Author Archives: J.N.Wheels

The Rise and Fall of Men of God – Part 1

“And David spake unto the LORD the words of this song in the day that the LORD had delivered him out of the hand of all his enemies, and out of the hand of Saul:
And he said, The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer;
The God of my rock; in him will I trust: he is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my savior; thou savest me from violence.
I will call on the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.”
2 Sam 22: 1-4
There is a great confidence to be had in our service to the Lord. Not because of who we are but because of who the Lord is and for all the abundant resources He offers. But those resources are for those who place their confidence in the Lord. But woe to those who stray by their own strength; fighting their own battles; placing confidence in flesh. They are like those who fight without sword and have no reward in eternity. We must remind ourselves of who we serve. Not so much whose side we are on but Who fights on our side for us. He fights for me! This is key to great victory, that we trust that the battle belongs to the Lord; therefore we can keep our hands of misfortune off of His battles, giving rest to our weary hearts and minds. Isaiah wrote:
“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.” (Isaiah 26:3)
To forsake the word of the Lord is to forsake the Lord Himself. For by His word we live and breathe and exist (John 1). We can rest upon Him because He has given us precious promises to cling tightly to and to trust in. But you must trust that He is for you what He has promised to be, according to His word. David knew that the Lord was his rock, his fortress, his deliverer, his shield, the horn of his salvation, his high tower, his refuge and his savior from the enemy! This was the proven God of David’s trust and therefore David could live accordingly as a man who trusteth in the Lord for peace and in war; a man with a “mind stayed on” Jehovah. That is literally, to be leaned or propped, rested and clinging upon the Lord. This is the meaning according to the word of God to be “stayed” or samak upon the Lord. The mind must be brought into submission to God’s word, fully dependent upon him, and useless without Him and his power, supplied from His resources. It says that this brings peace, but why? “Because he trusts in thee.” The word trust here is to place hope, confidence and security in the Lord. It also carries the idea of carelessness. That is, the people and kings of God need not care for God will take care of that which concerns them. But not all men will mix that faithful word with even a mustard seed of faith. Rather, they will throw it out with yesterday’s paper, forgetting the headlines that scream “Trust Not in Your Flesh!” For most are more concerned with themselves than waiting upon the Lord. Always in a hurry and never willing to wait upon Him for strength and confidence. Thus is the case of King Jeroboam; the centerpiece of our story: given all the promises and resources of almighty God, yet throwing them to the swine in exchange for the rebuke of the prophets and the judgment of God. May God help us to learn from those who have gone before us, for we have much to learn.
“And I will take thee, and thou shalt reign according to all that thy soul desireth, and shalt be king over Israel. And it shall be, if thou wilt hearken unto all that I command thee, and wilt walk in my ways, and do that is right in my sight, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as David my servant did; that I will be with thee, and build thee a sure house, as I built for David, and will give Israel unto thee.”
1 Kings 11:37, 38

This is the word of the Lord, out of the prophets mouth, directly to “the mighty man of valor (11:28)” The scenario is a peculiar one as it always seems; whenever a prophet of God is on the scene. Pre-king jeroboam is on his way out of the city of Jerusalem when Ahijah the prophet meets him with a message, sent from heaven. The delivery is quite interesting and picturesque. I can imagine the warrior, Jeroboam, in awe at the onset of Ahijahs prophecy as Ahijah takes Jeroboams new garment, tears it into 12 pieces and then begins to explain the word of God for this pre-king. In summary, God is going to give Jeroboam ten tribes of Israel to reign over as king due to the disappointing fact that Solomon had disobeyed the word of the Lord. There are always consequences to our actions of disobedience, and there are often actions to our disobedient and faithless thoughts, should we allow them to linger long. Allow me to fast forward: King Solomon sleeps with the sharks, his son Rehoboam becomes King over Israel but Israel does not like him so they rebel, kill one of the kings right had men, then king Rehoboam flees leaving the people to appoint Jeroboam as king over the land of Israel just as the Lord said He would. Ok, no worries. Right? Everything is finally taking place exactly how it was prophesied. I can trust that all is well and will continue well… right? Ya, maybe in a textbook world, but not in the realm of God’s Word. The Lord chooses to leave our characters and heroes raw and really just how they were; flaws, sin and the rest. God’s word is pure reality at its finest and worst, all to the glory of God. As for Mr. King Jeroboam, his gravest mistake would be one of his first moves. He takes His eyes off of the Lord and instead, places them onto his circumstances and the raging, always chaotic world around him.
“And Jeroboam said in his heart, Now shall the kingdom return to the house of David:
If this people go up to do sacrifice in the house of the LORD at Jerusalem, then shall the heart of this people turn again unto their lord, even unto Rehoboam king of Judah, and they shall kill me, and go again to Rehoboam king of Judah”
1 kings 12:27, 28

