Romans 7:24O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? Greetings. Am I a wretch and if I am, who told me so? Amazing Grace how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me. Strange words to a song which millions have song but cannot glory in something we do not understand. I have never understood any of this grace thing until now. We picture a wretch as some guy hanging off a bar stool with flies buzzing around his mouth. This same guy gets cleaned up, prays a sinner’s prayer at a local Church and now flies are no longer buzzing around his mouth, but an unholy language to deceived comes fore from his vile mouth. He is still a wretch who carries a Bible under his arm and if he did read it would only make it sin or his oun thoughts. Romans 7: 24O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? Spiritual light or God's words kills the body of sin and lights enters the mind through the eye. Matthew 6:22 The light of the body: if therefore thine eye be single, the whole body shall be full of light. Romans 7:25 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin. Noticed Paul states when he serves his mind, he can now serve the Law of God. For our mind to serve the law of God it must be a mind renewed. Romans 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind,that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. The wretched man has a mind of its own, when it comes to the things of God and it only wants to prove it’s wiser than God. The wretched man has never been the guy in the Bar, but the ones that are in theirfleshly wisdom wisdom about the Bible. 2 Corinthians 1:2For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God. When we can see God’s word the way he sees it: than it is God’s glory and his grace is being poured out on us. This amazing Grace of God and even now I can only see so little of it. Millions have never seen any of God’s grace and only see sin when they read the Bible: our thoughts are sin. Man has never known the Grace of God and has not wanted the faith to see it. This faith and grace are strongly connected. Romans 5:2By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. We are to Spiritually stand in hope of Spiritually seeing God’s glory: which is His revealed word. When was the last time any of us ever asked to see God’s Glory? Then we were asking for grace or His favor. The wretch has no Spiritual knowledge of God and in fact does not know it exist. Without grace we are not saved, and God does not know us. Ephesians 2:8For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God. Are we beginning to witness how much of a wretch we have all been and still are? Most of us love to receive gifts and the gifts I loved most in the pass were birthday cards with money inside. But now we are talking about a Spiritual gift of God's Grace in that He is making Himself known to us. Physically there’s nothing I can do that can save myself from this forward generation and this forward generation deals with my thinking nothing physical.  Psalm 95:10 Forty years long was I grieved with this generation, and said, It is a people that do err in their heart, and they have not known my ways. I went forward some thirty- seven years ago to a physical altar and repeated after some man and then was told I was saved. God was grieved with my generation it was not the gift of God but the work of the flesh or that not of yourselves. In other words, I was doing the works or I was the him that worketh and did not except God’s gift. Romans 4:4Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. Now I am in error because I tried to work my own righteous and put myself in spiritual debt: in debt to my flesh.Romans 8:12Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. When I live after the flesh, I wrongly believe something I did physically can saved me. It cannot and never will! So, people wrongly believe because we visit a lot of sick people in the hospital, God must be very pleased with us; problem is we are the ones that spiritually sick. Isaiah 1:5Why should ye be stricken anymore? ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. Revolt, now that’s an interesting word and who are we revolting against? When we read the above verse, it should occur who’s is doing the talking and who God is talking too?  ME! I would like to believe it is never me and always the other guy but it is that old wretched the man of sin, me again! The old wretch will do everything in its power to witness the Bible in our own witness and the enemy of our souls. King David talks a lot about the enemy of his soul, we have imagined these enemies as only physical and David had many of them. Note the four-letter word, many in the next verse. Psalm 55:18He hath delivered my soul in peace from the battle that was against me: for there were many with me. This battle within us all is to the spiritual death: flesh verses the Spirit. As I pondered this verse and the next verse by asking the Spirit to show me who the many with me are. Psalm 3:2  Many there be which say of my soul, there is no help for him in God. Many of our own thoughts will persecute me to get us trust ourselves and not God. Physical people will not persecute for your believes when you all believe the same error of your ways. When we can speak God's judgment people will not want to hear God's judgment coming out of your mouth. Luke 6:22  Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake.  Psalm 55:19 God shall hear, and afflict them, even he that abideth of old.Selah. We all have many thoughts that revolt against God’s word and King David prays to God to afflict those many thoughts. Afflict that old wretch that abideth of old; the old wretch in us cannot reveal nothing new or Spiritual to us, he must be destroyed. The old wretch gives us a gift wrapped in a pretty container addressed to: the proud. Others wrongly believe because they have the earthly gift of being a great speaker: just give them a microphone and then they imagined they are called to preach. 1 Corinthians 2:4And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power. Demonstration of the Spirit? What did God send his Spirit to do? John 16:13Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. Men have never waited on the Spirit of truth, but instead have spoken of himself or his wisdom about the Bible. Such men have fallen from grace not knowing it takes Grace to see the hidden mysteries of God. Galatians 1:12 For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ. We can receive nothing of God unless he gives it and without His Spirit we receive nothing, our own thoughts have spiritually impoverished us all. Judges 6:7And Israel was greatly improverished because of the Midianites. The old testament Bible character Gideon knew he needed God's grace to defeated the Midianites and we need God's grace to defeated our carnal evil thoughts against His words. Judges 6:17And he said unto him, if I have found grace in thy sight, then shew me a sign that thou talkest with me. God will be showing us His grace when He's revealing Himself or talk to us from His words. Millions believe they have the gift of the Holy Ghost just because they spoke in an unknown tongue. We never spoke any of God’s hidden wisdom only a false gift and called it of God. Our false way of speaking His words in our own wisdom are unknown tongues to Him is sin.   Exodus 23:8 And thou shalt take no gift: for the gift blindeth the wise, and perverteth the words of the righteous. Have we ever heard of anybody praying for the things of God or for his words to be known made to unto them? It’s always been about making my boyfriend get a job or something physical.Matthew 21:22 And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.

  7/25/2019 End of part 1 / amended 5/3/2021 / amended 8/13/2022 Michael Rudolph Hodges