Geoffrey's Notebook

All of the Israelites who had been slaves in Egypt died in the wilderness.* The Israelites who entered the Promised Land, however, had never been slaves. So also it is with us spiritually: our old generation, the flesh, has a history of being a slave to sin and this world. While we are wandering in our wilderness journey now the old generation of the flesh is perishing. The new generation in Christ, which is free from even the history of sin and the world, enters the Promised Land. For the people of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness, until all the nation, the men of war who came out of Egypt, perished, because they did not obey the voice of the LORD; the LORD swore to them that he would not let them see the land that the LORD had sworn to their fathers to give to us, a land flowing with milk and honey (Joshua 5:6). Thirty-eight years passed from the time we left Kadesh Barnea until we crossed the Zered Valley. By then, that entire generation of fighting men had perishe...

You may have the position but do you have the possession? But from the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of the heavens is taken by violence, and the violent seize on it.

Found this on page 25 of The Glorious Lord  by F. B. Meyer: 1. Pool of Siloam = stagnant life 2. Pool of Bethesda = rollercoaster life 3. Brook Kedron = polluted life 4. Aqueducts of Solomon = dependent on others' spiritual life But there is a river ... There is a river, the streams whereof make glad the city of God, The holy place of the tabernacles of the Most High (Psalm 46:4).

We experience the blood of Christ initially and progressively. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were  far off have been brought near  by the blood of Christ (Ephesians 2:13 ESV).  All who have believed in the Lord Jesus have been brought permanently near to the Lord by the blood of Christ. This only happens once in your experience and you are forever near to Him. Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter  the holy places by the blood of Jesus ...   let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts  sprinkled clean  from an evil conscience ... (Hebrews 10:19, 22).   The nature of our fellowship with God is that we are always approaching God by the blood of Christ. Sometimes due to current sins that would hinder our fellowship without the blood (1 John 1:9). Other times we experience the blood because of some growth in understanding of new light (1 John 1:7). And at all times our only "full as...

I Peter 1:6-7—Wherein ye exult, for a little while at present, if needed, put to grief by various trials, that the proving of your faith, much more precious than of gold which perishes, though it be proved by fire, be found to praise and glory and honour in the revelation of Jesus Christ.  Our faith is valuable to God —"more precious than gold" —and its value is displayed when the fire of trials removes all else not of faith. As gold is purified by fire physically, faith is purified by fiery trials spiritually.  I noticed today that faith is valuable. Forget about the trials and purifying for a moment and consider that there is something worth  a large price that has been given to us —our faith. The value of faith is in the Christ that we experience by faith. That treasure —Christ himself — shines clearer and purer as we yield to the trials of fire. And that valuable life of Christ that we now live by faith is worth our love and our all. 

And God said, Let the earth cause grass to spring up, herb producing seed, fruit-tress yielding fruit after their kind, the seed of which is in them, on the earth. And it was so (Genesis 1:11). In the creation account of Genesis 1, there is also a spiritual aspect to the history being described. Just as the earth had it's new creation physically, so we also have spiritually entered into the new creation: So if any one be in Christ, there is a new creation; the old things have passed away; behold all things have become new (2nd Corinthians 5:17). In comparing our experience with Genesis 1, we can learn about this new creation that we've been brought into. For example, we already know the meaning of day 1 from 2nd Corinthians 4:6: Because it is the God who spoke that out of darkness light should shine who has shone in our hearts for the shining forth of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. When Paul was saved, the light had shown all around and e...