Faith or Fear: Blessing or Cursing Part Six

Fresh Manna© by Pastor Tim Burt
http://www.freshmanna.org

Psalm 138:2 (NLT) “I bow before your holy Temple as I worship. I will give thanks to your name for your unfailing love and faithfulness, because your promises are backed by all the honor of your name.”

Here in Minnesota land our snow was just about gone when we were recently blanketed with a late snow. That is sometimes hard to take when you are anxiously waiting for Spring. One up-side for me of a late snowfall is that I always think it is beautiful to run in. Everything is covered with pure virgin white snow every where you looked. The trees, especially the pines glisten white and almost every where you look, you see this breathtakingly beautiful majestic picture of fresh snow.

Because of the lateness of the season, the temperature was warm enough where the snow melted fairly fast. When it melted this time all the snow was finally gone.

What comes after that is about the opposite of what I just described. When I would be out on my run and the snow was all gone, the accumulated litter from the entire winter was everywhere. It reminds me how we feel when we lose sight of the fact that God has forgiven our sins through Jesus Christ. When we drift away from the Lord, we begin to forget His robe of righteousness that He, by His doing, chose to place upon the ones who would receive Him. That robe of righteousness covers our sins and shortcomings like a fresh blanket of snow covers the litter on the ground. It helps us not to see our own human imperfections and failings. Isa 61:10 says, “I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my whole being shall exult in my God; for He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness…”

When we draw near to the Lord, it’s good to reflect on what Jesus did for us. He put this robe of righteousness upon us so that when He looked at us He would see someone that was made pure before Him. This is an awesome revelation of His love and the gift of His love. It is our challenge to become Christ-like. While we do, we will sin and blow it, but as I wrote about previously, He has made provision for sincere repentance as we go through the life long process of cleaning up the filthiness of our flesh. As we sincerely work at this, the Lord does not want us to walk through life sin conscience but instead righteousness conscience. When we always reflect on how often we blow it, we tend to get down on ourselves and give up. When we live in the spirit of thankfulness for God’s gift of righteousness, our thankfulness will actually translate into spiritual strength and desire to live more righteously.

Last week we learned what the first have of the verse 2 Cor. 7:1, “cleansing ourselves from the filthiness of the flesh” means.

As we read this again, we will look at what “cleansing ourselves from filthiness of the spirit” means. “Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.”

“Cleansing ourselves from the filthiness of the spirit…” is cleansing our self from unbelief. Instead of thinking that God is mad at you and wants to get you, you instead see yourself in this robe given by Him that has made you His child and as white as snow forgiven of sin. This is His righteousness working in you. When you understand that this is the way God sees you, then you will “…come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive His mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it.” Hebrews 4:16

Coming boldly to the throne room is coming knowing He has adorned you in His robe of righteousness to cover the “litter” of your life by Jesus shed blood. This is how you cleanse yourself of “filthiness of spirit” – by coming in faith in what He has done and does for you – not what you can do in yourself. When you get this truth and live by it, the promises of God become yours by that same faith. Now you can begin to live boldly by faith in them.

God’s covenant of promised blessing to Abraham and his future seed reaches all the way into our lives today through that faith. Galatians 3:14 says,”God redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.”

The promises of blessings to God’s children abound throughout the Bible. Your robe of righteousness allows you to access them today. Will you believe and thank God for these promises in all areas of your life? Will you learn them? Will you pray them boldly in faith believing in the face of contrary circumstance baiting you to unbelief?

What are some of those promises? Deut chapter 28 is just one place that reveals many of them! Can you take hold of them by faith?

[3] You will be blessed in your towns and in the country. (Wherever you live) [4] You will be blessed with many children and productive fields. You will be blessed with fertile herds and flocks. (God will bless you in your body and in what you put your hand to in your livelihood.) [6] You will be blessed wherever you go, both in coming and in going. [7] “The Lord will conquer your enemies when they attack you. They will attack you from one direction, but they will scatter from you in seven! [8] “The Lord will bless everything you do and will fill your storehouses with grain. The Lord your God will bless you in the land He is giving you.

God wants to supernaturally bless you. Can you believe that in faith without wavering? Today’s Fresh Manna verse reminds us why we should. “I bow before your holy Temple as I worship. I will give thanks to your name for your unfailing love and faithfulness, because your promises are backed by all the honor of your name.”

In His Love,
Pastor Tim Burt
http://www.freshmanna.org