Friday, September 18, 2015

The Game Changer


Michael writes this week that in the game of life, who sets the rules of the game?  Who determines the “play book”?  Are you in the game?  Most importantly, is your name written in the Book of Life? Jesus Christ said, "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.  No man comes to the Father but by me" – John 14:6 The World's way, truth and life is to turn against the true God. The prevailing thought is that the law of the Land, the United States Constitution is "open to interpretation." According to current popular opinion, the Constitution does not mean what the Founding Fathers originally intended it to mean, rather it means what the current unelected Supreme Court justices interprets it to mean. This is a problem when the World's system calls evil good and good evil. There is a fundamental change within the culture of the United States. What used to be the 60's counter-culture is now the prevailing culture of political correctness.  However, there is nothing new under the sun...  vanity of vanities, all is vanity.  That which is of the world will come to naught, but the Word of The Lord liveth and abideth forever.

Ephesians 6:12  For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”

The adversary perverts the world into focusing on “self” ...  this has been his relentless pitch since his original confrontation with Eve in the Garden of Eden.  The original lie was "You shall be as God knowing good and evil."  The focus on self is the downfall of man. I have found the enemy, and he is me. Jesus said come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, for my yoke is easy and my burden is light” – Matthew 11:28.  Salvation begins with changing lordship.  Lordship means ownership. Am I my own owner or am I a person of God?  A person of God is God's child.  Whom do we serve, whom do we honor, and for whom do we live?  Jesus said, "He who finds his life shall loose it for my sake" – Matthew 10:39. In America, we don't understand the concept of slavery anymore. Confessing with thy mouth the Lord Jesus Christ means to change Lordship. It means to change the ownership of my life from myself to Jesus.  A bondservant is one who serves his Master, not bound by debt or obligation, but rather bound by the bond of love ... and above all things, put on charity which is the bond of perfectness  Colossians 3:14.

1 Corinthians 7:22-23  For he who is called in the Lord while a slave is the Lord’s freedman. Likewise he who is called while free is Christ’s slave. You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men.”


Would you be free from the burden of sin?  Sin means to miss the mark. The emphasis of the word "sin" is the mark, not the missing of the mark.  The mark of is the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Turning away from self and unto fellowship with God and His Son Jesus Christ is to turn from sin. This is the meaning of the word “repentance”.  Repentance means to "change your mind" - to turn from serving self to serving God. Prayer is not aligning God's will with my will. Rather it is aligning my will with His will. “Trusting God” means to surrender my will to His will. Lord, I believe, help thou mine unbelief  Mark 9:24. God has set us within the church,  meaning the body of Christ, so that we could help each others' unbelief ...  to serve the body. Jesus said, "in that ye have done it unto the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me" – Matthew 25:40.

The American dream of the "pursuit of happiness" has been perverted to mean the pursuit of hedonism, selfishness, and self-righteousness. Originally the pursuit of happiness meant the pursuit of "virtue."  Virtue is a Biblical term meaning "that which exceeds worldly excellence." The pursuit of virtue is the pursuit of spiritual things that result in the Fruit of the Spirit:  love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and self control...  against such there is no law – Galatians 5:22-23.


John 8:31-32 Jesus said to the people who believed in Him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

A disciple is one who is disciplined to follow in the footsteps of his master. Jesus Christ is the Word in the flesh. If you continue in the path that He blazed, in His footsteps, in the "dust of the Rabbi," then ye shall be my disciplined followers, not in word but in deed. To know Jesus, we must follow Him. He said to "walk with me" along the journey of life. A journey is a day's walk. We do not know the destination for the day's journey, but He does. God reveals His will for us one step at a time. Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, revealing the next step, one step at a time. Our calling is to walk with Him. Jesus said that the "Comforter" will come, the Spirit of God that will lead you into the all truth – John 16:13. The Comforter is the paraklete (Gr.), i.e., one who is called alongside to minister.

Did we in our own strength confide, our battle would be loosing,
Were not the right man on our side, the man of God's own choosing.
Doth ask who that may be? Christ Jesus it is he, And he must win the battle.

In the game of life, Jesus Christ is the game changer.

Your brother in Christ, Michael

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