The only thing that stands between the Christian and obedience to the Father is that believer’s will. Jesus cleanses us from sin in the New Birth. Then the soul and body must then be submitted to the Lordship of Jesus through the Word.
The body has been trained to yield to certain appetites and desires that if partaken of after the New Birth, will break their fellowship with the great Father God. The body must be controlled.
The mind has been filled with ideas and beliefs that are contrary to the plan and purpose of the Father. The mind must be renewed. The emotions have been trained to yield to the carnal and selfish appetites. The emotions must be submitted to the Born Again human spirit.
And the human will has been accustomed to yielding to call of the body and of the un-renewed mind. This unharnessed will must be submitted daily to Jesus and His Lordship.
Jesus addresses the will of the believer in every Gospel, appealing to us to yield ourselves willingly to God and His plans. Listen to His strong appeals:
Don't think I've come to make life cozy. I've come to cut — (35) make a sharp knife-cut between son and father, daughter and mother, bride and mother-in-law — cut through these cozy domestic arrangements and free you for God. (36) Well-meaning family members can be your worst enemies. (37) If you prefer father or mother over me, you don't deserve me. If you prefer son or daughter over me, you don't deserve me. (38) "If you don't go all the way with me, through thick and thin, you don't deserve me. (39) If your first concern is to look after yourself, you'll never find yourself. But if you forget about yourself and look to me, you'll find both yourself and me (Matthew 10:34-39 – The Message). Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me. (25) If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it (Matthew 16:24-25 NLT). If anyone wants to follow in my footsteps, he must give up all right to himself, take up hid cross and follow me (Mark 8:34 – Phillips Translation). Anyone who comes to me but refuses to let go of father, mother, spouse, children, brothers, sisters — yes, even one's own self! — can't be my disciple. (27) Anyone who won't shoulder his own cross and follow behind me can't be my disciple …(33) Simply put, if you're not willing to take what is dearest to you, whether plans or people, and kiss it good-bye, you can't be my disciple (Luke 14:26-27, 33 – The Message).
All of us must be willing to yield our thoughts, plans, and ideas to the Word of God and to Jesus the living Word! If we fail to do this, we will miss God’s highest and best and open an avenue for Satan to work in our lives. Tomorrow I will give you an illustration of this in the life of King Saul.
Take time today to recommit your will to Him who loved you and gave Himself completely for you.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Saturday, November 28, 2009
I solemnly urge you in the presence of God and Christ Jesus, who will someday judge the living and the dead when he appears to set up his Kingdom: Preach the word of God. Be prepared, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching. For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. They will reject the truth and chase after myths (2 Timothy 4:1-4- New Living Translation).
My heart is breaking for my nation. I am a US citizen. I love America. But I feel that I am now witnessing the slow and steady dissolution of my nation. Our nation was founded on the principles of self-government under the moral laws of God. Without moral law ruling civil society, breakdown occurs. And our culture is throwing morality to the wind.
The responsibility for what happens to our nation sits at the feel of the church. We the church are responsible to preach the Word of God in season and out of season. We are responsible to reprove, rebuke, and exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.
Sound doctrine has in many church circles been replaced by itching ears preaching that is light on reproving sin and heavy on expounding on blessing.
As a believer, you and I are standard bearers in our community and circles of influence. Demon spirits tout politically correct speech so as to offend no one. Political correctness voids the truth of scripture. Our God given responsibility is to be SALT and LIGHT. Our goal should not primarily be to be accepted by people but to love them and by example show them the way to our Father God through His Son the Lord Jesus. Love stands for what is right and exposes darkness.
Let me say this again. The responsibility for the ills of our nation falls at the feet of the church. The ONLY answer to current problems is repentance and earnest prayer. Current problems are spiritual in nature and their answers are spiritual in scope.
Take time today in your personal prayer life to call on God the Father on behalf of our beloved nation. Confess your own sins and the sins of your nation before Him asking for His mercy.
Judgment is looming on the horizon of time. Prayer brings God’s mercy and justice on the scene. Let’s ask Him for revival in hearts and spiritual renewal in our nation. It is our nation’s only hope.
If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land
(2 Chronicles 7:14). Are we doing this?
My heart is breaking for my nation. I am a US citizen. I love America. But I feel that I am now witnessing the slow and steady dissolution of my nation. Our nation was founded on the principles of self-government under the moral laws of God. Without moral law ruling civil society, breakdown occurs. And our culture is throwing morality to the wind.
The responsibility for what happens to our nation sits at the feel of the church. We the church are responsible to preach the Word of God in season and out of season. We are responsible to reprove, rebuke, and exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.
Sound doctrine has in many church circles been replaced by itching ears preaching that is light on reproving sin and heavy on expounding on blessing.
As a believer, you and I are standard bearers in our community and circles of influence. Demon spirits tout politically correct speech so as to offend no one. Political correctness voids the truth of scripture. Our God given responsibility is to be SALT and LIGHT. Our goal should not primarily be to be accepted by people but to love them and by example show them the way to our Father God through His Son the Lord Jesus. Love stands for what is right and exposes darkness.
Let me say this again. The responsibility for the ills of our nation falls at the feet of the church. The ONLY answer to current problems is repentance and earnest prayer. Current problems are spiritual in nature and their answers are spiritual in scope.
Take time today in your personal prayer life to call on God the Father on behalf of our beloved nation. Confess your own sins and the sins of your nation before Him asking for His mercy.
Judgment is looming on the horizon of time. Prayer brings God’s mercy and justice on the scene. Let’s ask Him for revival in hearts and spiritual renewal in our nation. It is our nation’s only hope.
If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land
(2 Chronicles 7:14). Are we doing this?
Friday, November 27, 2009
Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints (Ephesians 6:10-18).
