Overcoming Sin

I am posting this quote from Zac Poonen from a message that he preached a while back titled “Faith When We Have Failed” (Look under Sermons, Zac Poonen). I appreciate the quote and want to make sure that the context is clear. He is not, in any way, allowing for sin in the statement but rather showing that God is doing a work of bringing people to the end of themselves, where they will learn to walk in the power of the Holy Spirit and not be proud walking in their own strength. It is when we are in total humility that we can then receive the true power of the Holy Spirit and it is there that grace can be received.

James 4:6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.

1 Peter 5:5 Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.

6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:

7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

Quote as follows;

“I don’t think that Peter ever forgot that he denied the Lord three times. And when God breaks a man that’s what He does. And that’s when such a person gets victory over sin, he can never be proud of it, number one, and he can never despise another person who doesn’t have victory. I know in my own pursuit of victory the Lord had to take me through failure, failure, failure; bring me to rock bottom. And I never knew the reason for that. I thought all hope was gone at one point in my life. But now I see that God had to take me there, so that, when he did give me victory, when he did keep me from falling, I could never be proud of it. I could never think that I did this. I could never think that it was through some effort of mine that I could overcome depression and “rejoice in the Lord always”. That it was in some spirituality of my own that I overcame bad moods, or anger… No. He keeps me from falling. I could never think that it was me. Even the ministry of the word; I know that if the grace of God departs from me, my tongue will be dumb, I will fall into the most horrible sins the next moment, no matter how many years I have overcome. See that recognition comes because God has allowed me to fail so many times in the years that I was seeking for victory. So, dear brothers and sisters, if you’re failing, don’t get discouraged. Let God do a thorough work. He’s trying to bring you down to 0. It took 20 years with Jacob. It took 40 years with Moses. It doesn’t have to take so long. It can be a very quick work as it was with Peter and Paul. But we can’t dictate that period because it is different with different people. “

Hope you find this to be an encouragement.

David

Beholding Him

Heard this hymn and thought I would share it. Not a too popular one but this was written by John Newton and is called "How tedious and tasteless the hours". Hope you are blessed by this. Consider as you read this whether these things are true in your life. If not, consider that faith needs to be perfected. 

John Newton, 1779, from Olney Hymns, vol. 1, hymn 46

How tedious and tasteless the hours,
When Jesus no longer I see;
Sweet prospects, sweet birds, and sweet flow'rs,
Have lost all their sweetness with me:
The mid-summer sun shines but dim,
The fields strive in vain to look gay;
But when I am happy in Him,
December's as pleasant as May.

2. His name yields the richest perfume,
And sweeter than music his voice;
His presence disperses my gloom,
And makes all within me rejoice:
I should, were he always thus nigh,
Have nothing to wish or to fear;
No mortal so happy as I,
My summer would last all the year.

3. Content with beholding his face,
My all to his pleasure resigned;
No changes of season or place,
Would make any change in my mind:
While blessed with a sense of his love,
A palace a toy would appear;
And prisons would palaces prove,
If Jesus would dwell with me there.

4. Dear Lord, if indeed I am thine,
If thou art my sun and my song;
Say, why do I languish and pine,
And why are my winters so long?
O drive these dark clouds from my sky,
Thy soul-cheering presence restore;
Or take me unto thee on high,
Where winter and clouds are no more.

I believe?

Ok, a bit of a picky blog but something that has always bothered me is the use of "I believe" and "I think" in preaching and teaching today. 

First of all, lets look at a couple of verses surrounding the use of these two phrases to see if the use so often heard today fits with Scripture; 

Mark 9:24 And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.

John 9:38 And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him.

John 11:27 She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.

Acts 8:37 And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.

Acts 27:25 Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me.

Just to be sure I did a search on "I think" and found that there was nothing implying anyone writing Scriputre based on knowledge. The closest thing you could find in that regard is that of Paul speaking in 1 Corinthians 7:40 where he states "and I think also that I have the Spirit of God" which by no means implies that Paul is basing his understanding of whether he is filled with the Spirit on his own human reasoning but is rather stating that the things which he spoke can be safely taken due to the fact that he is filled with the Spirit.  Verses are (Job 31:1; Jer 29:11; Ac 26:2; 1Co 4:9; 7:40; 2Co 10:2; 2Pe 1:13)

Ok, me being picky. How often do we hear someone expounding on some Scripture followed by "I believe" which really tells me that I am getting something that has been derived from their mind rather than having revelation from the Lord on this verse or section of Scripture. If this is based on reasoning, why then is it being stated? 

Oh dear brothers and sisters please let us be careful that we don't try to present things outside of what the Lord has made clear to us. AND for those of you who are listening to these things being spoken, please be careful that these things that are spoken from the intellect of man are not held as authority from God. 

It would be good for us to consider a writing by Watchman Nee called "The Latent Power of the Soul". 

Open to correction on this as well as any other thing that is posted here.