant section of New Testament Scripture which offers us an insight and understanding of the ‘signs of the times’ we are living in today. Not since the deadly Spanish flu of World War 1 has there been a disease related event which has been so life threatening to so many people in the modern era. Within a very short time period from the end of 2019 and beginning of 2020, thousands of deaths occurred across the globe due to exposure to the Covid-19, SARS-Cov-2 virus. No-one can deny that the Covid-19, SARS-Cov-2 virus pandemic has manifested as a catastrophic global event which threatens the health and wellbeing of every human being currently alive. So, what might the significance of this pandemic be? An examination of Matthew Chapter 24 in the Holy Bible gives some remarkable revelation and insight into what this pandemic might mean for humankind today. The context for this Biblical chapter is an ongoing discussion between Jesus of Nazareth and His group of disciples. Their discussion is initiated in Jerusalem near the Jewish Temple and continued later on the Mount of Olives which is located just outside Jerusalem’s city walls and overlooks the city. In Matthew Chapter 24:1 – 2, the disciples initiate a dialogue with Jesus about the Temple buildings which are in view. Jesus informs them that the Temple standing before them will at some point be ‘thrown down’ – i.e. levelled to the ground. From the text we see that as Jesus and the disciples walk out of the city to the Mount of Olives the issue of the Temple’s destruction is playing on the minds of the disciples – “As Jesus was sitting on the Mt. of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately. Tell us, they said, when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” In response to their question Jesus offers a lengthy description of what to look out for in relation to the anticipated ‘destruction of the Temple’ and the ‘end of the age.’ From the narrative, it becomes clear these events will occur at a time future to them and the disciples identify that the signs of the end of the age will precede Jesus coming back again. We know from history that the Jewish Temple was indeed thrown down- it was levelled to the ground when the Roman Army destroyed it in 70AD. It occurred 70 years after Jesus spoke about it. An indication that what Jesus said was reliable. We may deduce therefore that His word can be trusted, because, what He said would happen, did happen! This being so, what can we learn from what Jesus said about the ‘signs of the times’ and ‘the end of the age’ – and a vital question to ask is ‘was He referring to the times we live in today’? The disciples’ questioning of Jesus results in a clear connection being made between the end of the age and the return / coming back of Jesus. It is evident that both events will occur at a time future to them. In John chapter 14:28-31 Jesus had already explained to His followers that He is going away but will be coming back. Matthew Chapter24 describes the signs of the end of the age which will be indicators of His return. Is the Covid-19, SARS-Cov-2 virus pandemic a ‘sign of the end of the age’: Are other current catastrophic world events, as described in Mathew chapter 24 and Luke chapter 21, ‘signs of the end of the age’? The dialogue between Jesus and His disciples in Matthew chapter 24 is also recorded in Luke chapter 21 in which Jesus replies to His disciples saying. “Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes, famines, and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven.” In current times, nations and kingdoms around the world are rising against each other. The UK is in dispute with the nations of the EU. The Scottish and Welsh Nationalists are in dispute with England. Ireland is in dispute with Northern Ireland and Britain. China is in dispute with America, the UK and Hong Kong. Russia is in dispute with the western democracies and Ukraine. Iran is in dispute with the west, the Gulf countries and Israel. Along with Iran Lebanon, Syria and the Palestinians have raised themselves perpetually against the nation of Israel. Nations and kingdoms have risen against each other in current times as per Luke chapter 21 v 10! Earthquakes are also a frequent occurrence. Recently Iran, Turkey, Greece, and Italy have experienced deadly earthquakes; even Scotland experienced an earthquake recently. Famines in Africa are currently devastating. The New Testament is translated from its original Greek into English and in the Greek form, the word “pestilence” contains reference to plagues, contagious diseases, and organisms. Significantly, plagues and pestilences recur in The Bible as divine warnings to humanity to return to the ways of The Lord. Their occurrence presents an opportunity for humanity to examine themselves and put right wrong living! Throughout the Bible plagues e.g. the plagues in Egypt, symbolize God’s judgement and are used by God to warn people that their lives are ungodly. Exodus Chapter 8:1 – 2 records a conversation between God and Moses: Then the Lord said to Moses, “go to Pharaoh and say to him” ‘this is what the Lord says: Let my people go, so that they may worship me. If you refuse to let them, go, I will plague your whole country with frogs.’ In Exodus Chapter 32:35 it is written: “And the Lord struck the people with a plague because of what they did with the calf Aaron had made.” There is a biblical principle which reveals that God uses plagues as a means of warning to and judgement of human beings. This is farther referred to by John in Revelation Chapter 15:1 in which John says: “I saw in heaven another great and marvellous sign: seven angels with the seven last plagues – last, because with them God’s wrath (judgement) is completed.” With Luke Chapter 21 and the covid 19 pandemic in mind, the Covid-19, SARS-Cov-2 virus certainly is “a pestilence / plague in various places”! it is everywhere! Throughout the last year we have seen many fearful events throughout the world: The forest and bush fires in Australia and America look like the fires of hell on earth, floods in Britain, Asia, and the Far East look like the flood as in the days of Noah. Anarchy in the USA, near anarchy in Austria, Holland and East Germany and violence in Myanmar and Hong Kong looks like ‘the man of lawlessness’ and human lawlessness are hard at work. TV footage show journalists describing such events as ‘biblical,’ ‘apocalyptic’ and ‘unprecedented’! It is exactly as the Bible says:” unprecedented things will happen in the last days” 2 Thessalonians Chapter 2:1-12 says: v1 Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to Him. v3 Do not let anyone deceive you, …, that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed. v7 For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work. v8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow by the breath of His mouth and destroy by the splendour of His coming. 2 Timothy 3:1-7 says: v1 But mark this. There will be terrible times in the last days……………… And Matthew Chapter 24:38-44 explains: v38 No-one knows about that day or hour……. only The Father. v39 As it was in the days of Noah so it will be at the coming of The Son of Man. v44 So you must be ready because The Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him. And so, we might ask: “As all these events are happening in the current time, the times we are living in today, are they collectively the - ‘signs of the end of the age’!? Are they the signs leading up to? the coming back again / the return of The Lord Jesus Christ!?” Many may respond saying “past generations have said the end is coming and the Lord is returning BUT it has never happened.” This also fulfils the word of the Lord as is written in 2 Peter 3: 1-13: Verse 3ff …. You must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing, and following their own evil desires. They will say “Where is this ‘coming’ He promised?” They ask (scoffingly?) “Why should it be different in relation to today’s circumstances?” Very importantly, Matthew Chapter 24:32-34 reveals a key event which has not happened in past generations BUT is happening in this one: v32 “Now learn this lesson from the fig tree. As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. v33 Even so, when you see all these things, you know that He is near, right at the door. v34 I tell you the truth, this race will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened”. The key factor in identifying that the times we live in today are indeed the biblical “end times” or “end of the age is to learn the lesson from “the fig tree”! Throughout the Bible ‘the fig tree’ symbolizes the nation of Israel and the Jewish people. Historically, we know that since the destruction of the Jewish Temple in 70AD the Jewish people have been dispersed out from the land of Israel – they have travelled out to all parts of the world leaving only a remnant in ‘the land’ (i.e. Israel). For the last 2000 years, the Jews have been victimised and hated in the places they settled in – historical attempts to systematically eradicate the Jewish race are known to us all. During this time ‘the figtree’ – i.e. the Jewish people and the land of Israel looked dead! And indeed, many throughout the world had written the Jews off as a people and a nation. However, the times we live in today are hugely significant because for the first time in the last 2000 years, the Jewish people are returning from all the places they have settled in throughout the world to the Land of Israel, their ancestral homeland. The preservation of Israel as a nation; her return to the promised land, albeit in much opposition, is amazing. The revival of the Hebrew language as good as dead; the victories in conflicts with nations much larger and numerous are miraculous. Israel as a nation is thriving and prospering. With reference to Matthew Chapter 24 verses 32-34 the return of the Jews to Israel and the prosperity of the nation of Israel equates to ‘the leaves of the fig tree coming out’ – the fig tree is blossoming – i.e. the Jews are returning to their land and Israel is established. As verses 32-33 poetically describe it – “Summer is near”! The chapter in verse 34 goes on to say: When you see all these things – He is near – right at the door! We are seeing all these things in the days we live in today and so He, the Lord Jesus is near, He is at the door – He is ready to come back! He is returning! AND, despite opposition to the very existence of the Jewish race and horrendous attempts to destroy them “this race has not passed away.” This chapter and these verses in the Book of Matthew describe events occurring in the times we now live in and so we must seriously weigh up these things and consider the fact that we are indeed approaching ‘the end of the age’ and the time of ‘Jesus coming back.’ Bearing in mind the Covid-19, SARS-Cov-2 virus pandemic and recent world events, together with these Scriptural verses, perhaps it is true to say: Normal is not returning – BUT Jesus is!!? What do you think? Ian Atkin. 19.12.2021 Next time: Why is Messiah Jesus coming back? What will happen when He, The Lord, returns? Should I do anything about it?

