Testimony of our Conscience

“For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our conversation in the world, and more abundantly to you-ward” (2 Corinthians 1:12)

What is our joy and the reason for our rectitude, peace and calm? It is the testimony of our conscience, our soul and Christ revealed in our lives, the moral and righteous keel that keeps us upright in calm and in storm. No pretense or hypocrisy, just truth in thought, word and deed carried by the weight and conviction of the omnipotent God.

The testimony of our conscience preaches constantly. It is a sermon without premeditation or thought for it comes directly from our heart. We are endued with the Holy Ghost and show out of a good manner and life His works with His meekness and wisdom. No ungodly words or character, only that which is good to the use for edifying, uplifting and ministering grace unto all we come in contact with. The testimony of our conscience is a display of the love for God and our fellow man.

In Christ we live, and move, and have our being through the Holy Ghost. It is a life that is simple and sincere for it is obedient and filled with truth and integrity, not of deceit, anger or guile. Unfeigned and unfettered the man of Christ is made manifest as love, joy, peace, patience, forbearance, meekness, goodness and longsuffering.

Fleshy wisdom is the wisdom of self-gratification. Precept and principle are based on feeding a lust or desire. It is a wisdom predicated on self. At best, it will only consider others as civil law or personal self-styled moral code will dictate.

Fleshy wisdom builds intellect and behavior to benefit self. This enables it to justify actions and rewrite standards to better suit its own condition and purpose. God, truth and righteousness are adhered to only when they serve their purpose.

“But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith” (Philippians 3:7-9).

When the Holy Ghost quickens our spirit we become aware of God and His love for us. We now have the opportunity and the decision to accept Christ and His spirit into our lives. When we do, God makes His grace available to empower us into His way, character and virtues. We become children of God in the path of righteousness onto salvation. No longer self-seeking, we move with an openness of heart towards God and our fellow man in goodwill and benevolence.

Bill Hitchcock

How you intellectualize it

You know, it doesn’t really matter what you say or how you intellectualize it. Your voice is coming from your spirit, not your head. Oh, your brain justifies what is coming out of your mouth. But the source is your spirit.

Jesus said, “…out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh” (Matthew 12:34).

The heart (Spirit) is where your convictions originate. The mouth is the final destination. But the path of your convictions passes through the brain along the way.

Your principles, precepts and beliefs come from your spirit. The brain simply justifies that spirit.

With that being said, beware of two things.

1) Be in tune to the spirit of the person you are with. The spirit is the rudder that will guide the ship. Watch where they go.

2) Now here’s a biggy. A spiritually deficient person may be an intellectual superior. Do not engage.

“Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men. Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away. For they sleep not, except they have done mischief; and their sleep is taken away, unless they cause some to fall” (Proverbs 4:14-16).

And finally, although the spirit goes from the heart, through the brain to the mouth. The opposite happens too. What is said can reach down to our very spirit.

“Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ” (Colossians 2:8)

As Christians we are to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ.

“How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?” (Romans 10:14)

God’s word quickens the spirit and invigorates the soul. The mind justifies through the word of God and not by the philosophy of man or his “vain jangling”.

The power of God’s word is in our faith in that word. That faith comes from our awakened spirit. The spiritually deficient or dead have no such quickening or faith, only intellect.

One final thought about intellect

“Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able” (Luke 13:24).

The word “seek” from the passage above comes from the Greek word “zeteo”. It means to think or to reason.

“God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24).

Those void of the spirit of God but full of intellect and philosophy will not be able to enter the strait gate.

Bill Hitchcock

Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed. The prayer of Jabez

“And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that thine hand might be with me, and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me! And God granted him that which he requested.” (1 Chronicles 4:10)

1) This is a fascinating prayer in many respects. Jabez is an unknown entity to us. The only mention of him in all of the Bible is in 1 Chronicles 4:9-10. There is a town named Jabez mentioned in 1 Chronicles 2:55. But that’s it, there is no other mentioning of the name in all of Bible.

2) “the God of Israel”. The Hebrew word used here for God is “Elohiym”. It is the one true God, the supreme God and the righteous, living God. This is who Jabez is praying to.

