HERALD OF HIS KINGDOM
The Walls of Salvation
Article of August 24, 2010
Clo DiPilato
PO Box 153
Windsor, CT 06095
All Rights Reserved, 2011
PO Box 153
Windsor, CT 06095
All Rights Reserved, 2011
The kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it. Luke 16:16
Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end. Isaiah 9:7
A Herald of His Kingdom Article
Recently a friend used this phrase: "Sin conscious more than "righteous conscious", and it quickened these thoughts to me that I'd like to share:
It reminds me of something that happened here "in the natural" that I believe portrays a picture of "things spiritual." Several weeks ago, I took an early morning walk with a friend through the neighborhood. We encountered a huge dog, but apparently the people who owned the dog had one of those electric fences to keep the dog inside the yard. Nevertheless, being somewhat afraid of dogs, I was intimidated, and nervous about walking again through my neighborhood.
Shortly after that, when going out one Saturday morning to do some shopping, we saw that a bear was loose in our neighborhood. Thank God, we were inside the car.
Because of reports of several bear sightings in Northern CT, I am wary of bears. We have a sizable backyard bordered on three sides by trees or bramble, hedges, and brush.There is also a fence around the property, though not very protective, as it's only some ancient wire, that's probably been there for 40 years! The gate to our backyard is broken, and needs to be replaced. (It's all about the time and money to do it.) Because the yard is not well fortified, I now keep my back porch doors closed because the thought of a bear walking into my back yard, up onto my back porch, and into the sliding door into the house is pretty scary!! I am very "bear conscious".
However, when the gate gets repaired or replaced, and if we were to in some way fix the wire fence so it wasn't so easy simply climb over it, I would be MUCH LESS "bear conscious". When that gate gets repaired, I won't have any qualms about just using the screen doors on the porch. I won' t be worried about bears, or any other animals, for that matter. No, I will be "gate conscious" and "fence conscious".
I will be very aware that I have a new gate and a new fence, and there will be a lot more peace, and I won't be worried about bears getting any access into my home!
The prophet Isaiah compares our salvation to "walls and bulwarks":
Isaiah 26:1 ¶In that day shall this song be sung in the land of Judah; We have a strong city; salvation will God appoint for walls and bulwarks.
Isaiah 60:18 Violence shall no more be heard in thy land, wasting nor destruction within thy borders; but thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, and thy gates Praise.
The salvation we have because of the price Jesus paid is not like some outdated, flimsy wire fence, or a broken down gate. Rather it's like a solid wall, and not only a wall that is sturdy, but a wall built especially for defense ready to do battle to keep every enemy out! God is building a STRONG city out of our lives, and when things like temptation to sin come near to cause us to doubt our salvation or compromise our salvation, those walls and bulwarks of salvation should be powerful enough that we have the peace of God ruling within our lives and testifying to the devil, "It's useless to try to make your inroads here because I'm in a STRONG city, and the walls are salvation, and that gates are praise!"
Are you "sin conscious" or are you "righteous conscious"? The answer should depend on the condition of your spiritual walls and bulwarks called "Salvation". It should depend on those "gates of praise"! If you are more "sin conscious" than "righteous conscious", perhaps when you look out on all that pertains to life and godliness, you're seeing an area of your life that is broken down, and in need of repair. It doesn't mean you're "not saved" or not "born again" as the overall "big picture" of your spiritual profile. It means that not only do we have a "full salvation", we also have a very "focused salvation". There is nothing transpiring in our lives God does not care about.
The word for salvation means deliverance from all spiritual or temporal problems or evils in this world! It's far more than just a one time experience! YES, you can write in your journal the very date and hour that you "got saved", but it's also an ongoing process. The "saving of the soul" is an ongoing process, as we are having our minds renewed daily.
It's God finishing the work He started to bring us to the place of total wholeness ! When the Lord is putting His finger on an area of our lives where He wants us to be "made whole", He'll allow our focus to be on that matter until the work is done, until that "wall of salvation" is completed! And then, instead of the problem, instead of "the bear", we see He indeed has made us likened to a "strong city" walled up with salvation. We see Him, the author and finisher of our Faith, and we also see that we are a bit stronger than we were the day before, and dwelling safety because of His great salvation!
Can we reckon these things done based on the initial salvation experience alone, and then go on in our lives as if there will be no dealing of the Lord to bring us to the actual, tangible outworking of these processes so that what we know in God positionally we also are realizing experientially? Some people believe it is as simple as that. Some people believe that as long as you know your position in Christ, you don't need to worry about having a matching life experience.
But when one yields their life to the Lord, to be made a vessel unto honor by Him, He is going to do a thorough work in righteousness !! Body, soul and spirit, our lives will be in "sync" with this great salvation!! It won't be just about what we SAY or what we RECKON or what we DECLARE. It will truly be about what we ARE because we have given Him access to both will and do of His own good pleasure in our lives!!
Philippians 2:13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.
God will not violate the free will He has given to us, and He'll never force you to "repair the gates" or "build up the walls". We initiate the process by asking the Lord to come in. When He knocks on the door of our hearts, waiting to be invited within, we need to OPEN to Him! When He comes into "sup" with us, the reality of that communion is revelation that leads to LIFE.
How can we truly be with Jesus, and not desire change in our lives?
Sometimes being "sin conscious" could be considered "conviction". To get rid of "sin consciousness" and move into "righteous consciousness", all we need to do is recognize conviction, yeild to the Lord, and let Him do His work in our lives!!