You are good and what you do is good; teach me your decrees Psalm 119:68 My plane touched down in Scotland on a dull, grey, January day and I felt miserable. I had just spent what, at that time, had been the happiest month of my life in the USA. Now, back in Scotland, everything I cared about was thousands of miles away. It had all begun more than a year earlier when I started university. I was going to St Andrews to study and one of the first people I met was an American girl who was in Scotland to study for the year. What happened was that we started seeing one another regularly and fell in love. Most of that year we were together. At the end of the summer she had to return to the States to complete her studies, but, by this time, we were very serious and wanted to spend our lives together and so we were confident that we would be seeing one another again come Christmas. As it turned out, instead of her coming back to Scotland, her father offered to pay for me to spend Christmas in their home. I accepted and it was wonderful. Now, back in Scotland, the thought of being apart until the summer was painful and I felt very alone. I tried to do some studying in the university library, but my mind was on the other side of the Atlantic. So I packed up my books and went back to the residence where I was staying. I wanted company, so I went to the common room where some guys were together, chatting. I found it interesting when the conversation became about people's views of what heaven is like. Some people have unorthodox ideas! Anyway, I didn't think too much about it until the next day when one of these students knocked on my room door. When I answered, he reminded me of the conversation and gave me a card inviting me to a meeting of the university Christian Union where there was to be a talk entitled, “What is a Christian?” I took the card, but had no intention of going along. I was feeling low and lonely and most certainly did not want to be pursued by people I considered to be “religious fanatics”. Nevertheless, when the day came, I found myself making my way to the meeting with a couple of Christians. I didn't want to be there and felt very uncomfortable. When the speaker started his talk, for the first time in my life I heard the gospel of Jesus Christ presented in a way which really challenged me. The fact was that I had been in church on Sundays most of my life. I believed there was a God and so I concluded that I was a Christian. However the speaker made it clear he believed a Christian is someone who has a personal relationship with Jesus. Now I was in a really awkward position. I was already feeling low and now I was faced with the possibility that I might be on my way to hell. There was a battle going on inside of me. One voice was saying that I tried to be a good, moral person and that I was ok. Another voice was saying, “But what if what the speaker said is correct?” I knew for sure that I did not have a personal relationship with God. I was really challenged by this and wrestled with the issue internally. Then I had an idea. I had always had a respect for the bible, so I decided I would try to find out what it said about a relationship with Jesus. I knew someone who had a bible and actually read it regularly, so I went to ask if I could borrow it. He agreed and I went back to my room where I read all of Matthew's gospel. I still hadn't found the answer to my dilemma. I thought maybe Mark's gospel would tell me, so I kept on reading. Shortly after this, the student who had lent me his bible came to see how I was getting on. I tried to explain the battle that was going on inside me. He listened and something he said caused me to break down in tears. Sensitively, he made no attempt to push me into making a decision, but rather got up and withdrew from the room. However, by this time I knew I had to make a decision. I felt as if I was being torn apart. The speaker at the meeting had given me a gospel tract and, at the end, there was a prayer for anyone who wanted to have a relationship with Jesus. I got down on my knees and surrendered my life to God. I didn't hear angels singing or feel anything special. However that night I slept soundly for the first time since my return from the States. And so began my relationship with Jesus who came to earth to be the Saviour of the world. My Christian life had begun, but there was so much I did not yet know or understand. Now, many years later, knowing the love of God and his nature which is good, kind and forgiving, it seems strange that I should have been so hesitant to get to know him --- his love, his forgiveness. The amazing thing is that Jesus didn't come for “religious people”, or “good people”, or “special people”. He came for anyone who is willing to accept his gracious offer of love, forgiveness, and eternal life. And when we begin that relationship with him, our heart changes and our desires change as we live our lives following the one who truly loves us and wants to be our best friend. DJM