The opposition you face today does not have its’ origin in people or circumstances. It began with demonic forces seeking to trip you up. They want you to wallow in unbelief, fear, anger, self pity, selfishness, impurity, poverty, and the list goes on and on. They want to separate you from the Word and from the tenderness of the Spirit of God. Their goal is the downfall of the kingdom of God, and your failure.
The good news is they are already defeated! And it is our job as believers to demonstrate their defeat in our daily life and lifestyle. Every time you conquer fear, unbelief, anger, self pity, selfishness, etc, you show God’s power through the Word and through Jesus’ sacrifice for you!
We don’t take our armor off when we go to sleep at night! We wear it to bed! We are always on alert, ever watching lest the enemy to trip us up. We have the girdle of truth on our waist. Just as a belt holds your pants snug, the Word keeps the armor of God in place in your life.
The breastplate of righteousness guards your heart from condemnation and inferiority so that you are free to constant go into the presence of God with your needs and with your faith.
On your feet are the shoes of the gospel of peace. In every situation in life today, the Word is your guide. You don’t go anywhere that the Word doesn’t go.
The shield of faith is held in front of you and stops every attack of Satan dead in its tracks! You walk by faith, not feelings. You believe you receive from the Father in every area of life, and you never let down your shield in unbelief!
The helmet of salvation keeps your mind protected with the Word. Mind renewal is a lifelong process with you. Every thought that comes is processed through the filter of true, honest, just, pure, lovely, of good report, positive, and praiseworthy (Phil. 4:8). Every thought is submitted to the Lordship of the Word!
The sword of the Spirit is the Word spoken out of your mouth. You recognize the spiritual force behind the words that you speak, and you speak the Word over and in every circumstance.
This armor creates a powerful prayer life in you as a believer, and demonic forces turn and run when they see you coming. Keep your armor on at all time. You don’t fight against flesh and blood!
The opposition you face today does not have its’ origin in people or circumstances. It began with demonic forces seeking to trip you up. They want you to wallow in unbelief, fear, anger, self pity, selfishness, impurity, poverty, and the list goes on and on. They want to separate you from the Word and from the tenderness of the Spirit of God. Their goal is the downfall of the kingdom of God, and your failure.
The good news is they are already defeated! And it is our job as believers to demonstrate their defeat in our daily life and lifestyle. Every time you conquer fear, unbelief, anger, self pity, selfishness, etc, you show God’s power through the Word and through Jesus’ sacrifice for you!
We don’t take our armor off when we go to sleep at night! We wear it to bed! We are always on alert, ever watching lest the enemy to trip us up. We have the girdle of truth on our waist. Just as a belt holds your pants snug, the Word keeps the armor of God in place in your life.
The breastplate of righteousness guards your heart from condemnation and inferiority so that you are free to constant go into the presence of God with your needs and with your faith.
On your feet are the shoes of the gospel of peace. In every situation in life today, the Word is your guide. You don’t go anywhere that the Word doesn’t go.
The shield of faith is held in front of you and stops every attack of Satan dead in its tracks! You walk by faith, not feelings. You believe you receive from the Father in every area of life, and you never let down your shield in unbelief!
The helmet of salvation keeps your mind protected with the Word. Mind renewal is a lifelong process with you. Every thought that comes is processed through the filter of true, honest, just, pure, lovely, of good report, positive, and praiseworthy (Phil. 4:8). Every thought is submitted to the Lordship of the Word!
The sword of the Spirit is the Word spoken out of your mouth. You recognize the spiritual force behind the words that you speak, and you speak the Word over and in every circumstance.
This armor creates a powerful prayer life in you as a believer, and demonic forces turn and run when they see you coming. Keep your armor on at all time. You don’t fight against flesh and blood!
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Before an individual or a nation goes astray, they lose their thankfulness. Because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened (Romans 1:21).
The early settlers here in America were thankful for the provision God had provided after their arrival and the harsh winter that ensued. They held a feast together and gave thanks for the blessings of God.
In 1789 George Washington proclaimed a day of thanks for God’s blessing and favor on our nation. In 1863 Abraham Lincoln also signed a Thanksgiving proclamation. Then in 1942 the US Congress passed a law declaring the fourth Thursday of November as a national day of Thanksgiving.
Let’s take some time today to give thanks to our Father for His provision of life and resources. It is He that has made us, and not we ourselves. Don’t take for granted the blessings of friends and family, of food and shelter, and of the freedom and liberty that you enjoy.
Remember today those who have had life changes; a divorce or a death in the family. Holidays bring stress to many. Ask the Father to help them and minister to them.
I’ll leave you today with scripture concerning giving of thanks:
When you have eaten and are full, then you shall bless the LORD your God for the good land which He has given you (Deuteronomy 8:10). It is good to give thanks to the LORD, and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High (Psalm 92:1). Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name (Psalm 100:4). Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy (Psalm 107:1-2). Giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ (Ephesians 5:20).
Susan and I pray that the Father will continue to reveal Himself to you, and to provide for your every need. Happy Thanksgiving!
The early settlers here in America were thankful for the provision God had provided after their arrival and the harsh winter that ensued. They held a feast together and gave thanks for the blessings of God.
In 1789 George Washington proclaimed a day of thanks for God’s blessing and favor on our nation. In 1863 Abraham Lincoln also signed a Thanksgiving proclamation. Then in 1942 the US Congress passed a law declaring the fourth Thursday of November as a national day of Thanksgiving.
Let’s take some time today to give thanks to our Father for His provision of life and resources. It is He that has made us, and not we ourselves. Don’t take for granted the blessings of friends and family, of food and shelter, and of the freedom and liberty that you enjoy.
