We have absolute, unshakable confidence, because God can never change His mind about you and me.
Nothing including prayer and fasting can change God’s mind. Because He is Omniscient, He never has a need to rethink, retract or alter anything. God is not a man (1 Samuel 15:29) that He should lie or repent. The Lord has sworn (Psalms 110:4) and He will not revoke or change it. Whatever God speaks is immediately and irrevocably established. How fearful and uncertain and insecure we would be if God ever changed His mind about anything. Our security is rooted in the fact (Malachi 3:6) that God does not change. Some wording in the KJV would seem to indicate that God changed His mind (Genesis 6:6-7) because it uses the word REPENT and we know that repentance means a change of mind. Notice that God’s heart was grieved. His grief speaks of sorrow and regret. We can regret something without changing our minds about it because we know it is necessary. The amplified Bible uses the word REGRET. The world and its population, which God had created in sinless perfection, had become so vile they were a toxic poison which would proliferate throughout future generations. Therefore, they had to be destroyed. Holy God does what is necessary for the fulfillment of His original plan but that essential judgment gives Him sorrow not joy. Just as when, at the final Judgment (Revelation 20:15) the unsaved are cast into the Lake of Fire. God is not rejoicing, in fact, His grief is so great that (Revelation 8:1) all heaven falls silent before the sorrow and heartbreak of God. He was not willing (2 Peter 3:9) that any should perish but many will deliberately choose to perish. We might wonder how heaven could be joyful for us if any of our loved ones are among the perishing. But our full joy will not be because (Psalms 9:5, 69:28). (Dr. Stanley) “they will be blotted out of our mind and memory.” Meanwhile we continue to pray that our family circle will not be broken.
From our security in knowing that our Sovereign God never changes His mind, what is our mind-set? Have we ever given the Lord a heart-felt compliment? A compliment because of our admiration of His magnificent wisdom in arranging the sun, moon, planets and stars in exactly the right place and position to protect the earth and creates in the ashes of dead, burned-out stars all the chemicals needed to sustain life on our planet. Our admiration of the breath-taking beauty of the changing seasons with which He adorned the created world; our admiration for the vast varieties of food and the know-how He instilled in humans to bring it from the ground, from the bushes and from the trees to our tables. Are we filled with admiration as we consider WHO God is, WHAT God is and ALL God is, always was and always will be; our admiration as we trace through the Bible and in our own lives the Divine strategy of Sovereign wisdom. Of course, we can’t stop with admiration which leads us on to recognition, adoration, glad obedience and passionate devotion. We have (1 Corinthians 2:16) the mind of Christ. Do we allow His mind to control and direct our thoughts, thought patterns, attitude and desires? Are we obediently fixing our minds (Colossians 3:2) on things above?
As I was getting washed this morning the Holy Spirit impressed on me to add these Truths to this meditation. There are some religious denominations who teach that if a truly born-again Christian sins they will be lost. That teaching is so false, so contrary to the unchanging Word of God, that it is satanic insanity. Satan will use both extremes to deceive people in order to destroy their faith. Either that there is no hell or that a Christian could go to hell. Now hear the Truth for everyone who has received Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour. We are sealed (Ephesians 1:13, 4:30) with the Holy Spirit Who Himself is our eternal seal by His indwelling Presence. Jesus said (John 14:16) the Holy Spirit will be with you and in you forever. Think logically – because He indwells me forever, if I go to hell – the Almighty Holy Spirit would have to go to hell with me. Jesus said (Hebrews 13:5) I will never leave you, so wherever I go, Jesus goes. That would mean that if I go to hell, Jesus would have to go to hell with me. You can see how ludicrous that is, but it is much worse than that. To say or teach that genuine Christians can be lost is utter blasphemy against the finished work of Jesus on the Cross and it dangerously devalues the tremendous but completed cost He paid in full for our redemption, God’s Truth slams the door shut on Satan’s lies. If you fill your mind with Truth you will not be deceived by error.
I heard a message on Living Truth from People’s Church from a man who had been a missionary in Middle East countries and also in the Philippines. It meant so much to me that I want to share with you these thoughts based on what he said. He based his message on (Luke 11:1-13) the parable Jesus taught about the man going to his neighbour at midnight for bread. It began with the disciples asking Jesus to teach them to pray. Not how to heal sick people, not how to cast out demons, not how to perform miracles but to pray. Why? Because they saw that Jesus did all these things through prayer in His relationship with His Father. They wanted to know about prayer and that intimacy with God. The missionary said he was thankful that he had lived in the Middle East for years because he learned two principles deeply entrenched in that culture hospitality and avoidance of shame. Jesus was speaking to Middle East people and the wording He used was -- can you imagine anyone going to a neighbour at midnight for bread and being refused? They all shouted – NO! – because that would be a violation of essential customs. It would not be hospitality and it would bring shame. It just couldn’t happen in that culture. The neighbour would give not only bread but everything needed for a delicious meal. The neighbour didn’t give because of persistence but because of who he himself was. What has that got to do with teaching His disciples (and us) to pray? Jesus is not teaching that God answers prayer because of my persistence but because He will not shame His Name. He is answering so that right while I’m asking, I’m receiving, while I’m seeking – I’m finding and as I’m knocking – the door is opening. The continual giving of God is not because I deserve, but (Ezekiel 36:22) for His Name’s sake. Moses asked (Exodus 3:14) Who are You? Answer – I AM and My limitless power is all for you. God will not be shamed by rejecting anyone who comes to Him. The disciples found Jesus often in prayer, they saw the works accomplished in His life and they wanted to know the Father in that quality of relationship with Him. God will never shame His glorious Name by ignoring or neglecting any of His children. We are told (1 Thessalonians 5:17) to be unceasing in prayer but that does not mean to present 24/7 our shopping list. It is a continual attitude and communion, to seek deepening fellowship with God and growing oneness with Him so that we get to know His heart. Then our prayers will be very effective as they reflect the very heart of God.
As I dig into (1 Corinthians 1:30) I realize that this is not about my longing to be like Jesus and not about Jesus giving me the power to be holy, but it is the reality of Jesus being Himself in me and manifesting in and through me HIS patience, HIS love, HIS holiness, HIS faith, HIS purity, HIS goodness. This is sanctification. Over the years the writings of Oswald Chambers have nourished my soul and I’m still learning from him. As you read these words please know that they are largely based on Oswald Chambers’ teaching of God’s Word, including some quotes. All the perfections of Jesus are placed at my disposal and slowly and surely, I will begin to live a life of ineffable order and sanity and holiness. Right-being comes before right-doing, anything right or good that is done from a wrong motive is neither right nor good. When I become conscious of my need, God imparts to me the motives, disposition and unsullied heredity of the Lord Jesus by putting the Person of the Holy Spirit into my spirit. The Holy Spirit is the spirit of Life (Romans 8:2) which is in Christ Jesus. The demands of God would be impossible except that Jesus has undertaken to remake me within by His Redemption and God’s commands are for the new life. By God’s grace I can experience all of this but I wonder if I can ever fully comprehend the marvellous, all-encompassing scope of the atonement. Kept by (1 Peter 1:5) the power of God. We have absolute, unshakable confidence because God can never change His mind about you and me.