Jesus said I AM seven times. Satan said “I will” five times. There is a big difference between I AM and I will.
Jesus said,
“I am the bread of life. (John 6:35).
“I am the light of the world. (John 8:12).
“I am the door. (John 10:9).
“I am the good shepherd. (John 11:25).
“I am the way, the truth, and the life. (John 14:6).
“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser” (John 15:1).
In Isaiah 14:14-15 it is said of Lucifer,
How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart,
I will ascend into heaven,
I will exalt my throne above the stars of God:
I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
I will ascend above the heights of the clouds;
I will be like the most High.
Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit. (Isaiah 14:14-15)
Jesus declared himself I AM out loud, before many, Satan said quietly in his heart. Jesus declares the reality, Satan declares his individual desire. Jesus is eternally I AM, satan was created and generated ambition later.
Jesus was, and is, and is to come (Revelation 1:8) and what He purposes will come to pass (Isaiah 46:10. Satan WILL NEVER, EVER, EVER HAVE ANY OF HIS WISHES, HOPES, AMBITIONS, GOALS, OR PURPOSES ULTIMATELY COME TO PASS. (Revelation 20:10).
Jesus did it all, He paid it all, it is finished.
Friends, remember, satan is a defeated foe. He is active, but moot. He is around, but vanquished. Those of us in Christ are victorious through Christ’s eternal act of submission, crucifixion, and resurrection, His love, and His will.
I spend a lot of time outside watching the birds. There is an Eastern Phoebe nest under the awning at the patio, a Carolina wren nest in the eaves, and another wren nest at the other side of the lawn in the big birdhouse.
I watched the mom of that one go back and forth constantly, bringing food to her babies. I’d hear the baby’s racket inside the birdhouse and I’d know that the mom was back with another bug. She always swooped around looking for a tasty insect and was never disappointed. She always had enough to feed her babies.
The mama would fly off, and soon return with a bug, but not fly directly to the birdhouse. She would pause in a nearby branch, presumably to ensure that no predators were nearby. Then she’d quickly light on the birdhouse. I wanted to snap a photo of this process. I soon learned I did not have to keep my eyes glued to the birdhouse because when the mom landed, the inside of the house would erupt with chirps, lol. I’d hear the racket. Chirp! Chirp! Chirp!
The Lord takes care of them. They have food. Jesus was hungry often, (Mark 11:12, Mt 12:1), but God feeds the birds. Jesus had no place to lay His head but the birds have a nest.
And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” (Matthew 8:20).
How He takes care of us! Not only meeting our physical needs but interceding for us in heaven and in prayer! We are so blessed to have been given the grace to repent. And being in Him, we are secure in knowledge that He will provide what He knows we need.
God clothes the grass with wildflowers
26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. (Matthew 6:26-34)
I lived aboard a sailing yacht for two years and sailed up and down the Eastern Seaboard. Here is our boat.
At anchor in the Chesapeake
Upping anchor at dawn in a Georgia river
Looks peaceful, doesn’t it? Many days, it was.
But the sea can a capricious enchantress, and sometimes it kicked up wildly.
Sailing south of the FL keys. HUGE wave, photo doesn’t do it justice.
If we made an overnight offshore passage, it meant that when one of us was at the wheel, the other was resting or sleeping below. We did not have an automatic pilot (a yacht’s gizmo for cruise control). One of us just stood there in two hour shifts, hands on the wheel at all times. If the wind changed, we left the wheel and went forward to deal with changing the sails to adjust.
That was the most dangerous thing we had to do in the whole cruise. Leaving the cockpit and walking forward, at night, alone, with one of us sleeping below. You could easily get knocked overboard and the boat would sail on without you. Cries for help would be meager and immediately drowned out by the swish of the boat, the knocking of the sails and lines and anchor chain, the waves lashing against the boat, and the wind. When there is a storm the last thing the place is, is quiet. A human voice cannot compete.
My fear of falling overboard was palpable and never left me. Just thinking for a moment of the stern of the yacht sailing on and me in the cold, cold water probably to die, was a specter in front of my eyes all the time.
The way that small boat sailors dealt with that was to install jack lines. These are:
a rope or wire strung from a ship’s bow to stern to which a safety harness can be clipped, allowing a crew member to move about the deck safely when there is risk of falling or being swept overboard. At sea, falling overboard is one of the leading causes of death in boating; fastening oneself to the ship with a safety harness reduces this risk.
Many men in small yacht sailing avoid jack lines, something to do with machismo, I suppose. I’m glad my husband didn’t feel that way. He installed and actually used jack lines whenever we made an offshore passage. Insisted on it, actually.
I watched the PBS show Carrier, about sailors on a US Navy Carrier, and in one episode, a sailor fell off the ship. He was not found.
I often think about how hard it would be to spot a tiny dark head in the swishing ocean. What insignificance we would feel being a tiny bundle of flesh in the mighty and expansive sea.
God is like that ocean. Sometimes we might feel tiny and insignificant in the face of His majesty and power. He created the universe with a word, flooded the entire earth with His power, named all the billions of stars. Does He remember me, a small package of flesh yawping and lumbering about on the earth? Does He recall my name, see this forgiven sinner in the vast ocean of humanity?
Yes.