Remember today those who have had life changes; a divorce or a death in the family. Holidays bring stress to many. Ask the Father to help them and minister to them.
I’ll leave you today with scripture concerning giving of thanks:
When you have eaten and are full, then you shall bless the LORD your God for the good land which He has given you (Deuteronomy 8:10). It is good to give thanks to the LORD, and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High (Psalm 92:1). Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name (Psalm 100:4). Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy (Psalm 107:1-2). Giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ (Ephesians 5:20).
Susan and I pray that the Father will continue to reveal Himself to you, and to provide for your every need. Happy Thanksgiving!
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you (Luke 10:19).
Jesus has delegated to us His own authority over Satan and his cohorts! The word authority in the above verse means delegated authority. It’s an authority given to us by another.
A police officer controlling traffic on the street is operating under delegated authority. He doesn’t have personal power to stop those heavy vehicles. But when he holds up his hand, the drivers of the vehicles recognize his delegated authority! The drivers recognize that behind the police officer is the power of the city or state that he represents.
When we use the name of Jesus, Satan recognizes the power behind that name! The believer that knows his rights and privileges in Christ has a real authority over satanic forces!
Satan thought he had defeated Jesus when he had him killed. But Jesus death brought us His resurrection power! But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory,which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory (1 Corinthians 2:7-8).
Notice the victory that Jesus gained over Satan: God disarmed the principalities and powers that were ranged against us and made a bold display and public example of them, in triumphing over them in Him and in it the cross (Colossians 2:15 – Amplified).The Message paraphrase of this verse says it well: He stripped all the spiritual tyrants in the universe of their sham authority at the Cross and marched them naked through the streets.
We are now seated in heavenly places in Christ! That simply means that we share His authority! According to Ephesians 1, Jesus is seated at a place that is far above all principality, power, might, and dominion. And we are seated with Him in that place of authority!
Philippians 2 reveals that God has given Jesus the name that is above every name. And at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, in heaven, on earth, and under the earth! Men, angels, and demons must bow to that name.
Don’t allow Satan to harass you with sickness and disease, poverty, oppression, depression, and fear. Use your delegated authority and command him to leave you in Jesus’ name! He has to obey. For backing you is the authority of the throne of God. Satan is a defeated foe!
Jesus has delegated to us His own authority over Satan and his cohorts! The word authority in the above verse means delegated authority. It’s an authority given to us by another.
A police officer controlling traffic on the street is operating under delegated authority. He doesn’t have personal power to stop those heavy vehicles. But when he holds up his hand, the drivers of the vehicles recognize his delegated authority! The drivers recognize that behind the police officer is the power of the city or state that he represents.
When we use the name of Jesus, Satan recognizes the power behind that name! The believer that knows his rights and privileges in Christ has a real authority over satanic forces!
Satan thought he had defeated Jesus when he had him killed. But Jesus death brought us His resurrection power! But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory,which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory (1 Corinthians 2:7-8).
Notice the victory that Jesus gained over Satan: God disarmed the principalities and powers that were ranged against us and made a bold display and public example of them, in triumphing over them in Him and in it the cross (Colossians 2:15 – Amplified).The Message paraphrase of this verse says it well: He stripped all the spiritual tyrants in the universe of their sham authority at the Cross and marched them naked through the streets.
We are now seated in heavenly places in Christ! That simply means that we share His authority! According to Ephesians 1, Jesus is seated at a place that is far above all principality, power, might, and dominion. And we are seated with Him in that place of authority!
Philippians 2 reveals that God has given Jesus the name that is above every name. And at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, in heaven, on earth, and under the earth! Men, angels, and demons must bow to that name.
Don’t allow Satan to harass you with sickness and disease, poverty, oppression, depression, and fear. Use your delegated authority and command him to leave you in Jesus’ name! He has to obey. For backing you is the authority of the throne of God. Satan is a defeated foe!
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
One of the greatest stress relievers I know of is answered prayer. One of the most spiritually productive things you can do is to develop your faith in God to answer prayer!
I was raised in church and frequently heard that when God answers prayer, He sometimes says yes, sometimes says maybe or wait a while, and sometimes says no. And I heard that if prayer was not answered, then what was prayed must not have been the will of God.
All of this is carnal thinking! As I began to read the Bible, I saw clearly that the Father wants to answer prayer! And not with a no or a maybe, but with a resounding yes! So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened (Luke 11:9-10).
First, find scripture that covers what you are praying about. That is, make sure according to the Word that what you’re praying about is the will of God. Once you do that, pray, stand your ground in faith, and expectantly wait for the answer!
Prayer is a sure cure for worry, which is really faith in reverse! Prayer is an excellent way to release your faith in the Father to work in the circumstances of your life. Don’t worry and brood over problems that arise. Pray and ask the Father to work them out!
Make these scripture a part of your daily meditation. They will build up in your faith in the Father to answer your prayers!
And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive (Matthew 21:22)Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them (Mark 11:24). 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). And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you. Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full (John 16:23-24). And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight (1 John 3:22). Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him (1 John 5:14-15).
I was raised in church and frequently heard that when God answers prayer, He sometimes says yes, sometimes says maybe or wait a while, and sometimes says no. And I heard that if prayer was not answered, then what was prayed must not have been the will of God.
All of this is carnal thinking! As I began to read the Bible, I saw clearly that the Father wants to answer prayer! And not with a no or a maybe, but with a resounding yes! So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened (Luke 11:9-10).
First, find scripture that covers what you are praying about. That is, make sure according to the Word that what you’re praying about is the will of God. Once you do that, pray, stand your ground in faith, and expectantly wait for the answer!
Prayer is a sure cure for worry, which is really faith in reverse! Prayer is an excellent way to release your faith in the Father to work in the circumstances of your life. Don’t worry and brood over problems that arise. Pray and ask the Father to work them out!
