Faith in the Day of Disaster – Purity 1138
Purity 1138 09/04/2023
Purity 1138 on YouTube:
Good morning,
Today’s photo of my canine pal Harley standing in rolling fields of green over an ethereal sunset sky comes to us from yours truly as I captured this scene yesterday after t the beauty of the moment was something I didn’t want to leave behind and decided to extend our evening’s walk by going down the farm road that normally marks the point we turn around and go back home. .
Well, It’s Labor Day, and because of the holiday I was able to spend the night at my Countryside home in Easton for one more day and when last night’s sunset was so breath taking I didn’t want to see it end. But even though I extended my time in the sun by going an extra half mile or so, and walked along at a leisurely pace, there really was nothing I could do to stop the coming of the night. As much as I may have wanted to hold on to that golden moment of joy, no matter what I wanted things were going to change. I could have sat down in those rolling fields and refused to leave but sooner or later the darkness of evening would come. If I was putting my faith in the weather to stay the same or if I was putting my faith in myself or Harley to keep the good times rolling, I would have been sorely disappointed.
However, I have put my faith in Jesus and have accepted the fact that God is in control. Therefore, I respect His created order, understand the consequences of a world broken by sin, and put my ultimate trust in God to uphold me. I don’t trust the weather, other people, or even myself to give me life, meaning, or purpose. Because the world has been broken by sin, bringing in death and the depravity of man, I understand that this world is falling apart, things are in continual change, and there is no limit to the pain that mankind can inflict upon one another, knowingly and unknowingly, as we journey through life. If we are putting our trust in the world, society, other people, or ourselves, there will come a day of disaster that will show us the error of our misconceptions and will expose just how deceived we were to think we could live in God’s created order and put our trust in anyone but Him.
I was reading John 6 this morning and was impressed by how Jesus continually alluded to the fact that He was here to do the Father’s will.
John 6:38-40 (NKJV)
38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.
39 This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day.
40 And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”
Here Jesus made it clear that although we are to put our faith in Him, He was here on a mission: to do the Father’s will. Although Jesus’ is the way to have peace with God, Jesus trusted in the Father’s plan and demonstrated His trust by accepting that He would be hated and rejected by the world and would be killed by the very people He was sent to save.
John 6 begins with the feeding of the 5 thousand, where Jesus multiplied a few fish and some loaves of bread miraculously to feed people who had gathered to see signs and wonders and who desired to have a Messiah who would rule and reign and take care of all their earthly needs, on demand.
Despite Jesus’s healings and providing a miraculous meal, the majority of this crowd still didn’t believe in Jesus. Later this crowd who had followed Jesus would call for the authorities to crucify Him because He didn’t continue to meet their expectations, showing us just how quickly things can go wrong. One day you’re followed by adoring masses, and the next they are calling for your death!
But Jesus didn’t trust in the crowds. Jesus didn’t trust in His disciples. Jesus didn’t trust in His earthly family. Jesus didn’t even trust in His own abilities. Jesus trusted in the Father. And even though things fell apart relatively quickly, and Jesus had some real anguish over what He had to face, He trusted in the Father and had a measure of peace even as He went to the cross to die.
If Jesus had put His faith in anything else He would have been shattered in the day of disaster. If Jesus had put His faith in the crowd or the religious leaders, He would have been devasted by their betrayal. If Jesus had put His faith in His disciples, He would have been disappointed to watch them turn tail and abandon Him. If He had put faith in His mother, He would have seen that although she was there to watch Him die, she was powerless to save Him. If Jesus had put His faith in His own human strength, He would have seen how futile any efforts at escape would have been and that His body would have failed under the torture of the cross.
But Jesus didn’t trust in those things, He trusted in the Father. Jesus never stopped “walking and talking with God” and right up to the end He obeyed His Father’s will and trusted in Him. Jesus knew the Father and His faith in Him and His purposes allowed Him to endure the pain of death to accomplish His will.
Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection teach us who we are to put our trust in and how to carry ourselves through life, trusting God and obeying His will. If we fail to obey the Father’s Will and put our trust in anything else than Jesus, we will one day see how foolish we were to trust in earthly things and how they will fail us.
In the ministry of recovery and freedom that I have been called to, I have witnessed time and time again the negative consequences of trusting in anything but Jesus. Whether you are the biggest reprobate sinner who is actively going against God’s provisions for righteous living or if you are an “upstanding citizen” who enjoys the love and respect of your fellow man, if you are putting your trust in anyone but the Lord, a day of disaster is coming that will break the foundations of the things you trusted in.
