DIG for Thursday the 20th of July…..there is no sin that can hold you back from Jesus…..John 4 v 4

After Nicodemus, the next individual Jesus met with was the Samaritan woman at the well.

His disciples were amazed that Jesus even spoke to her, but Jesus made a point of going to see her.

Jesus went from the height of society (Nicodemus) to the lowest of the low.

Here Jesus met with a Samaritan woman who was an adulterer and fornicator; you really could not get any lower in Jewish society.

Jesus actually made a point of travelling through Samaria; I believe it was to meet with her at the well.

Yet Jesus came into relationship with her, even after all her previous and current sin.

Jesus knew full well what was going on in the life of this woman yet He still wanted to spend time with her.

Do you think there is some sin holding you back from a relationship with Jesus?

There is no sin you have done, there is even no sin that you are currently doing that will hold Jesus back from wanting a relationship with you.

The only one who could hold back on the relationship is you; Jesus is ready and waiting for you right now.

He has compassion and love for you, and He is not going to judge you for what you are doing or have done.

After all He has already dealt with the sin you have done or even doing!

There is nothing holding you back from a full relationship with Jesus other than you, and what you may be thinking about yourself or your sin.

Focus on Him, and come to Him; you will not be disappointed.

Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord that I can come fully to you irrespective of my past or present sin”.

John 4 v 4…..And he must needs go through Samaria

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DIG for Wednesday the 19th of July…..you can go to Him at any time, in any way…..John 3 v 1 and 2

The gospel of John has always been my favourite gospel, full of the most amazing miracles and encounters.

I do like reading about the miracles performed by Jesus but I think I prefer looking at the encounters Jesus has with the ‘normal’ people; people like you and me.

Nicodemus came to see Jesus at the start of His ministry.

He was a powerful man, yet He came to Jesus in the night, so that he was not seen coming to the Lord.

Even though he did not want to be seen with Jesus, he was welcomed and taught.

Even though he came in secret to Jesus, with no man seeing him, Jesus still entered into relationship with him.

Our relationship with Jesus is a personal thing, how we came to Him is no matter for anyone else.

Nicodemus shows us that relationship with Jesus is, at its deepest level, a personal matter.

Our Christian walk today has nothing to do with what other people or with what they see us doing; it is about our personal relationship with the Lord Jesus.

We are involved in a relationship and not a religion!

There are many religions in this world, but only one way to the Father and that is through relationship with His Son.

Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord that as a gift of grace under the New Covenant I can enjoy a personal relationship with Jesus”.

John 3 v 1 and 2…..There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him

DIG for Tuesday the 18th of July…..we are talking about physical healing and not spiritual…..Matthew 8 v 16 and 17

As I said yesterday healing is provided through the finished work of Jesus..

Sometimes I hear this, “But the healing spoken about in the Word is spiritual healing”, about making the person ‘whole’ in that sense and not in the physical.

Well, what about Isaiah 53 v 4 and 5 and Matthew 8 v 16 and 17, would be my reply!

Isaiah 53 v 4 and 5, if you look at the Hebrew, is prophesying that Jesus would take our sickness and disease (griefs) and pain (sorrows) on His body, and that He would heal people physically.

Matthew 8 v 16 and 17 shows Jesus healing people of their sickness, with the Greek word clearly talking about physical illness and disease.

It then says that He did this to fulfil what was said by the prophet Isaiah (Matthew 8 v 17).

How clear do you want or need Scripture to be?

These two passages are obviously (if you look at the Hebrew and Greek) talking about physical healing and not spiritual.

Salvation makes our spirit perfect anyway, so a believer does not need their spirit healed, but a lot of us do require physical healing, and Jesus provided this through His finished work.

Do not let anyone tell you that the healing spoken about in Isaiah is spiritual, it is physical, and Scripture is very clear about this.

Physical healing has been provided for you to believe and receive, so take it!

Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord that you provided physical healing for us all through the finished work of Jesus”.

Matthew 8 v 16 and 17…..When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses

DIG for Monday the 17th of July…..healing equals salvation…..Matthew 9 v 21 and 22

I read a wonderful piece last night about healing, reinforcing a truth that I already knew.

Do you know that what you think about salvation can be superimposed upon healing?

For example we know that it is God’s will for all men to be saved.

We know that men can do nothing to earn their salvation; there are no good works or religious observance required that a man could do to be saved.

We know that salvation comes as a gift of grace through faith in the finished work of Jesus.

So my friend, we can remove the word salvation from these statements and replace it with healing.