Make these scripture a part of your daily meditation. They will build up in your faith in the Father to answer your prayers!
And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive (Matthew 21:22)Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them (Mark 11:24). 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). And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you. Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full (John 16:23-24). And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight (1 John 3:22). Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him (1 John 5:14-15).
Monday, November 23, 2009
So you shall serve the Lord your God, and He will bless your bread and your water. And I will take sickness away from the midst of you (Exodus 23:25).
God originally planned for us to live in these bodies for eternity. Sin marred God’s plan and introduced its offspring, sickness, disease, and death. Our redemption in Christ guarantees us freedom from sickness. And eventually our last enemy death will be destroyed by the Son of God!
When God delivered the Israelites out of Egypt, He made a covenant of healing with them that was perpetual and was more sure than the rising of the sun. And said, If you diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the Lord who heals you(Exodus 15:26).
This healing covenant is still in force, and is now a part of our inheritance in Christ. We have a better covenant established on better promises! We are redeemed from the curse of the broken law (Galatians 3:13). This involved poverty, sickness, and spiritual death.
It’s important that we keep our faith built up for the healing and health of our bodies. Faith comes by hearing the word! Take time to feed on the promises of God for your health. Don’t allow sickness to trespass in your body. You have a legal right to health under the terms of your covenant! You must insist that Satan keep his hands off your body!
The moment symptom appear in your body, command in the name of Jesus that they leave! Believe right then that you receive healing based on your covenant with God. Remind Him of His promises, and act like He heard you! Don’t sign for the “package” of sickness that Satan brings by confessing the symptoms. Refuse it and tell him that it’s not yours!
Expect the Holy Spirit to quicken your body! Expect health and healing to be yours life long! How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him (Acts 10:38). That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: He Himself took our infirmities And bore our sicknesses (Matthew 8:17). Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness — by whose stripes you were healed (1 Peter 2:24).
Keep the healing Word of God built up inside of you. Meditate on these healing promises daily! Speak health and healing, not sickness and disease. Expect the Father to bless your food when you eat, and expect Him to keep sickness away from you!
God originally planned for us to live in these bodies for eternity. Sin marred God’s plan and introduced its offspring, sickness, disease, and death. Our redemption in Christ guarantees us freedom from sickness. And eventually our last enemy death will be destroyed by the Son of God!
When God delivered the Israelites out of Egypt, He made a covenant of healing with them that was perpetual and was more sure than the rising of the sun. And said, If you diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the Lord who heals you(Exodus 15:26).
This healing covenant is still in force, and is now a part of our inheritance in Christ. We have a better covenant established on better promises! We are redeemed from the curse of the broken law (Galatians 3:13). This involved poverty, sickness, and spiritual death.
It’s important that we keep our faith built up for the healing and health of our bodies. Faith comes by hearing the word! Take time to feed on the promises of God for your health. Don’t allow sickness to trespass in your body. You have a legal right to health under the terms of your covenant! You must insist that Satan keep his hands off your body!
The moment symptom appear in your body, command in the name of Jesus that they leave! Believe right then that you receive healing based on your covenant with God. Remind Him of His promises, and act like He heard you! Don’t sign for the “package” of sickness that Satan brings by confessing the symptoms. Refuse it and tell him that it’s not yours!
Expect the Holy Spirit to quicken your body! Expect health and healing to be yours life long! How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him (Acts 10:38). That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: He Himself took our infirmities And bore our sicknesses (Matthew 8:17). Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness — by whose stripes you were healed (1 Peter 2:24).
Keep the healing Word of God built up inside of you. Meditate on these healing promises daily! Speak health and healing, not sickness and disease. Expect the Father to bless your food when you eat, and expect Him to keep sickness away from you!
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, the Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously? (James 4:5).
The Holy Spirit is a jealous lover. He is jealous over what occupies our thoughts, our time, our ambitions, and our daily lives. His major job is to make Jesus real to us.
He works constantly to keep us on the path of righteousness, bearing conviction through the Word when we go astray. His goal is our Christ-likeness. We should be thankful for this jealous lover that the Father has placed within us.
The Holy Spirit wants us to hear the words well done good and faithful servant when we stand before the Father one day. He works incessantly to keep us out of trouble and close to Jesus and the Father.
We should be careful not to grieve Him through neglect of conscience, bearing unforgiveness towards others, or by the wrong use of our words or our anger. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you (Ephesians 4:30-32).
The Holy Spirit is chosen by Jesus and the Father to be our constant companion throughout life. Listening to Him will keep us out of trouble and will enable us to fulfill the will of the Father every day. He is very sensitive to the Word. One of His major responsibilities is to open the Word to us, making it real and applicable to daily life. He feels neglected when we don’t spend time with the Father in the Word.
I’ve found that one of the best ways to pray for fellow believers that goes astray is to pray for this jealous yearning of the Holy Spirit to rise us within them. I pray that everywhere they are and everywhere they go the Holy Spirit will woo them and make then uncomfortable with wrong living. I’ve seen some wonderful answers to prayer by this method.
Honor the jealous lover in your life today. If you do, He will give you’re his joy and peace. These only comes through obedience to the Word and obedience to His incessant pull away from the world and to Jesus and the Father. Remember, you are never alone!
The Holy Spirit is a jealous lover. He is jealous over what occupies our thoughts, our time, our ambitions, and our daily lives. His major job is to make Jesus real to us.
He works constantly to keep us on the path of righteousness, bearing conviction through the Word when we go astray. His goal is our Christ-likeness. We should be thankful for this jealous lover that the Father has placed within us.
