A minor hiccup in power supply threw the south east of England into an unplanned “Earth Hour.” And it was all caused by wind generators.
Just before the blackout, the National Grid reported that fully 47.6% of the nation’s power was being generated by wind. Suddenly two small generators- one wind and the other gas- went offline. These generators account for less than 3% of power demand.
Immediately, the grid frequency fell from 50 Hz to 48.9 Hz and the power grid shut down to protect itself.
What is this Hz thing? Well, electricity mains systems use alternating current which in simple terms means that the electrons that flow to give us power are oscillating backwards and forwards at 50 times per second. If the frequency changes by a significant amount the whole grid can become unstable. In order to protect transformers etc, there are automatic switches that shutdown parts of the grid when the frequency gets out of a very narrow range.
This is what happened in London, and in South Australia three years ago.
In a traditional coal fired power system, electricity is produced by forcing high pressure steam past enormous turbines, which weight 200-800 tonnes. They are huge things and, once started, maintain a very steady speed even if there are changes in the rate of steam flow. Their inertia keeps the whole grid stable, so that if something goes wrong somewhere else, they still keep pumping out their power at 50 Hz.
But when smaller, more dispersed power generators dominate the grid, there is much less inertia to keep the power supply stable and things turn to custard very quickly.
The giant battery in South Australia is not there to keep the quantity of power flowing- it only has enough storage for a few minutes of power demand. It’s main role is to keep the frequency stable. Now power companies have to pay the battery for a service that coal powered generators provide for free- that’s progress.
All of this talk of grid stability and inertia made me think of how unstable our society has become, particularly over the last decade. What was once unthinkable has become normal, and it seems that every week there is some new perversion being promoted. Pornography is everywhere, families are disintegrating, and an epidemic of fatherlessness is being played out in mass shootings, suicide and violence.
The reason for this, I believe, is that we have bought into the lies of individualism. People think they have the right to do whatever they like, to indulge whatever desires and whims they might have, and all without any consequences.
Individualism has been around for a long time. Some people trace it back to the New Testament and the idea that ever single person is loved by God.
Previous generations had the church as the equivalent of the steam turbine. The morality and ethical standards of christianity have been taught, and continue to be taught, unchanging through the centuries. The word goes out steadily year after year, Sunday by Sunday, moderating the wild impulses of human flesh.
Then in the 1970’s people stopped going to church.It was deemed to be irrelevant and oppressive. People decided they could set their own moral codes. Everyone can do what they like without reference to anyone else, and it is all coming unravelled.
Without the steady inertia of the church, the moral grid of the nation has slowly turned to custard. The lights are going out, and we call it progress,
Mass murder, debauchery, and the stress of nations—these things press on us daily. We can feel the crushing weight of inadequacy. We ask: Can we stay sane? Is the moral situation so far gone that we must withdraw into our ‘faith cocoons’ and just endure, hoping we outlast the madness?
Ephesians 6:10 says, “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.’ But, how do we apply all that power and might to this flood of evil and stress that is bombarding us every day?
Not only can we apply it, we are expressly called—and uniquely equipped—to express the power of God. The legacy of our faith demands it. The nature of the Holy Spirit—and the Word of God demand it. There is no holding-pattern for us. God only leads forward.
The religions of the world teach escape. They deem the world to be too dangerous for their devotees. Whether it is a Buddhist Monastery or a Muslim Caliphate, the message is clear: They can’t coexist with secular culture. They require physical separation, cleansing rituals, strict diets, or the total subjugation of infidels.
With just a few simple words, Jesus revealed the vast superiority of our victory compared to all the religions of the world. He prayed to the Father, “I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one.” (John 17:15)
Supernatural peace can quell the deep frustration from hearing the insane ideas and words of politicians.
When Jesus prayed that prayer, He was praying for us, His flock, to remain in the culture. We are to be warriors. We are to be salt and light. These are not just fighting words—they are an in-your-face smack down of evil.
While cultural contact withers the faith of false religions, it enhances the Christian—it sharpens their faith, brightens their light, and deepens their authority.
You must understand why you are here. You must see the astounding picture of the army you belong to. Our very presence on earth is God’s way of saying, victory is available. He keeps us here because we can win!
