THE LIFE AND TESTIMONY OF
STRANGERS AND PILGRIMS
Part 3

“Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling”
(Philippians 2:12).

5. PILGRIMS ABSTAIN FROM FLESHLY LUSTS

Peter pleaded with the believers in 1 Peter 2:11: “Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul” (1 Peter 2:11).

Jesus prayed for the believers yet to be born: “I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world “ (John 17:14-16).

The apostle John also pleaded with the believers: “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away and the lust thereof: but here that doeth the will of God abideth forever” (1 John 2:15-17).

When we give one inch to fleshly lusts, they war against our soul. They hinder us on our pilgrim walk. We must get into the habit of saying No to the flesh, and Yes to the life of Jesus Christ who lives in us and walks with us.

6. PILGRIMS LIVE IN THE FEAR OF GOD

1 Peter 1:17 says: “And if ye call on the Father who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man’s work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear.” The English Standard Version says: “Conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile.”

This Scripture describes God as both Father and Judge. He is our loving, approachable, compassionate Father, but He is also Judge. The judgment of God also reveals His love for us. If there was no judgment upon our lives, there would be no safety and we would end in destruction.

There are many folks who only want to experience God’s love. There are others who only talk about the judgment of God. Both are wrong for we must embrace God as both loving Father and loving Judge. It is this understanding that causes us to walk in the fear of the Lord while we sojourn on this earth. We walk in fear before our Father because we do not want to hurt Him or displease Him. We walk in fear before Him as Judge because we know that sin is so hateful to Him. He sent His beloved Son from Heaven to die and to take the punishment we deserved because of our sin.

Do we have this relationship with God? Do we walk in fear of displeasing Him? Do we walk in fear of being deceived and falling into sin because we know we are only human? Alexander Maclaren writes about this fear: "A lowly consciousness of the heinousness of sin, and consequently a dread of offending the Divine holiness. He who thus fears, fears to sin more than anything else, and fears God so much that he fears nothing besides." He also writes: "The strongest needs to fear; the weakest, fearing, is safe. For such fearfulness is indispensable to safety . . . The only safety for any of us is ever to be on the watch, and to dread our own weakness."

F. B. Meyer writes of this Scripture: “The holy soul realizes this; and a great awe falls upon it and overshadows it--an awe not born of the fear which hath torment, but of love. It passes the time of its sojourning in fear. Not the fear of evil consequences to itself, but the fear of grieving the Father; of bringing a shadow over his face; of missing any manifestation of his love and nearness to Himself, which may be granted to the obedient child. Love casts out fear; but it also begets it. There is nothing craven, or fretful, or depressing; but a tenderness of conscience which dreads the tiniest cloud on the inner sky, such as might overshadow for a single moment the clear shining of the Father's face. So the brief days of sojourning pass quickly on, and the vision of the Homeland beckons to us, and bids us mend our pace.” I pray that I will walk with “a tenderness of conscience which dreads the tiniest cloud on the inner sky.” Is this your prayer too?

Blessings from Nancy Campbell

PRAYER:

“Dear Father in Heaven, please save me from being captivated with the worldly things of this life--the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. Please remind me each new day that I am only a stranger in this world and doing the will of God is the only thing worthwhile. Amen.”

AFFIRMATION:

I’m walking in God’s fear
Along this pilgrim way,
His presence brings me cheer
Even when skies are gray.

THE LIFE AND TESTIMONY OF
STRANGERS AND PILGRIMS
Part 2

“And confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on this earth”
(Hebrews 11:13).

3. PRILGRIMS CONFESS THEY ARE STRANGERS ON THIS EARTH

The great faith chapter reminds us: “These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were PERSUADED of them, and EMBRACED them, and CONFESSED that they were strangers and pilgrims on this earth” (Hebrew 11:13).

The saints of old CONFESSED they were strangers and pilgrims. They acknowledged they were citizens of Heaven. The faith men and women of old lived in the light of eternity. What is your confession? Do you talk more about the material possessions of this world or the eternal kingdom? Are you preparing your children for the eternal world?

We learn to do this is by continually CONFESSING we are strangers and foreigners. Perhaps we should confess this truth each morning as we rise. “Thank you for being with me today, Father, as I live as a temporary resident on this earth. Help me to realize that I belong to another kingdom apart from this world. And in the name of Jesus, I confess that I am a stranger and pilgrim. Amen.”

The word “confession” is the Greek word homologeo and means “to speak and confess the same words God says to us and about us, to agree with God, and to assent to and publically acknowledge God’s truth.” We must daily confess the truths that belong to God’s kingdom instead of the humanistic jargon of this humanistic society.

And do you notice that the saints of old not only CONFESSED the principles and promises, but were PERSUADED of them and EMBRACED them to their hearts?