The Holy Spirit wants us to hear the words well done good and faithful servant when we stand before the Father one day. He works incessantly to keep us out of trouble and close to Jesus and the Father.
We should be careful not to grieve Him through neglect of conscience, bearing unforgiveness towards others, or by the wrong use of our words or our anger. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you (Ephesians 4:30-32).
The Holy Spirit is chosen by Jesus and the Father to be our constant companion throughout life. Listening to Him will keep us out of trouble and will enable us to fulfill the will of the Father every day. He is very sensitive to the Word. One of His major responsibilities is to open the Word to us, making it real and applicable to daily life. He feels neglected when we don’t spend time with the Father in the Word.
I’ve found that one of the best ways to pray for fellow believers that goes astray is to pray for this jealous yearning of the Holy Spirit to rise us within them. I pray that everywhere they are and everywhere they go the Holy Spirit will woo them and make then uncomfortable with wrong living. I’ve seen some wonderful answers to prayer by this method.
Honor the jealous lover in your life today. If you do, He will give you’re his joy and peace. These only comes through obedience to the Word and obedience to His incessant pull away from the world and to Jesus and the Father. Remember, you are never alone!
Friday, November 20, 2009
The Lord was with Joseph, so he succeeded in everything he did as he served in the home of his Egyptian master (Gen 39:2 –NLT). So He took Joseph and threw him into the prison where the king's prisoners were held, and there he remained. But the Lord was with Joseph in the prison and showed him His faithful love. And the Lord made Joseph a favorite with the prison warden (Gen 39:20-21 NLT).
Circumstances never dictate the will of God for the believer. At the same time, we must realize that Jesus is in control of us since He is Lord. He can cause whatever happens to work out for our best and His glory.
Joseph was destined by God to be a leader, and to save his family from starvation when a severe drought hit the land where they lived. Yet, it seems at every turn, he was resisted. Difficulties arose that seemingly could thwart the purposes of God for his life.
Regardless of the negatives that rose against him, Joseph prospered because the Lord was with him. You see, Joseph realized that God was with him and was working on his behalf. When his brothers turned against him and sold him as a slave, instead of become bitter and angry at them, He looked to the Potter that was guiding his life. With God on his side, He knew that, regardless of the challenge, God would work the problem out in his favor.
When he was falsely accused of attempted rape by Potiphar’s wife, he refused to become angry and bitter. The natural thing to do would have been to sulk in self-pity, wondering how such a thing could happen to him since he had acted in such an honorable way by refusing the risqué advances of the Potiphar’s wife. Instead, when he was thrown into prison, he prospered.
Circumstances prove what is in us! When we know that regardless of what comes, we have the favor of God upon us, then we will be confident and upbeat in the midst of terrible situations that may arise. If we cower down in self-pity and anger, we tie God’s hands and limit His grace and mercy.
Remember, if God is for us, who can be against us. He who did not spared His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? (Romans 8:31-32).
Let your attitude be like Joseph’s today in whatever you face. The Father is with you. Let your thoughts today agree with Romans 8:37 – Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us! You destined to come out on top! Expect God’s best!
Circumstances never dictate the will of God for the believer. At the same time, we must realize that Jesus is in control of us since He is Lord. He can cause whatever happens to work out for our best and His glory.
Joseph was destined by God to be a leader, and to save his family from starvation when a severe drought hit the land where they lived. Yet, it seems at every turn, he was resisted. Difficulties arose that seemingly could thwart the purposes of God for his life.
Regardless of the negatives that rose against him, Joseph prospered because the Lord was with him. You see, Joseph realized that God was with him and was working on his behalf. When his brothers turned against him and sold him as a slave, instead of become bitter and angry at them, He looked to the Potter that was guiding his life. With God on his side, He knew that, regardless of the challenge, God would work the problem out in his favor.
When he was falsely accused of attempted rape by Potiphar’s wife, he refused to become angry and bitter. The natural thing to do would have been to sulk in self-pity, wondering how such a thing could happen to him since he had acted in such an honorable way by refusing the risqué advances of the Potiphar’s wife. Instead, when he was thrown into prison, he prospered.
Circumstances prove what is in us! When we know that regardless of what comes, we have the favor of God upon us, then we will be confident and upbeat in the midst of terrible situations that may arise. If we cower down in self-pity and anger, we tie God’s hands and limit His grace and mercy.
Remember, if God is for us, who can be against us. He who did not spared His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? (Romans 8:31-32).
Let your attitude be like Joseph’s today in whatever you face. The Father is with you. Let your thoughts today agree with Romans 8:37 – Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us! You destined to come out on top! Expect God’s best!
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Do not waste time arguing over godless ideas and old wives' tales. Instead, train yourself to be godly. Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come. This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it (1Timothy 4:7-9 - New Living Translation)
Your natural life is a direct reflection of your spiritual condition. What you are on the outside is the result of who you are within. The mental habits that you have spill over into every crevice of life, both natural and spiritual.
Our outward world parallels our inner world. When you make strides toward God, and increase in spirituality, there should also be a change in natural behavior, or it’s not true spiritual increase!
If you’re late for work, you’ll also be late in being faithful to a ministry obligation. If you’re not passionate about natural life responsibilities, you won’t be passionate about spiritual responsibilities. If you see no value in obeying natural law, you may show the same disrespect for spiritual authority. IF you’re a lazy bones naturally, and find it hard to get motivated to perform, you’ll be lazy bones spiritually and will lack spiritual passion.
If I look in your car and see all kinds of debris in the floorboard and seats, it tells me that you don’t value excellence, and you’ll be prone to under perform spiritually! If I walk into your home and it’s consistently untidy, that tells a lot about your values. Excellence starts with thinking, and will filter into all we are and do.
When God started the process of changing my life with His Word, my natural life began to feel the pressure to change! And it’s been changing ever since!