Yes, He remembers you (and me). (See Genesis 21:14-17). There is no fear that one lone person will get lost in the shuffle. He formed our soul, wrote our names in His Book since before the foundation of the world, anticipated us through His sovereign plan, formed us in the womb, and guarded us until the appointed day of salvation. Then-
I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one. (John 10:28-30)
Moreover, his Son died for us, for each tiny bundle of flesh bouncing around in this world of sin and death and activity and humanity. Jesus died for us, each of us, the elect. We will not get lost in the shuffle. He will remember me.
Poetry by Kay Cude. Used with permission. Right click on image to open larger in new tab. Artist’s statement below.
I keep returning to our (me!!) needing to “remember” God’s promises and provision. GOD THE I AM is the only fortress in Whom we find a righteous protector, defender and provider. He is the only place of eternal refuge from the world’s continuing tragedies and chaos. He is the stronghold Who is and Who will provide peace, wisdom, understanding, instruction and endurance.
I emphasize the importance of remaining anchored in the Word to prevent spiritual drifting, as referenced in Hebrews 2:1. Drawing parallels from sailing, I highlight the need for vigilance and multiple reference points to ensure one’s faith remains strong, and I warn of the deceptive nature of gradual drift away from God.
We worship an orderly God, whose prophecies, whose seasons, whose mankind progresses according to His will. What a blessing it is to know we submit to a God who is perfect, whose mighty hand is outstretched to make Himself known and His works, including the animal world, are a wonder.
Below is a poem by Kay Cude. Right-click to enlarge in new tab. Or read below-
“Foamy crystal drops of damp, and he alights with ease; to rest upon a liquid bed, his heart content and pleased; To linger there and end his day, the journey hard and long; the banks call out to lay upon, his heart by rest made strong.”
1There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every matter under heaven— 2A time to give birth and a time to die; A time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted. 3A time to kill and a time to heal; A time to tear down and a time to build up. Ecclesiastes 3:1-3
“I was sinking deep in sin…” goes the first line of an old song. (Love Lifted Me, 1912)
No matter how deep in sin a person is, no matter how low…no matter if they are in the gutter, or even one foot down the shaft of the gates of hell (like I was)
God’s arm is not too short to lift you from it!
He won’t make you wait. He won’t toy with you. If you call out to the Lord to save you and forgive your sins, He will, instantly. If you are saved but have sinned or strayed, and you call out to the Lord to forgive you, He will, instantly.
He was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’ Immediately Jesus reached out His hand and caught him. ‘You of little faith,’ He said, ‘why did you doubt? (Matthew 14:29-31)
A short burst of encouragement from a verse, with photo.
EPrata photo
Friends, the road is long. The road is winding. We cannot see around the curve. We know there are dangers, roils, and snares as well as blessings and joys. However, we know the end of the story. It ends in glory. Keep walking the road in Jesus’ name, rejoicing as you go.
What glories await! There are things now conceived of, inexpressible and majestic! Paul was overwhelmed with the vision of our future home and the surpassing greatness of the revelations he was blessed to receive.
A song by Matt Papa and Matt Boswell at the Getty’s site, “Almost Home”. Every day that passes is one day closer to seeing Jesus, our eternal Rest, and reunion with loved ones. Hang in there, walk joyfully toward the Great Light!
Grace is a concept. But it’s not just a concept. Grace is a gift, but it’s not just a gift. Grace is a force. Think about how powerful grace is. Think about its power as it exists in Jesus, as it is delivered to the saints, its common state as it covers the world, and its special state as it enlivens the saints to do our work.
Here is an excerpt about grace from a sermon from John MacArthur called, Strength Perfected in Weakness, looking at this verse: 2 Corinthians 12:7-10.
or because of these surpassingly great revelations. Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
In speaking of the linchpin part of the passage, ‘my grace is sufficient for you’, MacArthur said,
But grace is not just an inert sort of concept; it is a force, it is a power. It is a power that transforms us. It is a power that awakens us from sleep. It is a power that gives us life in the midst of death. It is a power that is dynamic enough to transform us from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of God’s dear Son. It is the power that saves us. It is the power that keeps us, the power that enables us, the power that sanctifies us, and the power that one day will glorify us. You have to look at grace as a force, a divine force that God pours out into the lives of His people at all points to grant them all that they need to be all that He desires.
Grace is a gift. Grace is a state. and… Grace is a POWER.
and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.
We have His seal, the deposit of the guarantee of the Spirit in us for…what? Some versions say for what is to come. So…what exactly?
It’s a big subject but today I want to leave you with one short thought.
A guarantee of eternal life. We cannot die because He that is in us cannot die. We have the Spirit in us, the third Person of the Trinity, IN US, and since He is eternal, we are eternal in life.
The Greek word pledge in the 2Corinthians verse means, earnest-money, a large part of the payment, given in advance as a security that the whole will be paid afterwards.
Sure, all souls who ever lived, even for a few weeks in a womb, all the way to the end of a long life in the triple digits, die physically. We will awaken at the end of all things. Some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt, says Daniel 12:2.
Those of us who are in Christ cannot die spiritually, when we are awakened by His trumpet call it will be to LIFE eternal, the Spirit guarantees it! We cannot die. The eternal Spirit in us cannot die, so we will not die.
There is no guarantee, no deposit, more sure than the Third Person of the Trinity, making a pledge of His own self, for the promise of life eternal in glory.
the-end-time.org 