Think of soldiers in an army who are only aware of the battle they are fighting in their own little sector. They are being hard-pressed, and things are going against them. If, for one moment, they think it is just their fight, they will soon be defeated. But when they remember they are only a part of a great and mighty army, and that the Captain, their Leader, the God of the Armies of Heaven is directing it, immediately the situation is transformed. In other words, we have got to realize God is involved in this battle with us. We are only here because of God.
The 3 steps I am about to declare will bring victory over the present evil and stress. They hit me, when I saw two groups of people. They were hundreds of years apart and in totally different circumstances, but they took these identical 3 steps to victory.
One was a prophecy by Daniel around 600 B.C. The other, occurred in 31 AD.
In his prophecy, Daniel described how the Maccabean revolt would triumph in 167 BC. The second instance happened when the people in the land of Gennesaret welcomed Jesus. The former liberated Israel—the latter wiped out sickness and disease. Again, they both took the same 3 steps. Here are the scriptures:
Daniel 11:32 “Those who do wickedly against the covenant, he shall corrupt with flattery; but the people who know their God shall be strong and carry out great exploits.”
Mark 6:53-56: “When they had crossed over (the Sea of Galilee), they came to the land of Gennesaret and anchored there. And when they came out of the boat, immediately the people recognized Him, ran through that whole surrounding region, and began to carryabout on beds those who were sick to wherever they heard He was. Wherever He entered, into villages, cities, or the country, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged Him that they might just touch the hem of His garment. And as many as touched Him were made well.”
Here are the 3 key words in both these victories: KNOW, STRONG, CARRY. The first group knew God. They were strong. And they carried out exploits. The second group did those same 3 things. They recognized (knew Jesus). They ran (showed strength). They carried others who received miracles (exploits).
Take these 3 steps to defeat today’s stress and evil:
1. Obey God’s pull. He is pulling you to know Him in deep intimacy: Psalm 27:8 says “When You said, “Seek My face,” My heart said to You, “Your face, Lord, I will seek.” What is your reaction to God’s call? He wants to do a secret work in you. Are you saying, “Yes”?
I believe Jesus is using this message from me to draw you into special closeness with Him. If you say, “Yes,” special things will begin to happen. You will instantly conquer fear and worry. Isaiah 26:3 says, “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You. “
Your faith for mighty things will multiply. Jesus said,” If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.” (John 15:7)
God not only knew that the insanity of today was coming—He took steps to prepare a special relationship that would produce special powers for His children. We can blame no one but ourselves if we neglect this astonishing invitation.
2. Become strong. What did Isaiah say would happen to those who heeded the call to wait on God? “But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:31)
Your new-found and deep connection to God the Father will create strength. Note once again, the amazing parallel between the phrases, “they shall run and not be weary,” and “they recognized Him and ran.”
‘Touchy-feely’ faith is out. This is the era of strong Christians. Tomorrow belongs to Christians who are stronger than any headline—stronger than threats—stronger than anything unfolding on the earth.
3. Accept your mission: You have a mission, you have an ordained exploit. It is ironic that the true cure for today’s fear and stress is: to think big and take on massive vision. Fresh vision always chases away depression.
An exploit that summons up all your talent and every drop of your courage and combines it with His limitless resources, is comfort food for the Spirit-empowered believer.
The bottom line: We are subjective creatures. We live in this unhealthy psychological generation that starts with man and ends with man. Most of our troubles are due to that. We are full of self-pity. We are always looking inward and feeling sorry for ourselves. We are always looking for something to help us. Get rid of those things! Forget about yourself for a moment, and realize that the battle belongs to the Lord!
You can know Him. You can become strong. And you will accomplish amazing things in Him!
Here is my commentary on Ephesians 1:7. I am publishing these once or twice a week, but you can read all of the available articles at our web-site.
Ephesians 1:7
“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace.”
In Christ we have redemption. Paul could have written “through Christ”, but he uses the word “in”. We have to be “in Christ,” that is taken into His being, His person. We cannot stand back and let Christ do it at a distance, an agent, so to speak, of redemption. No, it is in Christ that we have redemption, in relationship with Him, close up and personal, sharing in His suffering and glory.
In Him we have redemption. The New Testament uses many words or analogies to illustrate or describe the atonement.
The word “redemption” in Greek means to be set free after payment. It was used to describe the setting free of slaves and the release of captives.
We were slaves to sin, but Christ redeemed us. We are no longer slaves to sin or to the devil. As Paul writes elsewhere, “you are no longer under obligation to sin.”
