Spiritual Understanding

“For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.” (Prov. 2:6)

Scripture tells us that if we want wisdom, we need only ask God for it in faith (Jas. 1:5,6).  This verse in Proverbs tells us how God will answer our prayer.  It comes from His mouth, that is His Word.  We may like to think that God will just drop it in us instantly, but that is not what Solomon shared after receiving this gift.  He told us to treasure God’s words in our hearts and to cry out for understanding and discernment.  We are to search for wisdom as for hidden treasures. (Prov. 2:1-5).

In the parable of the sower, the Lord gave us insights on how the seed of the Word can grow and bear fruit in us.  When we hear the words of the Lord, we receive them in our minds, but to get them into our hearts, we must mix them with faith (Heb. 4:2).  If we harden our hearts through disobedience, the seed will not be planted deep enough to grow.  “And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who did not obey?  So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.” (Heb. 3:18,19).  Those who desire to obey the Lord will receive His words by faith.  Then, for the seed to bear much fruit, we must add one more step.  We must meditate on the spoken word until we obtain spiritual understanding.  “But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who bears fruit and produces: some a hundred-fold, some sixty, some thirty.” (Matt. 13:23). 

Spiritual understanding will help us keep the word until it bears fruit.  I may have shared with you before how the Lord brought this revelation to me.  In my prayers for guidance, I was seeking to hear a word from the Lord.  There had been a few occasions in my walk, especially when my struggles were the most difficult, that I had been delivered by a “rhema” (spoken) word from the Lord.  We all need those experiences at times, but I was placing too much importance on them.  I was too hesitant to act unless I had a direct word from God.  On that occasion, the Lord did not respond by answering my questions, but rather by bringing correction.  A familiar passage in Scripture was opened to my understanding in a new way.  “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye.   Do not be like the horse or like the mule, which have no understanding, which must be harnessed with brit and bridle, else they will not come near you.” (Ps. 32:8,9).  Without spiritual understanding, I could be too easily distracted from obeying Him.  “Discretion will preserve you; understanding will keep you, to deliver you from the way of evil, from the man who speaks perverse things.” (Prov. 2:11,12).  In these last days, many deceivers have gone out into the world (2Jn. 7), but we will be kept on the path of righteousness by the wisdom that is found in Christ (1Cor. 1:30).  We must have the mind of Christ (1Cor. 2:16).

The process of transformation into the image of Christ depends on the working of the Holy Spirit (2Cor. 3:18).  The presence of the Spirit is the moisture that causes the seed to germinate. When we receive spiritual understanding, we are “seeing” the Lord because He is the Word of God.  Change will not occur in us unless we obey His words, but we must “see” Him before we can follow Him.  The enemy will use the cares of this world to keep us from spending time in the Lord’s presence.  There is a time to be busy, and there is a time to be quiet.  The example of Mary and Martha illustrates this point.  Martha was “worried and troubled about many things” but Mary “sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word” (Lu. 10:38-42).  When Jesus is speaking, we should be listening.  If we spend time at the feet of Jesus before we do the works, then we will rest in peace as we do them.  We will not be anxious as Martha was.  Having “beheld” Jesus in the Spirit, we will then be enabled to follow him with grace (Phil. 2:13).  The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of grace (Heb.10:29).

To receive this spiritual understanding from the Lord, we must be careful how we hear.  When Jesus sent messages to the churches He said, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” (Rev. 2:29).  First, we must listen with meekness (Jas. 1:21).  A proud person is not open to receive instruction.  Second, we must discern through our spirit.  “And he shall not judge by the sight of his eyes, nor discern by the hearing of his ears” (Isa. 11:3).  The Spirit teaches us through the anointing we have received (1Jn. 2:27).   Third, we must be careful not to limit revelation by our own understanding (Prov. 3:5).  We must trust in the Lord to confirm what is true in what we have previously understood. We have all been influenced by what we have heard, and we may even have received as doctrine the teachings of man (Matt. 15:9). 

We need to read Scripture, but God can also speak through Christian books.  Anointed teaching is a gift to the Church.  We must read these with the same care given to prophetic words: “Test all things; hold fast what is good.” (1Thess. 5:21).  It is important also to confirm these teachings through Scripture (Acts 17:11).  Christian teaching should direct us to Jesus in the same manner that Scripture points us to Him (Jn. 5:39,40).

At the time of this writing, we are approaching a new year.  I would like to take this opportunity to remind you of the Two-Year Bible Reading Plan available on this website.  Reading the Bible in a systematic manner helps us to read portions of Scripture that we would not normally do.  There are hidden treasures in all the books of the Bible.  You can view this plan in the article posted on December 26, 2020, or you can download a copy of it with the following link.

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1TQs0_oejNJO8HInVlN1JmSClMhWcEbiG?usp=sharing

Our First Love

“Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love.” (Rev. 2:4). 

What is it about our first love that makes it so important to the Lord?  It is a love that has not yet been tested by the challenges of life, yet it is full of faith and hope.  Even though it is young and may have more words than reality, it is full of zeal.  This zeal is not fleshly passion, but a fervency of spirit which is to be maintained throughout our Christian walk (Rom. 12:11).

The Lord gave this admonition to the church in Ephesus near the end of the first century.  This was a church birthed in revival (Acts 19:1-20).  So powerful was the demonstration of the Spirit that “all who dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus” (vs. 10) and “the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed.” (vs. 20).  In the time of their first love, the fear of the Lord came upon them and “many who had believed came confessing and telling their deeds.” (vs. 18).  They were still babes in the Lord, but they were alive and growing.