The base Greek word associated with salvation is sozo, and this Greek word (among other things) also means to be healed, and it is this base Greek word that is sometimes used for healing (14 times).

So healing is associated with salvation, indeed they are linked together; if you have been saved you have had healing provided.

Salvation and healing are both provided through the finished work of Jesus on the cross.

You do not have to work for healing, do good works to be healed and you do not need to ask, beg or plead with God to heal you.

As you trusted in Jesus for salvation you can trust in Jesus for healing.

The lady with the issue of blood trusted in Jesus and was healed, or made whole (Matthew 9 v 21 and 22).

This was obviously a physical healing and the Greek word used was based on sozo.

Speak this out today…..”Thank you that that through the finished work of Jesus you provided healing as well as salvation”.

Matthew 9 v 21 and 22…..For she said within herself, If I may but touch the hem of his garment, I shall be whole. But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; they faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour

DIG for Sunday the 16th of July…..if you are righteous then the law is not for you…..1 Timothy 1 v 9

It may seem to you that I have a “bee in my bonnet” about law and grace, it may seem that I write about this all the time!

Well, I think it is of vital importance that we, as born again believers, know that we live under grace and not under law.

Grace has the power to free us from sin, while law actually ‘helps’ us to take part in sin (see DIG from Friday 14^th of July).

If you divide the Word properly you will know that if you are born again you have been made righteous.

2 Corinthians 5 v 17 is talking about a born again believer and in verse 21 we see that believers have been made righteous.

Ephesians 4 v 24 tells us that this ‘new man’ (or our born again spirit) was created in righteousness and true holiness.

So from this we can deduce that if you are saved then you are righteous.

Can you see how the Scriptures tell us that?

Good, so now look at 1 Timothy 1 v 9.

This verse tells us that the law is not for a righteous man, so that is talking about you.

You are not meant to live under law, so do not let any man try and put you under law.

You live under grace, under the New Covenant and are free from the law.

You are also free from all curses of the law (Galatians 3 v 13).

Now that is good news!

Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord that I live under grace and not under law”.

1 Timothy 1 v 9…..Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man……

DIG for Saturday the 15th of July…..are you sitting down for this one…..Matthew 6 v 9

There are some amazing truths in the post-cross New Covenant Scriptures.

For instance we are told that we have been forgive first so that we can forgive others (Ephesians 4 v 32).

We are told that we have been forgiven through the blood of Jesus (Ephesians 1 v 7 and Colossians 1 v 14).

We are told that God has supplied all we need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1 v 3).

We are told that God will never tempt us with evil for He is a good God (James 1 v 13).

There are many passages that tell us we have been saved (or delivered) as a gift of grace through faith in Jesus.

These are truths of the New Covenant, applicable to believers now living under grace and not under law. You are living under grace and not law (Romans 6 v 14 and 15).

Do you believe these New Covenant truths, and do you believe they are for you? Well, this next statement may shock and confuse you!

If they are true (and they are), what is now known as the Lord’s Prayer is an Old Covenant prayer and not meant for you to recite habitually and try to live by!

In Luke 11 v 1 the disciples asked Jesus how to pray as John did; John was an Old Covenant prophet and as such prayed Old Covenant prayers.

In Matthew 6 v 7 Jesus said not to pray in vain repetition, and in verse 9 told his disciples to pray “after this manner”; He did not say pray in exactly these words.

“The Lord’s Prayer” is not for you to pray habitually; for the New Covenant believer it is actually a prayer of doubt and unbelief.

For example do you not know you have been forgiven, do you not know He is your provider and do you think He may tempt you with evil and not deliver you?

Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord that I live under grace and not law, I live under the New Covenant and not the Old”.

Matthew 6 v 9…..After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name

DIG for Friday the 14th of July…..preaching law will cause people to sin…..1 Corinthians 15 v 56

I made quite a ‘controversial’ statement in my DIG yesterday, saying that the law makes us sin by actually strengthening sin.

This kind of statement has got me into trouble before!

However this is Biblical truth that we need to explain to the church at large, as it seems to be one of the ‘best kept secrets’ in the body of Christ.

1 Corinthians 15 v 56 is the verse that talks about the law strengthening sin.

What this means is that if we preach law at people it will actually make sin rise up in their lives; it will strengthen sin, thus making people more likely to sin.

Saying, stop this and stop that, will actually make people do what you want them to stop.

By preaching law we will force people into sin, simply by reminding them about sin and ‘helping’ them focus their minds on it.

And this verse actually makes the preaching of law even more dangerous; it says that law strengthens sin and that sin kills, or brings death.

Yes, preaching law at people will bring death.