Before we came to Christ our entire existence was bound up in our sinful nature. We were born in sin, we lived in sin, and we would die in sin. People talk about free will as if doing good is an option. We were slaves to sin with no free will at all. Our programming always defaults to sin.
Because of our slavery to sin we were also slaves to satan. We could not please God through our own abilities, so were always serving satan. The brilliance of satan’s plan for humanity is that he has to do nothing, and we still do his bidding. He wins by default, or at least that was his plan.
But Jesus came and paid the ransom to set us free. We should not think that Jesus paid anything to satan or anyone else. This is only an analogy and it breaks down when we push the details too far.
So now those who are in Christ have been liberated, set free, released from captivity. Like the inmates of a concentration camp, the liberation army has come and set us free from a harsh regime whose only aim is to multiply suffering and death.
We were redeemed through Christ’s blood. That is the “ransom” or the slave price. The perfect blood of the sinless Son of God was poured out to redeem all who will receive His freedom.
In the Old Testament one blood sacrifice redeemed one sin for one sinner. Every sin had a price- a sheep, a calf, a dove. The price for sin was the blood of an animal.
The price for all sins is the blood, not of an animal, but of the Son of God Himself. God incarnate, in the flesh, is sacrificed as the perfect Passover Lamb who takes away the sin of the world.
There is no limit to the effectiveness of this blood, because it is of ultimate worth. This blood is worth the ransom of every sinner who has ever lived.
This redemption is the forgiveness of our sins. Our names have been taken from the Book of Death and transferred to the Book of Life. We have been reclassified as “not guilty” by God the Father. He sees that we are “in Christ”, that our sins have been covered over by the blood of Jesus, and He sees us as untainted by sin.
Forgiveness has two dimensions to it.
The first is a legal status. We have been found guilty of breaking the law. We are criminals in God’s eyes. But, on the basis of Christ’s death, the shedding of blood, we receive a full pardon. This is a declaration that we are not guilty. It is not that we have served our time and paid a price, and therefore earned our freedom. It is because the King sees fit to declare that we are not guilty and our sin is overlooked.
The second dimension of forgiveness is the relational side. God loves us so much that when we turn back to Him and receive His grace, He forgives us out of His love. The whole project of salvation is not a legal manoeuvre to get people out of trouble. Salvation is God’s love on display.
It pained God to see us so alienated, separated and distant from Him. He was determined to bridge the gap and bring us back into friendship with Him.
Forgiveness is about restoring a broken relationship. When we forgive someone, we choose to let go of the offence that we have suffered for the sake of a person we love. We might feel justified in feeling hurt, but we choose to release the offence and relieve the person of the burden of guilt.
Forgiveness is always an act of grace. It originates in the heart of the forgiver and demands no reparation or penalty.
We cannot force the person we have offended to forgive us. No plea, no payment, no promise is by itself sufficient. If the person we have offended is not willing to forgive then forgiveness will not happen.
Forgiveness is the price we are willing to pay to those who have hurt us. It is a reverse ransom in a way.
So God’s grace is shown by the fact that He is willing to forgive and has demonstrated that in giving up His own Son fir us.
Key points from this verse:
We have been redeemed in Christ
We were slaves to sin, but have been set free
Forgiveness is both a legal and a relational term
God’s longing for relationship with His people is so huge that He gave His one and only Son for our sake.
“For where your treasure is there your heart will be also.”
Observation
Our Father is pleased to give us the kingdom. For this reason, we
must build our treasure in heaven, not on earth. Our hearts will
follow our treasure.
We must always be ready to serve Jesus. He may come to us at any
time. If He finds us ready, He will serve us.
Application
Christians are caught in between two times: the ”already” and the
“not yet.” Our focus must always be on Jesus and His kingdom,
while not neglecting our responsibilities in this life,
This applies to the issue of money and our possessions more generally. Because we serve a good God, we do not have to put all of our trust in our ability to provide for ourselves. If we dedicate ourselves to serving God’s kingdom, we can be sure that God will provide all that we need.
We often assume that people will give to something that they are
interested in. This is true to a point, but the reverse is more true.
Our hearts will follow what we invest money in.
Over time I have purchased shares in a number of companies. I don’t
obsess over the stock market at all, but mt interest is piqued when
“my” companies are mentioned in news reports.