Later, Paul wrote and exhorted them to walk as children of light (Eph. 5:8).  They were still not mature as believers, but he said they were full of faith and love (Eph. 1:15), and he instructed them to be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might (Eph. 6:10).  As newborn babes they had come to know and believe the love that God had for them (1Jn. 4:16).  Then as children, they were learning to walk by faith in love.  The fruit of the Spirit was developing in them as they were learning to overcome the enemy.  They were becoming spiritual young men who are strong in the Lord and have overcome the evil one (1Jn. 2:12-14).  This stage of spiritual maturity is victorious Christian living, but it is still not the state of “a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.” (Eph. 4:13).  The later stage occurs when, having gained victory over the enemy, we once again become like children in humility and walk in perfected love.  Mature believers have not only learned to overcome the evil one; they continue to walk in their first love.  “I write to you little children, because you have known the Father.  I have written to you, fathers, because you have known Him who is from the beginning.” (vs. 13 and 14).  

As we ponder the message the Lord gave to the Ephesian church in the book of Revelations, we can take note and guard our hearts.  In the last article we discussed walking in the fruit of self-control for victory over the flesh and the devil.  The danger that occurs when we experience victories over the enemy is that we can become devil-focused instead of God-focused.  When the disciples returned rejoicing that the demons were subject to them, Jesus affirmed their authority, but He exhorted them to rejoice instead that their names were written in heaven.  (Lu. 10:17-20).  Regardless of how many victories we experience, we can never assume that we will never fall.  “Let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.” (1Cor. 10:12).  There are many ways the enemy tries to defeat us.  If he cannot steal the word from us, he tries to discourage us with opposition or he tries to distract us with the cares and things of this world (Matt. 13:18-23).  We know that the Ephesian church had initially kept the words of Jesus and had not been defeated by persecutions (Rev. 2:2,3).  They had, however, lost their first love.  They were too busy “doing” and not taking enough time to maintain their relationship with the Lord. 

How can we keep from falling into that trap?  For me, it always goes back to the proverb, “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” (Prov. 16:18).  I was listening to a teaching on humility recently and the minister made an interesting point.  He said that it is easier to see pride in others than in ourselves because our own pride will blind us from recognizing it.  In my own walk, I have found that if I am not responding to the correction of the Lord in my conscience, He will then try to correct me through circumstances or the rebuke of a friend.  But even for those methods to work, I need to be sensitive to what the Lord is trying to say through them.  Rather than complain when things do not go right, I make an effort to give thanks in every situation (1Thess. 5:18), which is the first step to seeing God in it.  Rather than defending myself when I am corrected, I try always to discern whether the Lord may be trying to say something to me, and if He is, I “agree quickly with my adversary” (Matt. 5:25).

There is another occasion in the New Testament that may reveal something about what was happening to the Ephesian church.  The first letter to Timothy was written when Paul had resumed his travels after the first Roman imprisonment.  Timothy had been left in Ephesus to help establish them because they were starting to give heed to teachings based on the traditions of men.  “I urged you when I went into Macedonia—remain in Ephesus that you may charge some that they teach no other doctrine, nor give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which cause disputes rather then godly edification which is in faith.” (1Tim. 1:3,4).   By the time John sends them the message from the Lord, they have works, but not the kind that pleases the Lord.  We know that the Lord is more concerned with who we are than with what we do, but works are nonetheless important.  “Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent.” (Rev. 2:5).  The works that please the Lord are those that issue from love, not legalism.

When I was praying to understand the Lord’s message to the Ephesian church, I was directed to see the role of the Holy Spirit in their growth.  The Book of Acts records their baptism in the Holy Spirit, and the revival that followed (Acts 19).  After being sealed with the Spirit of promise (Eph. 1:13), they were to receive the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him” (Eph. 1:17).  They were to walk worthy of their calling, maintaining the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (Eph. 4:1-3).  They were to walk as wise men, filled with the Holy Spirit (Eph. 5:15-18).  If we want to walk in our first love, we must continue to walk in communion with the Holy Spirit (2Cor. 13:14), the Spirit of grace and love. 

The Fruit of Self-Control

 “He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.” (Prov. 16:32). 

Every Christian believer goes through the experience Paul described in his epistle to the Romans, “For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice.” (Rom. 7:19).  It is important that we go through this and not live there.  Self-control is possible for believers.  The type of self-control I am referring to is not human willpower or self-discipline.  It is a fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:23).  Peter listed it as one of the eight qualities required to “make our call and election sure” (2Pe. 1:10).  In my last article, we discussed ever-increasing love.  Our goal in pleasing God is to walk in genuine love.  The journey begins and continues with faith, but other qualities like self-control must be increased in us if we are to reach our goal (2Pe. 1:5-8).  

The way of victory is not easy, but it is achievable.  In these last days, many will choose an alternate path.  “Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron… (1Tim. 4:1,2).  Why would someone give heed to deceiving spirits?  Because, in the flesh, it is easier to accept sinful weaknesses than to believe in the power of grace for righteous living.  Paul says that in the last days, men will be “lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power.” (2Tim. 3:4,5).  Doctrines of demons do not always look like they are from demons.  Take some teachings on grace, for example.  If they emphasize the mercy of God but deny its power for holiness, they are but half-truths, meant to keep people in sin.  There are so many variations of deceitful doctrines currently being propagated and their goals are always the same.  They deny the Lord, or what He has done (2Pe. 2:1).  Teachings on righteousness, for example, are not as popular as teachings on faith.  The reason is simple: teachings on faith tell you how you can have what you want; teachings on righteousness tell you how you can please God.  We cannot please God without faith, but faith which does not result in good works is not profitable for eternity (Jas. 2:14-17).  I do not think I can overstate that deception is a major assignment of the enemy in these last days.  “But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.” (2Tim. 3:13). 

