Fellowship, The Lord my Teacher Teaching His Word To me

Oh, how do I ever put into words all of the things that have been going on.  The Lord has been completely and overwhelmingly faithful to us, asking us to "GO" He has come through with provision for us, with friends and family, with so many things, showing us so much about Himself!  HE IS FAITHFUL AND GOOD.  HE IS JEHOVAH-JIREH.  Coming here I found out that a few of the girls here, dear sisters, were praying for babies!  LOL.  (There are...four? five... married couples in the body of believers here) so they were expecting one of them to become pregnant in answer to that prayer and desire, but instead He brought us in :).  We have lots of babysitters, which I did not expect, I thought before coming, I don't think that I would trust anyone really with watching my baby, but in the Lord's discernment I know that I know I can trust these precious sisters here more than almost anyone.  We are barely home these days too :) because we have great brothers and sisters in the Lord here that like to spend hours upon hours with us and seeking the Lord together.  It has been such an encouragement, exhortation and such a great fulfilling time, we are blessed beyond measure!  Exhorting each other daily for the days are evil.  The church of Arlington has been an unbelievable testimony of our Savior's love, praise the Lord He is greatly to be praised and to have mercy upon men and dwell with and in them.  In word and deed, in life I see of them this (not of their own accord but of the mercy and grace of our Lord)...  "This is my commandment, that ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."-John 15:12,13.  "Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ."-Galatians 6:2. 

Some of what the Lord was teaching me this morning, first just reading Hebrews 11. Some things that stood out as I asked the Holy Spirit to teach me.  Enoch's testimony: that he pleased God.  Oh how I desire this to be my testimony as well. No great explanation or story of what Enoch had done but simply that he walked with God!  And he pleased God!!  But without faith it is impossible to please Him.  Abraham obeyed.  Trust and obey, there is no other way, he simply obeyed the Living God even when God asked of him HIS OWN SON!  Who in their right mind would hear of what Abraham was going to do and counsel him that this was right and he should do this, no one!  BUT GOD still asked this of him and HE OBEYED!  THEN GOD PROVIDED HIMSELF A LAMB!! :))))  He sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.  Oh, how I long for this City.  Sara judged Him faithful who had promised.  When we see with eyes of faith that God IS faithful we are able to obey and believe His promises.  These all died in the faith, not having received the promises, but having sent them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.  But now they desire a better country, that is an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: For if they were of the world God would be ashamed to be called their God, He would have no such thing for He is holy!  for He hath prepared for them a city.  He that had received the promises offered up His only begotten son, accounting that God was able to raise him up.  Total trust in God, despite what it appeared to be by sight, instead by faith!  By faith Jacob, when he was a dying blessed both the sons of Joseph, and worshiped, leaning upon the top of his staff.  This is so precious!  He WORSHIPED, not even in his strength of any sort, he did not have any confidence in the flesh, for God touched his hip and it came out of socket and he still needing his staff, God had broken him so that he may not boast in anything but the Lord.  Though he had a disability He still all the more worshiped Him who is faithful!  Moses was not afraid.  There was much to fear by sight for Moses yet he feared not, just as the Lord commanded so many times in His Word, DO NOT FEAR.  Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season.  Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompense of the reward.  By faith he forsook Egypt.  Egypt is one in the same with the world, in which we are to forsake as Moses did.

Who is the One who gives faith?  God!  So it's really a memorial to all thing things that He did!  Since He is the giver of faith, we must ask Him for faith.  I believer, Lord help my unbelief we might ask of Him.  It's beautiful.

So in all of this I read, how can one be partaking in the things of the world, while walking with God, which requires forsaking all and a walk of faith, not sight, when all this world offers is seen by sight?  When Jesus was filled with the Spirit He was drove into the wilderness and there Satan tempted Him with the things of the world, in which of course our perfect Savior resisted all temptation and remained perfect.  But what was it that the enemy used to tempt Him?  The world.  Then how can we have one foot in the world and one foot in the kingdom?  God is perfect and holy, He will not accept anyone who loves the world or the things in the world, only those who are made perfect in Christ.  By grace He gives us the ability to live a life of godliness to abstain from worldly lusts, He has given us all we need in life in godliness to be pleasing to Him.  How can one love the world and the things in it, the lust of the flesh, lust of the eye, and pride of life, and at the same time love God?!  This is impossible!  

If the followers of Christ in the bible did not enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season but instead forsook Egypt, why is it that "christians" now think enjoying the pleasures of sin and eternal life can both be theirs?  Eternal life is with the Person who hates the world, who hates and cannot excuse sin!  Eternal life IS a Person!  The Lord Jesus Christ!  How can you lay hold of the world and lay hold of Jesus all at once?  You cannot!  What profit is there if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?  (Matthew 16:24-28) This implies that gaining any of the worlds goods or worldliness is wicked, or it would not cause you to lose your own soul if you gain it!  The world is crucified unto me! (Galatians 6:14).  Be not conformed to this world! (Romans 12:2).  Love not the world, if any man love the world the love of the Father is not in him! (1 John 2:15-17)

I am learning what the Lord hates, what the Lord loves, who He truly is in His perfect holiness, how He is greatly to be feared!  How He is greatly to be adored!  He is showing me not just on paper like reading the bible as a text book but He instead of merciful enough to quicken His Word to my heart, to show me these things in the heart bringing me to surrender all things on the altar to Him for He is worthy to be praised!!!  He is a merciful God but is also just and cannot overlook sin.  (Exodus 34:5-8)  "And the LORD descended in the cloud, and stood with him there and proclaimed the NAME OF THE LORD.  And the LORD passed by before him and PROCLAIMED, THE LORD, THE LORD GOD, merciful, and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and open the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.  And Moses made haste and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshiped."

Yes Jesus paid for all of our sins, and cleansed us from all sin, yet we cannot still remain in them, we are made new.  If we are His.  "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9)  "Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God."  (1 John 3:9)