Powerful Prayers to help develop the real you Who is the real you? Will the real you step forward? Is the truest part of your being the one that is best or the one that is worst? I will now describe my recent life experience. The battle between the inner man and the flesh (Romans chapters 6-8) Let us read these two key passages in Romans Romans 7:17 As it is, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me. 18 I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19 For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do— this I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. 21 So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22 For in my inner being I delight in God's law; 23 but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God— through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I in my mind am a slave to God's law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin. Romans 8:1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 8:2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. So how do we decide who has the ‘say’ in each situation, the inner man, or the flesh? The inner being is our deepest person. The inner man is our true selves. The inner man delights in God’s laws. The inner man does not need to be crucified unlike our flesh. How to get power into our inner man We saw that Romans chapters 6-8 cover the battle between our inner man and the flesh nature in our lives (detailed commentary on these chapters can be found at the bottom of this article). It is clear from these chapters that victory is available to our inner man through Jesus Christ. In that split second, when we are tempted we need to remember our true identity, which says 'this is not the inner me; this is not what I really want'. We can also use the Word of God as a sword against the temptation. Walking in the Spirit; we need to know how to put Jesus’ victory into practice in our lives and how to walk in the Spirit rather than the flesh (see the series called How to walk in the Spirit) . Something that helps give the victory to the inner man is when there is specific prayer that we might be strengthened in our inner man. This prayer can be made by yourself and by others. The Apostle Paul gives four model prayers to equip the church in the inner man that we can rise above the temptations and circumstances in life and be fully fit and equipped for God’s purposes on a daily basis. Ephesians 1:17-19a [I ask] that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what the hope of His is calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. Ephesians 3:16-19 [May the Father] grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God (NB Trinitarian nature of prayer) Philippians 1:9-11 And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ; having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. Colossians 1:9b-12 [I ask] that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light. These are not puny prayers but mighty life changing prayers that will help the real you (the inner man) step forward for God. Conclusion 1. Would you dare to pray these prayers for yourself and others? 2. Do we need to be strengthened in the inner man this year? 3. These are the prayers that Paul prayed for the church from his heart knowing what they really needed. Amen Personal Prayer

Find God's total security in the pandemic Lord Most High, we thank You that we live under Your Shelter and that we are under Your shadow We declare about You Lord, that You alone, are our refuge, our place of safety You are our God and we will trust You For You will rescue us from every trap and protect us from all deadly disease Your faithful promises are like armour to us and protect us We will not be afraid of the terrors at night, nor the arrow that flies by day We will not dread the disease that stalks in darkness, nor the disaster that strikes at noon Though a thousand fall at our side, and ten thousand are dying around us, These evils will not touch us Because we have made the Lord our refuge, and because we have made the Most High our shelter No evil will conquer us, no plague will come near our homes For You will command your angels to protect us wherever we go Lord we reverently remind you of your promises by which you said that, You will rescue those who love You You will protect those who trust in your Name When we call on you, You will answer You will be with us in trouble You will rescue us and honour us You will reward us with long life And give us your salvation Lord we receive all Your precious promises in Jesus’ name. Amen Further study of Psalm 91 at https://www.psalmonesermons.com/post/the-presence-of-god-part-4