Let us not be deceived into thinking that we will not be judged for our actions.  “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.” (2Cor. 5:10).  God is merciful, but He is also just.  As we walk in the Way, we must be careful not to fall into the ditches, on one side or the other.

The message of the cross is how we can obtain control over our flesh.  “For the message of the cross is foolish to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” (1Cor. 1:18).  Note here that the Scripture says, “who are being saved”.  Our salvation begins with justification, but it does not end there, it continues unto sanctification.   Be not deceived; we will not see the Lord without holiness (Heb. 12:14).  

Our faith must be in God and what He has done through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  “For if we died with Him, we shall also live with Him” (2Tim. 2:11).  “For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.” (Rom. 5:10).  To move past the experience Paul described in Romans Chapter 7, we must “reckon ourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Rom. 6:11).  It is a stand that we take by faith every time we battle sin.  We declare that we died with Christ, so sin no longer has any power over us (Rom. 6:6).  We also turn our faith to the life of Christ in us.   “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” (Gal. 2:20).  These are not just words which we confess with our lips; we must be believe them in our hearts (Mk. 11:23). 

Some translations of Galatians 2:20 say “by the faith of the Son of God” instead of “by faith in the Son of God.  While it is true that we receive our faith from God, it is important that we also see ourselves “in” Christ.  At the occasion of our salvation, we were baptized “into” Christ by the Spirit (1Cor. 12:13).  That is when we were effectually crucified with Christ.  Having then been united with Him in His death, we were also raised with Him in His resurrection.  At the present, our spirit man has been raised with Him to a position of authority over evil (Eph. 1:20-21).  We can walk by faith in this reality as we submit to the Spirit of God with our members (body and soul).  This is the process of transformation which results in the renewing of the mind (Rom. 12:1,2).  As we see ourselves “in” Christ, we recognize that we have spiritual life in the Spirit, and we now choose to “walk” in the Spirit (Gal. 5:25).  As we do this, the fruit of the Spirit will develop in us; self-control being one aspect of this fruit.

The experience of having reckoned ourselves to be “dead indeed to sin, but alive to God” occurs through an act of complete surrender to Christ.  This is not a one-time event.  We must constantly come to this place of reckoning as a living sacrifice.  Maintaining a conviction of “having died”, we also die daily to the things of this world (Col. 3:1-5).  Victory in Christ begins with surrender, but it must be worked out through repentance and faith.  “For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.” (Rom. 8:13). 

Ever-Increasing Love

 “The way of life winds upward for the wise, that he may turn away from hell below.” (Prov. 15:24). 

The Christian walk is a path to eternity; as we live on this earth, we are either moving upward or downward.  To move upwards is to become more like Christ.  John described the goal of the Christian life as love that is being perfected (matured) in us.  “Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.  No one has seen God at any time.  If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us.”  (1Jn. 4:11,12).  All who are honest with themselves will admit that our love needs to be perfected; it has hindrances which must be overcome.  “You ran well.  Who hindered you from obeying the truth?  This persuasion does not come from Him who calls you.  A little leaven leavens the whole lump.” (Gal. 5:7-9).  Our walk is never stationary because the enemy of our souls is behind these hindrances.   If we don’t push forward, we are pushed back.  To continue to walk on an upward path, we must grow in obedience with our spiritual senses developed to discern between good and evil (Heb. 5:14).  How do we do this?  How do we grow in obedience and discernment? 

In the later years of his life, Peter summarized the key instructions of life in his second epistle.  “Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.”  (2Pe. 1:10,11).  In previous articles I have covered the eight qualities Peter listed that are needed to be “neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (2Pe. 1:8).  These eight qualities are added one to another in a definite sequence.  They are steps that lead to the highest quality which is love.  But, like the writer of proverbs stated, the path is circular as it moves upward.  We must have these qualities, but we must also have them in abundance (2Pe. 1:8).  The highest quality, love, is increased through the obedience of faith as we increase in the other six qualities.

Faith is the foundation for growth.  If we are to continue upward in our walk, faith must continue to increase.  We cannot, as Paul accused the Galatians, begin in faith then turn to human means to accomplish our goals (Gal. 3:3).  Faith will be challenged, but we must stand fast in it.

Take for example the current situation with the corona virus.  As the world battles this issue, there is a lot of talk of restrictions and vaccines.  Faith is not recognized as a useful means to fight this problem, so the world relies on science.  Those who refuse to follow the guidelines, or to be vaccinated, are labelled as careless and selfish.  I think some are, but what about those who are standing in faith?  I do not mean wishful thinking, but serious faith.  “And this is the victory that overcomes the world—our faith. (1Jn. 5:4).  Our freedom as individuals is also being challenged, but for me that is not the main issue.  Freedom is ours in Christ, but it must be the servant of love (Gal. 5:13).  For the sake of those without faith, I follow the guidelines because that is all those people have for protection.  But what about vaccinations?  Is it selfish to not get vaccinated?  Not if we truly have faith, because what we have is better than a vaccine.  Standing in faith does not mean that we will not contract the disease; it means that we will battle and overcome it.  We wage war with spiritual weapons, such as the blood of Jesus and the Word of God, but it is still a fight of faith.  The price has been paid for our healing (Isa. 53:4,5).  We can take God’s Word as our medicine (Prov. 4:20-22).  If, because of work or travel, I choose to get vaccinated, it need not hinder my faith.  I will be careful not to put my trust in it, and I will still need to use my faith to oppose all the possible side-effects of the vaccine. 