For the wanton sinner, criminal or addict, it might not be surprising that your delinquent ways, lawbreaking associates, or the substances worshipped will let you down. Even someone with a cursory understanding of right and wrong and cause and effect can understand the logic behind “if you do bad, you will experience bad”. A lot of the counsel I provide comes down to “making good choices” because the principle of “we reap what we sow” is so easy to give evidence for. So do what is right, and the “good seed” will grow into a “good life”.
Now that is not the only advice I give because I know that “our good deeds” are not enough to guarantee that we will experience a good life and they certainly can’t guarantee eternal safety.
More than once, I have counseled individuals who have suffered pain, tragedy, and loss and who are rocked by the fact that they had to suffer even though they did “everything right”. They weren’t a “big sinner”, criminal, or addict, and yet tragedy, disease, betrayal, and loss came their way all the same. They saw themselves as a “nice guy” or a “good girl” and tried to live a “good life” only to suffer all the same.
In scripture, Job was an upstanding citizen like no other and He suffered tremendous loss. If Job was trusting in His “doing everything right”, or in his abilities as a successful man, or in his family He would have been left without hope.
But even though Job didn’t understand why He suffered the loss of possessions, the death of his children, and his physical health, he trusted in the Lord and in the midst of his suffering worshiped God while his less-than-faithful wife, encouraged him to curse God and die.
Job’s wife didn’t have faith in the Father the way that Job did and when calamity came her world was torn asunder filling her with confusion and bitterness. While she welcomed death, Job knew the Father and trusted Him, proclaiming:
Job 13:15 (NKJV)
15 Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him. Even so, I will defend my own ways before Him.
Job walked in God’s ways and was blameless and only sought to defend his “own ways” at the implication that God was causing him to suffer because of his sin. Job declared his complete trust in God and knew God’s ultimate purposes would be done by saying later:
Job 19:25-26 (NKJV)
25 For I know that my Redeemer lives, And He shall stand at last on the earth;
26 And after my skin is destroyed, this I know, That in my flesh I shall see God,
This ultimate trust in God is the only thing that will give us peace in the “day of disaster”. When we suffer loss, when people betray or disappoint us, and everything falls apart those with faith in the Lord know to continue to trust in Him and lean on His strength and ultimate salvation.
With faith in the Lord, the universe is a cold and heartless place where you will suffer the loss of everything you have acquired and every relationship that you have made on earth. When you trust in the world, other people, or your own talents and ability to “keep you safe” or to make you happy, the day of disaster will come leaving you hopeless.
But for the Christian, we put our faith in God and His kingdom to come, and even though the circumstances of this world may cause us to suffer greatly, when we put our hope in Jesus and walk with Him day by day, we know that we are not alone and that he will never leave us or forsake us.
While I didn’t suffer as much as Job, I have suffered great loss at different times and seasons of my life, and I know from experience the great difference that a living relationship with God can make in how we face the day of disaster. Without a knowledge of God and faith in Christ, the world is a chaotic place of confusion and death that is destined for destruction. But when you know that “your Redeemer lives” and you will see Him stand at last on the earth, you realize that all is not what it appears to be and that nothing is lost that hasn’t been given to us by God and that it is only because of Him that we have anything and that it is only through the love of Him that we can have peace and life.
So batten down the hatches and do your best to make “good choices”, but don’t forget to seek the Lord and His will for your life. Walk in His ways and stay in His presence because when the day of disaster comes your way, you’re going to need the solid rock of the God who never changes to stand on and to uphold you.
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For those who want more evidence for Christianity than my simple encouragements provide, I offer apologist, Frank Turek’s website, https://crossexamined.org/ .
Today’s Bible verse comes to us from “The Quick Scripture Reference for Counseling” By John G. Kruis.
( While Bible verses on various topics of Counseling can be found with a quick google search, we encourage you to purchase this resource to support the late author’s work. (https://www.amazon.com/Quick-Scripture-Reference-Counseling-Kruis-ebook/dp/B00CIUJZT2?ref_=ast_author_dp )
This morning’s meditation verse comes from the section on Alcohol & Drug Abuse
Genesis 9:20-23 (ESV)
20 Noah began to be a man of the soil, and he planted a vineyard.
21 He drank of the wine and became drunk and lay uncovered in his tent.
22 And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father and told his two brothers outside.
23 Then Shem and Japheth took a garment, laid it on both their shoulders, and walked backward and covered the nakedness of their father. Their faces were turned backward, and they did not see their father’s nakedness.
Genesis 19:30-38 (ESV)
30 Now Lot went up out of Zoar and lived in the hills with his two daughters, for he was afraid to live in Zoar. So he lived in a cave with his two daughters.
31 And the firstborn said to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is not a man on earth to come in to us after the manner of all the earth.