When I’m looking for those to help me in ministry, I look at these natural areas first. You can pray fervently, shout loudly, and preach like you’re spitting cotton! But if natural things don’t sing the same song, it’s all a bluff!
Give yourself a check-up today. What’s your natural life saying about what you value right now. Remember, your natural life is a direct reflection of your spiritual condition.
Your natural life is a direct reflection of your spiritual condition. What you are on the outside is the result of who you are within. The mental habits that you have spill over into every crevice of life, both natural and spiritual.
Our outward world parallels our inner world. When you make strides toward God, and increase in spirituality, there should also be a change in natural behavior, or it’s not true spiritual increase!
If you’re late for work, you’ll also be late in being faithful to a ministry obligation. If you’re not passionate about natural life responsibilities, you won’t be passionate about spiritual responsibilities. If you see no value in obeying natural law, you may show the same disrespect for spiritual authority. IF you’re a lazy bones naturally, and find it hard to get motivated to perform, you’ll be lazy bones spiritually and will lack spiritual passion.
If I look in your car and see all kinds of debris in the floorboard and seats, it tells me that you don’t value excellence, and you’ll be prone to under perform spiritually! If I walk into your home and it’s consistently untidy, that tells a lot about your values. Excellence starts with thinking, and will filter into all we are and do.
When God started the process of changing my life with His Word, my natural life began to feel the pressure to change! And it’s been changing ever since!
When I’m looking for those to help me in ministry, I look at these natural areas first. You can pray fervently, shout loudly, and preach like you’re spitting cotton! But if natural things don’t sing the same song, it’s all a bluff!
Give yourself a check-up today. What’s your natural life saying about what you value right now. Remember, your natural life is a direct reflection of your spiritual condition.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
You have seen what I did to the Egyptians and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to Myself (Exodus 19:4). As an eagle stirs up its nest, hovers over its young, spreading out its wings, taking them up, carrying them on its wings, so the LORD alone led him, And there was no foreign god with him (Deuteronomy 32:11-12).
An eagle must lead his young to maturity or they will die. The baby eaglet is helpless at birth and must be fed and cared for by its mother. High in a nest on the crag of a mountain cliff, the baby eagle is protected from anything that would bring harm. The mother had lined the nest with her soft feathers prior to the eaglet’s birth, and the first part of the eaglet’s life is filled with comfort as mother brings it daily food.
But the baby eagle will soon become so large that the mother cannot carry it enough food, and the nest will become too small to support its weight. If the eaglet’s wings are not strengthened, it will one day die of starvation.
So one day the mother eagle comes to the nest after a time of hunting for food, and to the eaglet’s surprise, begins to tear the down feathers from the bottom of the nest, leaving sharp thorns and twigs exposed. Chaffed from the thorns, the baby eaglet jumps to the side of the nest, and to its shock, the mother hits it with her beak and pushes it off of the nest.
It plunges toward the ground below to what looks like a certain death. But just before it hits the ground, the mother swoops down and catches the eaglet on her back and flies safely to the nest, only to repeat this process over and over.
What the baby thinks is harshness is really the mother loving her child enough to train it to fly. Without the seeming harshness, the dependant eaglet would one day die of starvation.
The Father in a similar way deals with us as children of God. As we mature, the challenges of life come to us. Sometimes His Spirit leads us down a path filled with uncomfortable things that force us to exercise our faith, and to believe in what we cannot see. His gentle firm hand is leading us to walk by faith so that we are not choked by circumstances in our future. He teaches us to navigate life by faith. In doing so, in His wisdom, He allows the difficult to come our way.
Don’t forget that Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. The Spirit of God actually led Jesus into a hard place. He may lead you there too. Without the hard places of life, you’ll not develop spiritual muscles that will lift you above life’s circumstances. I’m not talking here about God putting sickness or disease on us, or causing hurtful things like accidents or tragedy. I’m referring to God purposely leading you into a place that demands faith!
Some of the greatest growth places in my life have also been the hardest. God was kicking me out of the nest. He wanted me to develop my character and my faith.
When your way seems challenging, remember the little eaglet. The Father wants you to stretch your faith wings and learn to live by faith! Don’t despise the hard place. Allow it to help you grow!
An eagle must lead his young to maturity or they will die. The baby eaglet is helpless at birth and must be fed and cared for by its mother. High in a nest on the crag of a mountain cliff, the baby eagle is protected from anything that would bring harm. The mother had lined the nest with her soft feathers prior to the eaglet’s birth, and the first part of the eaglet’s life is filled with comfort as mother brings it daily food.
But the baby eagle will soon become so large that the mother cannot carry it enough food, and the nest will become too small to support its weight. If the eaglet’s wings are not strengthened, it will one day die of starvation.
So one day the mother eagle comes to the nest after a time of hunting for food, and to the eaglet’s surprise, begins to tear the down feathers from the bottom of the nest, leaving sharp thorns and twigs exposed. Chaffed from the thorns, the baby eaglet jumps to the side of the nest, and to its shock, the mother hits it with her beak and pushes it off of the nest.
It plunges toward the ground below to what looks like a certain death. But just before it hits the ground, the mother swoops down and catches the eaglet on her back and flies safely to the nest, only to repeat this process over and over.
What the baby thinks is harshness is really the mother loving her child enough to train it to fly. Without the seeming harshness, the dependant eaglet would one day die of starvation.
The Father in a similar way deals with us as children of God. As we mature, the challenges of life come to us. Sometimes His Spirit leads us down a path filled with uncomfortable things that force us to exercise our faith, and to believe in what we cannot see. His gentle firm hand is leading us to walk by faith so that we are not choked by circumstances in our future. He teaches us to navigate life by faith. In doing so, in His wisdom, He allows the difficult to come our way.
