The Mulligrubs

Greetings in the name of Jesus! This is Rob Haymes. This is 15 Minutes with Jesus. Today’s program is called The Mulligrubs. What is the mulligrubs? There’s an old expression: “Down in the mulligrubs”. Well I want to tell you today that’s where Satan wants you to remain. He wants to get you down in the mulligrubs, and he wants to keep you there. I looked it up in Webster’s, and it means despondent, or loss of hope, dejection, depression. That’s where Satan wants you. If you’re a believer in Jesus Christ, he wants to do everything he can to keep you in the mulligrubs. Let’s turn to Phillipians, chapter 1. The Apostle Paul said in verse 2, Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy, for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. Let’s turn to chapter 3, verses 1-21, Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. For me to write the same things to you is not tedious, but for you it is safe. Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the mutilation! In the King James it says, the concision. For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh, though I also might have confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so: circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 

Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you. Nevertheless, to the degree that we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us be of the same mind. Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern. 

For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame—who set their mind on earthly things. For our citizenship is in Heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself. Let’s turn to Jude 1:20&21,  But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. Let’s turn to Rom 8:31-39, What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written: For your sake we are killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord! Jesus loved us, and He washed us from our sins in his own Blood! He Himself bore our sorrows, our pains, our sicknesses, all of our torments; everything was laid on Him on the Cross, and He overcame it all when He rose from the dead! Hallelujah! Hallelujah to our God! We worship you Jesus! We worship you Father! We thank you for what you’ve accomplished through your death, your burial, and your resurrection, Lord! Hallelujah! Thank you Lord! Thank you Lord! Glory to God! 

Let’s turn to 1 Peter 1:3-9, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, 

that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls. Verses 13-23,  Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, Be holy, for I am Holy. And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear; knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God. Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the Word of God which lives and abides forever. OK, let’s go to Phil 4:4-7, Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. 

The mulligrubs: as I said earlier, that’s where Satan wants to keep us, with loss of hope and despondency. You go to bed rejoicing in the Word of God and his glorious promises, full of hope and faith and love. You wake up in the morning completely engulfed in thoughts about sins you committed and repented of 20 years ago. You are starting to feel guilty and despondent. What do you do? Get up off the bed, and go to your place of prayer. Read the Word of God out loud. Speak the things that the Lord has spoken; the things that the apostles and prophets wrote concerning you, and concerning the Lord Jesus. Believe those things and do them, forgetting those things that are behind. Reach forward unto those things that are before; building yourself up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit. This is so important! The Holy Spirit will lead you forward in prayer as you pray in faith, believing what Jesus did for you on the Cross: that all your sins which you have confessed to Him have been washed in his precious Blood. If the Holy Spirit shows you a sin, confess it to the Father and believe 1 John 1:9, If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Ask Him to completely cleanse you of all unrighteousness. If He shows you that you need to go to another person and make things right, don’t wait to do it, as soon as you can. Satan wants to get us under guilt, and keep us there, because when we are guilty our faith will not be working, and he can push us down into those mulligrubs where we can’t fulfill the will of God.  If you have confessed your sin to God, you are not guilty! If you truly repented from the heart, you are not guilty! If you have confessed your fault to your brother; if you have made amends with he or she, do not allow anyone to make you ashamed. Have faith in the sacrifice of Jesus! Believe in his precious Blood cleansing you of all sin and unrighteousness! Forget what lays behind and reach forward in prayer to that which is before, and press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus! If Satan can’t get you under guilt, or keep you there, then he will bring up all kinds of cares, worries, or fears. Remember Phil 4:6! Speak it and do it! In everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving; don’t forget, give thanks to God, right in the middle of your trial; don’t complain or murmur, let your requests be made known unto Him, and the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds through Christ Jesus. Remember, God has not given you a spirit of fear, but of love and of power and of a sound mind. Speak it and believe it and don’t yield to fear! Ask the Lord to deliver you from it. Jesus said, Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. If you are in Jesus you don’t have to put up with any of these things, but you must read and speak and obey what is written to overcome Satan. Remember what Jesus said to him in his hour of temptation, He said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word that proceeds from the mouth of God. He overcame Satan by speaking the Word of God to him by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Then, finally, stop spending hours and hours looking at, listening to, and meditating on all the evil things that are going on in the world, and begin to read the Bible more and more. Take more time for the Word of God, and meditate in the good things of God. Phil 4:8&9, Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. The things which you have learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you. Those things that you have both learned and received and heard and seen in the Apostles’ doctrine, the New Testament, do; do those things, and the God of peace shall be with you.