anchor: (noun) adevicedroppedbyachain,cable,orropetothe bottomofabodyofwaterforpreventingorrestrictingthemotionofa vesselorotherfloatingobject; aperson who canbereliedonforsupport,stability,or security; (in media) themainbroadcasterona news program,whousuallyalsoservesas coordinatorofall other supporting broadcastersduringtheprogram.
This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary. Jesus has already gone in there for us. He has become our eternal High Priest in the order of Melchizedek. –Hebrews 6:19-20 NLTWhich hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec. – KJV [Now] we have this [hope] as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul [it cannot slip and it cannot break down under whoever steps out upon it—a hope] that reaches farther and enters into [the very certainty of the Presence] within the veil, Where Jesus has entered in for us [in advance], a Forerunner having become a High Priest forever after the order (with the rank) of Melchizedek. – Amplified Bible We who have run for our very lives to God have every reason to grab the promised hope with both hands and never let go. It’s an unbreakable spiritual lifeline, reaching past all appearances right to the very presence of God where Jesus, running on ahead of us, has taken up his permanent post as high priest for us, in the order of Melchizedek. – The Message
This verse came to my memory a couple of weeks ago, when I saw an anchor and knew the Bible talks about God as our anchor. It had always been such a tangible reminder to me regarding how God is always there, for us to hold onto in all the storms of life, if we just Trust him and believe in him. Both small and large sailing vessels; even ships use an anchor to secure their boats, either when they arrive at a destination where they want to stay or to ride out a storm, when they are too far from shore. Once the anchor is secured, the vessel will not go anywhere. The anchor keeps the vessel in the same location, not allowing it to drift off course, even during extreme turbulence. If you tried to just drift with the tides during a storm, you most likely would end up way off of your intended course or destination. In this message, hope is linked to the anchor, they are symbiotic; You cannot have hope without the anchor and you cannot hold onto or trust the anchor without hope. Those who drop the anchor expect it to keep them secure and on-course. I had not remembered the following verse. But what a message it tells, regarding how Jesus, our high priest, made entry, he was the trailblazer for those who follow him, to enter into the holy of holies, the place where God dwells. Weeks before I had been telling God that I didn’t just want to enter the inner court, but that I wanted to stay there… IN HiS Presence!! How do we get there? We get there by fully trusting on God in all situations and by having a desire to know him as intimately as possible. It is by reading the word and allowing the Holy Spirit to reveal its meaning and truths to us. God has already opened the door by Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection, all we have to do is to enter.
I was thinking this morning of the phrase WWJD? It is a good reminder many times of how we should behave, but it is so incomplete. A better reminder might be WDJD? (What DID Jesus Do?) He died on the cross, which is true, but what did that mean? Was it simply a sacrifice for our sins? Was it our ‘ticket’ to eternal life? While those are also true, it is so much more.
He abolished the law that man interprets (and misinterprets) and that man uses to guide his way through life. In its place, he supplanted us with His Spirit that directs us into Truth. The law can only reprove and correct, but the acceptance of his Mercy and Grace redeems us and imparts his Spirit. Words spoken from an obedient son:
“Jesus replied, “All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them. Anyone who doesn’t love me will not obey me. And remember, my words are not my own. What I am telling you is from the Father who sent me. I am telling you these things now while I am still with you. But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.” – John 14:23-26
“But in fact, it is best for you that I go away, because if I don’t, the Advocate[a] won’t come. If I do go away, then I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment. The world’s sin is that it refuses to believe in me… When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future. He will bring me glory by telling you whatever he receives from me. All that belongs to the Father is mine; this is why I said, ‘The Spirit will tell you whatever he receives from me.’” John 16: 7-9&13-15
Posted below is a blog I wrote on Grace a couple of years ago at this time, it bears repeating.
