Scripture: Ephesians 1 v 12-13: "That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.
13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also, after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise."Ephesians 4 v 30: "And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby you are sealed unto the day of redemption."
Its a blessing to know that our Father has thought of every tiny thing to ensure our salvation is fully accomplished, leaving no room for error. We are signed, sealed and delivered out of darkness into the Light.
First we believed, then we were baptized, now being sealed by a promise from God. It is a fearful thing to grieve the Holy Spirit. If we disrespect the Trinity, and do it often enough, the Holy Spirit will be grieved.
Genesis 6 v 3: "And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years."
I have looked at the word 'seal' from different angles. When a proposal is sealed, it means that legally it cannot be altered without the consent of both parties. Our Father will not change a thing after buying us back with the Blood of His Son.
We can change, backslide, fall into error, return to sin but it is one-sided and not subject to God's agreement. He has a Covenant - an unbreakable promise - to bring the prodigal child back to His welcoming arms again. We may break the seal but He will not give us up without a fight. Sometimes we completely refuse to return and because He has given us a free will He has to let go.
The other meaning of 'seal' is like being sealed in a container or an envelope. Our spirit is sealed into Jesus Himself. He is the Rock in which we are concealed. Before the enemy can tangle with us he must first defeat the Rock. Unless we step out from that shelter without permission, Satan will give up on us because he knows the power of Jesus better than we do.
Staying sealed in Covenant or, The Rock, is where we work out the kinks in our soul and flesh in safety. It is in the shadow of the Almighty that we grow spiritually and overcome the negatives we accrued while we were sinners. We are forgiven but the consequences of our past errors must be dealt with. We must also renew our minds according to the Word of God, not what is politically correct, or which has worldly acclaim.
We need to belong to Jesus and be at home in His body by having fellowship with other Christians, reading the Bible daily and obeying what it says. We must also have meaningful times of prayer with our Father in Heaven Inc l using praise and worship.
Matthew 6 v 24: "No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other: or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and Mammon."
These are the words of Jesus Christ and very important in regards to our seal. Before we were saved we were the servants of sin and Satan, knowingly or through ignorance. We followed the ways of the world, which is Mammon. Once we are forgiven and born again we must put those worldly things away and become fruitful Christians.
We need to flush out the worldliness, or Mammon, from our lives forever, and deny our flesh its greeds and lusts. Its not always easy to achieve as the problems stick like superglue and our mind has ready-made excuses and arguments to "keep things real"!
If we continue with our fleshly habits the Lord will bring pressure to bear on these areas in our lives. At first in gentleness but later with more insistence. The warnings on the cigarette packets will start to become a reality. The morning cough will really bother the smoker.
We need to realise that when Adam fell, everything fell! Some plants, animals, reptiles, insects became toxic to man! Very toxic and extremely deadly. The harmony of Eden - the replica of Heaven - is free of all evil - but is guarded by a holy angel with a flaming sword to prevent contamination through illegal entry.
Adam and Eve and all their descendants, including us, were subject to disease, death and demons out in the world. We are seeing the whole world afflicted by Covid-19, and new variants keep cropping up. Ebola flares up in African countries, a horrible disease. Measles has struck down children in Zimbabwe recently. Mental health is causing great concern.
This week Alex Jones in the USA lost his defence against the devastated parents and families of those who were slain in the Sandy Hook school shootings. He went very vocal that it was a hoax, no one died, it was just a government set up - trying to control guns! At the same time an English nurse is on trial for murdering a number of new born babies. Letters found in her home stated I am Evil. I did this.
These are the extremes people influenced by demons resort to. They hear voices, they carry out those instructions, they create havoc, panic and distress. In this modern age, this sounds like medieval claptrap, but it actually happens today. Jeffrey Dahmer, the documentary on him is getting rave reviews, a cannibal. A monster. Under satanic control.
Jesus is the only person ever born sinless. Through His sacrifice "Eden" was opened to those who separate themselves from the world to live as they were created to live in holy submission to God the Father. These are the ones whose seals are intact and by faith and love are pleasing to Him. We who are in Jesus are counted as sinless because of the permanent Blood covering in our Covenant with God.
The enemy makes Mammon very attractive and exciting to keep people distracted from the true Heavenly life. People think its boring or uninteresting to follow Jesus, and a serious block to things that are "fun".
People step out from under divine protection when they do drugs "for fun". This can get out of hand very quickly costing those that do it the protection of family and friends. When Satan has a full addiction success, it causes them to backslide back into the world of sin and shame.
This is an extreme, but topical, example of breaking our seal with God and stepping outside His protection. So learn from it and check yourself thoroughly to be free of Mammon and its evil consequences. Jesus loves you and wants you to be safe at all times.
You would not let your small child run across a busy road alone. Jesus feels the same way about you. He wants you out of danger and hidden in the Rock, sealed and secure forever. We have a free will to choose His safety or to stray into a minefield. Just remember we can shoo away a bird that lands on our head, or allow it to build a nest in our hair.
Prayer: Heavenly Father thank You for being so protective over us that even the Holy Spirit has sealed us into Your Covenant with Mankind. Teach us to walk in obedience so the seal is never broken. If we have strayed into danger please bring us back to the Rock. In Jesus' name. Amen.