Don’t forget that Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. The Spirit of God actually led Jesus into a hard place. He may lead you there too. Without the hard places of life, you’ll not develop spiritual muscles that will lift you above life’s circumstances. I’m not talking here about God putting sickness or disease on us, or causing hurtful things like accidents or tragedy. I’m referring to God purposely leading you into a place that demands faith!
Some of the greatest growth places in my life have also been the hardest. God was kicking me out of the nest. He wanted me to develop my character and my faith.
When your way seems challenging, remember the little eaglet. The Father wants you to stretch your faith wings and learn to live by faith! Don’t despise the hard place. Allow it to help you grow!
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
The blessing of the Lord makes one rich, and He adds no sorrow with it (Proverbs 10:22).
It’s never been the will of God for His people to be poor, broke, or lacking. In fact Jesus said that if we seek first the kingdom of God all these things would be added to us (Matthew 6:33). These things He mentioned are natural things, food, clothing, and shelter.
To be rich is to have an abundance of provision; to have a full supply. In that sense, God wants His children to be rich. He wants us to be abundantly provided for. And Jesus has made that provision available. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich (2 Corinthians 8:9).
He took our sin, so that we could be free from sin. He took our sickness so that we could have His health! In the same sense then Jesus also took our poverty so that we could have His prosperity!
Poverty is part of the curse of the broken law, and Jesus was made a curse for us so
that the blessing of Abraham could be ours! The curse of the broken law was threefold – poverty, sickness, and spiritual death. Jesus became all three so that we could be blessed with Abraham’s blessings which include restored relationship with the Father, health, and prosperity.
The first Adam brought a curse on us through disobedience. But the second Adam brought back to us the blessings of heaven! God created the earth as our habitat and placed within it all the resources necessary for human life to thrive. And God is not withholding the blessing from us! He didn’t place abundance here and then lock it us where it would be unavailable! Adam’s sin let a thief loose, and the thief wants to keep from you the blessing of God.
Meditate on Deuteronomy 28: 1-14. Get rid of any lack or poverty mentality that you may have. As God’s child He wants to bless us not only spiritually but also naturally!
He wants us to be blessing so we can be a blessing! And you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day (Deuteronomy 8:18). He wants us blessed so that we can give and finance His causes and purposes in the earth!
God is not opposed to our blessing, but He is opposed to our being covetous! Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy.
Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life (1 Tim 6:17-19).
Expect the Father to bless everything you put your hand to today! Expect Him to prosper you. Be a giver. Live to bless others! See yourself as a redeemed child of the King! You have a rich inheritance. Command Satan to keep his hands off of all that belongs to you! Thank God for His blessing being on you, both naturally and spiritually! His blessing has made you rich! Expect His best!
It’s never been the will of God for His people to be poor, broke, or lacking. In fact Jesus said that if we seek first the kingdom of God all these things would be added to us (Matthew 6:33). These things He mentioned are natural things, food, clothing, and shelter.
To be rich is to have an abundance of provision; to have a full supply. In that sense, God wants His children to be rich. He wants us to be abundantly provided for. And Jesus has made that provision available. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich (2 Corinthians 8:9).
He took our sin, so that we could be free from sin. He took our sickness so that we could have His health! In the same sense then Jesus also took our poverty so that we could have His prosperity!
Poverty is part of the curse of the broken law, and Jesus was made a curse for us so
that the blessing of Abraham could be ours! The curse of the broken law was threefold – poverty, sickness, and spiritual death. Jesus became all three so that we could be blessed with Abraham’s blessings which include restored relationship with the Father, health, and prosperity.
The first Adam brought a curse on us through disobedience. But the second Adam brought back to us the blessings of heaven! God created the earth as our habitat and placed within it all the resources necessary for human life to thrive. And God is not withholding the blessing from us! He didn’t place abundance here and then lock it us where it would be unavailable! Adam’s sin let a thief loose, and the thief wants to keep from you the blessing of God.
Meditate on Deuteronomy 28: 1-14. Get rid of any lack or poverty mentality that you may have. As God’s child He wants to bless us not only spiritually but also naturally!
He wants us to be blessing so we can be a blessing! And you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day (Deuteronomy 8:18). He wants us blessed so that we can give and finance His causes and purposes in the earth!
God is not opposed to our blessing, but He is opposed to our being covetous! Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy.
Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life (1 Tim 6:17-19).
Expect the Father to bless everything you put your hand to today! Expect Him to prosper you. Be a giver. Live to bless others! See yourself as a redeemed child of the King! You have a rich inheritance. Command Satan to keep his hands off of all that belongs to you! Thank God for His blessing being on you, both naturally and spiritually! His blessing has made you rich! Expect His best!
Monday, November 16, 2009
For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. For He who said, "Do not commit adultery," also said, "Do not murder." Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty. For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment (James 2:10-13).
In our witnessing to the lost, it’s important to appeal to the conscience. No person will really long for salvation by faith in the blood of Jesus until they are aware of their extreme need for salvation.
Don’t offer a person the cure until they are aware of the illness. A perfectly healthy person will not be interested in the latest pill they will cure a disease that they don’t have.
The conscience must be smitten by the conviction of the Holy Spirit before the unbeliever will want salvation. The above verse gives a great clue as to how best to win the lost. As you’ve developed a conversation with an unbeliever, ask them, Have you ever lied, stolen, lusted, disobeyed your parents, committed adultery, or killed anyone? 1 John says that if you hate your brother, you’ve the same as a murderer. Jesus said the look to lust is the same as the act of adultery.