There are six things the Lord hates—no, seven things he detests: haughty eyes, a LYING tongue, hands that kill the innocent, a heart that plots evil, feet that race to do wrong, a FALSE witness who pours out LIES, a person who sows discord in a family. Proverbs 6:16-19
This week a post I read on Facebook prompted me to think how many people are dishonest. I’ve known people who tell what they call “little white lies” as if their dishonesty is minimized in their mind, because they think being dishonest a little isn’t harmful. But a lie, is a LIE, IS A LIE! I’m not shouting at you, I just want people to see that there is no such thing as being a “little” lie or being a “little” dishonest. I know one person who told me that they had to lie to certain people because they were protecting them. My response was ‘protecting them from what?!’ Lying Never protects anyone, because you are introducing sin into a relationship, no matter who it is you’re trying to protect. That relationship is doomed, whether it is a friend or a family member. When did God put you in charge of protecting others from the truth? Actually, that particular person was manipulating a situation, because they didn’t want the other person to know what they were doing. If you feel the need to hide how you control your affairs, perhaps there are other areas that you are not being honest about. They were also trying to control the response of the other person. I’ve known parents who will lie to their kids because they have a preconceived idea of how the child will react if they know the truth. It only opened up a larger dilemma in that they had allowed their child to control the situation based on that child’s previous bad behavior. It was definitely an unhealthy situation, based on lies by both parties. One was lying based on poor behavior and the other was lying in an attempt to modify that behavior. No relationship can endure based on lies, because it dispels trust, which is integral for longevity in relationships.
Truthful words stand the test of time,but lies are soon exposed. Deceit fills hearts that are plotting evil; joy fills hearts that are planning peace! Proverbs 12:19-20
Some annoying prefaces to a conversation are: “I’ll be honest with you …”; “Let me shoot straight now.”; (Like they weren’t any other time?) “To be perfectly honest…”; “God’s honest truth…”; “No lie…”; “I swear I’m telling the truth!”; “Regardless of anything else I’ve said before…” There are many others also, but when you hear this, be on guard! If a person has to persuade you that they are being honest by putting extended conditions on their statement(s), it shows their integrity or lack thereof. I thought honesty was free from deceit, not conditional.
photo by Alamy
The dictionary definitions of the word ‘honest’ are as follows:
Honest: 1. honorable in principles, intentions, and actions; upright and fair. 2. showing uprightness and fairness. 3. gained or obtained fairly. 4. sincere; frank. 5. genuine or unadulterated. 6. respectable; having a good reputation. 7. truthful or creditable.
If you look up the word “honest” in the thesaurus, the main definition is ‘truthful & candid.’ Some synonyms are: authentic, reliable, undisguised, on the up and up, genuine, virtuous, and trustworthy. To take it a step further, I looked up the word “honesty” (the act of being honest) in the thesaurus and the word that stood out to me was integrity! The definition of integrity is: ‘the state of being whole’ which leads me to what lying is… ‘incomplete.’ We are not complete in God, if we are dishonest. We can Never be complete in God, if we cannot be truthful.
An honest witness does not lie; a false witness breathes lies. Proverbs 14:5
Just as damaging as a madman shooting a deadly weapon is someone who lies to a friend and then says, “I was only joking.” Proverbs 26:18-19
What sorrow for those who drag their sins behind them with ropes made of lies, who drag wickedness behind them like a cart! Isaiah 5:18
What bothers me most is when people drag God into their dishonesty, by using his name in the phrases I mentioned above. If you cannot stand on your own integrity, leave God out of it! Why should you use his name to verify what apparently has been deceit in the past? Learn to be truthful, forthright, and honest and there will be no need to preface your statements.
For you are the children of your father the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies. John 8:44
Lying is based on sin and following Satan, just as Adam and Eve did in the garden… they entered into sin and deceit. No one can ever measure up to the law, it only points us to the perfect sacrifice, which is Jesus. Jesus IS Truth, the opposite of deceit. You don’t have to measure up to be saved, Jesus defeated all sin on the cross and in resurrection. I am not saying that you can live in sin, but once you accept Jesus and follow him by the Holy Spirit, you have no desire to live in the bondage of lying and sin. Sin is the suppression of the Truth!
But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness…They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen.Romans 1:18&25
Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds. Colossians 3:9
But you have received the Holy Spiritand he lives within you, so you don’t need anyone to teach you what is true. For the Spirit teaches you everything you need to know, and what he teaches is true—it is not a lie. So just as he has taught you, remain in fellowship with Christ.1 John 2:27
Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me…I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. John 14:6&12
But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way.For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth. John 4:23-24
And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you.He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth.The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you. John 14:16-17
Jesus IS Truth and when we follow him in spirit and truth, we represent that truth, lying is not a part of us and that is… the God’s Honest Truth!
Katie Storme 