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You were born fearfully and wonderfully made by God, for a purpose. And you are born again in Christ Jesus, to comprehend it and be empowered by God’s grace, that it may come to pass in your life. Therefore, may you be led forward this day in it’s path, as seated at His feet, you continue to meditate upon His word in humble submission, in the words of the psalmist, Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God; May Your good Spirit lead me on level ground [Psalm 143:10].
He can lead you forward even when your circumstance speaks otherwise is the wonderful truth of God. It is why at the end of it all you will be able to declare the praises of the God who has done what is marvelous in your eyes. And, sanctification is an integral component of being led forward by God, as Joshua records the command of God to the people of Israel even as they stood at the threshold of a miraculous entrance into the Promised land. And Joshua said to the people, ‘Sanctify yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you [Joshua 3:5].
Sanctification is a separation, or to be set apart unto God, by God, for the fulfillment of His divine purpose in and through you. It is separation that needs to be answered by a willing submission on your part to be led to service that brings to pass the fulfillment of His purpose, that ultimately blesses you, and makes you a channel of blessing. Serving the purpose for which you have been separated by God is to live a sanctified and wonder filled life. And the greatest wonder of it all is that He never asks you to do what He has not already done for you and in you. In fulfilling His purpose for your life that you may be fulfilled and blessed, the Lord Jesus Himself has become the supreme model that you and I can desire to follow. ‘ I have glorified you on the earth; I have finished the work which You have given Me to do’ [John 17:4].
The Lord knew His Father’s will, His purpose on earth for which He had been born. He knew also that it was so that the Father was glorified in and through it. The world may offer you many choices when it comes to doing or being something that is in line with it’s basic principles that underneath it all is lust driven and satan dominated. ’You can be what you want to be’ or ‘become what you want to be’ could be the dictum or philosophy that it offers, only to leave a person who is tempted to walk in it’s path, frustrated and unfulfilled at the end of it all.
But when you are guided by the scriptures, you will know that God has a plan and a purpose for your life, and can also provide you with the power to walk in it to accomplish it. You can therefore a the psalmist has said, delight in doing His will, and in so doing be restored in your soul, as the pressure of having to find the ways and means to navigate through life’s troubled waters no longer weighs you down. You will know, as the psalmist knew, that you have a Good Shepherd who will guide you, guard you and provide for you. Rest and restoration will become your portion, as you start with the word of God. You will receive clarity and a right perspective concerning the path that you need to take, and however daunting it may appear, you can be strong and courageous in executing it for the Lord’s glory.
For, you have been born again, by the living and enduring word of God. And you live not by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God [Matthew 4:4]. It is the road map that the Savior has charted, by following it Himself, that you and I may not be led astray. And the fruit of it will be a wondrous transformation of your life, a rebuilding of all that may be in ruins right now, seemingly lifeless and dull, showing no sign of recovery. But the word of God is living and active, the scripture declares. And it has power to restore and revive, breathe fresh life into areas of your life that appear to be irrevocably lost. But the Lord has promised to rebuild the waste places of your life, transformed to be a beautiful garden. He has spoken it, and He will do it. For there is power in His word, to accomplish it.
Perfect restoration – by the perfect WORD :
The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the Lord is pure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes [Psalm 19:7,8]. One sees or reads about what was once a glorious palace, that now lies in ruins, or has been converted to be used for a different purpose, entirely alien to it’s original design. A palace was built to be the residence of a king. And the soul of a person was originally designed to be the dwelling place of the King of Kings, until sin entered in to bring ruin and destruction. But when the Savior, Lord Jesus Christ, became the one, perfect sacrifice upon the Cross, for the sins of the whole world, it opened up the glorious realm of restoration when you choose to put your trust in Him.
