The PROSPEROUS SOUL "Are you 'Well done' or half-baked?"

"Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth." (3 John 2)

  

  Do you realize that God's Holy Word tells us that one of the tribes of the nation of Israel was half-baked? Hosea, one of God's preachers of the Old Testament, said, "Ephraim is a cake not turned." (Hosea 7:8) What does he mean by that? If you don't understand the meaning, could the same thing be said about you? Well, let's see if we can shed some light on this matter.

       Let's take a look at what God's Word says to us in the letter of 3 John 2, "Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth." God's number one wish for us is that we be prosperous. Note though, while He wants us to have material and physical prosperity, He tells us that those things depend upon the condition of our soul, saying, "...even as thy soul prospereth." So, what does God mean by a "prosperous soul"? A prosperous soul is one that is transformed out of the corruption of our old flesh nature, into the new nature that is like Jesus - filled with love, joy, peace, and all things good!

       So how do we go about getting a prosperous soul? Jesus summed it up with this command, "Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness." (Matthew 6:33) What does this mean? A related Scripture explains that answer this way, "let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith." (Hebrews 12:1,2) So, we get a soul that is prosperous by being conformed to the image of Christ is a process in which we have accepted responsibilities that God assigned to us, for our good. Furthermore, as we run this race of faith, this passage reminds us to keep our focus upon Jesus, because God never intends for us to run this race alone.

       But what if we don't lay aside the sin? What if we don't keep our focus upon the Lord? What if we try to sit down instead of continuing on in the race? Is God going to let us get away with that? No, as the passage continues, we find, "My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth." (Hebrews 12:5,6) Notice that it does not say, "For whom the Lord 'is ANGRY' He chasteneth." God is clear that those whom He LOVES are those whom He chastens, or to whom He gives correction or discipline. And that, my friend, applies to You.

       How does God chasten us? God will often use the unique circumstances in our life, as well as the consequences we encounter as a result of our individual life choices. The Scriptures use the word "fire" to demonstrate these experiences. Most believers do not realize just how important God made the role of fire to be, in helping His children grow and develop in their potential. Jesus promised, "...He (Jesus) shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire." (Luke 3:16) However, many people have the mistaken notion that becoming a Christian means the end of their earthly problems. They believe that the Christian life is supposed to be characterized by absence of trials. This is directly opposite of God's plan.

       Isn't it ironic that many people decide to get saved out of their fear of suffering in the fires of Hell?! They think that becoming a Christian is their way OUT of pain and anguish - like an eternal fire insurance policy. Instead, from the time we become saved and a Christian, we find ourselves in a place of having fire *assurance*. In other words, you can be *assured* that, almost from the moment you become saved, you will experience fire in your life, and pain and suffering from the fiery resistance being levelled against you in this life on earth.

       Although fiery trials and the suffering that accompany them, often come by the unwise choices of our old flesh nature or of the old flesh nature of someone else, God redeems them for our good, because He loves us. When we, as Christians, don’t understand this, we often ask God for relief from our trials, suffering, and the circumstances of unwise choices (our own or someone else's). This is often a major source of frustration for many of God's people because their priorities focus on getting relief while God's priorities focus on making us into a "new, Christ-natured" person. The fact is, we must learn to rejoice in knowing God is lovingly redeeming our old ways of life, so we benefit and grow from the trials and suffering they bring.

       Now, to explain what God meant by using the term "half-baked", He was trying to heal His people, but they would not let Him. They did not turn to Him when the trials came, so they, as a cake not turned, became burned on one side instead of being cooked throughout, evenly. They were half-baked. The only way to avoid being half-baked is to turn toward God even more, when the heat is on. That means, when we find ourselves in the midst of a fiery trial, our best results will come by facing it with full focus on God, our Redeemer. Satan, of course, will try to meddle in the process by tempting us to avoid the trial, or to attempt to quench the fire.