3) The name Jabez means “Sorrow”. In a literal sense the sorrow of man is crying out to God. This is something all of us can relate to. We have all been in a state of great sorrow and sadness. This outreach is bigger than our self. This cry to God is innate and intuitive. It comes from the inner man, the core of our very spirit. Everyone, even those who claim not to know God have been driven to this point during their life. They have called upon something bigger than them self. This is our spirit reaching out to reconnect with the Divine Spirit. This is not a learned response but rather a God given gift. Sorrow may be the driving force but sorrow’s destination is meant to be God.

4) “Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed”. A lot is lost in the English translation. “thou wouldest bless” comes from the Hebrew word, “Barak”. It means to invoke or ask for a blessing. “me indeed” also comes from the same word Barak. So here we have Jabez asking God for a double blessing.

5) “and enlarge my coast”. Some expositors believe this is a reference to expelling the Canaanites from the region. But in context to the prayer, it would seem that Jabez, is looking to expand his sphere of influence. It is a basic tenet and responsibility, no, it is a need to spread the word of God wherever we go. We are to be that light and love that is God.

6) “that thine hand might be with me” The weight of God’s hand is righteousness and truth. It is, “By the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left” (2 Corinthians 6:7). God’s hand is our armor against all evil and all sorrow.

God’s hand guides, directs, holds, upholds and comforts.

“Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness” (Isaiah 41:10).

7) “and that thou wouldest keep me from evil”. With a high degree of certainty when we approach the light, darkness will await its turn to approach us. “…sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire” (Genesis 4:7).

“God is light and in him is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5)

Darkness has no power over the light but it does have sway over us.

Stop and think how simplistic this request is. Jabez is asking God to keep him away from evil. He is asking God to keep him away from the adversary the Devil. Many have not made this one simple request to God. Keep the devil away from me! Rest assured, with the hand of God resting on you there will be nothing Satan can do to you on his own accord.

“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7).

8) “that it may not grieve me!” Literally translated that it (evil) may not hurt or cause me pain. Remember, Jabez’s name means sorrow. He evidently has been pained and grieved by evil. This pain has caused so much sorrow that he is now reaching out to God for a double blessing. He has asked God to allow him room to roam. He has asked God to be with him always, to have God’s hand resting upon his heart, mind, body and soul. He has asked God to keep evil away from him so it will not pain him. All of these are simple, straightforward and earnest requests. And what does God do? He grants each and every one of his petitions.

The question we must ask our self is this. Have we prayed to God like Jabez? His prayer is simple, honest and earnest. Not only was it heard, but answered! 

“Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer” (Romans 12:12)

Godly patience is not just a matter of time, but of endurance as well. To be “patient in tribulation” does not mean to simply let time pass by while waiting for better days to come. To be patient in tribulation means to be able to withstand and endure the present day trial and the pain it generates. It is understanding that there is an indeterminate amount of time (a season) in which we must endure. It is a knowledge that this is of a divine nature.

Why? What is the purpose of this patience, of enduring pain and sufferings for who knows how long? For a Christian, all hardships are a tool in which God uses to refine us, redefine us, to mold and shape us into His image. It is a course correction which draws a straight line between us and Him. Patient in tribulation is meant to be an eye opener to our dependence on God and His love for us. To, “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding (Proverbs 3:5).

The avenue of this discovery of trust and dependence comes through prayer. To be “instant in prayer” is to be steadfast and constant in our dialogue, entreaties and supplications with God. So while we endure, we continuously pray. It can’t be emphasized enough that prayer is two things. First, prayer is our vehicle in which we arrive in God’s presence. Prayer is presence. Secondly, now that we have an audience with the Almighty, what are we going to say? Awe inspiring and somewhat of a dumbfounding thought isn’t it? But prayer is conversing with God. What are you going to say? What is God going to say to you? Remember, this is a dialogue, not a monologue.