Jesus tells us that the best way to build our love for His kingdom is to invest everything we have in it. We have a stake in the business of God, and so we will want to see it build up; we may even work harder, giving more of ourselves to the work of the Lord.
Followers of Jesus are not permitted to do what they wish. Our
efforts , our time and energy, our possessions are all His to be used
for His purposes.
Prayer
Lord, please help me to invest my time, my energy, and my money in
your kingdom. Amen.
Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who
comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those
who earnestly seek him.
Observation
Faith is being certain of what we hope for, sure of what we do not
see. Faith tells us that God created the universe. Faith gave Abel a
better sacrifice and lifted Enoch to heaven.
Noah built an ark by faith, and Abraham followed God to a foreign
country by faith. By faith Abraham fathered a nation.
Application
Faith is central to our relationship with God.
We must first of all believe that He exists. This is not an
intellectual exercise that says there must be a God. No, true faith
is a deep trust- I believe that the God of the Bible is real and that
He is the one true God.
Faith is an issue of trust or commitment. I commit my whole life into
the simple fact that God is here and He controls my living and my
dying.
Secondly, faith is built on the belief that He rewards those who seek
Him.
We are saved by faith in Christ. That faith tells me that God is good
and that He is passionately committed to me. I trust that when I
stand before Him, the blood of Christ will protect me from His holy
wrath. My sins have been washed away by the blood- they were scarlet
but now I am like the snow.
Because I know that He loves me, I can approach boldly the throne of
grace. I can come into His presence and ask for the things that I
need and the concerns of my heart.
God is good, and I know that He will never disappoint me.
Prayer
Thank you Lord for the gift of faith. It is by faith that I am saved
and by faith I am delivered, healed, renewed and redeemed. Thank you
Lord for your great grace. Amen.
“Though your sins are as scarlet, I will make them white as snow.
Though they are as red as crimson, I will make them like wool.”
Observation
Isaiah promises judgement on the people of Israel. He calls them
“Sodom” and “Gomorrah.” They revel in their sin and then
bring sacrifices, but the Lord will reject their offerings because
they are just religious ceremonies.
The Lord hates their prayers and offerings because of their sins. He
wants true repentance and will wash their sins clean.
Application
The Lord is always seeking reconciliation with us. He wants us to
turn away from our sins and receive His blessing.
This is not about outward religious acts but about the heart. Being
baptised, going to church, or saying the Sinner’s Prayer will not
make a person right with God.
Turning away from our sin and towards Jesus will activate God’s
cleansing flow of forgiveness into our spirit.
It has to be sincere, from the heart. Going through a ritual of any
sort will not impress God. He looks at the heart not the outward
appearance.
So what must I do to be saved?
1. Recognise sin. Confess not just wrong doing, but also the
orientation towards sin and self-centredness.
2. Repent. Repentance means more than saying “sorry” to God. It
means to recognise that something I thought was acceptable is
actually repellent.
3. Ask God for forgiveness.
4. Receive the power of the Holy Spirit to live God’s way not my
own way.
Having made the decision to follow Jesus I must obey Him and let Him
rule every part of my life.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, I receive you as my Lord. I am sorry for all that I do
that displeases you. Please help me to live for you every day of my
life. Amen.
Climate “science” is a joke these days, long being hijacked by extremist activists and lavish Government funding.
You may have heard of the European heatwave recently smashing temperature records in Germany and other places.
As usual the truth is less scary. Last year is was an ice cream truck parked right next to a weather station in England. This year it is a poorly located weather station, admitted by the DWD, the German Weather Bureau, to be badly sited, but still used by the DWD to hype up the climate scare!
A nearby resident did some research and found that the temperatures there were typically nearly 3 degrees warmer than other stations.
Gillette, the world’s biggest purveyor of men’s shaving accessories, decided that it needed to jump on the “progressive” (i.e. crazy leftist) bandwagon.
First it thought it would be cool to insult its customer base (i.e. mainly men) by accusing them of being accessories to bullying and domestic violence by letting it go on right under their noses and being afraid to confront their mates.
Not content with insulting their customers, they turned up the dial to complete revulsion with an ad featuring a transgender person learning to shave his/her face.
I’m not sure whether these ads were confined to the USA or whether they made their way to Australia. Where I live the TV ads are mainly local companies, agricultural products and junk food, so I don’t know what city people endure.
I do know that people all over decided to dump Gillette and buy products by other companies, such as this one.