2 Corinthians 7:1 ¶Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
Always in the Love of Jesus,
Clo DiPilato
cjdipilato@heraldofhiskingdom.com
It reminds me of something that happened here "in the natural" that I believe portrays a picture of "things spiritual." Several weeks ago, I took an early morning walk with a friend through the neighborhood. We encountered a huge dog, but apparently the people who owned the dog had one of those electric fences to keep the dog inside the yard. Nevertheless, being somewhat afraid of dogs, I was intimidated, and nervous about walking again through my neighborhood.
Shortly after that, when going out one Saturday morning to do some shopping, we saw that a bear was loose in our neighborhood. Thank God, we were inside the car.
Because of reports of several bear sightings in Northern CT, I am wary of bears. We have a sizable backyard bordered on three sides by trees or bramble, hedges, and brush.There is also a fence around the property, though not very protective, as it's only some ancient wire, that's probably been there for 40 years! The gate to our backyard is broken, and needs to be replaced. (It's all about the time and money to do it.) Because the yard is not well fortified, I now keep my back porch doors closed because the thought of a bear walking into my back yard, up onto my back porch, and into the sliding door into the house is pretty scary!! I am very "bear conscious".
However, when the gate gets repaired or replaced, and if we were to in some way fix the wire fence so it wasn't so easy simply climb over it, I would be MUCH LESS "bear conscious". When that gate gets repaired, I won't have any qualms about just using the screen doors on the porch. I won' t be worried about bears, or any other animals, for that matter. No, I will be "gate conscious" and "fence conscious".
I will be very aware that I have a new gate and a new fence, and there will be a lot more peace, and I won't be worried about bears getting any access into my home!
The prophet Isaiah compares our salvation to "walls and bulwarks":
Isaiah 26:1 ¶In that day shall this song be sung in the land of Judah; We have a strong city; salvation will God appoint for walls and bulwarks.
Isaiah 60:18 Violence shall no more be heard in thy land, wasting nor destruction within thy borders; but thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, and thy gates Praise.
The salvation we have because of the price Jesus paid is not like some outdated, flimsy wire fence, or a broken down gate. Rather it's like a solid wall, and not only a wall that is sturdy, but a wall built especially for defense ready to do battle to keep every enemy out! God is building a STRONG city out of our lives, and when things like temptation to sin come near to cause us to doubt our salvation or compromise our salvation, those walls and bulwarks of salvation should be powerful enough that we have the peace of God ruling within our lives and testifying to the devil, "It's useless to try to make your inroads here because I'm in a STRONG city, and the walls are salvation, and that gates are praise!"
Are you "sin conscious" or are you "righteous conscious"? The answer should depend on the condition of your spiritual walls and bulwarks called "Salvation". It should depend on those "gates of praise"! If you are more "sin conscious" than "righteous conscious", perhaps when you look out on all that pertains to life and godliness, you're seeing an area of your life that is broken down, and in need of repair. It doesn't mean you're "not saved" or not "born again" as the overall "big picture" of your spiritual profile. It means that not only do we have a "full salvation", we also have a very "focused salvation". There is nothing transpiring in our lives God does not care about.
The word for salvation means deliverance from all spiritual or temporal problems or evils in this world! It's far more than just a one time experience! YES, you can write in your journal the very date and hour that you "got saved", but it's also an ongoing process. The "saving of the soul" is an ongoing process, as we are having our minds renewed daily.
It's God finishing the work He started to bring us to the place of total wholeness ! When the Lord is putting His finger on an area of our lives where He wants us to be "made whole", He'll allow our focus to be on that matter until the work is done, until that "wall of salvation" is completed! And then, instead of the problem, instead of "the bear", we see He indeed has made us likened to a "strong city" walled up with salvation. We see Him, the author and finisher of our Faith, and we also see that we are a bit stronger than we were the day before, and dwelling safety because of His great salvation!
Can we reckon these things done based on the initial salvation experience alone, and then go on in our lives as if there will be no dealing of the Lord to bring us to the actual, tangible outworking of these processes so that what we know in God positionally we also are realizing experientially? Some people believe it is as simple as that. Some people believe that as long as you know your position in Christ, you don't need to worry about having a matching life experience.
But when one yields their life to the Lord, to be made a vessel unto honor by Him, He is going to do a thorough work in righteousness !! Body, soul and spirit, our lives will be in "sync" with this great salvation!! It won't be just about what we SAY or what we RECKON or what we DECLARE. It will truly be about what we ARE because we have given Him access to both will and do of His own good pleasure in our lives!!
Philippians 2:13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.
God will not violate the free will He has given to us, and He'll never force you to "repair the gates" or "build up the walls". We initiate the process by asking the Lord to come in. When He knocks on the door of our hearts, waiting to be invited within, we need to OPEN to Him! When He comes into "sup" with us, the reality of that communion is revelation that leads to LIFE.
How can we truly be with Jesus, and not desire change in our lives?
Sometimes being "sin conscious" could be considered "conviction". To get rid of "sin consciousness" and move into "righteous consciousness", all we need to do is recognize conviction, yeild to the Lord, and let Him do His work in our lives!!
2 Corinthians 7:1 ¶Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
Always in the Love of Jesus,
Clo DiPilato
cjdipilato@heraldofhiskingdom.com