Having obtained faith, we add the next two qualities, which are virtue (moral excellence) and knowledge (2Pe. 1:5).  Virtue is added before knowledge because faithfulness to what we have is necessary before more is given to us, but knowledge is needed for us to increase in virtue.  “Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” (2Cor. 7:1).  Remember that salvation is in three aspects: spirit, soul, and body.  What Paul is talking about in this verse is cleansing our soul from all filthiness of flesh and spirit.  Our mind, which is part of the soul, needs to be renewed.  We must be spiritually minded. 

The enemy has established many strongholds in the cultures of this world (2Cor. 10:5).  Take world religions for example.  One of the areas that I have seen the influence of eastern religions in the lives of Christians is regarding health.  Exercise programs like yoga may help to relieve stress and tone the body, but what spiritual effect do they have on the soul?  The basis of Buddhism is that you can be one with the “force of the universe” through meditation or self-purification.  It teaches that you can achieve as state of “perfection” without a Saviour.  You may think that you can participate in the martial arts without the spiritual influences, but that is not how the Lord sees it.  He rebuked the Israelites for similar attitudes: “For You have forsaken Your people, the house of Jacob, because they are filled with eastern ways.” (Isai. 2:6).

It is not only in exercise that we see the influence of “eastern ways”.  We see it in alternative methods of healing like reflexology and acupuncture.  The basis behind these methods is to remove blockages to the flow of divine energy.  There is no scientific basis for these methods; they are spiritual in nature.  Any healing method that speaks of achieving a balance of yin and yang originates in the spirit of divination.  Some may argue that these methods work, but at what price?  To submit to a spirit is to come under its control. 

There are other qualities that must be increased in our lives to bring love to maturity, but we must begin with faith and continue with obedience and discernment.  If you have participated in any of these practices, you must cleanse yourself from their influences.  You must turn from them in repentance, and by faith you must renounce these practices and deny the spirits behind them any further claim to your life.

Words

 “If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body.” (Jas. 3:2). 

As much as I would like to, this is a measuring standard I cannot argue with, nor can I replace with any other.  I have recently had to repent for using words that are hurtful to others.  The realization that I could react that way under pressure is a great disappointment.  As I think about it, there are other times that I have used words in a manner that is not Christ-like.  Whenever I have, it has been to protect myself, or to manage my circumstances.  In either case, I must admit that it is not representative of the surrendered life I desire to walk in.  How should I respond to my lack of maturity?  Of course I must repent, and I have, but how do I change?  Is it even possible?  James tells us that if we control our words, we control our walk, but then he also says, “But no man can tame the tongue.  It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.” (Jas. 3:8).  Should I just thank God for His forgiveness and accept the state of my soul as that of the man Paul described in Romans chapter 7?  “For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice.” (Rom. 7:19).  This is a serious question we must all settle within ourselves.  Many false doctrines have resulted from misinterpretations of scriptures like this one.  As Peter warned, we must not twist these scriptures to our own destruction (2Pe. 3:16).  Taming the tongue may not be possible for man, but with God, all things are possible (Mark 10:27).

Let me tell you, then, how I respond to failures.  First, I am disappointed in myself and grieved for the harm I have caused others and God.  (Ps. 51:4).  Then, I resist the temptation to judge myself, and I submit to the discipline of the Lord (1Cor. 4:3,4).  I have learned to discern the difference between the two.  If I judge myself, I come under condemnation, which results in despair.  If I trust in God, however, I have hope.  I believe He can cleanse me and cause me to walk in a manner pleasing to Him, because of His Spirit within me (Ps. 51:7-13).  I realize that the root cause of my sin is that I walk in the flesh and not the Spirit.  This is quite apparent because my behaviour is not the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:16-23). 

Even this realization can lead to discouragement, but the Lord has taught me that “all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” (Rom. 8:28).  I reassure myself that God can cause good to come out of even my defeats.  God can lead me in triumph in Christ as He helps me to learn from my failure (2Cor. 5:14).  To gain the victory, I must not only repent for having sinned, but I must discern and repent for the root sin.  Those who are mature have learned by practice to discern between good and evil (Heb. 4:16).  Discernment is the first real step to victory.  Then comes repentance and faith.

Instead of Christ being my life in this situation, I resorted to selfishness. The cause of this selfishness is fear, which is rooted in pride.  Under pressure, when things were not going the way I was comfortable with, I resorted to taking over my life rather than letting Christ be my life (Gal. 2:20).  To gain control over my tongue, I need to understand what led to this so that I do not repeat it.  The Scriptures are clear that the problem is in my thinking.  “For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.  For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.” (Rom. 8:5,6).  The Spirit of God helps me with this.  He shows me the thoughts that need to be brought into obedience to Christ (2Cor. 10:4,5), and He teaches me by His Word the thoughts I should possess.  As I meditate and believe His instructions, my mind is renewed and I walk in the acceptable and perfect will of God (Rom. 12:1,2).  It is my choice to change how I think.  Like Paul exhorted us, we must “set our minds on things above, not on things on the earth” because we have died, and our life is now hidden with Christ in God. (Col. 3:2,3).

The discernment I receive helps me to repent in the truest sense, which is to change direction.  But to walk in the right direction, I need grace, which is obtained by faith (Rom. 5:2).  The only way to victory is faith.  I must identify by faith with the death and resurrection of Christ.  “For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.  For he who has died has been freed from sin.” (Rom. 6:5,6).  I choose to “reckon myself dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus (Rom. 6:11), and to walk by faith in the Spirit.  The result is more of the fruit of the Spirit in my life.

