KNOW THE LORD
Friday – December 29, 2017
It hardly seems possible that we are at years end once again. All I can say is that the last three years have been something. Anyway, in and through it all, God has been good. Perhaps there are times in our lives when we wondered if we had taken one turn and God another. The circumstances that swirl about us are not an indicator of the presence of God. God is always there and the extent to which those circumstances invade our lives is directly related to our focus on Him and our faith in Him and not the circumstances. We are not to focus on the circumstances or to have faith in the circumstances. That is not to say that we are passive with regard to our circumstances, we rely upon our God and the Words He gives us to speak to overcome all adverse circumstances. Remember Peter’s circumstances were the same in and out of the boat, the wind was boisterous all the time. When he got out of the boat and had is focus on Jesus, the Word, he walked on the water (about and independent of) aloof from the circumstances but when he focused on the wind boisterous he suddenly had more faith in the circumstances than Jesus. Each of us must ask ourselves, where or in whom is our faith? Now, let’s read our primary text.
Hebrews 8:7-10 (KJV)
7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second.
8 For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:
9 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord.
10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:
The first covenant had faults as we have discussed and there was need of a second and superior Covenant and that came by way of the Blood Covenant between God and Abraham. This second covenant when ratified by the Blood of Jesus at Calvary and beyond until He was seated at the Father’s right hand restored all things. The original intent of God was restored to those who would choose Jesus as Lord and Savior.
Verse nine is important, a recurring reality, and consequence. We know when we read down through the Old Testament that the children of Israel were an on again off again peoples with regard to their faith in God. I wonder if you and I have a similar history in our short lives. I suspect if we are honest that we have had times when we did not continue in our covenant with God. That does not mean that we forsook our salvation but we were pretty much doing our own thing. When we treat the covenant lightly, sometimes Scripture refers to that as despising the covenant, God has to step back. Our text says that when they “continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not”. I don’t know about you but I would rather that God be fully engaged with me and that starts with me being fully engaged with Him. Notice this principle in the (b) section of the following Scripture.
1 Samuel 2:30 (KJV)
30 Wherefore the LORD God of Israel saith, I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk before me for ever: but now the LORD saith, Be it far from me; for them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed.
This is the spiritual/physical law of sowing and reaping.
Galatians 6:7 (KJV)
7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
We cannot be out there doing our own thing and think that God is going to pour all the blessing into our lives because we are so cute and loveable. As we finish for today and for 2017 let’s look briefly at verse ten. In this verse we find the words “mind” and “hearts”. The word “mind” has to do with our deepest thoughts and the word “hearts” has to do with that area of the mind that is the gatekeeper, the decision maker. As we study Hebrews 8:10 we might ask, how is God going to write His laws in our hearts? Is He going to override our freewill and just make us know them? The state of man since the Day of Sin is in the direction of evil. Our conscious before salvation is determined by our upbringing and our experiences. When we are born again and our spirit man can again freely communicate with God as we allow (we are freewill creations) He writes upon our heart. A part of the answer to our question about how God does this lies in the Bible Numerology of Hebrews 8:10. Hebrews is the nineteenth chapter of the New Blood Covenant and nineteen is the number of faith. Eight (chapter eight) is the number of new beginnings, and ten (verse) is the number law and responsibility. We could then say that by faith with our new beginning of salvation we choose to exercise our responsibility to populate our mind with the laws of God.
The work of the Holy Spirit is to teach us about right and wrong but that is not independent of studying Scripture. We make the choice all along the way whether to receive His guidance into righteousness or to stiffen our necks and harden our hearts. Let us chose today to have soft and pliable hearts (minds) before the Lord today and in the coming year.
HAPPY NEW YEAR WITH MANY BLESSINGS AS EACH OF US WALK IN OBEDIENCE BEFORE THE LORD!
Until our next publication, I speak blessing into your life right now, receive it in the name of Jesus, confess it, and walk it out with thanksgiving.
Numbers 6:24-26 (GW)
24 The LORD will bless you and watch over you.
25 The LORD will smile on you and be kind to you.
26 The LORD will look on you with favor and give you peace.’
By: Dr. David Wood, Author, Bible Teacher, and Prophetic Voice
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