       There are many ways people try quenching the fire, seeking to find relief from its heat: turning to TV, alcohol, self-medication, divorce, job-change, church-hopping, shopping, moving, and many other spontaneous and harmful situations. Those are simply ways of trying to avoid the inevitable event of facing the truth. This is how God's people responded, and God said they were "half-baked". They wouldn't turn to Him and be healed.

       Notice that God's motivation in using the fiery trials was for the benefit of His children. The chastening is "for our profit, that we might be partakers of His holiness." (Hebrews 12:10) God uses our trials to chasten us because He loves us, not because He is angry with us. If we respond properly, then we profit, and prosper, from the benefits, "afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby." (Hebrews 12:11)

       Is every trial we experience the chastening of God? Certainly not. The important point, however, is that God's bride will be purified by fire, as Isaiah 48:10 explains, "Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction."

       The Apostle Paul described the trials and sufferings that afflicted him as, "That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death." (Philippians 3:10) Paul realized that his suffering was teaching him more about Christ Jesus, helping him to become more like Him. God wants us to realize that we have the choice to resist or accept His intension of using our trials in our lives to bring us closer to Him. To accept, is to make us "new" and more like Him. Rather than being half-baked, God wants His servants "Well done".

       When we stand in the fiery trials of pursuing NEW LIFE IN Christ, we allow them to do their perfect work, so we will one day be able to hear the sweetest of sounds, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant." (Matthew 25:21a)

"I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eye salve, that thou mayest see." (Revelation 3:18)

  This message is provided to help fan the flame in your heart for Christ Jesus, His wonder-full ways, and His plan and purpose for us in this life. To ask questions, make a special donation, place a special order for books or CDs, or to share a testimony or prayer request with us, please click for e-mail, or write a letter and mail it to the address shown on our website, and as provided below.

  We look forward to meeting here for the next blogpost as we keep Pressin' In Toward The Mark! Please make sure to invite your friends who are unsaved, or those who just need encouragement in the things of God's Word, His Will, and His Ways. We pray that God bless and keep you! In Christ Jesus,

Take me back to the top of this blogpost.

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To Show GOD BIG in a World that Sees Him small… 
sums up the reason Keith stepped out in faith to focus on reaching the lost and strengthening believers everywhere, through Toward The Mark, Inc.  Keith and Brenda's prayer is that you will be encouraged and edified by the Secrets from God's Word that Keith recounts in our written and recorded products.  The complete collection of original podcasts, music, blogs, books, CDs, and other resources of Toward The Mark, Inc. are made possible by the prayer and financial contributions of the TTM Support Family.  We'd like to welcome you onboard TODAY!

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The Crisis of Eroding Integrity

Are you aware that there was actually a time in our nation's history when a man or woman's word was their bond?  When an agreement was made, the parties involved would simply shake hands and it was done.  I remember very clearly when I was around the age of seven watching my great grandfather negotiate a price to build a house for a man.

My grandfather went back and forth with the man for a while.  Finally, they came to an agreement.  The two of them shook hands, and off we went.  There was no need for lengthy and confusing contracts.  The transactions between people involved honest, because people simply lived their lives based on the honor system which was based on integrity.  When two people made an agreement, they took to heart what the verse of Matthew 5:37 says, "But let your communication be, Yea, yea or Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil."

Over the years I have had the privilege of spending time with many wonderful Christian leaders, men and women who have modeled for me and so many others just what it means to walk out a life of integrity in all situations.  They are passionate about truth and have "in-deed" given their lives to seeing God's perfect will and plan fulfilled in everything they do.  When they tell you they are going to do something, you can "take it to the bank"!

On the other hand, I have met people who are not so committed to living a life of integrity.  I have also heard heartbreaking stories of people who have been hurt by the compromise of a person whose tendency is to prefer style over substance.  Their practices, more often than not, include using God's name for the purpose of manipulating people and situations in order to have their own selfish wants and desires fulfilled.

Jesus warns us in Matthew 24:4-5 saying, "Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ (anointed); and shall deceive many."  Notice, Jesus didn't say these people would actually claim to be himself come in the flesh, but he was warning us about those who claim to be "anointed" but are not.  

