And Never Apart From

We persevere through faith and never apart from it. Sinclair Ferguson

Backsliding Christians

Have you ever temporarily lapsed into unbelief and sin after you became a Christian? The condition of backsliding results from spiritual apathy or disregard for the truth of God’s Word. It results in a departure from a winsome confession of faith and Biblical ethical standards. Actions are affected by our attitudes toward God and His Word.

Jesus said, “No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62).

Backsliding is different from apostasy, which spurns the grace of God by renouncing the atoning work of Jesus Christ on the cross (Heb. 6:4-6; 10:26-31). When a person renounces his faith in Christ that person was never a true child of God, and never was among the elect of God (John 3:18-21, 36; 5:24-29).

On the other hand, the elect individual, regenerated by the Holy Spirit, justified by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, and redeemed by God has been delivered once-for-all from the bondage of sin. Backsliding is not a “fall from grace” in the sense that a Christian once saved by grace can lose his eternal life in Christ. He is God’s child forever, and He has placed His life in the believing sinner.

There were times when the disciples of Jesus withdrew from fellowship with the Lord (Matt. 26:56), Peter denied Christ (26:69-75), Corinthian believers lived in sin (2 Cor. 12:20-21), the Church in Asia became lukewarm (Rev. 2:4, 14-15, 20), etc.

The people of Israel serve as an example for Christians today. We are exhorted to persevere in righteousness and doing the will of God. Israel forsook her covenant with the LORD God (Jer. 2:19; 8:5; 14:7), and demonstrated her unfaithfulness by disobeying God.

In the New Testament backsliding is viewed as an individual problem, although it is possible for churches to become backslidden, too.

Why do Christians become backslidden? We all still possess the old nature that is “corrupt through deceitful lusts” (Eph. 4:22; Rom. 7:13-24; 1 Cor. 3:1-3). Lack of continuous fellowship by “abiding” in Christ results in a lack of spiritual vitality and ineffective Christian service (Jn. 15:4-8). There is no other way to live the Christian life except by maintaining an intimate fellowship with our Lord. If we do not maintain that vital contact with Him we cannot sustain spiritual growth and effectively minister in His name.

Unbelief (Heb. 3:12), bitterness (12:15), love for the world (2 Tim. 4:10), love for money (1 Tim. 6:10), adherence to worldly philosophy (Col. 2:8), legalism (Gal. 3:1; 1:6; 5:7), indifference and spiritual coldness (Rev. 2:4; 3:16) are other causes for backsliding.

Backsliding grieves the Holy Spirit (Eph. 4:30), and it displeases our Lord (Heb. 10:38). There are natural consequences that follow this sin (Lev. 26:18-25).

How can we prevent backsliding in our spiritual life? It is essential that we “abide” in Christ (Jn. 15:4-7), remain spiritually alert (Eph. 6:18), put on the full armor of God (v. 10), be prayerful (1 Thess. 5:17), etc. Seek to love the Lord God with all your mind, heart and personal being every day.

We can thank God that He patiently perseveres with His saints. Just as we are to persevere in doing His will, we can be thankful that He has made a wonderful covenant with us in the blood of His Son, Jesus Christ. The grace of perseverance is one of the great benefits of the atoning death of Jesus Christ for our sins. The solution for backsliding is found in the abiding love and mercy of our God of grace who remains faithful to His promises.

Backsliding is serious business. Martin Luther well said, “The offenses given within the church are greater than those given among the heathen because when Christians degenerate, they are more godless than the heathen.”

We have a choice. We can progress or regress in our Christian life. We have a great responsibility in how we choose to live the Christian life. God is able to strengthen and progressively sanctify the Christian if we cooperate with Him (Heb. 3:12; Phil. 3:10-16).

The promise to every backsliding Christian is to, “Return to Me, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts” (Mal. 3:7). Acknowledge your sin, turn from it, trust in the Lord for forgiveness and ask the Holy Spirit to take control of your mind, heart and daily life. Jesus says, “Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and will remove your lampstand out of its place—unless you repent” (Rev. 2:5).

