“Divine Provision PT-1" (2 Peter 1:3b)

 

EVENING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 9/30/2025 7:48 PM

My Worship Time                                                                                   Focus: “Divine Provision”

Bible Reading and Meditation                                                                                  Reference: 2 Peter 1:3b

            Message of the verses:  “everything pertaining to life and godliness,

            John MacArthur begins this section with these words “Because of their constant sins and failures as Christians, many find it hard not to think that even after salvation something is missing in the sanctification process.”  I have to believe that this is true in pretty much every believer who has truly been saved.  He goes on “This faulty idea causes believers to seek ‘second blessings,’ ‘spirit baptisms,’ tongues, mystical experiences, special psychological insights, private revelations, ‘self crucifixion,’ the  ‘deeper life,’ heightened emotions, demon bindings, and combinations of various ones of all those in an attempt to attain what is supposedly missing from their spiritual resources. All manner of ignorance and Scripture twisting accompanies those foolish pursuits, which at their corrupt roots are failures to understand exactly what Peter says here.  Christians have received everything in the form of divine power necessary to equip them for sanctification—they have no lack at all.  In view of that reality, the Lord holds all believers responsible to obey all the commands of Scripture.  Christians cannot claim that their sins and failures are the result of God’s limited provision.  There is no temptation and no assault of Satan and demons that is beyond their resources to overcome (1 Cor. 10:13; 12:13; 1 Peter 5:10).  To stress the extent of the divine power given each believer, Peter makes the amazing statement that saints have received from God everything pertaining to life and godliness.  Syntactically, the term everything is in the emphatic position because the Holy Spirit through Peter is stressing the extent of believer’s self-sufficiency.”

            Now I have mentioned that when I became a born-again believer that it was not in a church service, in fact I did not attend a church service for around four years after I became a believer.  The reason for this was that I actually got saved in a friend’s house after listening to a series of tapes entitled “Two Years After The Late Great Planet Earth.” The book “The Late Great Planet Earth” came out in the late 1960’s or early 1970, and was written by Hal Lindsey.  He has a very interesting background as to how he came to the Lord that I don’t have time to go into now.  The first place that I went to after accepting the Lord was to a Christian bookstore where I picked up a “Living Bible,” and began to read it while there in my friend’s house in Florida.  He said if I was interested in the end times that I should read the book of Revelation, not recommended to a new believer.  The reason I did not go to church was because I went to a Christian book store near my house in Cleveland Ohio.  I am still friends with the owner of that book store that has been long gone for many years.  The reason why I am writing this is because my ground in the faith did not happen like most new believers, and I remember when I first heard about tongues and the charismatic movement I did not know much about it, but the Lord saved me from it and after my daughter was born in late 1976 my wife and I began to go to church around late 1977 and we both became baptized and have gone to church ever since.  God has truly been good to us all these years and I am thankful that the two churches that we have attended have been good churches.

            Lord willing I will finish this section in tomorrow evening’s SD.

9/30/2025 8:16 PM

“A Humble Condition” (PT-1) (Jonah 2:1)

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 9/29/2025 10:14 AM

My Worship Time                                                               Focus:  “A Humble Condition” (PT-1)

Bible Reading and Meditation                                                                       Reference: Jonah 2:1

            Message of the verse: “Then Jonah prayed to Yahweh his God from the stomach of the fish…”

            We see something that has not taken place in the book of Jonah, and that is that Jonah prayed, a term referring not only to general communication with God but also specifically to making intercession (cf. Num. 21:7; Deut. 9:20; 1 Kings 13:6; Jer. 7:16), whether for another (cf. Gen. 20:7) or for oneself (cf. 1 Sam. 1:26; 1 Kings 8:33; Isa. 45:20).  Now with such a prayer, Jonah acknowledged personal weakness and dependence on God, looking to the Lord alone to act (cf. Pss. 5:3; 32:6).  The prophet had ample opportunities to pray.  He could have prayed about his concerns to the Lord right after he was commissioned to Nineveh (Jonah 1:1-2), especially since he does so later in the book. (cf. 4:2). He could have petitioned the Lord from the boat in the storm (1:4-5), especially since the sailors fervently exhorted him to cry out to his God (1:6).  But Jonah was blinded by pride (cf. Josh. 9:14; 2 Chron. 16:12; Ps. 1o:4; 107:11; Zeph. 1:6), he had refused to do so.  Now in response, God humbled Jonah His servant by casting him into the deep, so that the one who had rebelliously refused to pray would pray in extreme desperation and dependence, dependence on Him.