The experience I have shared has resulted in some growth, but it has also shown me that there is a limit to my surrender.  I think that is why Paul calls it a “living sacrifice” (Rom. 12:1).  I must continually offer myself to God and submit to the process of transformation through the renewing of my mind.  I don’t like the circumstances that cause the fleshly behaviour to surface, but I realize that without them I would not know about the weaknesses in my character.  So, I welcome trials because tribulations produce perseverance (Rom. 5:3,4), which provides good soil for the seed of the Word to bear the fruit of Christ-like character in me (Lu. 8:15).

Mercy

 “He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Mic. 6:18). 

Mercy is a foundational principal in the Kingdom of God.  “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.” (Matt. 5:7).  To “love” mercy is more than just appreciating it.  It means we treasure it; we seek to understand it; and we seek to walk in it.  “Let not mercy and truth forsake you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart, and so find favor and high esteem in the sight of God and man.” (Prov. 3:3,4).  The word “mercy” is used to express kindness as well as forgiveness.  The author of Hebrews described mercy as part of God’s grace (Heb. 4:16).  Grace is His mercy (forgiveness) and help which we do not deserve.  It is God’s unmerited favor.  To love mercy is to offer forgiveness and kindness to others even when they do not deserve it.  

Why is mercy so important?  “Judgment is without mercy to the one who shows no mercy.  Mercy triumphs over judgment.” (Jas. 2:13).  God takes no pleasure in executing judgment, so He is patient and continues to work to call all men to repentance (2Pe. 3:9).  Judgment on evil will come, however, because it is necessary for the good of the righteous.  In His parable on forgiveness, Jesus compared the Father to a king who decided to settle accounts with his servants (Matt. 18:21-35).  He had mercy on a servant but was angry when that same servant failed to have mercy on his fellow servant.  In response, the king delivered this servant to the torturers (jailer) as punishment for his debt.  “So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.” (vs.35).  Forgiving others is not an option, and neither is it easy.  That is why Peter asked how many times we should forgive the same person (vs. 21).  We can do it with the help of the Lord, as we choose to forgive by faith.  “And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus” (Col. 3:17).

It is important to see in this parable that the punishment came because of debt.  When the servant failed to obtain mercy, he was delivered to punishment for his outstanding debt.  Unless we understand our guilt for sin, we will not value mercy.  The servant who failed to offer mercy to others did not appreciate mercy.  He did not understand undeserved kindness; instead, he thought he earned the forgiveness of debt by persuasive speech.  When we value the mercy of God, we respond with thankfulness and love.  “But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.” (Lu. 7:47). 

Even beyond our need to be forgiven, we should consider the other person’s need.  God is love and He wants His children to be like Him; to have His nature (2Pe. 1:4).  “Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.” (Lu. 6:36).  Understanding our need for mercy, and being thankful for the mercy received, we must respond with love to others.  We must realize that unless our brothers or sisters obtain mercy, they likewise will suffer punishment for their sins.  It is imperative that we help them receive the same grace.  This is the reason why Jesus said, “Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way.  First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.” (Matt. 5:23,24).  The Lord wants our offering, but what is more important to Him is that we love others.  If we have sinned against someone, we can be forgiven by the Lord through repentance, but what about the person we offended?  If they are holding unforgiveness, they will not be able to obtain forgiveness for their own sins and as a result will suffer punishment.  The devil will continually accuse them before the throne of God (Rev. 12:10) until God releases them for punishment.  Jesus wants us to help them obtain mercy.

Before we go to them we need to have already done something.  Without this, we are not even in a right relationship with God, much less able to offer Him a gift. “And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.” (Mark 11:25).  If our brother has something against us, it is very likely that we have something against them because there are two sides to any conflict.  Mercy is underserved so the other person does not have to say they are sorry before they are offered kindness and forgiveness.  Offering forgiveness unconditionally is not natural, but it is powerful when done by faith.  “Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” (Matt. 18:18).  On many occasions, I have found that when I forgive from the heart, verbalizing it in the spirit, the person is released to repent and obtain forgiveness.  It is not that the person cannot repent without my forgiveness, but my act of faith helps them obtain grace. 

By now you must be wondering, “Why is it so difficult to offer God a gift?”  The reason is quite simple, the sacrifice acceptable to God is a surrendered life (Rom. 12:1).  When you are ready to go to your brother, you must go in humility.  “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart—these O God, You will not despise.” (Ps. 51:17).  Our own wounds blind us to our sins but when we have forgiven, we are more sensitive to the convictions of the Spirit.  “Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison.” (Matt. 5:25).  Having surrendered your life to God, you must give up defending yourself.

When we seek to “love” mercy, we make it our aim to walk in it.  It requires humility and faith.  “If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men…Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Rom. 12:18,21).

Authority of Faith

“Your words were found, and I ate them, and Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart.” (Jer. 15:16)

When we come to know the Lord, we discover His words.  We discover them to be spirit and life (Jn. 6:63).  One of the passages in the Scriptures that has impacted my walk in a great way is about the faith of the centurion (Lu. 7:1-10).  What Jesus said about this man’s faith caught my attention: “I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!” (Vs. 9).  Like a seed, this word was planted in my heart and I meditated upon it to receive understanding. (Matt. 13:23).  Like a fruitful tree, it has grown in my life and has found expression in many ways.  In my last article, I described the practice of exercising authority in worship services.  In another article (Faith is Contagious), I described how we can exercise authority over nature.  Even when challenged by demonic forces, I have found the authority of the Lord rising from within me.  I have discovered that it does not depend on me, but it comes from the Spirit of God within me.