Now death means not receiving the blessings that God wants for them, but it can also mean physical death.

Preaching law kills!

Now that is not something you will hear preached in many churches this Sunday.

But it is exactly the reason why we should be preaching grace and not law.

Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord that I live under grace and not under law”.

1 Corinthians 15 v 56…..The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law

DIG for Thursday the 13th of July……don’t look back at your sin, move on…..Hebrews 11 v 15

There is a wonderful picture in Hebrews that shows us we should not look back at the things of the past, especially if they are negative.

Abraham came out of one land into something better, a good land that was promised by the Lord.

If he had looked back at his old home he may have been tempted to return, but he did not look back (Hebrews 11 v 15).

If we keep looking back at our sin and the stupid things we used to do we may be tempted to return to them.

However if we focus on Jesus and His finished work there is no room in our mind for the daft things we used to do.

And we know that if we do not think on something we cannot ‘go there’.

You will know that one of the verses I use most in DIG is Proverbs 23 v 7, for as a man thinketh so is he.

If you do not think on or about the sins in your past (or any particular sin) you just cannot do them.

Grace tells us all about Jesus and helps us to stay away from sin, but living under the law reminds us about sin and actually pushes us towards sin.

Grace frees us from sin, the law makes us sin by strengthening sin!

Don’t take my word for it; this is what it says in the Bible (1 Corinthians 15 v 56).

Abraham did not look back at his old home, in the same way we should not look at our old sin or any sin for that matter.

Focussing on sin will ‘help’ us to sin, focussing on Jesus will free us from sin.

Don’t remember the sins you used to do, and try to focus on the Lord; this will help you live a life free from sin.

Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord that I live under grace and not under law, and thank you that all my sin has been dealt with by Jesus on the cross”.

Hebrews 11 v 15…..And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned

DIG for Wednesday the 12th of July…..we must all keep learning…..2 Timothy 2 v 15

Life long learning is a concept that most of us are aware of in the secular and working world; it is also a concept that is very important in our Christian walk.

It is a very dangerous day when we think we know it all, or feel that we know enough about the Word of God.

The Bible I use on a daily basis is rather old, full of underlining and highlighting, however what I marked as I progressed on my walk with the Lord is very interesting.

Three of the verses that I had marked early on as a ‘young believer’ are ones I would not mark now, as my understanding about law and grace, old and new covenants has developed.

The verses are 2 Chronicles 7 v 14, Romans 3 v 23 and 1 John 1 v 9.

These are verses that as a young Christian I tried to live by, and of course failed.

I have learned that as I live under grace and not law, I have unconditional forgiveness, and that 2 Chronicles 7 v 14 is an old covenant principle and therefore not for me to live by.

I have learned that my emphasis should be on what I have been made as a gift of grace through faith in Jesus rather than any sin, so Romans 3 v 22 and Romans 3 v 24 are of more relevance to me today.

I have learned that 1 John 1 v 9 is not for me to take literally as I am a born again believer and this verse was written in context for someone else.

I have learned more and more about grace over the years and am still learning.

We all must keep this attitude of learning, searching the Scriptures for a deeper revelation of truth that is relevant and appropriate for us as we live under grace in the New Covenant.

Our task is to rightly divide the Word, knowing what has to be taken literally and what is not for us today.

We need to know what covenant we live under!

Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord that because of the finished work of Jesus I now live under the New Covenant and under grace”.

2 Timothy 2 v 15…..Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth

DIG for Tuesday the 11th of July…..I’ll see it when I believe it…..Hebrews 11 v 1

There is a phrase that I hear quite often, said by people in the church and in the world.

“I will believe it when I see it”.

If you are born again and in the church this is a statement of doubt and unbelief.

What we should be saying is, “I will see it when I believe it”.

Take for instance the miracle of healing.

Many, many people will say, “I’ll believe it when I see it”, and in this case healing will probably not happen.

However if a person believes they are healed (truly believes it in their heart) and speaks out that they are healed, they are far more likely to see a manifestation of their healing.

The Bible is very clear in telling us that what we see in our lives is a product of what we think and believe and what we speak out.

Even science is now catching up with the Word and telling us about the power of our thoughts and words.

Positive imagination is a very powerful force for good in our lives, just as worry and fearful thoughts are a negative force.

As believers we need to see things in our mind in order to see them in the physical world.

Are you in need today? Is there something you want to happen for good?

Why not take some time right now and imagine that positive change happening, and see how it would affect your life in a good way.

Go on; hope for it!

Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord that death and life are in the power of my tongue, and thank you that as I see myself so I will be”.

Hebrews 11 v 1…..Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen