Add to Your Faith: Self-Control Part 2

2 Peter 1:6 (NKJV) ⁶  to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness,

Last time we began looking at the third thing we need to add to our faith in order to walk fully in what Peter has revealed to us in 2 Peter 1.  We found that we have a need for self-control.  While virtue speaks of a pattern of living that will lead us away from sin and compromise and to God and his will, self-control is what will help us deal with the inevitable temptations that come to us as we navigate the world. 

This section of scripture is really speaking of accessing the divine nature that is within us because of salvation.  I am not “only human.”  I am more than that.  I am a human being with the divine nature within me.  In order to access that nature so that it can work in my outward life I need to receive the promises in the Word of God by faith.  I also need to do certain things that God reveals in his Word which will release that power to flow through me.  I thank God that I am not limited to my own self-control.  That would be a problem for me.  Instead, when I choose to exercise what self-control I can, it releases the power of God within to back up my choices.

How do we tap into the fruit of self-control?  It is understood that we are flesh and we will stumble at times.  But I want to know what I can do in order to mitigate that.  I want to know the actions I can take to make my self-control stronger and more able to tap into the power of god within.  The Bible has quite a bit to say about this.  Ephesians 4;17-19 tell us what weakens our self-control.

Ephesians 4:17-19 (NKJV) ¹⁷  This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, ¹⁸  having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; ¹⁹  who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.

In these verses we see a progression.  The end of this progression is someone who has given themselves over to lewdness with the purpose of working all uncleanness with greediness.  That is not where you are and it is not where I am.  It is, however, what can happen if we do not deal with certain things.  The cause of the progression is set out here.  It starts with the futility of the mind. 

That does not mean we should not use our minds.  It does not mean we should not think or learn.  It does mean that when we lean on the mind alone, we will find that it produces futility.  The result of that is to be alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance because they have blinded their hearts.  Wisdom comes from God.  Without it, knowledge and information is of little use.  In proverbs 4:19 it says that the way of the wicked is like darkness.  They stumble and they do not know why.

Ephesians 4:20-24 (NKJV) ²⁰  But you have not so learned Christ, ²¹  if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: ²²  that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, ²³  and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, ²⁴  and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.

Here Paul gives us the solution.  For those of us who are born again there is a different way.  We must choose to put off some things and put on others.  We must stop doing things the way we used to.  We have to recognize that we are not who we were.  Again, that is not talking about everything.  It is talking about the things related to dealing with temptation.  We must recognize that lust is deceitful.  I am not just talking about sexual lust.  Lust is any strong controlling desire.  Anything the flesh wants can be a lust if we let it.

As we put off the old man we must be renewed in the spirit of our mind.  In Romans 12 Paul is talking about the same thing when he says we must be transformed by the renewing of our minds.  If we want to be able to exercise the power of our will which will access the fruit of temperance, we must learn to think more like God.  We have been programed to assume many things that will not help us overcome the temptations of the flesh.  As we learn to think more like God, we will see those things as lies.  The Word of God has the power to change how we think if we give time to it in study and meditation.

Finally, we must put on the new man.  That means we are going to have to start saying no to things that do not agree with God’s Word or his ways.  If he says do not do something, we are going to have to say no to that thing even if our flesh wants to say yes.  We may not fully understand why we should say no, but to do so just because the Bible says so is the very thing that releases the inner power of temperance. 

If we try to put on the new man without the wisdom and power of what the Word of God says, we may know we should try, but it will be law and we will be unsuccessful.  If we study and learn what the Bible says while also spending time in the presence of God through prayer, praise and worship, something happens that releases the power of temperance inwardly while strengthening our soul where the will, the source of self-control resides.

Let me close with one more scripture and an insight that will help you. 

James 1:12-15 (NKJV) ¹²  Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. ¹³  Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. ¹⁴  But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. ¹⁵  Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.

This gives us a clear picture of how temptation becomes sin.  The temptation itself is not sin.  This alone can help you.  Just because temptation comes to your mind or your flesh does not mean you have done anything wrong.  If you work on cars you get dirty.  That is not your fault it is the way it works.  If you live in the world temptation will come.  Temptation becomes sin when we dwell on it.  The more we entertain temptation, the more it conceives something in us that can and usually will turn to some kind of action.  There is a key that will release the power of the fruit of temperance.  That key is the first thought.

When temptation comes, we must choose to cast down the first thought.  If we do not let it dwell in our minds it cannot conceive.  Two things we must know in order to do that.  Once we take control of the first thought, it may come back.  When it does, it is still the first thought.  Depending on how much a temptation is attacking a weakness in our flesh, that thought may have to be dealt with many times.  Do not let it progress.  Take control of it every time.

The second key is this.  You will think on something.  If you are under temptation you deal with the first tempting thought, but you are going to have to replace it.  This is not easy.  It is often a real battle.  You do not want to think about something else but remember, this is a battle for your peace, your walk of holiness and ultimately your destiny.  The most important thing you need to replace the tempting thought with is the Word of God itself.  Putting your mind on something else outwardly can help, but the power to live in self-control comes from within.  The Word is food for that part of us. 

Add to your faith, virtue and knowledge, self-control and you will walk in a new kind of victory.  According to James you will receive the crown of life that God has promised.  I believe that has an eternal meaning but I also thing it applies to living in the Kingdom of God right here on earth.

Add to Your Faith: Self-Control Part 1

2 Peter 1:6 (NKJV) ⁶  to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness,

We have been looking at Peter’s second letter to the church in which he points out some very powerful things that are available to us as believers.  As with everything else in the Kingdom, we access them by faith.  However, Peter also points out that if we want to be effective in walking in the promises of 2 Peter 1, we are going to have to add some things to our faith.  If we do, we will be useful and fruitful in the Kingdom of God, our Christian walk as well as in life itself.  What must we add to our faith to come to a place where we will never stumble?

We have studied two of them already.  First, we add virtue, which is a lifestyle that leads us away from sin and compromise and instead leads us closer to God.  The next thing we must add is knowledge.  The knowledge Peter is talking about is not the knowledge that comes from God as revelation.  It is knowledge we must add to our virtue.  The idea is that we must study to gain it.  As we do, we acquire a framework wherein God can speak to us on increasingly mature levels. 

The next thing in our list of additions to faith is self-control.  Self-control, or temperance, differs from virtue in one major way.  Virtue involves daily choices and patterns of living that keep us where we belong so we will walk right before God.  Virtue speaks to continual character.  If we apply the power of virtue consistently, we will encounter less temptations as we walk through life.  We will need to exercise the power of self-control less.