As much as I would love to impart to you the same understanding that I have received on the authority of faith, I also know that it must come to you by revelation.  If what I share in this article bears witness with your spirit, then I encourage you to meditate on it until you receive spiritual understanding.  You may have already heard the things I say, but you must be careful not to become dull of hearing.  The understanding must go deeper than your mind; it must be a matter of the heart.  Then from your heart will come the same kind of faith.  I am saying all this because great faith is not complicated.  It comes from the simple realization that all authority is from God (Rom. 1:1).  Then, if God has all authority, we as His creation must come under that authority.  It is one thing to assert this with our minds; it is quite something else to humble ourselves before Him in all circumstances.  What we know with our minds is not always expressed in our walk.  That is why we must grow in grace.  Even as I teach this important concept, I realize myself how much more of its truth must continue to grow in me.

What can we learn from the centurion about faith?  First, his faith was genuine, it had actions (Jas. 2:17).  The elders said of him, “he loves our nation, and has built us a synagogue” (Vs. 5).  Like the centurion in Acts Chapter 10, he believed in God and believed the reports about Jesus (Vs. 3).  He must have heard about Jesus healing the sick and casting out devils.  Jesus had been to Capernaum before and the people had been astonished at His ministry, “For with authority and power He commands the unclean spirits, and they come out.” (Lu. 4:36).  God recognizes the faith of a person even before they hear the gospel, but when the message is preached, all are required to repent and believe the Good News (Mark 1:15).

Secondly, he understood delegated authority.  “I also am a man placed under authority, having soldiers under me. (Vs. 8).  When he said, “I also” he was confessing that Jesus had authority from God, just like he had authority from Rome.  He understood that this authority was administered by commands, which could be supported by force when necessary.  It does not take faith to recognize earthly authority, but the eyes of faith are required to recognize spiritual authority.  Believing that Jesus was from God, he had confidence to request healing on the behalf of his servant.

More important than having this understanding was his humility.  Even though he was a military officer, he did not think himself worthy to have Jesus enter his home.  How different his response was compared to Naaman, the Syrian commander, who was healed from leprosy in the days of Elisha (2Ki. 5:1-14).  Naaman went to the home of Elisha and was offended that the prophet did not even come out to meet him but sent word through a servant.  If it were not for the faith of his servants, and the mercy of God, Naaman would not have been healed.  The centurion, on the other hand, was not offended that God had chosen the Jews as His people.  He knew, that as a Gentile, he could not receive the Lord into his home without offending the people he wanted to serve.  Yet, he had enough faith to believe that the Lord was bigger than circumstances and that He could heal his servant by just speaking the word.

Because of his humility, the centurion understood how to be “under authority” while also being “in authority” (vs. 8).  He did not view authority as a source of personal power, but as an opportunity for service.  As a leader, he understood his responsibility before God for the good of those in his care.  As Paul explained, “For he (the person in authority) is God’s minister to you for good.” (Rom. 13:4).  When you view authority as a responsibility, you can apply your faith to obtain grace.  Solomon was the wisest ruler on earth because he did this.  When God asked what he should give him, Solomon did not ask anything for himself, but he asked for wisdom and knowledge to rule God’s people justly. (2Chron. 1:7-12).

Our position of authority in a family, church, employment, or community can be used as an opportunity for intercession.  Because the servant was in his care, the centurion had confidence to ask for healing on his behalf, without the servant having to ask himself.  In Naaman’s case, the servants could implore him to believe, but he had to do the asking.  The right of intercession depends upon our position.  What is so wonderful in the plan of God is that as Christians, we have been made “a royal priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” (1Pe. 2:5).  We can intercede on the behalf of others as God’s priestly representatives under Christ our High Priest (1Tim. 2:1-4).  As New Testament priests, we can apply the blood of Jesus to people and circumstances.  The more we understand our spiritual authority, and the more we walk in love, the greater will be our intercession.

If the secret of great faith is to see ourselves as “under authority” while accepting whatever authority has been delegated to us, then we fulfill those responsibilities as faithful servants rather than rulers.  “Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.  Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful.” (1Cor. 4:1,2).  Then in humility, we will grow as we do all things by faith in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ (Col. 3:17).

Welcoming Men to the Kingdom

One concern I have had for a long time is the lack of committed men in our churches.  I have often wondered if the problem has anything to do with the format of our worship services.  How do we communicate to men that there is a role for them in God’s Kingdom?  I am reminded of one Father’s Day service in a church we were visiting that brought this problem to the forefront.  To honour the men, the women were conducting the service that morning.  There was a tangible presence of the Lord in the praise and worship service.  The theme was “dancing with the Father”.  As a man, it is difficult for me to visualize myself dancing with the Lord as His Bride.  It is not difficult, however, to see myself as a carefree child dancing with my Father.  Being part of the Bride of Christ is very real to me, but I tend to focus more on the authority side of that relationship.  We are seated with Him in heavenly places and we will reign with him in the age to come. 

The song service went on for a long time.  After about twenty minutes, I was ready to move on to a different theme, but the lady leading the praise and worship was quite pleased to continue with the same.  A common mistake we make is to give others what we would like to receive, rather than what they would like.  How many husbands have thought to bless their wives with an expensive tool for the kitchen, only to discover that their wives do not see that as a suitable gift for Christmas or a birthday.  We grow in our relationships when we increase our understanding of each other.  As I was observing the service, I told the Lord in an apologetic manner that dancing was not really a “man” thing; instead, we like to build things.  Very clearly in my soul I heard Him say that He also liked to build things: He is building a house for God.  He was not disapproving of the dancing, only affirming that He also likes to do things that a man likes.  If we want more men to be involved in Church, we need to find ways to welcome them.  I have always enjoyed the presence of the Lord in praise and worship.  My way of getting into the worship is, as I have mentioned above, through the exercising of authority.  As I worship the Lord in His majesty, I see Him lifted up and His enemies scattered.  I imagine and sense the presence of His angels assisting us in establishing His kingdom on the earth.   I participate in the warfare aspect of prayer, praise, and worship.  It is not that I do not enjoy fellowshipping with the Lord, it is that my relationship is more active than passive.