The act of Prayer is not an end unto itself.  It is not some Holy deed, ritual or religious act to perform to gain favor. Reciting memorized prayers is little more than an oratory exercise. Even the Lord’s Prayer as told by Jesus was meant to be an example in which to follow and not necessarily a prayer to be memorized. Jesus said, “After this manner therefore pray ye” (Matthew 6:9). He did not say memorize and recite this prayer.

Prayer, (the vehicle) puts us in God’s presence (the destination). Prayer comes from our very spirit and not from the pages of liturgical books.

The Greek New Testament word for patient is “Hypomeno”. It is a composite word. “Hypo” meaning under. “Meno” meaning not to depart, to continue, to endure. So we can literally define “patient in tribulation” as continuing without fail or faltering from underneath our trials. What is our support underneath this weight? It is our prayers, our rejoicing and our hope in God! In short, it is our faith!

Is God punishing us for our sins? No. Punishment is vengeance, vindication. It is a penalty. Punishment is however reserved for the unrepentant sinner. Hopefully it serves as a wakeup call to them. But if not, whether in this life or the next, vengeance will be had by the Lord.

God will chastise His children. Chastisement is not punishment. It is what God uses to cultivate the soul and “the evils with which God visits men for their amendment” (Thayer’s).

“For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby” (Hebrews 12:6-11).

During all trials and tribulations have joy, hope, endure and above all pray continuously! Realize that this is a divine event with God at the helm. Why are we going through what we are going through? We may never know for sure.

“O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor?” (Romans 11:33-34)

But rest assured in this.

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:28-31)

Bill Hitchcock

Focus

The world is focused on President Donald Trump. Many support him. Many do not. But please do not lose focus of what is important.

“Praise ye the Lord. Praise the Lord, O my soul. While I live will I praise the Lord: I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being. Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help. His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish. Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God” (Psalm 146:1-5)

1) Praise God from your very soul. This is not a head issue, it is a heart issue. This isn’t a natural issue, but rather supernatural. “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.” (John 4:24)

2) While I live or “have any being” I will praise the Lord. No matter what condition I am in, happy, sad, sick, rich, poor, in this body or in the spirit-If I have any being, any presence, any existence then I will praise the Lord.

3) We tend to look only to an earthly prince and not on past to our heavenly Father and King for help. This short sightedness causes us to stumble, fall and fail. The Psalmist is crystal clear. In the prince or the son of man there, “is no help!”

“How many have turned away heartsick from men on whom they once relied! Never was this the case with a believer in the Lord. He is a very present help in time of trouble.” (Charles Spurgeon)

“Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.” (Psalm 100:3)

4) God first breathed breathe into man, formed of dirt and gave him life (Genesis 2:7) and there man shall return.

“As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth. For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more.” (Psalm 103:15-16)

“Thou turnest man to destruction; and sayest, Return, ye children of men.” (Psalm 90:3)

5) “Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help…” The word “Happy” means nothing other than blessed. We are blessed and happy when we put our trust in God. Man is temporal and temporary. God is from everlasting to everlasting. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. Why put confidence in man?

“It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes.” (Psalm 118:8-9)

A king, the wisest man on earth and the richest man on earth had the following to say about God: “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.” (Proverbs 3:5-8)

Let us all heed the advice of King Solomon. Let’s refocus our attention and efforts away from Trump and ourselves and unto God.

Bill Hitchcock

Things Which Shall Be Fulfilled In Their Season

One of the most power things said in the Bible was said to Zacharias by Gabriel. It is something that is most often overlooked but should be understood especially if we want peace in our life.

Zacharias and his wife Elisabeth were aged and without child, something they desperately wanted. Both were, “righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless” (Luke 1:6).

One day has Zacharias was performing his duties as priest the angel Gabriel appeared before him. Gabriel informed Zacharias that their prayers had been heard and that they would have a child named John.

Gabriel tells him that they will have joy and gladness, that John will be filled with the Holy Ghost while still in the womb and amongst other things, John would go forward in the spirit of Elias.

Zacharias doubted Gabriel to which the angel of the Lord replied, “And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season” (Luke 1:20).

It is the last part of Gabriel’s statement that we need to focus on. These things,“which shall be fulfilled in their season”. God works in our lives by seasons, not by set times and certainly not in days, hours and minutes.