The problem is that we still must live in the world.  Even if we cultivate virtuous living, we are going to be confronted with temptations.  Virtue will help us be ready.  Nevertheless, we will face temptation, trials and troubles.  We may think we are invulnerable to temptation.  If we do, we are foolish.  Our adversary will see to it that temptation will come in the worst possible time and it will be directed at the places we are weakest.  In those times we must add self-control to faith, virtue, and knowledge.

As is true of each of these characteristics, self-control is not something that God does for us.  In Galatians we find a list of the fruit of the spirit.  Self-control, or temperance, is also listed there.  The fruit in Galatians are characteristics of the Holy Spirit that grow in our spirit after salvation.  We are not left to simple will power to overcome temptation.  There is a power of temperance that comes from within that enables us to overcome whatever temptation we may face. 

The same word is used in Galatians 5:23 as in 2 Peter 1:6 but the context in which they appear tells the difference in how they are used.  Galatians says that self-control is something that comes from within.  It is a fruit.  The whole point of 2 Peter 1:5-7 is that we must add things to our faith.  We must add them.  They are things we do.  Self-control is a fruit of the spirit.  It is also a set of actions we must take in order to release the fruit so it will strengthen us to resist what we must.  

Think of it this way.  My wife loves tomatoes.  We are not gardeners, but one year in particular my daughter decided to plant some vegetables for us while we were away on vacation.  We were home for most of the summer, but in August we left for nearly two months.  We did not get back home until October.  My wife’s tomatoes grew very well.  She did some work weeding and whatnot to cultivate them, but that is not something we know much about.  The truth is the tomatoes just grew!

Before we left, she managed to pick some of them, but they were mostly green.  By the time we got home the vines were full, but it was too late.  The fruit had been there, but my wife was not around to put in the work required to pick them.  She did not get much out of those wonderful tomatoes.  The same would have occurred if she were home and just never went and put in the effort to pick the fruit from the vine.  Picking is not really hard, but it must be done.  The ground, the seed and the Lord did the hard part, but she had to do her part to partake of the fruit that was provided.

The same is true for all these things, especially self-control.  There is a power within us that will help us overcome the temptations we face every day.  However, we must add the actions related to self-control to access the fruit.  If we do not, we will fall under temptation.  We will stumble.  When we stumble, we do not lose God’s love or his grace.  We do make ourselves vulnerable to the infection of sin. 

If we yield to temptation we can easily repent, and God promises to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  That does not mean the devil will simply forget about it.  He will use it against you.  Because there is some physical truth to the accusation he brings, he will have leverage.  You can overcome that, but if you do not sin at all, you will not have to. 

The other problem with stumbling is that we reveal our vulnerability.  For most of us, there are not many temptations that are a real danger.  I am a man, old but not yet dead, designed to be arouse sexually by sight.  Today we are bombarded with visuals that no man needs to see.  If there is any temptation that comes to me at all, it has very little power.  I love my wife.  Outside of Jesus, she is everything to me.  She is a great wife, a great mother and a wonderful lover.  I have no need of any other woman in my life.  There is a natural function of my body that may hint at temptation, but it passes by with little or no effect.

Many temptations are just so far beyond our experience and so outside of what we would ever do, that they do not take all that much to resist.  There are temptations that all of us find more difficult.  10 years ago, I lost 62 pounds.  I have kept most of it off since, but recently some clothes were getting tight that had not been for many years.  When I weighed myself, I found that lockdowns, holidays and travel had caused me to lose some ground in the weight battle.  At that point I had to make a decision to do something.  I prayed for Gods help.  I did not try and get God to lower the caloric content of the foods I liked.  I asked God to help me with the fruit of self-control.  That is how I lost the weight to begin with.

Did God answer my prayer?  Of course he did.  That did not change the fact that I had to begin eating less.  It did not keep me from second helpings or from hitting the sweets as hard as I had been.  I had to do that.  I had to exercise self-control.  These are simple temptations.  Most of us face things that are much more difficult, but most of us can relate to these kinds of things. 

Hebrews 12 tells us we must lay aside the sins that so easily come upon us.  We all have things that we are more vulnerable to than others.  There are things we will give in to if the pressure becomes too great.  When we stumble those things become clear to both ourselves and the devil.  When we are discourage we are even more vulnerable.  The enemy is watching us.  Those are the times he will bring that temptation we succumbed to before.  In those times especially a lack of self-control can be spiritually damaging to our walk and even physically fatal. 

We need to add self-control to faith and virtue.  The question is what actions must we take that will enable us to access the fruit of temperance and keep us from yielding under the pressure of temptation.  That is what we will look at next.

Add To Your Faith: Knowledge

2 Peter 1:5 (NKJV) ⁵  But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge,

Over the last number of posts, I have been looking at 2 Peter 1.  There are some powerful truths in this section of scripture and all of them apply to how we live our Christian life in such a way as to be useful and fruitful in both the Kingdom of God and our personal life. The next thing Peter tells us to do is add certain things to our faith. 

As a pastor I began to realize that knowing the principles did not always translate into successful living.  That is when God led be to this section of scripture.  Anyone who has lived as a Christian and certainly anyone who has been given the privilege of ministering to God’s people understands that life is hard and often messy.  If we just put forth the beautiful principles of the Word without understanding what it takes to work them in the real world, our faith is just religion.  Peter understood that.  He gives us the benefit of his wisdom on how to make it work in these verses.

The first thing we must add is virtue.  You can look back at the last post for definitions and other insights, but I think the best way to look at virtue in this context is that it is a lifestyle that will lead away from sin and bring you closer to God.  This involves the choices we make as well as how we spend our time.  Virtue does not require we never do anything for pleasure or relaxation or family.  It is a lifestyle that will keep us balanced.  Remember that we are adding to our faith.  Each of these things that we do also corresponds with an aspect of the divine nature within.  We are not just doing a law, we are releasing our faith and accessing what God has put within us. 

The second thing on Peter’s list of additions is knowledge.  We have only one word for knowledge in English, but the Greek has two.  One is “epignosis.”  This is defined as complete knowledge.  From a spiritual perspective, this is what we call revelation or revealed knowledge.  That is the knowledge that comes from God to our spirit.  It is not just what we know in our head.  We find this word in Philippians 1:9.

Philippians 1:9 (NKJV) ⁹  And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment,

Paul is praying that we would abound more and more in “epignosis.”  I believe this is the knowledge that comes from what Paul called in Romans 12 the renewing of the mind.  I believe this kind of knowledge is vital to a Christian.  Nevertheless, this is not the word used in 2 Peter.  He uses the word gnosis.  This word means the act of knowing.  It includes the word science in the definition.  Epignosis, spiritual knowledge is derived from gnosis.  You might say it this way.  Epignosis is not possible if you have no gnosis to build upon.  We need epignosis to really live our Christian walk, but we must have gnosis if we are going to be able to receive epignosis from God.