As much as there is a responsibility for us to welcome men to our services, there is also a responsibility with men to participate.  Men must make the effort to seek the Lord and serve Him.  This includes the removal of any hindrances in their spiritual walk.  They must make straight paths for their feet (Heb. 12:13).  I was reminded recently of a problem that many men have but few will talk about it until they have a measure of control over it.  We all deal with the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life (1Jn. 2:16).  One area that seems to be more of a stronghold for men, because of their natural make-up, is the lust of the flesh.  It was after finding out that someone I knew was part of a support group for sex addictions that I was motivated to start this blog.  I wanted to make available to others the insights the Lord had given me for victory over sin. 

Recently, another Christian man was sharing with me how his marriage struggles were related to the pornography problem he had a few years ago.  I am always surprised to find out that someone has been dealing with this sin while still active in Church.  If we only find out about these problems after God’s help has been obtained, how many are secretly struggling with it and are still weighted down with guilt?  I am not saying this to arouse suspicions, or to bring condemnation.  We can only help if we seek to understand.  We all struggle with sin in one form or another.  If someone struggles with something we do not struggle with, that does not necessarily make them weaker than us.  We should not compare ourselves to others (2Cor. 10:12).  The strongholds in our lives depend on many things like our experiences, our training, and even our heritage.  We cannot judge others, but we can seek discernment and exercise mercy.  Part of creating a welcoming environment is to offer help without condemnation.  We are not to tolerate sin, but rather help to restore those who are overtaken by it, being careful ourselves that we are not also tempted. (Gal. 6:1).  “Therefore, let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.  (1Cor. 10:12).  The path that sin normally takes is through pride.  “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” (Prov. 16:18).  We maintain our victory by grace through faith, but if we get into pride, God will withhold His grace for us (Jas. 4:6).

There is a place in God’s Kingdom for everyone, male or female.  We are all members of Christ with a special function (Ro. 12:3,4).  It is important for us to realize that we have different gifts of grace.  We must serve with the gift we have received (1Pe. 4:10).  Our service to God is not limited to church services.  The Church is a living Body.  The first step in discovering our purpose is realizing that it is not for us, but for God.  Serving with our particular gift is our true worship and it only begins in surrender.  “I beseech you therefore brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. (Rom. 12:1).  It is my goal in these messages to prepare the way of the Lord by removing hindrances for believers and encouraging them to follow the Way of the Lord.  We are all called to be “Repairers of the Breach”; to restore the ancient paths.  (See Isa. 58:12 and Jer. 18:15).  I encourage you to read some of the other articles in this web site to help you fulfill your purpose in God. If you are struggling with an unwanted habit, I would especially recommend the series on the Eight Steps to Maturity.

The Blessing of Peace

The first time I experienced the supernatural peace of the Lord was during the process of my conversion.  My road to salvation was not an ordinary journey from an evangelical perspective.  As a child raised in a Roman Catholic family, I had faith in God and even through my teenage years, as I lost faith in religion, I did not lose faith in God.  My obedience to Him, however, did fall away through those teenage years.  It was not until the age of 20 that I began an earnest search for truth which resulted in my conversion experience.  When I began to seek out truth, because of someone witnessing to me, I would always feel like my “subconscious” knew something that my conscious mind did not.  It was the need to discover and express this inner knowing that ignited a desire in me to want to write.  I did not know at the time that it was the Spirit of God drawing me to a knowledge of the truth.  It was in this spiritual condition that I first experienced the blessing of peace.

During my pursuit for truth, I decided to retreat into the forest for contemplation.  I borrowed my brother’s canoe and had him drop me off at the Poplar River so I could follow it to Lac Ouellette.  It was not until the first night in my tent that I realized how alone I was out there in the forest, armed only with an axe and a camera.  It is surprising how loud animal sounds in the forest can be when you close your eyes and try and sleep.  I still remember my anxiety, trying to distinguish those sounds, not certain if they were caused by a squirrel or a bear.  What else could I do but pray for protection?  It came immediately.  A sense of peace covered me like a blanket.  There is no better way to describe it.  It allowed me to calm down and fall asleep.  It also caused me to wake up spiritually.  There really was a God present to answer prayer!  It was not long after that I came to a place of surrender to Christ Jesus as my Lord.

The peace of the Lord is still very real to me.  It has been the means to my hearing the voice of God.  We cannot hear the Spirit of God in our spirit if our mind is anxious.  It has also allowed me to overcome the fears that have tried to cripple me.  There would never have been any character growth in me without this peace.  Realizing its value, I have been particularly aware of the mention of it in scriptures.  Have you ever noticed for example that many of the New Testament epistles begin or end with a blessing of “grace and peace”?  Even in the Old Testament we read that the blessing Aaron was instructed to pray over the people included this peace of the Lord.  “Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, ‘This is the way you shall bless the children of Israel.  Say to them: “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace.”’ (Nu. 6:23-26).