Paul also warns us of such impostors in 2 Timothy 3:1-7 saying, "This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.  For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, truce breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth."

Another similar problem faces the church today: immature believers that tend to use the name of Jesus Christ to justify doing or saying something they feel strongly about.  I don't say this to belittle the precious young ones in Christ among us but to make the point that much is being done in the name of our wonderful Lord that is wrong.  In my thirty-five years of ministry, I have never seen a time like now. I have personally witnessed even the so-called "mature" among us compromise their integrity on the altar of selfish convenience.  Jesus warns, "Beware of the scribes, which desire to walk in long robes, and love greetings in the markets, and the highest seats in the synagogues, and the chief rooms at feasts; which devour widows' houses, and for a shew make long prayers: the same shall receive greater damnation."  (Luke 20:46)  There you go, if you want to talk about style over substance!

Jesus gives us a way to identify these folks in the following verses.  "These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved forever." (2 Peter 2:17)  "For every tree is known by his own fruit."  (Luke 6:44)  Just because someone says they're a Christian, it doesn't necessarily mean that it's true, and they are a Christian.  However, seeing the fruit of a person's life - where most of their personal time, talents, and treasures is spent - will stand as the true evidence of their being committed to diligently pursuing God and His ways, or still being committed to their old flesh nature instead.

If you have read or listened to even a few of the messages God has provided through this ministry of Toward The Mark, Inc, you have likely heard me say, with conviction and frequency, that, "Those who truly w-a-n-t Christ, truly pursue Him."  When we begin to seek Christ with our whole hearts, we also become committed to forsaking anything and anyone that comes to separate us from Him, and become committed to following Jesus Christ in every area of our lives and lifestyle.  As we learn about, and experience, Christ's Nature and see the love He has for us as His children, we will become more like Him and will have a desire to be totally and wholeheartedly transformed into His likeness.  With that in mind, if the extent of someone's commitment to Christ is simply attending a church service or two each week, that just "won't cut it" for them for long if they truly w-a-n-t to be transformed into Christ's image.  An old country preacher once said, "Sittin' in a church pew, for a Sunday or mid-week service, makes you a Christian, just about as much as sittin' in a garage for a day makes you a car."

If what we say doesn't match up with what we do, what people see that we do will always be more important than what we say.  "Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works." (James 2:18)  As long as we live, our actions will always speak louder than our words.  

Paul hit the nail on the head when he said, "This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come."  (2 Timothy 3:1)  Perilous times have arrived.  It is clear that we are in the last days and the "peril" has come.  In the last seventy years alone, we have seen our means of communication progress from archaic methods to the highly technical and very sophisticated systems of today.  Satellite, fiber optic cable, and world-wide internet communication systems have come to be used by the devil and his minions for dumping his deceptive agenda into our homes around the clock, making it easy to continually flood our eyes and ears with what is working to erode away our integrity.  The assault on everything that is good is raging around us and, if there has ever been a time when we need to focus our wholehearted attention on God, it is NOW!

"And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, (to indulge one's appetites excessively) and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and [so] that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man." (Luke 21:34)

"But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer." (1 Peter 4:7)

This time we are living in is NO time for compromise!  In fact, the evidence is shows... Our Lord Jesus Christ's return is very soon.

THANK YOU for staying connected with us, and for following our blog every month throughout the year!  We appreciate you and pray God's greatest blessing on you and your family!  In Christ Jesus,

Re-read and Pass it on to everyone you know who hasn't given their heart and life to Christ, or to those who just need encouraged:  The_Crisis_of_Eroding_Integrity

To Show GOD BIG in a World that Sees Him small…  sums up the reason Keith stepped out in faith to focus on reaching the lost and strengthening believers everywhere, through Toward The Mark, Inc.  Keith and Brenda's prayer is that you will be encouraged and edified by the Secrets from God's Word that Keith recounts in our written and recorded products.  The complete collection of original podcasts, music, blogs, books, CDs, and other resources of Toward The Mark, Inc. are made possible by the prayer and financial contributions of the TTM Support Family.  We'd like to welcome you onboard TODAY!

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