            John MacArthur writes “Jonah prayed to Yahweh, the God of heaven, Creator of land and sea, and the One who made a covenant with His people.  The use of God’s covenant name is a reminder that prayer is both personal and particular.  Jonah did not merely engage in a spiritual exercise or religious ritual (cf. Zech. 7:5; Matt. 6:7; Luke 18:11).”  I want to take the time to look at these three verses now.

"But did not My words and My statutes, which I commanded My servants the prophets, overtake your fathers? Then they repented and said, ‘As the LORD of hosts purposed to do to us in accordance with our ways and our deeds, so He has dealt with us.’"’"

"And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words.

"The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.

“Rather, the earnestly entreated God for deliverance.  That Jonay felt he could entreat the Lord after defying Him so blatantly revealed hisknowledge of Yahweh’s gracious character.   As the Lord revealed to Moses, His lovingkindness endures forever, which is evidenced by His willingness to pardon those who repent (cf. Exod. 34:6-8; Jonah 4:2).  Genuine repentance requires turning wholeheartedly to the Lord (cf. Acts 14:13-18; 17:23-34; 1 Thess. 1:9; Heb. 11:6) and away from any idolatrous competitor to Him (cf. Ps. 50:21).  From the belly of the fish, Jonah turned to the Lord, fully convinced that Yahweh was his only hope.”

Spiritual Meaning for My Life Today:  Ever since my wife found out that she had cancer my prayer life has been different, as I have prayed to the Lord for direction in my prayer life that it may be pleasing to the Lord.  Life is full of ups and downs and so prayer has to be something that is done through those ups and downs.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Trusting the Lord to do as James speaks of in James 5:16 “Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.”

9/30/2025 8:27 AM

 

“Divine Power” (2 Peter 1:3a)

EVENING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 9/29/2025 8:43 PM

My Worship Time                                                                                        Focus: “Divine Power”

Bible Reading and Meditation                                                                                   Reference: 2 Peter 1:3a

            Message of the verses:  “3 seeing that His divine power has granted to us”

            This evening we begin the first sub-point under the main point that we looked at in last evening’s SD, and as you can see we will look at 2 Peter 1:3a and make some comments on it.

            I think that most true believers can understand that whatever spiritual sufficiency that we as believers have is not because of any power they possess in and of themselves, (Matt. 19:26; Rom. 9:20-21; Eph. 1:19; Phil. 3:7-11; 1 Tim. 1:12-16; Titus 3:5) but derives from His divine power, as seen in our verse this evening.  Paul expressed it in this way:  “to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works with us’ (Eph. 3:20).  Now the power that operates in believers is of the same divine nature as that which resurrected Christ (cf. Rom. 1:4; 1 Cor. 6:14; 15:16-17; 2 Cor. 13:4; Col. 2:12).  Now that power enables saints to do works that please and glorify God (cf. 1 Cor. 3:6-8; Eph. 3:7) and accomplish spiritual things they cannot even imagine, (once again let us look at Eph. 3:20, a very powerful verse:  “Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us,”

            John MacArthur writes “His refers back to the Lord Jesus.  If the personal pronoun modified God, Peter probably would not have used the descriptive word divine since deity is inherent in God’s name.  His use of divine pointing to the Son underscores that Jesus is truly God (cf. John 10:30; 12:45; Phil 2:6; Col. 1:16; 2:9; Heb. 1:3) and also refutes any lingering doubt some readers may have had concerning that reality (cf. 1 John 5:20).  Peter himself had been an eyewitness of Christ’s divine power (1:16; cf. Mark 5:30; Luke 4:14; 5:17).