So what is gnosis?  I think something Paul said to Timothy, his son in the faith, gives us some insight.

2 Timothy 2:15 (KJV) ¹⁵  Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

The New King James says “be diligent to present yourself approved to God.”  I think in this case the KJV gives us a clearer picture.  We are to study to show ourselves approved to God.  Why did Paul exhort Timothy to study?  I believe he understood that Timothy needed to add some gnosis to his faith.  That was going to take study.  It was not just going to come upon him from the air.  I hate to say it, but if we want to come to a place where we will never stumble, we are going to have to study to gain gnosis of God and his Word.  That is how knowledge comes in scientific study.  It takes some work.

Let me bring in some balance here.  In the first and second century of the church there was a heresy that came against what God was trying to establish.  The apostle John is addressing that in his letters to a great degree.  It was called “Gnosticism.”  Gnosticism said that the knowing was everything.  There is more to it than that, but I do not want to take the space here to get into it.  Needless to say, they exalted the knowledge above all else.  That is not what Peter is talking about.

Faith is about relationship.  We do not just know God in our heads.  We experience him in our heart.  We interact with him on a level much deeper than what we know in our intellect.  Faith is deeper than intellect.  We believe even when it does not make sense.  Why than do we need to add knowledge to faith?

When we set ourselves to obtain knowledge about God, we create a pathway, if you will, that will enable us to receive and understand the deeper knowledge that comes from God himself.  Epignosis has a place to express itself.  What we read in the word is more easily understood because we have a basis of intellectual and experiential understanding through which to interpret it.  What God speaks to our spirit will not seem so strange and difficult to understand.  Let me illustrate it with natural language.

I travel a lot and I speak a little bit of a lot of languages but not enough of any.  I am a preacher and teacher above whatever else I may be, so language and words are my tools and I know how to use them.  In English.  If I were to try to preach in Spanish, I would sound like a kindergartener.  I just do not have the words to express what I know in an intelligible way. 

Conversely, I may be speaking with someone who has a doctorate, but if they do not speak my language, whatever they say is gibberish to me.  Once we both understand the same language we can interact on a deeper and more fulfilling level.  We can learn from each other and we understand that each of us has something to offer.  So it is when we add knowledge to faith.

We need to study God’s Word.  We need to learn about him.  We need to study a little about the times in which the Bible was written.  If you really want to be fluent in a language, you must understand the grammar.  If you do not you are just repeating words.  If we want to know God, we must know how he thinks, how he does things and much more. 

Let me restate that I am not talking about doing things to earn something from God.  We do not have to earn anything.  There is not an arbitrary level we must attain to please God so he will move for us.  The key to everything is to know God.  One of the ways we do that is to add the lifestyle of acquiring knowledge to our faith. 

God will speak to us and work with us on whatever level we may be.  If you are new in the things of God, he does not expect you to be “fluent” in knowledge.  However, we should be growing.  The more we add knowledge to faith, the more we will understand what he is trying to tell us.  The more his ways will become our ways.  The more we will be able to see life through his eyes.  We will walk in life and Godliness and we will never stumble.  Let me close by quoting a scripture that I alluded to earlier.  I think it is one of the clearest statements of what we are doing when we add knowledge to our faith.

Romans 12:2 (NKJV) ²  And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

Add To Your Faith: Virtue

2 Peter 1:5 (NKJV) ⁵  But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge,

Over the last few posts, we have looked at this section of scripture in detail.  We have found that there many promises revealed in the first 11 verses of this chapter.  A key to partaking of these promises according to Peter is that we add to our faith a list of character traits.  We add them because by faith we have been given access to all we need to live life in this world and be an example of Godliness as we do.  We are partakers of the divine nature. When we were born again that nature was placed within us. 

In today’s verse we see a phrase that is very important.  Peter says, “for this very reason.”  The New Living Translation says it this way, “In view of all this.”  Both tell us that what comes next is because of what he has already said.  This is important because if we do not first accept the truths in the first 4 verses by faith, what we add will only be a matter of law.  As I have said repeatedly, law is flesh trying to control flesh.  It never works and always produces bondage.  That is not what Peter is saying. 

His point is simple.  If you add these things to what you know by faith about salvation in Christ, you will release a power in your life that will bring consistency and enable you to overcome in any circumstance.  This is vital in today’s world both for our personal victory and for those to whom we have been sent.

What are we to add to faith?  Peter begins by telling us to add virtue to our faith.  I am a great believer in the principles of faith.  I believe the only way to receive from God is by faith and faith based on his Word (Romans 10:17.)  Nevertheless, I also believe it is important to heed the words of Peter.  I must add virtue to my faith.

What exactly is virtue as Peter is using the word?  The English definition of virtue is moral excellence.  A virtue in an individual person would be a very high character trait.  I believe this is part of what Peter is talking about.  Many times, he exhorts the church to walk in purity of character (1 Peter 4.)  The world is full of moral compromise.  Morality is seen as flexible and relative.  I believe we must not give in to that kind of thinking.  Morality is defined by God in the Bible.  The 10 commandments predated the law.  They are a statement of God’s moral code and they have never been repealed.

If we are going to walk in the power of the divine nature that is ours by salvation, we must cultivate moral excellence.  We must have no lying, cheating, sexual impurity or any such thing.  Our lives, as much as possible, must be above reproach.  The reason is simple.  The divine nature is above reproach and when we lower our standards we are not flowing in that nature and we give sin and the devil a way in.  Everyone makes mistakes, but we must be willing to deal with the cause and continue to do better.

The Greek word gives us more.  It also carries the idea of excellence, but it does not limit it to moral excellence.  It is excellence in every area.  There are two words here that we need to understand in light of virtue.  The words are “intrinsic” and “attributed.”  Something that is intrinsic means something that is part of our nature.  It refers to things that are “built in to” what we are.  Excellence was imparted to us when we were born again.  We can be excellent because he who is excellence lives within.  God is not asking us to be excellent, morally or any other way, in our strength.  We have been given the divine nature; therefore, we can walk in excellence.

The other word implies something else entirely.  Things are attributed to us by others.  It means there is evidence in our lives that shows we are excellent.  Because of what people see, they attribute excellence to us.  When they think of us, they think of excellence.  They see excellence in our lifestyle.  They come to expect excellence of us because that is their experience with us.  Intrinsic excellence should lead to attributed excellence. 