It is reassuring that the Bible clearly teaches that the truly spiritual regenerate can never be lost. We are his forever children. Once his child by the new birth, always his child. However we can lose our fellowship with God and our effectiveness in Christian service. The God of all grace has provided a bar of soap; let’s use it often (1 John 1:6-10; 2:2).

Message by Wil Pounds (c) 2006 Anyone is free to use this material and distribute it, but it may not be sold under any circumstances whatsoever without the author’s written consent.

SELAH! Pause – reflect- just think of that!

We Run for the Advancement Of

We run for Him, for Christ’s glory and for the honor of His name. We run for the advancement of His kingdom. Joseph M. Stowell

In Our Service To

So let us not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we do not give up. Galatians 6:9 The Holy Bible , The New Living Translation

These verses say four important things to me.

The first is not to get tired in our service to our Heavenly King. We all need to take time to spend alone with our loving Father in His Cathedral (another name it is called by is nature ). To go for a walk on a nature trail our to sit by a gentle little rapids or to sit by the shore of a lake and relax. Then , call out to our Heavenly Poppa and ask Him to join us. That is the most beautiful and relaxing thing we can ever do.

Second is that it is in Gods time that we will be rewarded. He always has perfect timing , never too early , never too late.

The third part is that even though most of the time our service is not appreciated by those we are doing the good works for , they are always appreciated by our adoring Heavenly King Jesus.

The fourth point is that we do not give up.

It is when we are closest to victory that satan works his hardest to convince us to give up. If he wins he laughs at God as well as at us. If we persevere he screams in a rage Joseph a son of Jehovah

Prayer: Thank you Jesus Christ Ghmolah ( The God of Recompense. Job 11:20 ) that even though my service unto You seems like it is all for nothing many times , I have faith that You will always reward Your faithful servant. I thank you in Your gracious name. Amen

May you be blessed with the promise that is written in stone by our Heavenly King that you will be rewarded for your service unto Him Joseph a son of Jehovah.

Would you please pray for Sahil, a Christian in Pakistan that has a Christian school in the slums with protection , resources to guide others to Christ and strength and encouragement to continue on in very difficult circumstances ?

This article and photo @ 2021 Joseph a son of Jehovah. All rights reserved. Used only by permission of the author. Joseph a son of Jehovah

Please feel free to look up https://www.5minutediscipleship.com/ for a great daily podcast and https://www.lifeaudio.com/your-daily-prayer/ for great daily prayer

If you are interested in informative articles about covid here is the site I go to for the truth https://articles.mercola.com

I Say to You, ‘Don’t

“For I hold you by your right hand I , the Lord your God. And I say to you , ‘Don’t be afraid. I am here to help you.” Isaiah 41:13 The Holy Bible, The New Living Translation

So many times when the dark cloud of fear enveloped me I did the only thing I could do , I got down on my knees and prayed.

Most of the time our Heavenly Poppa would calm my fears but many times He would go through Bible Verses for hours with me cementing it in my feeble mind that He has everything in control and that He has a firm but gentle hold of my frail hand. That even though I cannot see where He is guiding me , He knows where He is leading me for a specific job He desires for me to do for Him. It helps to write them down and talk them over with Jehovah every night before be and first thing every morning.

Even now, there are still times of doubt.

That is when those Bible Verses are pulled out and read to satan and his minions. They quickly leave me alone.

When satan and his minions attack , bring out the only defence you need to defeat them. Prayer Joseph a son of Jehovah

Prayer: Thank you Jehovah Mephalti ( The Lord my Deliverer Psalm 18:2 ) that You always deliver me from debilitating fear and doubt. You replace it with Your strength and fortitude. I exalt You in the name of He who endured the strength to stay on that horrible cross until the work was done, Jesus Christ. Amen

May you always depend upon the most dependable one to chase away the dark clouds of fear and doubt, Jesus Christ. Joseph a son of Jehovah

Would you please pray for a sister in Christ that is battling depression while taking care of an abusive mother

This article and photo @ 2021 Joseph a son of Jehovah. All rights reserved. Used only by permission of the author.

