There’s a Cloud of Witnesses – Happy, If I Believe – Purity 1503
Purity 1503 11/14/2024 Purity 1503 Audio Podcast
Purity 1503 on YouTube:
Good morning,
Well, It’s Thursday and I share today’s sandy pathway photo as a visual reminder and encouragement to get on or to stay on the path of Christian Discipleship because although the road less travelled may be a lonely one at times it’s the best pathway through life and it is one that you will never have to walk alone.
Last night at the Celebrate Freedom Support Group Meeting at Starpoint Church in Clifton Park, we practiced one of our spiritual disciplines as a group and I could just feel the rush of joy of the Lord flow through me as we gathered as a group to sing along to Jon Reddick’s “Don’t Fight Alone”. The Link to its lyric video is on the blog – if you want to experience it for yoursel .
That’s right our worship is a weapon and one of the ways that we can experience the Lord’s presence and encouragement in our lives is to boldly sing songs of praise that simultaneously give Him glory and affirm our identity as His beloved children. The song is awesome because it speaks truth from scripture in its lyrics and boldly confirms our trust in God alone.
It declares that “There’s a cloud of witnesses , they cheer for me” pointing to the unseen realm and Hebrews 12:1-2 which says.
Hebrews 12:1-2 (NKJV)
1 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
This reminds me also of Jesus’ words in
Luke 15:10 (NKJV) where He said
10 Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
When we understand that God, the angels, and presumably the departed saints, are for us and are rejoicing over our efforts to repent, that should fill us with joy knowing that not only are we FINALLY on the right track by attempting to walk in the Spirit but we are not alone in it. The Lord is with us, and He and the angels are cheering us on.
Obviously, to reap from this revelation, we need to have a relationship with God where we are blessed with His presence, strength, wisdom, and love.
Far too often we can fall into the trap of “works based” righteousness and believe the lie that we are all alone in our battles and struggles through life. We can even be led astray by believing that we have to fix ourselves when the truth is that the only way that we can live the Christian life is the same way we came into it – by God’s grace and through faith in Him.
That means we have to believe what God says about us and fully receive His truth experientially by choosing to live according to His precious promises and draw our strength from Him by asking for it on a daily basis through prayer.
Speaking of belief and prayer, the Turning Point devotional with Dr. David Jerimiah for today touches on these themes so I am sharing it on the blog today to encourage us to avoid the trap of simple unbelief. Dr. David Jerimiah writes:
“Mountain Peaks of Pearl
Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.
Hebrews 10:23
In Streams in the Desert, James Smetham is quoted as saying, “I suspect that the source of every bit of sorrow in my life can be traced to simple unbelief. If I truly believe the past is totally forgiven, the present is supplied with power, and the future is bright with hope, how could I be anything but completely happy?”
Could it really be as simple as that? Yes, but we must grow in faith. Jesus looked at some people and marveled at the weakness of their faith; others impressed Him with their great faith. As we spend time in His Word connecting His promises to our problems, we grow in faith. As the trials of life drive us to His throne in prayer, we grow in faith. As we learn to look to Him rather than just at our circumstances, we grow in faith.
If you’re in trouble, acknowledge God’s reliability and admit fear. Then take your burdens to the Lord, knowing He is encamped around you. He will fortify you to rejoice in the past, the present, and the future He is overseeing for your good.” David Jeremiah
[God’s] faithfulness stands firm and is prominent as mountain peaks of pearl splitting the clouds of eternity. – James Smetham
(L.B. Cowman, Streams in the Desert (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1997), 249.)
Yeah, Smetham’s quote says a mouthful – if we understand that our past is forgiven, our present is in God’s hands, and that He gives us hope for the future – we should be happy!
So why aren’t we?
Because we are separated from the Lord in some way.
Although we may believe in God, we are not spending time with Him or, if we are, we are blocking ourselves from what He has for us because we are still believing the lies of our former lives such as –
- I’m no good.
- I will never be free.
- I will always struggle with this.
- I’m different.
- God has left me.
- God made me this way.
The truth is that God has called you to live with Him and has already given you all you need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3).
But what you need to do to live in the new life He has for you is to affirm the truth of your new life in Christ, start living according to your new identity in Christ, and reject those lies that deny the truth and keep you stuck.
And you need to ask God to help you: to change you and to give you the strength to live as His child for today.
Draw close to the Lord. Receive from Him. And pray that His will be done in your life.
There’s more on the power of prayer on the InTouch with Dr. Charles Stanley devotional for today so I’m sharing the link on the blog ( https://www.intouch.org/read/daily-devotions ) today if you need more advice.
But let’s start really believing the truth of what God has done for us and let’s start living out the true story of our new lives in Christ by walking and talking with Him.
——————————————————————
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 verses come from the section on Giving.
Proverbs 14:21 (NKJV)
21 He who despises his neighbor sins; But he who has mercy on the poor, happy is he.
Today’s verse is the first of five passages of scripture that fall under the eighth point of our counseling reference guide resource’s section on Giving.
8. God requires us to be merciful and give to the poor.
Today’s Bible verse encourages us to love our neighbor and to give to the poor to be happy. God gave us everything – life, our bodies, our circumstances, and most importantly a revelation of Jesus Christ to forgive us and set us free. God’s the Big Giver and so the principle for those of us who wish to be more like Him is to give to others from what we have received from Him. We received mercy and so we should give mercy and assistance to the poor when we are able. While I never want to espouse the idea that “giving is getting”, today’s proverb does indicate that if you are obedient to the principle of giving, it will be well with your soul because when we act like our heavenly Father, we receive the joy of the Lord. So be merciful and give when you can because your tithes and offerings will not only bless someone financially it will also bring a blessing to you spiritually.
———————————————————–
As always, I invite all to go to mt4christ.com where I always share insights from prominent Christian theologians and counselors to assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk.
Today we begin sharing from “Day By Day Along the Way” By Jay E. Adams.
As always, I share this information for educational purposes and encourage you all to purchase Easley’s books for your own private study and to support the late author’s work. This resource is available online for less than $20 at many sites.
Day 2
according to the Way … I worship our fathers’ God … – Acts 24:14
The Apostle Paul spoke these words at a hearing in Caesarea. At that time, the Way was considered nothing more than a “sect” of the Jews. But Paul said that it was the fulfillment of the promises made to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. It was no mere sect; the Way was the continuation of the covenant people in its New Testament phase. It was not one way among many, but it was the Way—known by this name, the only name given to the Church in Scripture. When you worship the Lord Jesus Christ, Who Himself is the Way to God, you worship the same God believing Jews worshipped. Paul made clear that people of the Way will share in the fulfillment of the promise of the “resurrection of both the just and the unjust,” made to the Old Testament believers (Acts 24:15). Jesus Christ conquered death by rising bodily from the grave on the third day, a fact that assures us that, some day, all will likewise rise. But there will be two distinct destinies and two distinct paths leading to them—one for the just and one for the unjust (cf. Daniel 12:2). People justified by faith are on the Way to Glory. Which path are you on?[1]
—————————more tomorrow————————
The MT4Christ247 audio podcast is available on YouTube, Apple, Amazon, Spotify, iHeartradio, Podbean, Audible, and many more podcast platforms!
Subscribe to The MT4Christ247 Channel on YouTube!
Email me at m.t.clark@mt4christ.com with any questions, or comments, or to inquire about our Christian Life Coaching or Prayer Ministry Services.
“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] Jay E. Adams, Day by Day along the Way (Cordova, TN: Institute for Nouthetic Studies, 2020), 10.
Leave a Reply