A season is a not determined by time although they are time segments of our lives. The seasons of our lives are a process, an appointed time for something to occur and evolve into fruition. There are certain characteristics to each season with a purpose of growth for each person.

Times of each season are a time of change. Usually we do not see or understand the change as it occurs nor do we see any clear end to the season we are in. This puts us in a faith position. When things change or don’t change when they should for no clear reason then this is a season we need to be aware of God and have faith in Him. The process usually occurs when we see no change when change is desperately needed. This is the time to check our relationship with God. We need to make sure that we do have a relationship with Him and to lean on Him and not our own understanding.

Do we believe in God? Do we believe in his promises? Is time and circumstance squeezing us and creating doubts?

“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9)

God is not slow, He does not tarry, nor does He loiter. God is an on time God with our best interests at heart at all times. The problem is that we don’t always realize that!

When change does not occur when we expect it or as we expect it then the natural tendency of man is to fall back to his carnal position of doubt. Doubt offers comfort in that that is what man is accustomed to, it comes naturally to man. Doubt believed in becomes doubt realized.

“Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing” (James 1:3-4).

Let patience have her perfect work.

“We certainly dread diseases, and want, and exile, and prison, and reproach, and death, because we regard them as evils; but when we understand that they are turned through God’s kindness unto helps and aids to our salvation, it is ingratitude to murmur, and not willingly to submit to be thus paternally dealt with…for were not God to try us, but leave us free from trouble, there would be no patience, which is no other thing than fortitude of mind in bearing evils…Moreover, the minds of men are not so formed by nature, that affliction of itself produces patience in them. But Paul and Peter regard not so much the nature of men as the providence of God through which it comes, that the faithful learn patience from troubles; for the ungodly are thereby more and more provoked to madness, as the example of Pharaoh proves” (John Calvin)

God forms and shapes us through the experiences we have in life. Positive and negative life experiences and how we react to them is the mold to which we are formed. God works with us purposefully through seasons, these extended sections of our lives to better us, strengthen and to keep us in the path of salvation. And with any season of the year, our seasons of winter and want will be followed up with the seasons of summer and growth.

Part 2: A recommendation to all of you who are angry and expounding your political beliefs with much “vigor”

“Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers” (Ephesians 4:29).

“Corrupt” comes from the Greek word “Sapros” which means putrid or rotten. “Communication” is a reference to speaking.

The Apostle Paul gives a very clear, concise command, not a suggestion or guideline. Let no “putrid talk” come out of our mouth. We are to only use that which uplifts and adds to the benefit of the listener. Why? So we can endow that person with the grace of God. Grace is not a sole possession. It is a gift from God intended to be shared, spread and given.

Grace is God’s “holy influence on souls” (Thayer’s). Think about this for a moment. Is God’s grace and favor proceeding out of our mouth? Or is it quite simply Satan’s sputum? It’s easy to figure out which it is. Does what we say uplift and edify? Or does it tear down and destroy?

“God hath not appointed us to wrath” but rather we are to “comfort yourselves together, and edify one another” (1 Thessalonians 5:9, 11).

“Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another” (Romans 14:19).

Part 1: A recommendation to all of you who are angry and expounding your political beliefs with much “vigor”

“Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place to the devil. (Ephesians 4:26-27)

Paul doesn’t say don’t be angry. He does say when you are angry, do not sin. Be careful if you are in any heighten state, especially anger. Do not give a foothold for the devil to take advantage of, because he will.

“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8)

“Your adversary will strive to influence your mind, and irritate your spirit; watch and pray that he may not get any place in you, or ascendancy over you” (Adam Clarke).

To “Be sober” means to be calm and collected in spirit. “Be vigilant” literally translates to “Wake!” Pay attention! Give strict attention and, “take heed lest through remission and indolence some destructive calamity suddenly overtake one” (Thayers).

Are you angry over the recent election results? That’s OK. Just do not allow that anger to become the gateway for the devil.

“Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips. Incline not my heart to any evil thing, to practise wicked works with men that work iniquity: and let me not eat of their dainties” (Psalm 141:3-4)