Another interesting shade of the meaning of the Greek word is manliness or valor.  Today this is often not seen as excellence.  Manliness is shown by how sensitive (and often how feminine) men are in their actions.  That was not true in Bible days.  A man was the protector of his family.  He had to be brave enough to endure hardship to care for them.  He had to be willing to defend them.  Valor or bravery was necessary and a man who did not possess these characteristics could not be considered excellent. 

This does not mean Peter is speaking only to men.  It is just that virtue would have been understood in this context in his day.  Nevertheless, women must also exhibit this kind of valor.  Both must be brave enough to stand for what is right.  They must have the courage to stand for the purity of the Bible.  They must be willing to live in such a way as not to compromise the integrity of the Word of God nor of the God of the Word.  This is difficult in a culture that rewards compromise and treats the commandments of God with indifference.

As I was praying about all of this, I asked myself how I could add virtue to faith.  I believe the Lord showed me a key.  Virtue is all that I have said above.  Though it is a different word in the Greek, virtue is also translated as the power of God.  I have a power in me that can help me walk in excellence.  This includes moral excellence as well as excellence in my behavior toward others, in my relationships and in all that I put my hand to.  How can I release that power into my living?

I believe that the way we do that is to cultivate a lifestyle that leads us away from sin and closer to God.  I must make quality decisions that I am going to live by what the Word of God teaches before I am faced with the opportunity to compromise.  I must exercise myself to virtue.  I must make choices that lead me closer to God as opposed to away from him.  I must decide that if I even think something will lead me into temptation, I will take another path.

In this sense, I believe what Peter calls virtue is this kind of lifestyle.  I can make these choices because I have been given all things that pertain to life and Godliness.  I can live this lifestyle because I partake of the divine nature through the great and precious promises of the Word of God.  Part of this is to decide beforehand how I will react to the temptations I know will come to me in life.

For example, if I am confronted with an opportunity to take money without reporting it on my taxes, what am I going to do?  If images that cause temptation are placed before me, am I going to turn away or continue to look.  Am I going to listen to that dirty joke or am I going to walk away?  Am I going to allow flattery to stir my pride toward sin, or am I going to actively give glory to God for all I have and all I am.?  Am I going to decide before the temptation comes that I will be faithful to my spouse or am I going to entertain the reasons my spouse does not deserve me?  You can put in any thing that fits your life.  Virtue will lead you away from the evil and bring you closer to Godly behavior.

To walk in virtue by faith we must cultivate our relationship with the Lord.  We must spend time in the Word of God.  Not to fulfill a “quota” of verse reading but because in his Word he reveals himself.  His Word is a living thing filled with his power.  This power is released into our minds and hearts through our spirit.  We must pray.  Prayer is simply communication with God.  If we do not communicate with him, how will we really know him.  We must give Glory to God.  Abraham stayed strong in faith throughout the trial of his faith in the promise by giving glory to God (Romans 4.)  How do we do that?  We praise him for what he has done and we wordship him for who he is. 

If we add virtue to faith, we will be on our way to an abundant entrance in the Kingdom of God. We will be able to live here on earth in victory and we will never stumble.

Add to Your Faith: Cost Verses Value

2 Peter 1:8-11 (NKJV) ⁸  For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹  For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins. ¹⁰  Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; ¹¹  for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

We have been spending time looking at the first 11 verses of Peter’s second letter to the church.  We have found that there are some powerful promises involved in this section of scripture.  Last time we looked at the fact that there were things we had to add to our faith if we want to walk fully in those promises.  We always start with faith.  If we do not believe that God has provided what he said, anything else we do is just law.  Law is powerless because it is flesh trying to control flesh.  However, faith is something that is seated in our spirit.  If we believe first, whatever else we find we need to do is an action that corresponds to faith (James 2:18-26.) 

Once we believe what God has said, Peter gives some actions we can take to enhance, strengthen and release that faith so that it has the maximum effect in our living.  There is a thought that because salvation is by grace that nothing else is necessary.  We do not need any works because what we have is by grace.  Everything is ours legally by grace, but salvation is by grace through faith (Eph. 2:8.)  Grace is what provides all we need, and faith is how we access it.  James 2 tells us faith without some works or corresponding actions on our part is dead. 

The promise we are actively believing here is that God has given us all things that pertain unto life and Godliness as we partake of his divine nature through the great and precious promises of the Bible.  He then gives us a list of things to add to faith.  These are the works or corresponding actions we are to take to help us walk in the promise.  We see in the verse above he says clearly that how much we walk in “all things that pertain unto life and Godliness” is connected to what we add. 

One of the differences between law and faith is what is emphasized.  Law focuses on the cost.  You must do this because it is necessary.  That is not wrong.  There are some things we must do.  That is life both in the natural and the spiritual.  I believe it produces a more accurate understanding if we focus on the reward not the cost.  If you go into a car dealership, they are going to tell you all you get by purchasing their vehicle.  They will tell you about rebates that amount to a very small fraction of the cost.  They will do there best to keep your focus away from the tens of thousands of dollars it will cost you to buy the car.  If they can convince you that what you get is greater than what you have to pay, you will pay the price.

Neither Jesus nor any of the New Testament writers ever try to deceive you.  Jesus is very clear as to the cost of following him.

Matthew 16:24-25 (NKJV) ²⁴  Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. ²⁵  For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.

The cost for being a disciple of Jesus is that we must be willing to take up our cross and follow him.  If we are willing to lose our life, we will find it.  If we try to protect our life, we will lose our effectiveness and power as his disciples.  In the first post of this series, I pointed to many scriptures where Paul makes it clear that there are things we must do if we want to be successful in our Christian walk.  The question is not whether there is a price.  The question is whether it is worth paying.  What do we receive in exchange for the price paid?  This verse gives us things God promises here to those who are willing to walk according to what he requires. 

We have already touched on some of this, but as I began to write today, it became clear to me that I needed to emphasize it again.  The NKJV says that if these things abound in you, you will be useful and fruitful in your knowledge of Jesus.  Look at how the New Living Translation says this. 

2 Peter 1:8 (NLT2) ⁸  The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

I want to be productive and useful to the Kingdom of God.  I do not want my faith in Christ to simply be some religious practice.  I want my faith to spill out into my life and into the world around me.  I want my knowing God to change things in my life.  I want my knowing God to produce freedom for the people I encounter.  I think that is what it means to be productive and useful in the knowledge of Christ. 

What if I do not have these things?

2 Peter 1:9 (NLT2) ⁹  But those who fail to develop in this way are shortsighted or blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their old sins.