In these turbulent times we need the peace of the Lord.  It is a source of health and strength because in rest you place your confidence in the Lord and your faith is activated.  “In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and confidence shall be your strength.” (Isa. 30:15).  For my wife and I, this has also been a challenging but exciting time in our lives.  We are in the process of moving to another community as we transition from full-time secular employment to more time for family and ministry.  We are very busy with these changes and we look with anticipation to all that the Lord will do.  It is this peace of the Lord that we continually go back to as we encounter one concern or another.  It is in times of stress that we either get stronger or we get defeated.  For us, this has been a time of strength because we continue to rest in the Lord.  It is not because we are something in ourselves, but because the grace of the Lord is enabling us to rest.  When we look to the Lord, we find peace (Isa. 26:3).  In peace and trust we find our strength and our help which is from the Lord.

As believers, we can be witnesses of the grace and mercy of God because of the peace of God in our lives.  Many around us are living in fear or denial.  Peace is given freely to those who have returned to the Lord, but we must learn to rest in it.  “And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.” (Col. 3:14).  The exhortation to be thankful is related to the ability to abide in peace.  “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”  (Phil. 4:6,7).  So, peace will come through trusting God.  This type of trust is nurtured by devotion.  “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.”  (Isa. 26:3).

Because we love God and we place our trust in Him, we can expect to receive His protection. We know that “all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” (Rom. 8:28).  We can meditate on His promises for deliverance.  “Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known My name.  He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him.  With long life I will satisfy him, and show him My salvation.” (Ps. 91:14-16).  Do not put set your eyes on circumstances that are subject to change, set your attention on the Lord.

Walking in the Spirit

“If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” (Gal. 5:25)

If walking in the Spirit through faith is the key to a victorious Christian life, then what is the key to walking in the Spirit?  Obviously, it has to do with faith, but how is this faith to be applied?  The answer lies in the first part of the verse quoted above, “if we live by the Spirit”.  This life of the Spirit only begins when we believe unto salvation.  Then it is expressed in our natural life through our soul.  The process for walking is the same as for salvation.  “As you therefore have received Christ Jesus, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.” (Col. 2:6,7).  We must be established in the death of Christ to be established in His life.  This was Paul’s main aim in establishing people in the faith.  “And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God.  For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” (1Cor. 2:1,2).  You may be familiar with all these scriptures and if you are already walking continuously in victory, then you have no need to hear them again.  But, if like most of us, you sometimes stumble, then you will benefit from what I say here.  Even if you think you are standing strong, take heed lest you fall (1Cor. 10:12).

There is always a danger for Christians to begin in faith and then fall back to human effort.  This is the problem Paul was addressing in his letter to the Galatians.  “This only I want to learn from you:  Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law of by the hearing of faith?  Are you so foolish?  Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?” (Gal. 3:2-3).  In the Early Church, we saw this problem manifested in the call for the circumcision of Gentiles.  In our days, it finds expression in religious legalism.  “These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility, and neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh.” (Col. 2:23).  We must be careful not to confuse devotion with sacrifice, nor presumption with faith.  There is a need to bear our cross and follow the Lord, but it must not be attempted in the flesh.  It is an act of faith that begins in surrender.  I think always of the Lord’s surrender to the will of the Father in the Garden of Gethsemane, before He took up His cross.  There is suffering that comes with surrender, but it is borne in grace through faith, not in human effort for grace.

It is in this context that Paul said: “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” (Gal. 2:20).  It is very important that we continue in Christ the same way that we received Him.  By faith, we identified with Christ in His death and submitted to His rule over our lives.  By faith and submission, we continue to identify with His death and to live in Him.  Our death in Christ is a past event: “I have been crucified with Christ”.  To walk in victory over sin, it is imperative that we believe in this fact, as Paul clearly states in the sixth chapter of Romans.  But faith is also a present reality.  Although I died with Christ, I continue to die daily (1Cor. 15:31).  This is not because my old nature keeps coming back to life, but because my death and resurrection in Christ is in stages.  It occurred for my spirit when I first believed; then for my soul as I walk with Him; and finally, for my body at His appearing.  If His resurrected life come in stages, then so must His death.

To bear our cross and follow Jesus, then, has the two-fold meaning of having been crucified and being crucified.  We must stand by faith in the finished work of Christ on the cross for victory over the power of sin.  We must also put to death the patterns of this world that still demand attention from our soul.  It is this process of daily putting to death the works of the flesh that I have described as the Process of Transformation (Rom. 12:1,2).  It is carried out by the Spirit through faith.  “For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. (Rom. 8:13).  Have you ever wondered why some people can become so overtaken by an ungodly cause that they even give up their lives for it, yet Christians struggle with the thought of having to suffer for Christ?  The difference is in the root of our beings.  People can die physically for a cause if they do not have to give up their selfish nature.  Living for a cause invigorates that old nature.  Christians, on the other hand must die to self; they must allow the ax to be laid to the root of the tree of “self” (Lu. 3:8). 

The path to victory became clear to me when the Lord showed me that my old nature was crucified with Christ when I was born again.  There are not two natures in me.  “Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him…” (Col. 3:9,10).  Why then is there still a conflict in my soul if my old man is dead?  It comes from “sin” that still dwells in my body (Rom. 7:17).  Instead of always trying to put off the old man, I resist sin.  I take a stand in faith that the power of sin was broken because my old man was crucified in Christ (Rom. 6:6).  When I deny myself, I do not deny my old nature, but I deny selfishness.  I now live by faith in Christ.  Since I died and was born again, I now set my mind on things above and put to death those behaviors that are of this world (Col. 3:1-5).  My soul still has some thoughts that need renewing, some emotions that need healing, and some decisions that need renouncing.  These are changed by the renewing of the mind as I offer my members a living sacrifice (Rom. 12:1,2).  The path to victory is through surrender and faith.