Part 1 The blood is a weapon of our warfare The bible is a book dripping with blood! It almost seems that if we squeezed our bible that blood would drip from it. There is something special about the blood of Jesus Christ When we begin to talk about the blood of Jesus Christ, something dynamic happens in the spiritual realm, it is as though angels bow and demons tremble at the very thought of it. When we speak of the blood of Jesus Christ, we are walking on holy ground! Even as I begin today, something is happening. It is hard to say what exactly, but it is something good, something holy and true. The life is in the blood, and we when bring the blood tonight, so we bring life. Blood is a subject close to my heart in that in my past career as a biomedical scientist I specialized in immunohaematology i.e. the study of human blood groups from a medical perspective. Interestingly, I think I know what blood group Adam was (AB) and if you want to know the theological and scientific reasons I have for my theory. Please get in touch sometime. Having studied the blood scientifically for many years I read something in the bible, which no textbook had taught me, which was that blood can talk! The blood of Jesus speaks better things than the blood of Abel. What does Jesus’ blood say… it says, ' forgive them’! The relationship between the life and the blood Leviticus 17:11 For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one's life. I find it interesting that where most people would describe the location of their spirit (i.e. the abdomen or belly) it is in the area with the most blood in it. Our physical blood is multi-functional and contains various cells and proteins that combat infectious microorganisms (another vital function is to permit our blood to clot to prevent excess bleeding). Likewise the blood of Jesus Christ covers and removes the infections of sin and guilt from our hearts and minds. What was blood used for in the Old Testament? In the Old Testament there were at least 6 major applications of blood. 1 Daily sacrifice found in Leviticus chapters 1-6, four of these sacrifices involve blood peace, burnt, sin, and trespass 2 Consecration of priests Leviticus 8:22 applied to ear, thumb, big toe Aaron's sons 3 Cleansing of defilement (red heifer) Numbers 19 4 Calendar sacrifices Passover, Tabernacles etc. 5. Cutting a covenant 6. Victory celebration sacrifices The New Testament sacrifice of blood and its applications 1. The Blood of Jesus is a weapon of our warfare! 2 Corinthians 10:4 for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds. God has given his church mighty weapons to war against the world, the flesh, and the devil. We need to be trained and ready to use the weapons that God has provided. Laser-guided weapons that defeat all our guilt, shame, and disgrace. Our mighty weapons include. i. Authority in the name of Jesus when we put our hand up and say stop in the name of Jesus, Satan’s juggernaut must come to a halt! ii. The sword of the spirit (and the whole armour of God). The sword of the spirit is the rhema word i.e. the living word energised by the Holy Spirit. iii. The cross to crucify our flesh, living sacrifice or even martyrdom! iv. The blood of Jesus Christ takes away all our sin, guilt, and shame which things Satan uses to paralyse us in our spiritual warfare against him and his demons. 2. The Blood of Jesus, what does it do? There are several scriptures in the new testament that clearly describe the various wonderful things that Jesus’ blood achieved for us. These will give you an appreciation of why we call Jesus blood precious. Purchased our salvation. Faith in Jesus’ blood turns away the wrath of God. We are justified by the blood. We are redeemed by his blood and have forgiveness of our sins. The blood brings us who were far away, near to God. Acts 20:28 Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. The sacrifice of Jesus’ blood purchased his church, there was no other price that could have secured the church! Romans 3:25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God … faith in his blood turns away the wrath of God. We only escape the wrath of God for our sins because Jesus gave every drop of his blood to turn away God’s wrath (which we fully deserved) from us. Romans 5:8b But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! We are justified by Jesus’ blood i.e. we are made legally righteous before our Holy God, and God’s wrath is no longer directed towards us. Ephesians 1:7 in him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace. His blood brings us forgiveness of our sins i.e. this is called our redemption. Ephesians 2:13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ. Jesus’ blood brings us (who were nowhere spiritually speaking) near to our Holy God. Wow! In conclusion the sacrifice of Jesus’ blood brings our salvation, turns away God’s wrath, justifies us (makes us righteous), redeems us by forgiving our sins, and brings us near to God. In Part 2 we find out how to declare the blood of Jesus, we also find out how to apply the blood in various situations by following the trail of Jesus’ blood from Gethsemane to Calvary. NB We need to apply the blood (see Part 2) Amen Prayer

Remove your lusts to get your real desires In the book ‘The Great Divorce’ by C. S. Lewis, a scene is described in which a ghostly person (who is an unbeliever) has a red lizard siting on his shoulder. This red lizard appears to negatively influence all his decisions and actions. Finally, the man cries out, ‘God help me’. Instantaneously, a bright angel rips the lizard off the ghostly man’s shoulder, and he screams with pain. The angel then strangles the lizard and throws it to the ground. The man begins to become a believer in God and progressively becomes more solid and real and less ghost-like. However, a further strange thing begins to happen, the red lizard whom we thought to be dead begins to change shape and colour and becomes a beautiful and powerful stallion. The man then jumps onto the stallion’s back and taking full control of the reins, gallops off into the everlasting hills of heaven. As I was reading this story, the Lord spoke to me, saying, ‘Give up your petty desires and I will give you something much, much better’. Something changed within me, and I was able to see my petty temporal desires and ambitions for what they really were. I knew instinctively that if I said ‘God help me’ like the man in the story, that he would not only remove these red lizards from me but also turn them into something much, much better. God is no respecter of persons, and earnestly desires that each one of his children be set free from the red lizards (lusts) in our lives. I believe that the Lord is speaking to us today, saying, ‘Give up your old ways, your small dreams, ambitions and attitudes and I will give you something far, far better’. The very thing that holds you back (the red lizard) is what God wants us to hand over, so that he can kill it and then resurrect it into the wonderful real thing (the beautiful stallion) that will serve you instead of being your master and will cause you to gallop into heavenly places (achieve the things that God wants you to achieve). This is an interesting proposition, but does it line up with the teaching of the Bible? Does God desire to change the existing things in our lives into something far, far better? In fact, there are numerous examples in the bible where God desired to change new and better things for old. e.g. A new covenant for an old covenant. Hebrews 8:6-10 All their comparisons favour the new covenant. One of the best blessings of the new covenant is that the Holy Spirit comes and indwells the believer whereas in the old, he merely came upon people for times and seasons. Even when God asks you to give up something good, it is the same, he can give you something much, much better! When Jesus saw the widow giving her last two mites, it would not surprise me if he sent someone out after her to bless her financially (her needs would be met one way or another by God!). Each one of us can testify that on the day we were born again our old lives were exchanged for far better lives in every way! We were spiritually dead in our sins and trespasses, blind and lost, without hope. But now we are spiritually alive to God, wonderfully cleansed and forgiven, children of the living God. In Luke 5:37-38, we find that God cannot pour the new wine of His Spirit into the old wineskin (unbelieving heart) but rubs in the oil of the Holy Spirit into our new hearts at the new birth. Then we can hold the new wine and bring forth the fruit of the Spirit. The world, the flesh and the devil cry out in unison ‘cling to your old life, the old familiar ways, better the devil you know …’ But the Lord says to us today that we should cry out ‘God help me’ that he might remove and transform our red lizards. Can you trust Him? Here are some examples of red lizards and the beautiful stallions that can be transformed if we will face the pain of having them removed. Lusts Godly desires Worldly ambitions Heavenly ambitions Materialism Spirituality Desire for recognition of man Desire for recognition of God Wrong relationships Blessed relationships Unforgiveness Forgiveness Jealousy and envy Admiration and appreciation Addictions Freedom and liberty Bad memories wonderful future God help me with this ………. God release me into ……… May he grant your heart cry and fill you with a deeper sense of his love. How much more will he give his Holy Spirit to them that ask him… Amen Personal Prayer