I already looked at this, but I want you to see it in the New Living.  If I fail to develop in this way, I am shortsighted and may even be blind to what is really going on around me.  That includes the challenges of life, the attacks of our adversary, the devil, and our own weaknesses.  The symptom is that we can lose the gratitude that comes with understanding what Jesus did for us.  He cleansed us from our sins.  We were not good before meeting him.  We can only be good as we yield to him and walk in what he has provided.

We did not look at verses 10 and 11. 

2 Peter 1:10-11 (NKJV) ¹⁰  Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; ¹¹  for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

The New Living clarifies the idea of being diligent.  It says “work hard to prove that you really are among those that God has chosen.”  We really do not like that kind of statement.  If what we have is by grace through faith, why would we have to work hard or be diligent to prove anything?  The hard work is because our flesh does not automatically respond to the things of God.  The more we try to draw near to God, the more our flesh rebels.  The devil will make certain of this if he can.  If we add this list of things to our faith this verse says we will never stumble. 

Wow!  I wish I could say I never stumble in my Christian walk.  I cannot say that.  So, I have a choice.  I can say that I am only human, and God understands.  He is not mad at me and I will still go to heaven.  That is very true.  Peter is showing us a better way.  I can add to my faith certain things.  If I have them actively working in my life, I will come to a place where I never stumble. 

Finally, he tells me that in this way I can obtain an abundant entrance into the Kingdom of God.  This cannot just mean heaven.  I will go to heaven because I believe on Jesus as my Lord and savior and because of God’s grace.  I believe the entrance he is talking about applies more to access to the holiness, power and strength of God’s Kingdom as I walk right here on earth. 

Now, given what we get for what we pay, how many want to know what we need to work hard to add to our faith?

Add To Your Faith

2 Peter 1:5 (NKJV) ⁵  But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge,

In our last two posts we have been looking at 1 Peter chapter 1.  In this section of scripture Peter is writing to the church.  He makes some powerful statements that, since God put them in the Bible, we have every right to view as promises.  He prays that grace and peace would be multiplied in our lives.  I believe we need that now more than at any other time in my life.  He tells us that we have been given access to all things that pertain unto life and Godliness.  He says we have been given “exceedingly great and precious promises” through which we can be partakers of the divine nature.  I believe that is how we can also access all things that pertain unto life and Godliness.  He says the through partaking of God’s divine nature we can escape the corruption that is in the world through lust.

I see this as meaning we can have victory in the trials that come to everyone in life.  I also believe it means we can walk free from sin.  Not by keeping law but by the power of God’s divine nature working within us.  The key here is that we must partake of these things.  They are ours.  We have access.  How do we partake?

Peter begins by saying we must add certain things to our faith.  If we do not have faith to begin with, we have nothing to add these other things to.  If we try to add them without faith, they will certainly become a type of law in our lives.  There are many ways we could describe law.  I think we are under law when we try to control our flesh with our flesh.  When we look at the list Peter says we must add to our faith, it is full of things we must do.  If we do them by law, thinking they alone will make us worthy of God’s divine nature, we will fail.  We can never be worthy by self-effort.  However, if we start with faith in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus, we realize that it is accepting what Jesus did by faith and submitting to him as Lord that makes us worthy.

Christianity can only be lived from the inside out.  When we are born again, our spirit, the innermost part of our being is made new.  Jesus lives in us.  The Holy Spirit becomes the strengthener of our spirit.  Neither our mind nor our body changes immediately but 2 Corinthian 5:17-21 clearly says that we become a new creation when we receive Jesus as Lord and Savior.  It is the inner man that changes.  The outer man changes as we allow the inner man to dominate us.  Romans 12 tells us our minds must be renewed.  Romans 6 tells us that we must yield our members, our bodies, to God instead of to sin.  All of this takes time and growth but we are made new in the spirit the moment we accept Jesus. 

This is what Peter is talking about in this scripture.  If we have received Jesus, we have been born again.  Our spirit is sinless, righteous and connected to God.  We have the divine nature within us.  We access, or partake of, what God has placed in us through studying and meditating upon the exceedingly great and precious promises that God has provided in the written Word of God, the Bible.  Romans 10:17 says faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.  When the Gospel was preached to us faith came with it.  When we responded to that faith, we were saved (Ephesians 2:8.)  Faith came into us at salvation.  We can and must continue to develop that faith and that becomes the way we access the divine nature. 

If we begin here, we understand that we cannot earn salvation.  We cannot earn our way to righteousness.  Those things are gifts of grace.  All we have to do is believe them.  Why, then, does Peter say we must add things to faith?  Is our salvation incomplete?  Of course not.  Do we have to earn God’s intervention in our lives?  Again, the answer is no.  What is the reason we must add anything to faith?

I have been in ministry a long time.  I have worked with many people.  I have been a Christian even longer.  I have had to deal with my own weaknesses and imperfections.  I believe that I am born again.  I believe that heaven is my eternal home.  I believe that I have been made right with God through salvation.  I believe that what I am, I am by the grace of God.  Nevertheless, in my own life and in those to whom I have ministered for over 40 years, I recognize that neither they nor I have reached perfection. 

We must believe what God did for us in salvation first.  That does not mean we walk in it perfectly.  I believe I am right with God.  Nevertheless, I still sin.  The wages of sin is death.  That does not mean that every time I fail to walk right before God I will physically die.  It does not mean that every sin causes me to lose salvation.  It does mean that sin opens a door in my life to the influence of the devil.  It does mean that sin makes me vulnerable to the death that is in the world through lust. 

God does not make me stop sinning.  That would violate the free will given to us in creation and that Jesus had to die to preserve.  I can sin if I want to.  God does not want me to sin.  Not because he is a task master that just wants things his own way.  He knows that sin is toxic to a believer and he does not want that toxicity keeping me from walking in the life he has for me.  He does not want death to have any foothold on me.  He wants me to walk in the divine nature he provided in salvation.

That divine nature is not part of our flesh.  The divine nature resides in our spirit.  In Galatians 5:16 we see that if we walk in the spirit, we will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh.  Why?  Because the divine nature is in my spirit.  That is what I really am if I am born again.  What does it mean to walk in the spirit?  It simply means to walk with that part of our being in control.  If we are controlled by our intellect alone, we do not actively access the divine nature.  If we allow our bodies to be in control we will always yield to the base desires.  The body wants what it wants even if it brings its own destruction.  Drug and alcohol addiction is an example.  The body desires the thing that is killing it, but it will not stop. 

How can I walk in the spirit?  First, I must by faith accept that I am a new creature.  Salvation worked.  I am not what I was before.  I can walk right in the world because I am right in my spirit.  If I do not believe and cultivate that truth, I will devolve into law which cannot help me access the divine nature within.  I must give priority to developing my spirit, my inner man in two primary ways.  I must spend time in fellowship with God through prayer, praise and worship.  I must also go to God’s great and precious promises because by them we have access to the divine nature.

I must read the Word of God.  I must give priority to the Word of God in my life.  I must meditate on the word of God until I begin to think like God thinks and see what God sees.  I must obey the Word of God as I understand it.  We all grow in our understanding of the Word, but if I walk in the light of what I know, I will continue to change until I fully reflect what the Word says I should be.  This simply means if I see that the Bible says I should not do something, I do not do it.  If it says I should do something, I must do it.  As we grow what we should and should not do becomes more clear.  If we will not obey what we understand today, we will not understand more tomorrow.

Part of this whole process is what Peter tells us to do next.  We must add to our faith.  All the things in this list are things we can and must do.  They are not laws.  They are keys that will help unlock access to the divine nature that is ours by the right of salvation.  They are things that will build the inner man and minimize the effect of the flesh in our living.  They are things we can do that cause us to be more like him.  We will escape the corruption that is in the world through lust and we will be useful and fruitful in the Kingdom of God.

Useful and Fruitful

2 Peter 1:4-8 (NKJV) ⁴  by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. ⁵  But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, ⁶  to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, ⁷  to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. ⁸  For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

In our last post, I began looking at Peter’s second letter.  In the first 4 verses we found that Peter is praying for grace and peace to be multiplied to the members of the church.  This is something we desperately need in these times.  Verse 4 is one of my favorites.  He tells us we have been given access to God’s own divine nature through the exceedingly great and precious promises given us in the Bible.  In this divine nature are all things that pertain unto life and Godliness.  That means we have legal and vital access to anything we need to successfully live as Christians in the earth and to be Godlike and God centered in doing so.  I am a “Word” guy.  I believe that the Word of God is full of the life of God and that anything we need can be obtained through understanding what God says in his exceeding great and precious promises.  That said, there are things we need to do along with building the Word of God into our lives.

Verse 4 is God’s part in this.  He has given us access.  He has given us his divine nature and he has given us the exceedingly great and precious promises.  What is our part?  In verse 5 he tells us.  Peter is assuming that we have faith.  We are believers.  We believe that verses 1-4 are true.  We receive all things that pertain unto life and Godliness by his divine nature.  Peter tells us that our part is to add to our faith.  He then gives a list of things that we must add.  God will not do that part.  Everything in this list are things we can do that will work with what God has done to produce certain things in our lives. 

Let’s be clear.  God has done the hard part in anything we have as Christians.  Whatever he asks us to do, we can do.  It may not always be easy as it requires we deal with our flesh.  We live in an entitlement society.  The prevailing attitude seems to be that we should not have to work for what we need.  We are entitled to what the founding fathers of the United States called life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.  They did not see these things as entitlements to be provided by someone else.  They saw them as things that, if a person worked hard in life, he or she should have the right to obtain.  That is why they called it the “pursuit” of these basic things.  We often want them handed to us.  This is applied to our relationship to God in Christ as well.

As I said, God did the hard part.  He saved us.  He redeemed us.  He gave us his Holy Spirit to dwell in us.  He gave us all things that pertain unto life and Godliness.  That does not mean we do not have a part to play.  There are things throughout the New Testament that imply we must do certain things if we are going to walk in what God provided.  We must put off the old man and put-on Christ (Eph. 4:22-23.)  We must walk worthy of the calling to which we were called (Eph. 4:1.)  We must consider ourselves dead to sin and alive to God (Romans 6:11.)  We must renew our minds so we will not be conformed to this world but transformed so we will walk in his will (Romans 12:1-3.)  We must come out from among the world and be separate, we must flee youthful lust, and we must not due a list of things relating to lifestyle.  We must study to show ourselves approved to God and we must draw near to God and we must resist the devil.  There are many more things we must do but I think you get the idea.

Why does God require these things of us?  Some think that such things are some type of law that should not and does not apply to the church age of Grace.  However, everything I have mentioned comes from the letters written by various people including Peter and Paul to the church.  None of them are laws in a legal sense.  They are truths that our Father wants us to know that will release in us what he wants us to have.  They are ways that we can control our flesh and they are principles that produce things in our lives he wants for us.  In Peter’s 1^st letter chapter 5 verses 8-11 he gives us another reason we need to do our part while we are here on earth.  We have an adversary who is working to devour us and God’s blessing in our lives.  These things will keep us safe.

Is it a matter of law when a good father sets boundaries for his children?  Is it law when he tells the 7-year-old not to play in the road?  There must come a time when we no longer confine our children to the home.  When we let them extend beyond those boundaries, we are exposing them to danger.  It is not law to warn them and set gradually expanding boundaries.  It is good parenting. 

It is not law when we train our children in the things that will bring them success in life.  We do not just throw the 16-year-old with a driver’s permit the keys to the car and say, “Have fun.”  We teach them to drive because there is danger on the roads.  This is not just danger to themselves, but it is danger to everyone around them when they are behind the wheel.  I told my kids, “This is the first thing you will do that has life and death consequences.”  Was that law?  Was I just being a buzz kill?  No, I was being a parent. 

Is it Law to teach our children that they need to work to earn a living or to manage their money and not just blow all they have on temporary pleasures?  No.  Once again it is good parenting that prepares our children to live as safe, healthy and prosperous a life as possible.  It prepares them to be productive adults who can affect their world for the positive.  If we do not do this, we have failed as parents.  God is a Father, and he will do no less for his children. 

After giving us a list of things that we must add to our faith, he tells us what the result of doing so will be.  Verse 8 tells us that if we have these things abounding in our lives, we will be neither barren nor unfruitful in our knowledge of the Lord.  That means we will not be barren nor unfruitful in life.  The word barren here means useless.  Fruitful means producing visible results.  If we have these things working in us, we will be both useful and fruitful both spiritually and in every other way.  That is what I want for myself and that is how I can positively impact my world. 

In verse 9 he describes a life without these things working in us.  He says we will be shortsighted.  Today we call this near sighted.  Most of my life I wore glasses or contact lenses because I could not see things far away.  This is a problem with things like driving.  If we cannot see what is out in front of us, we cannot react in time to avoid the dangers or accurately guide the vehicle.

We also use this term in life to describe a person who only sees the short-term effects of what they do instead of looking ahead to plan for whatever may come.  This person will usually end up in failure.  Peter tells us that if we do not add certain things to our faith, we will be so short sighted that we will eventually become blind.  When we come to that point, we forget what our salvation is all about.  We become ungrateful and we begin to fall into many problems that could and should be avoided.  We become useless and fruitless in our Christian walk. 

You do not want that either for your own life, for your destiny in God nor for your children.  Our world needs Christians who are able to access all that pertains unto life and Godliness.  We need to show that power to our family, friends, and neighbors.  Let’s see what we need to add to our faith and how.  Are you with me?

All That Pertains to Life and Godliness

So here we are having survived 2020.  What is God going to do in our lives in 2021.  I cannot say I am optimistic about this year as it pertains to natural things.  I think the United States, my country, may be headed for dark times.  I hope I am wrong.  It is not my intent to prophesy.  Fortunately, I do believe that God has everything under control.  I believe 2021 is going to be a powerful year for God’s Kingdom and for all those who walk in that Kingdom.  God is in control and I am part of his family first and foremost.

Paul said in Romans 8 that he was more than a conqueror through Jesus who loved him.  Paul lived in dark days.  Rome was the ruling power of the day.  It was moving from republic to empire and there was a great deal of instability because of this.  Paul himself had once been part of the ruling elite of Israel but was now an outcast because of his faith in Jesus.  It was not looking good for him.  Yet he said in all that was coming against him he was more than a conqueror.  If I have a theme for 2021 it is that I am and will walk as more than a conqueror over whatever comes my way.

I have talked about that in this space at the end of last year so you can look back to see what that means.  Right now, I feel that God is leading me to look at some things that will help us do that.  The verse above is one of my favorite sections of scripture.  I want to look at it closely.  Peter begins by telling us to whom the letter is addressed.  He is writing to those who have obtained “like precious faith.”  He is writing to believers.  We have this faith because of the righteousness of Jesus not because of what we have done.  That said, what comes next will apply to people who are walking in this faith. 

His prayer for those people is that grace and peace will be multiplied to them.  I pray that for myself and for you.  Grace is divine influence upon a life or favor that is not earned or deserved.  Romans 2:8 tells us that we are saved by Grace through faith.  What we have been given by grace we receive by faith.  That goes for everything that is involved in salvation.  One definition of the Greek word for salvation is “all the blessings bestowed upon man in Christ.” 

Peter also prays that peace will be multiplied to us.  Peace is defined as quietness, rest or to be set at one again.  Peter is talking about being put back into relationship, or set as one with, God the Father.  The Greek word also implies prosperity.  We often equate prosperity with money.  However, true prosperity is the ability to access the power of God to meet any and all needs of life.  That may mean financial, but it also means emotional, spiritual and any other area in which we may prosper.  Paul called it peace that passes understanding.  That means having peace when we have no right to be at peace.  Jesus said:

John 14:27 (NKJV) ²⁷  Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

As believers we have access to both grace and peace.  They are already ours because of salvation.  Peter is praying that they will be multiplied to us.  I think this is a need for these times.  I need a multiplication of the awareness of God’s divine influence in my life, grace.  I need a multiplication of the peace, inner quietness and confidence that was left to me by Jesus himself.  I need a peace that passes my ability to understand and favor from God that I do not deserve.  Does Peter tell us how this can manifest for us in 2021?  Yes.  He says they come by the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. 

Knowing everything about current events as portrayed on the news will not fill us with grace and peace.  Education about earthly things will not do it.  Only one knowledge will cause the awareness of God’s grace and peace to be multiplied in the heart of a Christian.  If we want to accomplish one thing in 2021 it must be to know God and Jesus our Lord more fully and more intimately than ever before. 

In verse 3-4 he begins to give us important insight into how we can grow in this knowledge.  God’s divine power has already provided for us all things that pertain unto life and Godliness.  One of the most important truths we need to learn is that we already have everything we need for both.  We have what we need to succeed and overcome in life right here on earth.  We also have what we need to succeed in Godliness.  A dear friend of mine who is now residing in heaven defined Godliness as being God like and God centered.  We can be both.  Not because of who we are but because of what we are in Christ.

In the end of verse three we see what the will of God is for us all.  Again, it is accomplished by developing our knowledge of God.  This knowledge will produce manifestations of both glory and virtue in our lives.  Glory is the power and presence of God in manifestation.  Virtue is the force that comes from the goodness of God.  It will enable us to live a lifestyle that will lead us away from sin and closer to God.  Verse four tells us the vehicle by which we will access these things.

Access to all of these things have been given to us when he gave us his exceeding great and precious promises.  What promises is he talking about?  There can be only one place to look.  They are the promises of God that Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 1:20 are all yes and amen in Christ.  Where can I find these promises?  I find them in the written Word of God.  How can I know God and the Lord Jesus?  I know them by the interaction of the Holy Spirit within me and the Word of God given to us in the Bible.

Peter lived in the same dark days as Paul did.  They were dangerous and difficult for many people but especially so for Christians.  They were hunted, persecuted, and even killed for the Gospel.  In the midst of these things and more, Peter is telling them there is a way to have both grace and peace multiplied in their lives.  Some in the world are facing these kinds of difficulties.  Most of us in the developed world are not.  If they could have grace and peace multiplied, so can we.  The source of this multiplication will be God’s great and precious promises.

Peter ends this section of his letter to the church by saying that by these promises we can be partakers of God’s divine nature.  What is God’s divine nature?  It is everything that we think of when we use the term God.  He is almighty, all knowing, everywhere present and unchangeable.  Just as important to us he is love and our Father.  To partake of his nature does not mean we are almighty, but it does mean we can partake of his almightiness.  It does not mean we know everything, but it does mean we can access his knowledge when we need it.  We are not everywhere present, but he is anywhere we are.  We are not unchanging but his love and care for us is.  Through his great and precious promises all these things can become functioning parts of our earthly living in 2021.  Praise His Name!

He reminds us that in our relationship with him we have escaped the corruption of the world because of the action of lust within it.  As we partake of his divine nature through his Word, we will be able to live above this corruption and see virtue and glory released in our lives and to the people and the world around us. 

In the next verse he begins to tell us what we can do to see this happen.  That is what we will study next.

Looking Ahead let me say One More Time: God Will Restore

Joel 1:1-4 (NKJV) ¹  The word of the LORD that came to Joel the son of Pethuel. ²  Hear this, you elders, And give ear, all you inhabitants of the land! Has anything like this happened in your days, Or even in the days of your fathers? ³  Tell your children about it, Let your children tell their children, And their children another generation. ⁴  What the chewing locust left, the swarming locust has eaten; What the swarming locust left, the crawling locust has eaten; And what the crawling locust left, the consuming locust has eaten.

We bid a fond (?) farewell to 2020.  For those who may not understand that statement, it is a common way to end a travel log.  The traveler would tell of the beauty and wonder of a location and then say, “We bid a fond farewell to sunny………”  I think you may see the irony in the statement.  We certainly bid farewell to this terrible year.  The only thing that makes the farewell fond is that the year is over.  As I have been sending greetings, I keep coming back to restoration.  I have vacillated between two opinions of how well I heard the Lord last year.  Either I heard clearly, and we needed restoration more than at any other time in recent history or I have never been so wrong in my life.  I expect it is some of both.

As we enter 2021, I feel compelled again to state the obvious.  We need God to move in restoration.  As I was reading these verses again this morning, I was struck by how clearly they describe what 2020 was like.  If one thing did not cause problem the next thing did.  Covid, lockdowns, riots, economic disasters, storms, contentious and questioned elections, you name it we seem to have had it.  Thank God, for my wife, myself and many people we know it has not been personally that bad.  It has been inconvenient, distressing and annoying but not tragic as it has for some.  

Still, I believe we have seen dangerous precedents in how things have been handled during all of this.  I think this is a dangerous time for the world.  This disease and how it has been handled will produce a great deal of lack and lack leads to conflict.  Nevertheless, these kinds of times have always preceded revival.  I believe we can and should expect God to move in a special way and we, the church, need to be ready. 

Joel 1 is about loss.  Joel 2 is about restoration.  If you are interested, you can look back on the posts from last year.  I had a great deal to say about what God wants to restore in your life and how he wants to do it.  I think those things remain important for 2021.  I believe God wants to restore everything the devil has taken this past year.  It may have been health, business, well-being, relationships, jobs, finances or any number of other things.  God can and will restore what has been stolen and more.  It is important for us to realize as we begin this year, that it is not just about restoration for you and me.  I have not lost much.  The world around me has.  I am called by Jesus the light of the world.  If you are born again so are you.  We need to see restoration for our world not just for ourselves. 

As I said, I taught much in 2020 on restoration.  I feel some other things stirring for this year, but once more let me encourage you to believe for total restoration.  Not just for yourself and your family but for those around you and our world.  As I was feeling to post this to start the year, I felt that I wanted to just quote Joel 2:1-27.  In these verses God tells what needs to happen to produce restoration.  More than that it is a guarantee that if we do what God commands here, we will see a reversal of what happened in chapter one.  Are you ready?  I will not add any commentary except to say that verse 28 begins the scripture quoted by Peter on the day of Pentecost which became the basis of the first message ever preached in the church age.  That message produced one of the greatest revivals, if not the greatest, in church history.  I think God has something similar in mind for us. 

Joel 2:1-27 (NKJV) ¹  Blow the trumpet in Zion, And sound an alarm in My holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble; For the day of the LORD is coming, For it is at hand: ²  A day of darkness and gloominess, A day of clouds and thick darkness, Like the morning clouds spread over the mountains. A people come, great and strong, The like of whom has never been; Nor will there ever be any such after them, Even for many successive generations. ³  A fire devours before them, And behind them a flame burns; The land is like the Garden of Eden before them, And behind them a desolate wilderness; Surely nothing shall escape them. ⁴  Their appearance is like the appearance of horses; And like swift steeds, so they run. ⁵  With a noise like chariots Over mountaintops they leap, Like the noise of a flaming fire that devours the stubble, Like a strong people set in battle array. ⁶  Before them the people writhe in pain; All faces are drained of color. ⁷  They run like mighty men, They climb the wall like men of war; Every one marches in formation, And they do not break ranks. ⁸  They do not push one another; Every one marches in his own column. Though they lunge between the weapons, They are not cut down. ⁹  They run to and fro in the city, They run on the wall; They climb into the houses, They enter at the windows like a thief. ¹⁰  The earth quakes before them, The heavens tremble; The sun and moon grow dark, And the stars diminish their brightness. ¹¹  The LORD gives voice before His army, For His camp is very great; For strong is the One who executes His word. For the day of the LORD is great and very terrible; Who can endure it? ¹²  “Now, therefore,” says the LORD, “Turn to Me with all your heart, With fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.” ¹³  So rend your heart, and not your garments; Return to the LORD your God, For He is gracious and merciful, Slow to anger, and of great kindness; And He relents from doing harm. ¹⁴  Who knows if He will turn and relent, And leave a blessing behind Him– A grain offering and a drink offering For the LORD your God? ¹⁵  Blow the trumpet in Zion, Consecrate a fast, Call a sacred assembly; ¹⁶  Gather the people, Sanctify the congregation, Assemble the elders, Gather the children and nursing babes; Let the bridegroom go out from his chamber, And the bride from her dressing room. ¹⁷  Let the priests, who minister to the LORD, Weep between the porch and the altar; Let them say, “Spare Your people, O LORD, And do not give Your heritage to reproach, That the nations should rule over them. Why should they say among the peoples, ‘Where is their God?’ ” ¹⁸  Then the LORD will be zealous for His land, And pity His people. ¹⁹  The LORD will answer and say to His people, “Behold, I will send you grain and new wine and oil, And you will be satisfied by them; I will no longer make you a reproach among the nations. ²⁰  “But I will remove far from you the northern army, And will drive him away into a barren and desolate land, With his face toward the eastern sea And his back toward the western sea; His stench will come up, And his foul odor will rise, Because he has done monstrous things.” ²¹  Fear not, O land; Be glad and rejoice, For the LORD has done marvelous things! ²²  Do not be afraid, you beasts of the field; For the open pastures are springing up, And the tree bears its fruit; The fig tree and the vine yield their strength. ²³  Be glad then, you children of Zion, And rejoice in the LORD your God; For He has given you the former rain faithfully, And He will cause the rain to come down for you– The former rain, And the latter rain in the first month. ²⁴  The threshing floors shall be full of wheat, And the vats shall overflow with new wine and oil. ²⁵  “So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, The crawling locust, The consuming locust, And the chewing locust, My great army which I sent among you. ²⁶  You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, And praise the name of the LORD your God, Who has dealt wondrously with you; And My people shall never be put to shame. ²⁷  Then you shall know that I am in the midst of Israel: I am the LORD your God And there is no other. My people shall never be put to shame.

Happy new year and may God restore anything that has been lost in the past year and more.  May God pour out his spirit on all flesh as Peter declared at Pentecost.  So let it be in 2021 and beyond.