Please feel free to look up https://www.5minutediscipleship.com/ for a great daily podcast and https://www.lifeaudio.com/your-daily-prayer/ for great daily prayer

If you are interested in informative articles about covid here is the site I go to for the truth https://articles.mercola.com/

Please Jehovah Jehovah Tsori

O our God, won’t you stop them? We are powerless against this mighty army that is about to attack us. We do not know what to do, but we are looking to you for help.” 2 Chronicles 20:12 The Holy Bible, The New Living Translation

Prayer: Please Jehovah Jehovah Tsori ( Lord my Strength Psalm 19:14 ) help me.

You know my weaknesses and how to strengthen them.

Where I am wavering please send the Holy Spirits strong hand to hold me up. I do not need the worlds feeble efforts to strengthen me when I have Your supreme power with in me.

Please open my eyes to see the wonderful things You are doing in my life and through it.

When the world points its self righteous fingers at me in condemnation, my precious Jesus, show me Your pierced hands to show me Your loving forgiveness when I repent.

I desire nothing of the emptiness the world considers valuable but rather I prefer the riches of Thy precious love.

Please increase my faith every moment of every day. Always remind me to come unto You for strength and wisdom and perseverance. Your way is the way to victory.

May I always follow the path You have chosen for me to walk, no matter how difficult, no matter if I cannot see where it is leading me in the situation I am in. I know it ultimately leads to victory.

It is in the name of my victorious King Jesus Christ that I humbly present this request unto You. Amen

May you always walk hand in hand with the Holy Spirit all the way to our Heavenly home. Joseph a son of Jehovah

This article and photo @ 2020 Joseph a son of Jehovah. All rights reserved. Used only by permission of the author.

Thank you Jehovah Tsidkenu

I will be careful to live a blameless life— when will you come to help me? I will lead a life of integrity in my own home. Psalms 101:2 The Holy Bible, The New Living Testament

Integrity: adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character; honesty.

To me home represents the heart.

Every day I pray for the Holy Spirit to help me speak and behave like my idol Jesus Christ in all I say and in all I do.

Society says that righteousness is like shifting sand. It is open to interpretation. What is right for you may not be right for me but I will respect your right to live like that. What an idiotic way to have a disfunctioning society, which is what we see today.

A Christian says they will stand upon the principals that Jehovah teaches us through His Word, the Bible. He brings this enlightenment to us through the mentoring of the Holy Spirit.

Now of course satan and by extension society, will try anything to destroy that with temptations of lust, political correctness, which is satanic, and suffering because we will not surrender our Godliness morals.

We of course have an undefeatable super weapon to help us live a victorious Godly life. His name is the Holy Spirit and He is just a call away when we request our Heavenly Poppa sent Him to help us.

But people who aren’t spiritual can’t receive these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can’t understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means. 1 Corinthians 2:14 The Holy Bible, The New Living Testament

“He said not: “Thou shalt not be tempted: Thou shalt not be travailed:|Thou shalt not be afflicted.”But he said:”Thou shalt not be overcome.”” Julian of Norwich

God’s way is perfect. All the Lord’s promises prove true. He is a shield for all who look to him for protection. Psalm 18:30 The Holy Bible, The New Living Testament

Prayer: Thank you Jehovah Tsidkenu (The Lord is Righteousness I Corinthians 1:30 ) for blessing me with sending the Holy Spirit to mentor me to live a righteous life and the strength and perseverance to do so every day. I praise You in the name of the most Righteous of all Jesus Christ. Amen

May you be blessed with plenty of learning opportunities at the feet of the best mentor, The Holy Spirit. Joseph a son of Jehovah

This article and photo @ 2020 Joseph a son of Jehovah. All rights reserved. Used only by permission of the author.

Even Though We Cannot See It.

 That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 The Holy Bible, The New Living Translation

The wonderful thing about being a Christian is that when we are tired and being at the point of throwing up our hands and giving up, the Holy Spirit comes along and blesses us with Divine strength to continue on.

When looking back on my previous troubles, most looked so huge they were going to overwhelm me but through the Holy Spirits help they were solved and they were no where near as they looked at the time.

In going through these troubles we produce glory for Jehovah for His deliverance. Folks see us and think that is it for us and Jehovah rises us from the ashes of defeat to the glory of victory only through His providence. That leaves those in the world completely confused.