For the word of God is perfect, and it restores your soul perfectly, when you are born again in your spirit by it, on receiving Christ as your Lord and Savior. And as He takes His rightful place in you, as King of Kings and Lord of Lords, you are sealed by the Holy Spirit who now dwells in you, as a deposit guaranteeing your inheritance, revealing in you the knowledge and understanding of the truth of your holy calling, your identity as a royal priesthood, that you may declare the praises of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.It is a transformation that happens as you know Christ more and more, and by the abundance of His grace, you reign in life here on earth through Him [Romans 5:17] .
And, restoration for man needed it :
The Preacher’s words describe it well, Truly, this only I have found; That God made man upright. But they have sought out many schemes [Ecclesiastes 7:29]. What was a beautiful palace, when created by God, became a ruin that needed restoration, when man became his own enemy, as he succumbed to the wiles of the devil. And dethroning God from His rightful place within him, he exchanged the truth of God for a lie in the futility of his thinking to make his own gods, worshiping the created instead of the Creator. Professing himself to be wise, he became foolish [Romans 1:21-25]. Thus, having brought destruction upon himself, He needed restoration in order to know and do God’s good and perfect will for His life. In short, man needed Christ, and His finished work of the Cross, where in He had brought glory to His Father, by accomplishing His will.
a. Restoration – having the mind of Christ in you :
The soul of man primarily has three components – his mind, the place of his thoughts, emotions or feelings that are fueled by his thoughts and his will with which he decides his course of action, concerning any given circumstance, big or small. Restoration that brings about the well being of your soul, therefore, is a key factor in prospering, or being able to do God’s will for your life [3 John 2]. As the psalmist has said, when the Lord is your Shepherd, He restores your soul, to be led in paths of righteousness [Psalm 23:3]. The truth of godly blessings coming only through godly ways can never be forgotten. It is when your thinking is right, that you will feel what is right, to be led to do what is right, and reach the destiny that God has planned for you and it is then that though challenges may come in your path you will have the confident assurance that Christ had in knowing that He had fulfilled His God given destiny, to be able to declare on the Cross of Calvary, ‘It is finished’. As a child of God, you have the mind of Christ.
And let the same attitude, or approach be in you, that was in Christ Jesus is what the scripture advocates. And though it may seem to be a tall order, impossible to be fulfilled, it is not so, for you have the word of God. And every word that you receive from it restores your soul, to lift you up towards the perfect will of God. In a time such as this when no one knows what tomorrow holds, and quite understandably, a feeling of fear tries to overwhelm you, what needs to be corrected is the wrong thinking underlying the feeling of fear. And the powerful antidote, is the word of God that reveals to you that God has not given you a spirit of fear, but one of power, love and a sound mind [2 Timothy 1:7]. His word that comes to you as a word in season, as it dwells in you richly, is what can see you become more than a conqueror, overwhelmingly conquering the challenges that you may need to face to find your rest in your God given destiny.
It happens as His thoughts become yours, through His word. There will be a wondrous transformation in you that restores your soul, as you move from weeping, or a feeling of confusion not knowing what to do in your night seasons, to receiving clarity that gives joy in the morning. His thoughts are higher. Return to His word, for in the beginning was the Word. It was what the prodigal son needed to do.
b. Restoration — coming back to your senses :
The word of God restores, refreshes and revives your soul to bring you back to God’s purpose for your life. The outworking of sin in your life and mine can cause untold misery and pain, and a life that is messed up. But even in that sorry state when we turn back to reach out to the Father, we will know that He is the God who causes all things to work together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose [Romans 8:28]. It is the gospel of salvation, a truth beautifully illustrated in the parable of the prodigal son that the Lord spoke forth, giving comfort and encouragement to every repentant sinner that the Father awaits his return with love, that He may rejoice with exceeding joy [Luke 15:1-32].
The son’s departure – the corruption of sin :
The parable is one that depicts every life that has wandered away from the fold of God. The younger son, when he lost his senses, or right thinking, left his father’s house.Trusting in his own wealth and strength he lost it all, for it is how sin corrodes and corrupts a person. One needs godly friends to stand with you when everything around you is coming down. For, bad company corrupts good morals. But the incorruptible seed, that is God’s word, restores your soul.