32 Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we may preserve offspring from our father.”
33 So they made their father drink wine that night. And the firstborn went in and lay with her father. He did not know when she lay down or when she arose.
34 The next day, the firstborn said to the younger, “Behold, I lay last night with my father. Let us make him drink wine tonight also. Then you go in and lie with him, that we may preserve offspring from our father.”
35 So they made their father drink wine that night also. And the younger arose and lay with him, and he did not know when she lay down or when she arose.
36 Thus both the daughters of Lot became pregnant by their father.
37 The firstborn bore a son and called his name Moab. He is the father of the Moabites to this day.
38 The younger also bore a son and called his name Ben-ammi. He is the father of the Ammonites to this day.
Today’s verses fall under the tenth point of our counseling reference guide resource’s section on Alcohol & Drug Abuse.
10. Drunkenness breaks down morals.
Today’s passages clearly demonstrate the tendency of drunkenness to break down morals. “Partying naked” Noah ended with shame and Lot’s drunkenness led to incest. When inhibitions and awareness are compromised by drunkenness, the sinful desires go unchecked and break down everything that we know about right and wrong.
So as we go into this Labor Day holiday, let’s not fall into drunkenness and the sin that is waiting walk through the door that we open to it.
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As always, I invite all to go to mt4christ.org where I always share insights from prominent Christian theologians and counselors to assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk.
Today we continue sharing from The Holy Spirit By A.W. Pink.
As always, I share this information for educational purposes and encourage you all to purchase A.W. Pink’s books for your own private study and to support his work. This resource is available online for $0.99 (https://www.amazon.com/Holy-Spirit-Arthur-Pink-Collection-ebook/dp/B008CM5292/ref=sr_1_3?crid=AHKAQOM39CTN&keywords=a.w.+pink+the+holy+spirit&qid=1684376225&sprefix=a.w.+pink+the+holy+spirit+%2Caps%2C96&sr=8-3)
A.W. Pink’s The Holy Spirit
23 – The Spirit Witnessing
The Holy Spirit is first a witness for Christ, and then He is a witness to His people of Christ’s infinite love and the sufficiency of His finished work. “But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, He shall testify (bear witness) of Me” (John 15:26). The Spirit bears His testimony for Christ in the Scriptures; He bears His testimony to us in our renewed minds. He is a Witness for the Lord Jesus by all that is revealed in the Sacred Volume concerning Him. He bears witness to the abiding efficacy of Christ’s offering: that sin is effectually put away thereby, that the Father hath accepted it, that the elect are forever perfected thereby, and that pardon of sins is the fruit of Christ’s oblation.
The sufficiency of the Spirit to be Witness for Christ unto His people appears first, from His being a Divine Person; second, from His being present when the Everlasting Covenant was drawn up; third, from His perfect knowledge of the identity of each member of the election of grace. When the ordained hour strikes for each one to be quickened by Him, He capacitates the soul to receive a spiritual knowledge of Christ. He shines upon the Scriptures of Truth and into the renewed mind. He enables the one born again to receive into his heart the Father’s record concerning His beloved Son, and to give full credit to it. He enables him to realize that the Father is everlastingly well pleased with every one who is satisfied with the Person, righteousness, and atonement of His co-equal Son, and who rests his entire hope and salvation thereon. Thereby He assures him of the Father’s acceptance of him in the Beloved.[1]
—————————more tomorrow——————-
Join our “Victory over the Darkness”, “The Bondage Breaker”, “Freedom in Christ” series of Discipleship Classes via the mt4christ247 podcast!
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These teachings are also available on the MT4Christ247 YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@MT4Christ247
Email me at mt4christ247@gmail.com to receive the class materials, share your progress, and to be encouraged.
My wife, TammyLyn, also offers Christian encouragement via her Ask Seek Knock blog (https://tammylynask.blogspot.com/ ), her Facebook Group: Ask, Seek, Knock (https://www.facebook.com/groups/529047851449098 ) and her podcast Ask, Seek, and Knock on Podbean (https://feed.podbean.com/tammalyn78/feed.xml)
For those who require the assistance of a Deeper Walk International Prayer Minister to experience healing or your freedom in Christ, I highly recommend Christy Edge’s Life on the Edge Freedom Prayer Ministry. You can schedule a session by going to : https://cedge216.wixsite.com/life-on-the-edge
“The views, opinions, and commentary of this publication are those of the author, M.T. Clark, only, and do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of any of the photographers, artists, ministries, or other authors of the other works that may be included in this publication, and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of any entities the author may represent.”
Encouragement for the Path of Christian Discipleship
[1] Arthur Walkington Pink, The Holy Spirit (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, n.d.).
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