It is amazing how some things never change. We are warned by Mark, 10:24 And the disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus answereth again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches (or power) to enter into the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. We also understand that wealth and power lead to a sense of entitlement and pride, making it very hard for the essential trait of humility and patience to be practiced (these being the only effective approach to God and his blessings). It is also not surprising that the age of entitlement (vast wealth and resources on tap for all Western nations) is taking its toll on both Christians and the nations themselves. Increasingly in our narcissistic age, we see a deluded self-belief and inflated sense of importance, made possible by technology and politically correct bullying.

Despite modern advances in technology, medicine and knowledge; humanity is still going backwards at an alarming rate. Death, sickness, wars, the abuse of the poor and the lust for dominance is worsening. Morals, integrity and justice are declining, being replaced with flawed practices that led to the failure of all past empires... it will happen again. However, the good news is that God has other plans for the earth. God had Noah build an ark to save those who believed the prophecy of a coming flood. Likewise, Jesus Christ is building another ark... called the church; which will also deliver those who prepare for the coming fire. Both destructive judgments are the results of human rebellion against the principles and creation of God.

Repentance is much more than feeling bad about your failings and shortcomings. Rather, it defines a willingness to obey God and to be directed by his principles of life. Feeling sorry or guilty is not what God expects, he wants people to make changes, to make commitments and stand by them. We need to obey his directives to receive the Holy Spirit and to use it to build a truly Christian lifestyle; full of mercy and blessings. A walk with God means submission to him and a change of direction. It also means that we will take responsibility for our own actions... not blaming others nor pretending to be spiritual. Thus we agree to both live by God's word and to offer the gospel to the unsaved. We are God's prophets; a living walking testimony.

One of the greatest mistakes people make is by expecting God to act in ways considered to be logical by human standards. God is a Spirit, thus his ways are different than ours. Our expectations and reasoning is very limited by comparison... with God seeming to be mysterious in many ways. ISA 55:8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. If the correct scriptural approach is taken, many of the mysteries of God and his purposes, can be simply & easily used for the benefit of humanity.

It is going to take the near total destruction of the earth and the explosive, totally unexpected return of the Lord, to get people to take notice of their creator and the purpose of their existence. This is revealed to be the most earthshattering and important day in human history... totally inescapable. REV 1:7 Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him (a day of great tragedy for all the unsaved, both dead and alive, of all cultures on the entire planet). Every human on the earth, no matter who, or where they are... even the dead will be granted consciousness to see the most amazing part of God's plan for humanity. The great majority will be devastated. We are continually warned in the scriptures of the certain return of Jesus Christ; his need to repair the unsolvable mess the human race has brought upon itself. This warning applies both to the unsaved and the church alike. Why the church? Because we have been called for a purpose that must be honoured, We have been given supernatural powers and abilities to walk in the Spirit according to God's purposes. Our sins and failings are catered for, so we can freely serve God within the purposes of the Spirit. We are free to choose our life as long as we make God our first priority in every action... a very small price to pay for eternal life. If we fail to walk in the spirit, people will die. We are the only hope for the unsaved and equally, we have powerful influences on other church members. Without the testimony of the saved (us)... everyone is hopelessly lost.

Despite all the multitudes and diverse cultures in this world, there are only two types of people that summarise all humanity. There are those that are spiritually alive and those that are spiritually dead. Spiritual life comes by the anointing of the Holy Spirit (through the death and resurrection of Christ) and the maintenance of that life has been established on the mercies of David. However, when the maintenance is lacking, troubles and despair will also create a great divide. The mercy that David established for all of us; has one key requirement that most people overlook. PSA 51:12 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit. 13 Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee. Verse 13 reveals the basis of David's agreement with God. Those who walk in the spirit must also be servants and administrators of God's word... not just hearers, but doers. Being a hearer only is unhealthy. This is the obvious question that God directs to all his saints... ROM 10:14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? It isn't enough to know the gospel and its promises, it has to be our life.

There have been some very special people in scriptural history whose sacrifices and faith have given us a lot more than we deserve, or could ever earn. Many who have gone before have made it possible for us to be part of this wonderful blessing of eternal life. David established a guaranteed pathway for the successful management of our sin and weaknesses. Jesus Christ died as a perfect sacrifice to provide the power and mechanism for eternal life... he also provided a system of fellowship and worship which is 100% effective. Let's establish the principles and promises relating to David, which allow us to manage our sins and failings.

Adam and Eve were presented with numerous fruit trees to meet their daily, nutritional needs. However, there were two specific trees centrally located in the Garden of Eden, which offered spiritual choices that determined the health of their soul. The tree of life offered spiritual guidance where God would carry the burden of all human choices. The tree of knowledge of good and evil, transferred the guidance and burden of spiritual values to themselves. This meant they would be personally accountable for their own actions (God made it clear that this option would prove to be unmanageable and fatal... death would certainly follow). It is perhaps not surprising that the two following major covenants that God made with humanity also contained the same attributes the good and evil trees in the garden. The first; the Law of Moses was primarily built upon human ability to choose and earn their own destiny... this failed miserably because no one could measure up to it. David established a merciful option within the Law that bridged the barrier and punishment, which our sins and failings created. Not surprisingly, the New Covenant applications are built on the mercy of David (grace), through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit... providing the same benefits as the tree of life. The battle between good and evil has a much better solution, now.

The death and resurrection of Christ enabled God to introduce a far better covenant, than the one it replaced. Our covenant begins with the personal anointing (indwelling) of the Holy Spirit. Due to the frailty of human beings, a system is also needed that can successfully deal with our failings and vulnerabilities. To meet these needs, God introduced a covenant dominated by grace and mercy. Mercy =Not getting the judgment you deserve. Grace=Getting forgiveness and blessing you don't deserve. Interestingly enough, God included one of the great, yet little understood blessings of the Old Testament for our ongoing benefit. This mechanism that keeps us free from our shortcomings is also referred to as 'the sure mercies of David'. These mercies are comprised of deliverance from our enemies and deliverance from ourselves... we no longer need to be victims to anything, especially sin.

Before any discovery or invention can be confirmed, it is necessary that scientific methods of testing and duplicating can bring about the claimed result. If a theory is correct, it will be reproduced with continuous and consistent results forthcoming. When it comes to matters of God and salvation, there is a simple and effective formula that works every time. If we simply repeat what Jesus said and what the apostles did, we too can get the same results. Today, there are more opinions around than ever, but there is only one formula that God still backs with signs following. The formula is: Repentance, water baptism and receiving the Holy Spirit.