Oh the sin of trusting in self and that nasty sin of a jealous heart. Both will pull you down before the blinking of an eye should you not submit yourself to Christ. But to submit seems the road less ventured. And the ‘us’ route seems to be the popular road for travels. Jeroboam would resort to his own flesh in making foolish decisions to help settle his jealousy. He would build idols of cows and place them in the north and in the south and influence his people Israel to worship there instead of in Jerusalem. He would appoint his own priests who were not of the tribe of Levi and the king would himself, offer sacrifices at idolatrous altars, both of which were contrary to the word of God. This was the beginning of a rebellious idol worshipping reign that would bring the reproach of God upon himself and his household.

“O Lord, keep us from our idols, our flesh and all things that are displeasing to you. Amen.”

When We are Dying for Strength, There is Grace!


“For our proud confidence is this: The testimony of our conscience,
that in holiness and godly sincerity, not in fleshly wisdom
but in the grace of God, we have conducted ourselves in the world,
and especially toward you.”
2 Corinthians 1:12

It is no wonder to any battle scarred believer in Christ, that Paul would say that He conducts himself in the grace of God. Rather, it is an immense encouragement to me to hear of the sufferings of Christ being played out in my brothers and sisters in Christ. It brings me to the reality that I am not alone on this planet. I am not alone in struggle, despair, pain and sufferings for Christ. It is in these sufferings that I gain a new understanding of the much needed grace of God. And I do not mean a knowing with the intellect, but I, through trial and suffering know and become aware with a knowledge of the heart, the grace of God that is my everything I need in all circumstances: physical, spiritual, emotional, mental…etc. As I am stretched beyond limit; broken, NO! shattered into pieces that cannot be picked up, there I gain Christ in all of His infinite, abounding grace. He puts me back together as I gain a new gratitude for who He is and for His strength supplied to me. My weakness reveals His strength. In my weakness, He proves His power and it is in this power, His power for us that we must conduct “ourselves in the world and especially toward you.”

“Father, help us to conduct ourselves not in fleshly wisdom but in the Grace that you supply. Amen.”

Love and Suffering – go hand in hand


2 Corinthians 2:4
“For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote to you with many tears; not so that you would be made sorrowful, but that you might know the love which I have for you.”

Oh what depth of love we might have within ourselves as we conform more and more into the likeness of our Savior – To love as powerful as Christ on the cross. He is bleeding, and yet He is giving life. He is in much anguish and suffering and yet He is experiencing victory for so many souls. He is dying – being poured out, and yet He is vastly in love with those for whom his blood is being spilt. This is love, though it be a strange thing to take in, to grasp. A love that is willing to go through trial and much anguish so that others may experience true joy and everlasting peace.

I wonder how many Christians are missing out on the fullness of knowing their Savior because they are too safe. Too scared to step out in faith or too scared to suffer for the well being of others. I’m not talking about being tortured or spread over a splintery cross. But to be spent: emotionally, physically and spiritually stretched beyond your personal bounds for the sake of others. True men and women of God who change lives and effect eternity for the sake of the gospel suffer in this life while others benefit, and yet because of this suffering, they enjoy pure, perfect joy now and in heaven. No wonder scripture says to us about our Savior: “that for the joy set before Him, He endured the cross…” There is great joy in tears and trial and in sufferings when they are for the purpose of the gospel, the joy of others, and to the glory of God!  You must experience this sort of love in order to scarcely understand it.

“O, Lord, that we might experience you more fully in the fellowship of your sufferings.” Amen

YouTube – Experience The Gospel – Jeremiah Wheelersburg

YouTube – Experience The Gospel – Jeremiah Wheelersburg.

The “Yet’s” of God

2 Corinthians 3:5
“Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God…”How interesting is the Word of God. So peculiar is our faith that we may proclaim with the Spirit that gives Life that, though we die, yet we live. Though we are weak, yet we are strong and though we are not sufficient, yet we are sufficient. Does this make sense? We are one thing yet we are another? To the natural men who know nothing of the Spirit nor of Christ and His miraculous power these things make no sense. But for us the sense lies within the “yets” of scripture. That is, we are one thing yet in Christ we are another. We are sinners, Yet He is Savior. We are Sinful and yet He is forgiver of sin. And in our passage here: though we be insufficient, yet He is sufficiency for us. It is not about us but about Him in all things and all areas of our undeserved life. Oh that we would remember to be grateful for these “yets” of Christ that have made us acceptable in the Fathers sight for now and for all eternity. Praise the Lord.

“We are blessed in You, Oh Jesus!!!” Amen

Dark Heart : Bright Son

LET THERE BE LIGHT!

2 Corinthians 4:6
“For God, who said, “Light shall shine out of darkness,” is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the Knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.”

Wow! What a truly amazing brightness this is! It is God Himself – Who is light.

The same God who spoke the planets and moons, stars and even the sun into existence with His very breath and words, would now shine in our heart. Incredible! This is so hard to fathom -even believe.

To think that out of billions of souls alive today-right now-at this very moment, and then out of even more billions upon billions of people who have lived in the past, that He, the God of Wonder and creation, power and glory would single me out – a sinner of the highest degree, with a soul as dark and as black and wicked as hell itself.

To think that He would save me and shine His pure, powerful, sin obliterating light into my heart and mind and soul, and to wake and bring to life my once dead spirit. It is so hard to imagine but it is so important to accept. God has indeed pierced the darkness and the veil that had blinded you from experiencing His light of love and grace. He has defeated the wicked god of this world, that serpent and deceiver, who once held you under bondage to your sin and condemnation. But that has all changed. It is changed permanently. For good. It is finished! To you, though you deserve it not, His mercies will shine anew and afresh each day because he has said to your spirit the same thing that He has said to all His creation from the beginning: “Let there be light!” And through the Lens of Christ’s sacrifice and resurrection, he says to you also as he said from the beginning, “it is good.” All this is because of His goodness and for His glory because we have seen the face of The Christ-our Savior. We see the Glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ who loved and loves us. Oh what sure Hope we have in Jesus. Just as the sun has not ceased its shining all these years so the Light of God’s faithfulness shall not cease its singing over us until we bask eternally in the presence of the light of His true Son for eternity.

“Amen, Praise You my God for all eternity! amen!”

EPIC FAITH – A letter to Myself

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Dear Me,

Some say, “It is hard to believe.”

They honestly state, “I cannot believe in what is unseen.”

“I have no faith toward God, because I cannot see Him with my eye.”

And yet without reserve, doubting, they place their measure of faith in what is seen.

“Unless I can see it, it will not satisfy.”

The faith of disbelief in God is placed elsewhere.

You might say:

“I faith what I feel.”

“If I feel it, I believe it. If I taste, touch, hear or see it, I accept it.”

“If I can argue for it, or reason through it, than surely I would give my life for it.”

As people, we mostly believe that it is a satisfying thing to be able to see the object of our affections. But if you can see what you place your hope in, yet draw no joy from it, there is no pleasure in the seen thing at all. I have found most often that the seen things are the empty things – the letdowns in the end. We looked to be fulfilled and yet fulfilled we are not.

Empty we come to our table and there find no fullness at all – only the same old desire unfulfilled. And so we are on the hunt.

Searching to be satisfied.

Our hearts are beating for a single treasure.

The desire of man is probing the pleasures of life – hoping – expecting by faith, and panting for calm in a world full of storm. The desire of man is to be satisfied, and yet seeing, we are still wanting. And hearing many things, we are still deaf to the answer. Seeing the objects of our faith, most of us are unmoved. I don’t mean that we are not accepted or are without some definition or meaning or purpose, but I mean that we are left unaffected. Untouched by our roaming faith.