Jacob confessed his life was a pilgrimage when he spoke to the Pharaoh of Egypt. He said: “The days of the years of my pilgrimage are 120 years” (Genesis 47:9):

4. PRILGRIMS KNOW THEIR LIFE IS ONLY A SHADOW

David confessed before God in 1 Chronicles 29:15: “For we are strangers before thee, and sojourners, as were all our fathers: our days on the earth are as a SHADOW, and there is none abiding.” David says again in Psalm 144:4: “Man is like to vanity: his days are as a shadow that passeth away.”

Why do we get so bogged down in this life when the eternal realm is the truly real world? God’s word gives many pictures to remind us of our temporary life on this earth. Let’s look at them, shall we? He says our lives here are like:

A CLOUD (Job 7:9).

A FLOWER that comes forth and is cut down (Job 14:2; Isaiah 40:6-8 and 1 Peter 1:24, 25).

A SIGH (Psalm 90:9).

A SHADOW (1 Chronicles 29:15; Job 8:9; 14:2; Psalm 102:11; and 144:4 ).

A VAPOR (mist) that appears for a little time and vanishes away (James 4:14).

A WIND that passes away and comes not again (Job 7:6, 7 and Psalm 78:39).

AN EAGLE swooping on its prey (Job 9:26).

FEW (Job 14:1 and 10:20).

FLEETING (Psalm 39:4 ESV).

GRASS (Psalm 90:6, 7; 103:15, 16; Isaiah 40:6-8; and 1 Peter 1:24, 25).

HANDBREADTH--measurement of four fingers, about four inches (Psalm 39:5).

SHORT (1 Corinthians 7:29).

SWIFTER than a runner (Job 9:25)

SWIFTER than a weaver’s shuttle (Job 7:6).

SWIFT BOAT (Job 9:26).

VANITY meaning a breath or a vapor (Psalm 39:5).

WATER spilled on the ground which cannot be gathered again (2 Samuel 14:14).

More to come.

Blessings from Nancy Campbell

PRAYER:

“Dear Father in Heaven, my everlasting home, I thank you for all your eternal promises. With all my heart I embrace them and confess them. They are my daily confession. Amen.”

AFFIRMATION:

I am accumulating treasure in heaven rather than on this earth.

THE LIFE AND TESTIMONY OF
STRANGERS AND PILGRIMS
Part 1

“By faith he (Abraham) sojourned in the land of promise,
as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob,
the heirs with him of the same promise”
(Hebrews 11:8).

The Bible often reminds us that we are strangers and pilgrims on this earth. We read it, but do we really comprehend what it means? Do we live it in our daily lives? Do our children see us living like strangers and pilgrims, or would they think this was our final home? To get the true picture of what it means to be a pilgrim, we need to check the Scriptures again. As we look at them, we’ll begin to see God’s plan for us, His pilgrims.

1. PILGRIMS HAVE GOD WITH THEM ON THEIR JOURNEY

Did you know that you are not a sojourner on your own? God Himself sojourns with you. God says in Leviticus 25:23: “For you are strangers and sojourners WITH ME.” Isn’t that amazing? Don’t you want to burst out in thanks to God?

David confessed to God in Psalm 39:12: “I am a stranger WITH THEE, and a sojourner, as all my fathers were.”

When Jacob spoke to the Pharaoh of Egypt he said: “The days of the years of my pilgrimage are an 130 years.” He looked upon his life as a pilgrimage on the way to a better country.

Just as God lived in the midst of the children of Israel, dwelling in His Shekinah glory in the Holy of Holies in the tabernacle, so He also lives with us today. Now it is even more amazing. He dwells in us by the power of His Holy Spirit (John 14:23; 1 Corinthians 6:19; and Colossians 1:27). We do not walk alone; God walks with us.

When we feel like an outcast because we don’t fit in with the culture of this world, God is an outcast with us. When we suffer pain and persecution, God suffers with us. What wonderful comfort to know that God pilgrims with us through this time of exile.

And because He is with us, He gives us strength for each day of our pilgrimage. Deuteronomy 33: 25 says: “As thy days, so shall thy strength be.”

The proof that God walks with us in this world is the manifestation of His presence with us and upon our lives. Moses was concerned about the great feat of leading the people of Israel to the Promised Land and cried out to God, “You have not let me know who you will send with me.” God replied: “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”

But Moses wasn’t satisfied and cried out: “If your presence does not go with us, do not take us up from here. For how will it be known then that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people? Is it not by YOUR GOING WITH US, so that we will be distinguished (separated KJV),I and your people, from all the people who are on the face of the earth?” (Exodus 33:13-16 NET).

As God’s pilgrims, we are to be distinguished from everyone else on the face of the earth! But how will the people of the world know that we are God’s pilgrims? Not by separating ourselves from them, but when they see the noticeable presence of God upon our lives. Our separation from the world is the manifestation of God’s presence with us.