So the big reason to revisit this is Gillette recently revealed their financial results for the last year.
A LOSS of $8 billion.
They put it down to people shaving less frequently,but that has been a fashion trend for several years now, which a normal commercial entity would work around.
$8 billion (US Dollars, that is)
That is $1 for every person on the planet.
Yet another confirmation of the saying: “Go woke, go broke.”
Here is my commentary on Ephesians 1:6. I am publishing these once or twice a week, but you can read all of the available articles at our web-site.
Ephesians 1:6
“.. to the praise of his glorious grace which he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.”
God’s grace is praiseworthy.
We can praise God’s grace because it is part of His personality or nature. This grace has redeemed us and set us free from sin and death. This grace grants us eternal life, vanquishing the power of sin and raising a whole race of humanity to be sons and daughter of God.
We were once far off but God’s grace has overcome the chasm that separated us from Him. It is grace that adopts us into the divine family granting us an inheritance fay beyond our wildest dreams.
God’s grace is glorious.
Glory is one of those terms that is hard to pin down.
Sports teams and individuals are said to win glory when they achieve a great victory. The sporting prowess or athleticism causes spectators to stand in awe of their ability.
Glory can be won on a battle field when the extreme stresses of being under fire or in other imminent danger bring out super-human courage or gallantry. If the favoured side wins the victory then that helps, but it isn’t necessary to be the victor. We can be awed at the ability of people to sacrifice themselves to save others or to be seemingly oblivious of bombs and bullets.
The glory of a monarch may be seen in ceremonial occasions where wealth, grand institutions and traditions captivate the dreams and aspirations of a culture.
In all of these cases, glory is seen in the awe that human endeavours inspire in the hearts of other people.
God’s glory is of a different magnitude. The glorious grace of God is glorious regardless of our response. God’s grace is glorious even if nobody accepts it. His glory flows from His nature.
We are right to be awed by God’s grace. Our awe is not necessary for it to be considered to be glorious.
God’s grace is freely bestowed.
He pours it out on us freely. Grace would not be grace if it came at a price. God’s grace is free of cost, but He bestows it liberally, overwhelmingly, pressed down and running over.
God’s grace is like a mighty waterfall such as Niagara or Victoria Falls. Enormous quantities of water flow over these falls every second. You can’t see where the water comes from. You can’t imagine how much water is contained there.
God’s grace is like that. It is as liberal as the greatest waterfall. It is bestowed whether we receive it or not. God is not moved by our reaction; He will overflow us with grace regardless.
So the sun shines on the just and the unjust alike, and the rain waters the fields of the godly farmer as much as the ungodly farmer. To the atheist raging against Him or the artist who mocks Him, God gives air to breathe, food to eat and water to drink.
This unstoppable river of praiseworthy and glorious grace is poured out in us “in the Beloved.”
It is Christ who releases and bestows this grace into us. The sacrifice on the cross releases grace to the world. Because Christ is beloved by the Father, God is pleased to pour this liberal overflowing stream of grace to the planet.
Although the grace is bestowed to us “in the Beloved”, we don’t have to be in the Beloved to receive it. Jesus’ death is available to every person, but only some will receive the promise of eternity. He died for all so that some will receive life.
He doesn’t stop loving or bestowing grace on those who reject Him. He is determined to love even if we don’t recognise His love. His grace is greater than our rejection of it.
The grace that is bestowed on everyone will eventually stop for those who are not “in the Beloved.” Judgement awaits those who refuse His grace. The waterfall will turn off, the flow dry up, and those who reject Him will be asked “Why?”
Often we think of grace as pertaining to salvation. But it has a far wider application than that. It speaks of all blessings that God gives to people.
John Wimber used to speak of “gracelets,” the little blessings or signs of God’s presence and love which encourage us to keep on going, to persevere through trials, or just to give us joy in a surprising experience. It might be a dream or a vision, an unexpected gift, a rainbow, a rush of faith to trust Him.
Grace can also relate to supernatural ability to serve God’s purposes. This might be in the form of the spiritual gifts of 1 Corinthians 12. In fac the word of gift in Greek is derived from the word for grace. It might also be the ability to fulfil a spiritual commitment that would normally be impossible for us, yet we find though constant prayer and dependence on the Holy Spirit that we find a grace for this task.
Key points from this verse:
God’s grace is worthy of our praise
God’s grace is glorious and inspires awe in our heart
