This blog entry is dedicated to Shelia Sanchez, and all the women in the Philippines who have written me about this topic.

A NOTE TO MY DISPENSATIONAL BRETHEREN: Yes, the opening verse of this blog is a prophecy that was spoken to Israel about what God will accomplish in them when Jesus establishes His eternal kingdom. Seeing that the Jews were to be a light on a hill, drawing all mankind to God, and seeing that Israel has to this day stubbornly refused to walk in this light, God sent His own Son to be the fulfillment of the Law, thereby drawing all men unto God. Yes, this promise will finally be fulfilled for Israel when Jesus Christ sets up His kingdom. And the Jews who have accepted that Jesus IS the Messiah, will be the benefactor of the that promise. But, because of Christ, and His sacrifice on behalf of all mankind, this promise IS fulfilled in the lives of anyone who has accepted Jesus Christ as Savior AND Lord. So, go ahead and write your argumentative letters, but keep in mind, if you do, it is because you are stubbornly refusing to see what the Gospel of Christ IS, or you have not allowed the work of the Holy Spirit to tear the blinders off your eyes. I can say this because I , too, am a dispensationalist, but I have recently allowed the Holy Spirit into my life, I see that what was promised to Israels future, has already been given to all Humans who have accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior AND Lord. It is just a matter of will.

MY PRAYER FOR THIS BLOG: I pray in the name of the Living God, because I have accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior, that the Holy Spirit fill me while I write this blog, so that whatever I write here will be none of me and be all of God. I pray that it penetrate all the barriers that we have put up that inhibit the Spirit of God and the Power of His word to work in our beings. I pray this, God, because Jesus Christ has saved me from eternal damnation, and has delivered me into eternal life. AMEN

A New Heart, a New Thought, a New Desire

“I will sprinkle you with clean water, and you will be clean and acceptable to me. I will wash away everything that makes you unclean, and I will remove your disgusting idols. I will take away your stubborn heart and give you a new heart and a desire to be faithful. You will have only pure thoughts, because I will put my Spirit in you and make you eager to obey my laws and teachings.” Ezekiel 36:35-27 CEV

Let’s pretend I am telling you the same good news:

“God will sprinkle you with clean water, and you will be clean and acceptable to Him. God will wash away everything that makes you unclean, and will remove your disgusting idols. God will take away your stubborn heart and give you a new heart and a desire to be faithful. You will have only pure thoughts, because God will put His Spirit in you and make you eager to obey His laws and teachings.” Ezekiel 36:35-27 CEV

God does Heart Surgery.

The amazing thing about God is (OK, there are SEVERAL amazing things about God), that HE will give you the longing for salvation. It isn’t something you can for yourself. If it WERE something you could do, then there is no need for God, and no need for Jesus Christ to come here and give His life for you. If we could be righteous and saved, and holy all by our selves, then God would no longer be God. We would be God.

We are not God.

When God gives you the longing for salvation, it is because, somehow, some way, God has exposed you to several things: The sin that separates you from Him, the fact that you cannot do anything at all to close that gap, and that He sent Jesus Christ to die in your place, because the wages of sin is death. It may hit you all at once, or it may come in bit at a time. But it is God that does this. You cannot do this.

God will draw you near.

After you see what he has shown you, you will understand the need for a savior. God will show you that Jesus IS that savior. His death on the cross paid for your sin. After Jesus died, He proved He has the authority to be called Lord when He raised HIMSELF from the grave. He was able to do this because He has the authority over death and life.

You will be drawn to repentance of sin, confession of sin, and redemption through Jesus Christ. And when you confess this with your mouth, you are saved. You cannot even do this unless God empowers you to do this.

YOU WILL HAVE A NEW HEART

In the Hebrew language, we learn that the Heart is the seat of the soul. The heart is located in your brain, but connects throughout your body. Did you know that, around your physical heart, there is the same gray matter that is in your brain. That local memory is stored there, and that your thoughts and feelings are shared between your brain and heart? It is true.

Our natural soul was corrupted by the inheritance of sin, and the continual and unrepentant state that resulted from the inherited sin.

What only God can do, that you will never be able to do, is replace that heart of sin, that hardened heart, with a tender heart of flesh, that is sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit. The reason you become this way is that, when you believed that Jesus is your Lord and Savior, the first thing you are given is God’s Holy Spirit.

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SATAN, THE WORLD, AND GOD

In the World’s fallen state, it cannot tolerate the presence of holiness, and wants nothing to do with it. This is why our planet is the way it is. The World has completely rejected the things of God. You cannot expect Godly behavior from people who reject God. At the very best, you will see a very cheap imitation, and that never lasts very long. The only Godly things that last come from God.

Satan hates you. All of the fallen ones hate you. Satan will accuse you of your sin. Satan will complain to God about how sinful you are. Satan will tell you that God accuses you of your sin, and you cannot be redeemed. The only thing Satan can bring you is graceless and merciless accusation. A guilt that will eventually make you want to kill yourself. He has no joy, and he wants to rob you of YOUR joy.

The Holy Spirit of God is Grace, mercy and joy. When the Spirit of God shows you the sin, it is not accusatory, and will not leave you in shame. You will simply see your sin the same way God sees it. God has given you a tender heart, and removed your cynicism. You will understand how God sees things, and, because of the new Love that the Holy Spirit has brought to your heart and mind, you simply will turn your back on your sin.

This, too, is something you do not have the power to do. When you become aware of the things of God, the things you used to think were important will no longer be important. Your desire for sin will change. This is not to say that you will not sin, ever. You will. What it DOES mean is that when you do sin, the Spirit will lead you to understand the way God sees sin. Your heart, being in love with God, will no longer be interested in displeasing God.

Imagine you are deeply in love with someone. Will you go out of your way to displease your lover, or to please your lover?

The Love the Holy Spirit brings is a love that is far greater than any thing you can bring to your lover. And your desire to obey God will be because of that Love. It is a love you cannot muster on your own, it is a Love God gives you when you give your entire life to God, because of Jesus Christ, who IS God.

NOW THAT I HAVE LAID THE GROUND WORK

When you become a Christian, God will do all that I wrote about above, and much more. You don’t have to quit your job, but the more you surrender your self to the will of God, the more you will understand how God will use you in that job. But if that job represents a huge moral conflict between Him and your employer, when you give God the opportunity, HE will change your circumstances.

What changes? Your heart. Your understanding of how God will work in a willing and submitted heart. This comes when the Spirit of God has filled you, and leads you to be like Christ. Your circumstances may never change, you may always be poor, but God will make you rich in Him, and you will lead many to Christ.

God is not asking you to change anything, at first, because he is busy getting you used having the Mind of Christ. It does taking getting used to.

My brothers and sister, I promise you that you are not condemned if you belong to Jesus. There is no work you need to do to be good enough for God. There is no pain you have to suffer as proof that you are worthy of God.

God changes your heart so you can see where He is at work in you. And when you are able to see in you what God sees, you will develop a strong and passionate desire to see God complete you. You are NO LONGER bound by the law of sin. Your sinful nature is replaced with the nature of God. It is God’s promise to make you in the very image of Jesus Christ. You do not have to do anything but Surrender to Him.

He will do all the work. Be free from the condemnation of sin. Walk in the freedom God gives you. This freedom happens when you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord. When you do that, you will receive the Holy Spirit, who will do all the work in you.

You are no longer guilty in God’s eyes. You are free.

“Therefore, now there is no verdict of guilt, no condemnation as guilty, for those in Jesus the Messiah. For the law of the Holy Spirit, that gives life in Jesus the Messiah, has set you free from the law of sin and death.” Romans 8:1-2, OJT