Rapha Center

Philippians 2 An amazing chapter, loaded with doctrinal truth. In this little chapter we find the following admonishment: To be one in spirit and mind with the faithful believers. To do nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit but rather in humility look out for each other. To have the mind of Christ in all your relationships (servant hood, obedient to death.). Vs 1-4. The exaltation of Christ: every knee shall bow, every tongue confess he is Lord both on the earth and under the earth. vs 6-11. After reading these verses 1-18 several times, we are inspired to follow the instructions. So let us focus on the goal. To be like Christ. This requires us to give permission to the work of the Holy Spirit in us. HOW? Each attitude in our mind and heart is examined. That is attitudes toward self, God, family, friends, strangers and even those who would do evil against us come under the microscope of God's word and Spirit. Confess wrong ideas, motivations, sins, attitudes and actions that create anxiety, fear, turmoil and offenses. Ask the Holy Spirit to identify these things. Let Him drive out the offending spirit(s) that disguises and justifies itself. This is how we "work out our salvation with fear and trembling. " Philippians 2:12-13. Second, allow the Holy Spirit to fill you up with himself to overflowing. This may take awhile but the results will be manifest by the fruit of the Spirit that grows out of us naturally. Because the Spirit is at work in us. We sense inside us the cleansing and growth of the fruit without forcing ourselves to "be fruitful." May God give us grace multiplied through the power of the blood of Jesus and the gifts of the Holy Spirit. May we all be set free and stay free, and grow more and more in Him! AMEN!

It seems we are heading into a time of judgment. There is amazing and perplexing things going on everywhere. In the past year and notably the last few weeks many food processing plants have been destroyed in America. Recently there was a prediction from the current administration that there would be a shortage of food in America.
Around the Globe it's as if all hell is breaking loose. And maybe it is. However we who are kings and priests in God' Kingdom are not to panic. Remember who we are according to 1 Peter 2:9. We after all have membership and positions in the Kingdom of God. Lets do a little investigation that may help us to have confidence in the face of all the mess going on. Isaiah 32 is a powerful chapter. Verses 3-14 is an exposure of the many sins of Israel and the coming sudden judgment. The first 2 verses predicts a king who will reign and rulers with him. He will reign in righteousness the rulers rule with justice. At verse 15 a sudden reversal of God' judgment begins. The calamities suddenly cease when "the Spirit is poured out on us from on High." Previously the land had become a desert waste because of sin. Then the Spirit causes all the desolate places to become fertile nearly overnight. WHY? because the Lord's justice. Isaiah 32:16-17, "The Lord’s justice will dwell in the desert, his righteousness live in the fertile field. The fruit of that righteousness will be peace; its effect will be quietness and confidence forever." AWESOME! So when we pursue the Lord of righteousness all the worries of this life are brought into proper perspective. The Lord knows how to care for His own in the midst of turmoil. Even when facing the worst things in life, this confidence in God that comes from the righteousness He gives us through the Spirit will sustain us. None of this works when worry or anxiety cling to our minds. Seek The Kingdom of God, receive His Spirit, then you will live in peace, quietness and and confidence....Forever!

Continuing on Righteousness: Romans 3:22 Righteousness is a gift, it cannot be earned. It is received through faith in Jesus Christ. So, what if we asked for this gift just like we would ask for any gift from God. Will God deny such a gift? It's not in His nature to deny such a request, in fact it is given at the very act of believing in Jesus as Lord and Savior. However the gift is not something to be placed into dormancy or displayed like a trophy. Genesis 15:6 says Abram believed God and it was counted or credited to him as righteousness. So Abram heard God's voice and acted on it in a positive way. This righteousness was active, living continual not just a one time state of being. Later on Abram received the blessing of identification with God. His new name Abraham. This change denoted something very important. It denotes covenant relationship with God. We often have heard the name Abraham defined as "father of many nations." That is not quite accurate. A more descriptive understanding would be: Abraham the exalted father who brought continuity and peace to the sovereign nations. So, the righteousness that Abram received was to lead to peace for the entire world. Peace is the direct result of the righteousness that God bestows on all who call on His name. By the time we reach the end of The BOOK. Revelation declares that the Lord will bring healing to the nations by the leaves from the trees planted on Main St (which is actually a Crystal River starting at God's Throne) in the New Jerusalem. Rev. 22:1-2. The end result of God's righteousness is abundance and healing. So to, when we endeavor to cultivate the righteousness God has given us we can expect and receive in this life a measure of abundance and healing as a token of the wonderful blessing to come. For now take to heart. See James 5:16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. (meditate on this verse) We often quote the second part of it. The first part is required for the second part to work.

Kingdom of God... Sub Topic "righteousness" Trying to make this concise. Righteousness is a state of being. It is a position given to those who have repented from sin and by an act of their will said "yes" to the cleansing blood of Jesus the Lamb of God. One cannot be righteous without the initial washing of the "word of God" on the soul (mind, will, emotions). Righteousness cannot be obtained by any other action than willful openness to the one who will "make you right." This openness starts the process and this openness must continue because the washing is required regularly. We do not know the degree to which we are in need of this cleansing. Each day an assessment is made. Remember the "Lord's Prayer" is a pattern for daily prayer covering all the needs for the day. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, walking in the Presence daily or even hourly will cause a "knowing" in your heart. As you confess the things that the Holy Spirit exposes as "sin" or footholds Satan has planted in your life, maybe even for many years, the lifting of burdens and the cleansing of your soul will continue. Sometimes these things are removed with great anguish and effort. Being honest with God about your feelings, attitudes and actions each day will bring you closer to the realization that righteousness is taking root in you. You will find the fruit of the Spirit as mentioned in Galatians 5 is the standard to help you measure where you are on the righteousness scale. Also know this, on this side of heaven the goal is to pursue the Kingdom of God. Seek first and foremost the Kingdom. When you finally reach that goal you will have passed from this life to the next. We are righteous now through HIs blood and pursuing it until the end.
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Donald J Clark