            “God’s supply of spiritual power for believers never fails.  They may distance themselves from the divine source through sin, or fail to minister and use what is available, but from the moment they experience faith in Jesus Christ, God has granted His power to them.  Has granted (dedoremenes) is a perfect, passive participle meaning that in the past with continuing results in the present, God permanently bestowed His power on believers.”

9/29/2025 8:59 PM

 

“Intro to “The Marks of a Penitent Prayer (PT-1) (Jonah 2:1-4)

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 9/29/2025 10:14 AM

My Worship Time                                Focus:  “Intro to “The Marks of a Penitent Prayer (PT-1)

Bible Reading and Meditation                                                                   Reference: Jonah 2:1-4

            Message of the verse:  “Then Jonah prayed to Yahweh His God from the stomach of the fish, and he said,

“I called out of my distress to Yahweh,

And He answered me.

I cried for help from the belly of Sheol’

You heard my voice.

For You had cast me into the deep,

Into the heart of the seas,

And the current surrounded me.

All Your breakers and waves passed over me.

So I said, ‘I have been driven away from Your sight.

Nevertheless I will look again toward Your holy temple.

            I will now quote from this introduction to these first four verses of Jonah two from what John MacArthur writes as he introduces the beginning of this second chapter of Jonah.

            “Through church history, believers have often kept journals to record their progress through this life.  From David Brainerd to Jonathan Edwards to Jim Elliot, the diaries of faithful missionaries, pastors, and theologians provide a treasure chest of wisdom for subsequent generations.  Their experiences provide real-life insight into the sanctification process, including times of high spiritual joy and victory as well as low seasons of dryness and defeat.  With honesty and truth, the personal testimonies of saints now in heaven serve as a compelling encouragement to those who follow in their footsteps (cf. Heb. 12:1-2).

            “The second chapter of Jonah essentially serves as the prophet’s spiritual journal, depicting the depts. of divine discipline that prompted Jonah’s impassioned prayer of commission and ran the opposite way, seeking to escape God’s presence.  After boarding a ship bound for Tarshish, he fell into a deep sleep, only to awaken in the raging reality of God’s fierce displeasure. He was confronted for his slumber, exposed as the guilty party, and cast into the stormy sea where certain death awaited.  But the Lord spared the life of His prodigal prophet.  Entombed in the stomach of a fish, Jonah came to his senses as he reflected on the recklessness of his rebellion. His prayer of contrition recorded in Jonah 2 uses the language of the Psalms to express genuine penitence before the Lord.

            “In the utter darkness of the deep, incarcerated in a monstrous fish, Jonah exhibited five hallmarks of a penitent prayer.  First, he recognized his humble condition (Jonah 2:1).  Second, he expressed a heartfelt cry for mercy (2:1).  Third, he made an honest confession regarding the consequences of his sin, acknowledging that his sin distanced him from Yahweh (2:3-4).  Fourth, he prayed with hope-filled confidence in God alone to rescue and restore him 2:5-7).  Finally, he responded with a heart of consecration, eager to turn from idols to worship and serve Yahweh without equivocation (2:8-9).  The first three hallmarks of Jonah’s prayer will be considered in this chapter.  Though Jonah was far from a model prophet—marked at times by petulance, prejudice, and pride (cf. 4:1-2)—his penitent prayer from the belly of the fish serves as a template for any sinner seeking forgiveness and restoration from God.”

Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I have to say that I am not found of small places, and perhaps Jonah had a lot of room in the belly of this great fish, but I can’t imagine being where he was for as long as he was there, but it seems that the Lord gave abundant grace and mercy to him just when he needed it the most.  All believers will face these kind of things in their life, and I am facing one of the with my dear wife who has cancer and the treatment for this awful disease is not going to be pleasant for her, and for me as the one who will care for her, but this I do know that God is in charge and in the end will bring glory to Himself as He takes care of her and also me as we go through this trial together, with the help of our Lord.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Continue to trust the Lord to teach me through this trial we are now in.

            I don’t know if these Spiritual Diaries are similar to what John MacArthur writes about at the beginning of this chapter on Jonah, but I do believe that the Lord has called me to write them and to put them onto the internet for others to read.

9/29/2025 10:43 AM