And the son’s return – restored by HIS word :
When he regained his senses, or right thinking, the prodigal son came back to the father, knowing now the value of the privileges that he had walked away from earlier. He repented and submitted to the prompting of God to return to his God ordained place and purpose. And it was the unquestioning love of the father that welcomed him back. It is also the hope that remains still for every heart that has walked in it’s own fleshly desires, away from the will and purpose of God. There is power in the word of God to correct the wrong thinking. A place of privilege and love is what the Father’s welcome would be to the one who returns to Him, soul restored by the word of God. The fundamental truth is that any thinking that is not in line with God’s word is not right thinking. It can be seen exemplified in the life of a king who was very powerful in the then world, who learned the truth by going through it in his life.
c. Restoration-reason & understanding returning to you :
And at the end of the time, I Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my understanding returned to me [Daniel 4:34]. Also why he lost it in the first place can also be clearly understood from the very same passage, where it can be seen that it was ‘I’, or his own self that he boasted of, when it came to all that he had accomplished [vs 30]. It was what led to his fall and humiliation, for God opposes the proud. And as the prophet Jeremiah writes, it is the desire of God, that man’s boast is in knowing and understanding God and nothing else [Jeremiah 9:23,24]. For, what will lead you to true fulfillment is knowing and doing His will and purpose for your life. And, the king learned it the hard way, going through a period of humiliation when he was driven from men, and ate grass like oxen [vs 33].
But God’s merciful restoration came to him as he declared that his reason or the right use of his mind returned to him, and it saw him healed of all the wrong thinking and behavior that had plagued him earlier. It found him acknowledging and giving glory to the One True God, who alone was worthy of all honor. And in the new testament it can be seen in the words of Paul who says, ‘I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I, but Christ who lives in me’. It is the right attitude and thinking that pervades in you, as the word of God restores your soul, to walk in His will and purpose for you. And it is that you may love God with all your heart and mind, made possible by the right use of your mind, and loving your neighbour as yourself.
God’s word – reveals, removes and restores :
For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any double edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow and is a discerner of the thoughts and intentions of the heart [Hebrews 4:12]. The verse above describes precisely and specifically, the wondrous extent and power of God’s word, and the process by which restoration of your soul takes place .
Reveals :
To be saved from hidden sins is the psalmist’s prayer. For, sin contaminates and corrodes you in your inner being, to steal your joy and peace. But His word that is alive and active, even now is working within you to uncover and reveal , maybe the root of bitterness that needs to be uprooted, that it may not progress to bring destruction.
Removes and replaces :
And it then has the power to remove the sorrow that sin entails, to replace it with the joy of salvation as by the renewing of your mind, by the word of God, you are restored in your soul, brought back to the path of fulfilling God’s original purpose for your life.
Restores :
Paul’s words were an exhortation to rejoice, though he was in a prison cell. For, restored and revived in God’s purpose for his life, he was able to proclaim that for him, to live was Christ and to die was gain [Philippians 1:21]. For, God’s word gives you insight and understanding, to be right in your decision making, concerning the challenges that could be looming ahead, when lock down seems to be the order of the day [Psalm 119;104,169]. The word of God revives you [Psalm 119:93]. It gives you a new start in life, a hope and a future, a hope that will never be cut off, setting before you an open door that no man can ever shut. Even as Mary found rest at the feet of the Lord, hearing His word, restoration was taking place within her. And the Lord commended her, for choosing the good portion, the one thing that was needed, that could never be taken away from her [Luke 10:42]. His word is incorruptible, and remains forever.
And as you give thanks unto the Father, this day, for His word, that is continually at work within you, and in the bliss of that glorious thought that your sins have been paid for, are nailed to the Cross, may you be restored to the original purpose of God in creating you, that you may be blessed and be a blessing in the overflow of it.. Indeed, it is well with your soul. In the Name of Christ Jesus Amen.