Money is the god of some and yet though they move money, money does not move them. I can change my surroundings or possessions with money but money cannot speak to me, comfort me, hear my cries and relieve my anxieties. It cannot bring relief and companionship to the lonely heart.

Sex is the god of many. All effort, emotion, and mind are consumed with this act or vision. Faith in the groped-for fleeting satisfaction of fornication. Yet we are untouched or fulfilled by sex. Though moving in sex, though moving from one partner to another in this act, we are not moved by it in heart. Satisfied but for a moment only, and then the moment passes. Lasting satisfaction is lacking because sex satisfies mostly the body but for a moment then, it is fleeting. The body is left hungering only for more but without being truly and lastingly pleased.

Dreams,

Degrees,

Education,

Self-worth,

Popularity,

Praise,

Heroism…

And the list could go on.

We are searching for contentment.

The mind and body are hungry for meaning, but what if man is more than just body and mind? Though what is seen is natural, what if in what lies beyond the “eyes-seen” world is where we are only satisfied? In the seemingly unnatural?

Though men move naturally toward satisfaction and self-worth, they are not moved by what they grope for.

What if the seen does not satisfy because the unseen in man hungers for the ultimate satisfying treasure – worth that cannot fade away. Love that is not fleeting. Purpose that lasts beyond this life – beyond time. The treasures that we know – the felt treasures are all effective for only a moment of pleasure. But what is unseen is unaffected by material treasures. The spirit of man that lives beyond this temporal life is yearning to be satisfied by the unseen – the spiritual. The body is possessed by spirit, and knowing that the body is rotting, the spirit is longing for its maker – the creator and satisfier of all things.

Your need and my need is spiritual, not fleshly.

Not worldly, but godly.

Reality is, that the body is dead without the spirit and the spirit is dead without God.

Long ago, God breathed His very breath into a pile of dust and brought man to life. His breath became our source of life and we are as His creation, longing to breath from the source once again. Satisfaction awaits but only at the fountainhead. You, being created in the image of God, who is Spirit, are longing to be touched by the God who formed you. To truly be moved by that which you place your faith in.

God moves me.

I am moved by Him.

He is moving in me.

Gushing out brilliantly.

Over and under, in, through and out of the deepness of my heart, spirit, mind and emotions.

I have searched the world over and have found only sweet, fulfilling satisfaction in Him alone. His Spirit lives in me and I am supremely satisfied in Him!

I have not seen Him with the eye but have experienced Him with the heart and deep into my spirit, which He has made alive. And in knowing Him, I am complete and satisfied in mind, heart and faith.

There are those who even see with the eye and still do not believe. But I have heard His still and small voice whispering to my spirit, calling me to be in Him complete and there be completely satisfied.

I am a faith-walker – needing not sight but knowing Him through the experience of His touch upon my life. He has lit the path of life and inflamed my heart to burn for Him. He walks upon the landscape of my soul, and in heaven, though here on earth I now walk with Him in pleasure forevermore.

My desires are for Him alone.

He changes me,

Renews me,

Makes me whole, therefore I am wholly His.

I have been delivered up to my God for His good pleasure. I am a sacrifice upon the alter of allurement. I have tasted and now see. I am lured by His immeasurable grace toward me. He is the hunter, I am His prey, and I have been caught by the one who only wholly loves me and cares for my soul. I am pleased to be trapped by His love. This is the result of his affections toward me and my experience of faith in Him.

He is a God to be experienced, not intellectually beheld.

But you must run after Him! Searching and calling after Him to be found, and there, you will no doubt be found by Him. But faith is an action as well as a reality, and the reality and faith-filled Creator of faith is longing to be your desire and object of faith.

Yet as we know, reality is often tested.

But know this my friend, the God of reality will be found as real as life and more powerful than death come the end of your life. And there, in that moment, having not experienced Him here you will surely never know Him there.

Are you experiencing your God, or just reading about Him? The seen does not satisfy because we were meant to be other-worldly.

Our unseen spirit is most greatly delighted when enraptured by His Spirit – seen with the spiritual eye.

Come boldly before your God today and experience Him in all of His glory. Let Him blow your mind. See Him and be seen by Him with Fresh eyes.

Safe in Him,

J.N.Wheels