We look where we cannot see. We look for Heaven and believe that is our eternal home even though we cannot see it. When we trust Jesus at His word and look forward to a wonderful Heavenly home He has prepared for us and our troubles look so small and insignificant. Joseph a son of Jehovah

Prayer: Thank you Jehovah Emunah (God is faithful 1 John 1:9, 2 Thessalonians 3:3 ) for being so faithful so as to never leave me nor forsake me. That my life is in Your strong, gentle hands at all times. In reflection I see with You by my side those big problems with nit so big after all. I thank you in the name of He who reassured His disciples during some pretty tough times, Jesus Christ. Amen

May your house be filled with joy in the morning and sweet dreams at night. May it be a home where love has come to live. Joseph a son of Jehovah

This article and photo @ 2020 Joseph a son of Jehovah. All rights reserved. Used only by permission of the author.

I am Surprised Jehovah is So

 “But is [extraordinarily] patient toward you ” 2 Peter 3:9 The Holy Bible Amplified Version

I am surprised Jehovah is so patient with me.

Year after year I make stupid mistakes. Year after year I fight with Him when He asks me to do something I do not want to do.

Year after years I fight with Him when He tells me not to do something I want to do.

Instead of exhaustively shaking His head and says:Oh Joseph,Oh Joseph, Oh Joseph, how long must you be so obstinate?

He says: “ I know you have a heart dedicated to me and that you are a weak fleshling but do not worry I am a patient, loving, forgiving Father. I know you are a good son whose ultimate desire is to love and obey me. Just keep trying son, we are walking this life together through both your failures and your victories.”

Our ground of hope is that God does not weary of mankind.” — Ralph W. Sockman

Oh wow, what a truly awesome God I love. I deeply desire to be like Him towards others as He is towards me.

Don’t you?

“Patience and perseverance have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish.” — John Quincy Adams

Prayer: Oh praise You my Beloved Jehovah EL RACHUM (Jehovah is a Merciful God ) Jehovah EL NASA (Forgiving God) for being so merciful and patient with this difficult child of Yours. Please bless me with the same mercy and love towards others todays as You have towards me every day. I humbly beseech You in the name of He whose great love for me lead Him to patiently endure the torturous cross Jesus Christ. Amen

May Christ bless you with love, joy and peace today and every day.

He Who Has a Head of Wax

Establish my footsteps in [the way of] Your word; Do not let any human weakness have power over me [causing me to be separated from You]. Psalm 119:133 The Holy Bible Amplified Version

I believe Jehovah instills in us all certain weaknesses in our spirit and in our dispositions. Try as we may we cannot conquer them even though we know they are destructive.

The reason for this is so that we learn to depend upon Him for guidance and strength. It is when we realize we are weak that we go humbly to Jehovah and request both His spiritual and mental strength to defeat these overpowering destructive traits. He answers in numerous manners.

Sometimes He will guide you to Godly councilors (which may take years before there is victory. This teaches you patience, faith and perseverance).

Sometimes our weaknesses are too strong for us to control so He teaches us to be dependent upon Him (boy has He ever come through on that one for me).  Sometimes He will exorcist in on His own (to exhibit His strength so you learn to have faith in Him and depend upon Him).

Sometimes He will work in harmony with you to destroy it (this is to teach you not to be arrogant and think you do not need His help).

Chances are there are times of temptation. Even though they come from satan they are used by Jehovah to test you to see if you are strong enough (He knows whether you are or not, He just wants you to know) or if you are wise enough and have faith enough to call upon Him for help believing He will answer you.

Those who have a head of wax must not walk out in the sun (know your weaknesses) Anonymous

Prayer: Thank you El Deah (God of knowledge) for blessing with the knowledge of my strengths and weaknesses. Thank you for directing me to Godly councilors whom have helped me immeasurably to learn how to handle them to give glory to You.

Thank you that when I fail in tests You are not angry with me but rather are just teaching me I have a ways to go.

Thank you that in Your grace You help me when in need of controlling the weaknesses so as to not shame Your name.

I give all glory to You my Love in the name of He whose strength conquers all weaknesses Jesus Christ. Amen

May your house be filled with joy in the morning and sweet dreams at night. May it be a home where love has come to live. Joseph a son of Jehovah