2 Corinthians 2:14 (Phillips) says that wherever we are we should have about us the “unmistakable scent of Christ.”

2. PILGRIMS HAVE GOD’S WORD TO GUIDE THEM ON THEIR JOURNEY

As exiles of eternity God provides His Word to keep in our hearts and mouths. The psalmist cried out in Psalm 119:19: “I am a stranger in the earth: hide not thy commandments from me.” He understood that he could not live his life as a foreigner on earth without God’s words and commandments to guide him. Nor can we. If we don’t continually hold on to God’s words we are easily dragged into the mindset of this world system. The people who belong to earth live by a different mindset than the God-fearing sojourner. They belong to a different kingdom with different values and worldview. Therefore, we need God’s Word daily to continue living by God’s principles.

The psalmist also confessed: “Thy statutes have been my songs in the house of my pilgrimage” (Psalm 119:54). God’s words and songs should fill our homes. We must richly fill our children with God’s principles and promises as they learn to walk this pilgrim way. They will either grow up walking as a “pilgrim of God” or a “conformist to this world.” What a tragedy for this to happen from a Christian home.

More to come.

Blessings from NANCY CAMPBELL

PRAYER:

“I thank you, dear Father, that You walk with me on my earthly pilgrimage. More than anything else I want Your presence with me. I want all those who see me walking through this earth to know that You are with me and that Your anointing is upon me. Amen.”

AFFIRMATION:

Because I belong to a heavenly country, I am a stranger, a sojourner, a foreigner, a pilgrim, an exile, and an alien on this earth.

FINDING THE SECRET

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”
(Philippians 4:13).

We love to quote the above Scripture, don’t we? We know it back to front and inside out. And we use it for every circumstance, and I think we can. However, it is important to claim a Scripture in its true context, don’t you think?

Paul says these words in the context of God’s provision. Let’s read from verse 11: “I have learned how to be content wherever I am. I know how to live humbly; I also know how to live in prosperity I have been initiated in the secret for all sorts and conditions of life, for plenty and for hunger, for prosperity and for privations; in Him who strengthens me, I am able for anything” (Moffat).

Paul found the secret of contentment, not in His own strength, but in the strength of Christ. His life did not depend on his outward circumstances but his relationship of abiding in Christ. It is only in Christ that we experience true contentment.

Therefore, we have to ask ourselves some questions:
? Are we truly content when we find ourselves in humble and lowly circumstances? The word “humble” or “abased,” according to which translation you use, is the same Greek word in Philippians 2:8 where it tells us that Jesus “humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”

Do we complain when we are in humble circumstances, or do we rejoice and confess: “I can do all things who Christ who strengthens me.”?

? What is our attitude if we have to go without a meal because there is no food left in the house? Do we complain of God’s lack of provision? Or confess again: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthen me,” knowing that we can trust our unfailing God.”

Do we confess like the prophet in Habakkuk 3:17-19: “Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labor of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat,; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The LORD God is my strength.”

Many times Paul suffered “hunger and thirst” (2 Corinthians 11:23-30), but this did not deter his trust in God. Because his life was “hid with Christ in God” he could cope with all situations and conditions of life.

I remember once when the only food we had left in the house were some potatoes. I cooked them for lunch, and lo and behold, some friends arrived at the door. I felt too embarrassed to ask them to join us for our humble meal, but the Lord convicted me. I invited them in and we sat down together to our meal of only potatoes, and enjoyed a great time of fellowship.

Our friends always remember that meal and testify that if I had cooked an elaborate and scrumptious meal for them they may have forgotten it as the years went by. But they never forgot their meal of potatoes!

? What if we are destitute? Oh no. Does that mean God has forgotten us? No way. Even in destitution we can do it in God’s strength. This is the true meaning of the word that Paul uses in Philippians 4:12 when he says that he learned how to “suffer need.” It’s the same word that is used in the faith chapter, informing us of the men of faith who “wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being DESTITUTE, afflicted, tormented; (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth” (Hebrews 11:36-40).

Who were these people? They were the men and women of faith! They trusted in God no matter what their circumstances. They did it in Christ’s strength and received an eternal reward.

? What about when we have plenty and even an over abundance? Do we still keep a humble and contented spirit knowing that we have nothing of ourselves. Everything we have is only God’s provision, which sometimes He holds back to test our trust in Him, and sometimes He pours out because He loves to lavish us with His love. And when He pours out, we pour it out on others.

The secret is contentment in whatever circumstances we find ourselves. Whether it is in plenty or want, joyful or trying, we face it in Christ’s strength. This is the true context of this Scripture.

Blessings from Nancy Campbell

PRAYER:

“I thank you, Father, that You are my God, the One in whom I can trust. I cannot face difficulties and hardship in my own strength, but I thank you that I can do it in Your strength. Because my life is “in You” and Your life is “in me” I can do all things in Your enabling. Thank you, Father. Amen.”

AFFIRMATION:

No matter what hardship I face, I can face it in Christ’s strength.