If I’m guilty of breaking any on the Ten Commandments, I’m guilty of breaking them all! Then at death, the scripture reveals, It’s appointed unto man once to die, and after this the judgment (Heb. 9:27). The penalty for breaking moral law is incarceration in hell, then the lake of fire!
Once an unbeliever sees his guilty state before God, then the gospel really is good new. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, the whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life!
Too many times we seek to win the unbeliever to Jesus by dangling the carrot of blessing in front of him. Come to Jesus, and He will heal you, prosper you, bless you, etc. While these things are true, they don’t convict of personal sin, and an unbeliever will not be saved without being first convicted of personal sin.
I’ll leave you with these quotes from men of God of yesteryear:
Before I can preach love, mercy, and grace, I must preach sin, law, and judgment…In writing to a young friend, he advised… “Preach 90% law and 10% grace (John Wesley). They must be slain by the Law before they can be made alive by the Gospel (Charles Spurgeon). I have found by long experience that the severest threatenings of the Law of God have a prominent place in leading men to Christ. They must see themselves lost before they will cry for mercy. They will not escape from danger until they see it ( A.B. Earle -wrote the hymn – Bringing in the Sheaves). (On using the Law of God to bring conviction)…But more, there is war between thee and God’s Law. The commandments are against thee. The first comes forward and says, Let him be cursed, for he denies Me. He has another god besides Me, his god is his belly, he yieldeth homage to his lust. All the Ten Commandments, like ten great cannons, are pointed at thee today, for you have broken all God’s statutes, and lived in daily neglect of all His commands. Soul! Thou wilt find it a hard thing to go to war with the Law…What will you do when the Law comes in terror, when the trumpet of the archangel shall tear you from your grave, when the eyes of God shall burn their way into your guilty soul, when the great books shall be opened, and all your sin and shame shall be punished? (Charles Spurgeon). Our churches are full of the nicest, kindest people who have never known the despair of guilt or the breathless wonder of forgiveness (P.T. Forsyth).
In our witnessing to the lost, it’s important to appeal to the conscience. No person will really long for salvation by faith in the blood of Jesus until they are aware of their extreme need for salvation.
Don’t offer a person the cure until they are aware of the illness. A perfectly healthy person will not be interested in the latest pill they will cure a disease that they don’t have.
The conscience must be smitten by the conviction of the Holy Spirit before the unbeliever will want salvation. The above verse gives a great clue as to how best to win the lost. As you’ve developed a conversation with an unbeliever, ask them, Have you ever lied, stolen, lusted, disobeyed your parents, committed adultery, or killed anyone? 1 John says that if you hate your brother, you’ve the same as a murderer. Jesus said the look to lust is the same as the act of adultery.
If I’m guilty of breaking any on the Ten Commandments, I’m guilty of breaking them all! Then at death, the scripture reveals, It’s appointed unto man once to die, and after this the judgment (Heb. 9:27). The penalty for breaking moral law is incarceration in hell, then the lake of fire!
Once an unbeliever sees his guilty state before God, then the gospel really is good new. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, the whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life!
Too many times we seek to win the unbeliever to Jesus by dangling the carrot of blessing in front of him. Come to Jesus, and He will heal you, prosper you, bless you, etc. While these things are true, they don’t convict of personal sin, and an unbeliever will not be saved without being first convicted of personal sin.
I’ll leave you with these quotes from men of God of yesteryear:
Before I can preach love, mercy, and grace, I must preach sin, law, and judgment…In writing to a young friend, he advised… “Preach 90% law and 10% grace (John Wesley). They must be slain by the Law before they can be made alive by the Gospel (Charles Spurgeon). I have found by long experience that the severest threatenings of the Law of God have a prominent place in leading men to Christ. They must see themselves lost before they will cry for mercy. They will not escape from danger until they see it ( A.B. Earle -wrote the hymn – Bringing in the Sheaves). (On using the Law of God to bring conviction)…But more, there is war between thee and God’s Law. The commandments are against thee. The first comes forward and says, Let him be cursed, for he denies Me. He has another god besides Me, his god is his belly, he yieldeth homage to his lust. All the Ten Commandments, like ten great cannons, are pointed at thee today, for you have broken all God’s statutes, and lived in daily neglect of all His commands. Soul! Thou wilt find it a hard thing to go to war with the Law…What will you do when the Law comes in terror, when the trumpet of the archangel shall tear you from your grave, when the eyes of God shall burn their way into your guilty soul, when the great books shall be opened, and all your sin and shame shall be punished? (Charles Spurgeon). Our churches are full of the nicest, kindest people who have never known the despair of guilt or the breathless wonder of forgiveness (P.T. Forsyth).
Sunday, November 15, 2009
My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials (James 1:2).
If we have the right attitude, then every challenge and hardship that comes our way can be an opportunity to help us become a stronger believer. Satan often brings tests and challenges into our lives to defeat us. He has yet to learn that the very think he uses to defeat us is the very thing that enables our spiritual muscles to become strong!
When we resist the pressure of difficult circumstance with the word, we grow a bit spiritually. When we choose to keep our chin up when things “go south,” we’re choosing to allow our spirit to override our fleshly responses, and we’re gaining ground in the spirit.
If you’re going through a hard time and you feel stuck, as though there’s no way out, look up! Expect the Father to make a way for you! Instead of whining and complaining about how hard it is, look up to the Father and give thanks for His goodness and expect Him to deliver you.
Your attitude in a test shows where your focus is! Don’t look the things seen and felt, look at the Word and God’s promises to deliver and help! While we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal (2 Corinthians 4:18).
He’s promised to never leaver or forsake us (Heb. 13:5); to be with us in trouble (Psalm 91:15); to be our very present help (Psalm 46:1); that we are more than conquerors (Romans 8:37); and to deliver us from difficulty (Psalm 37: 39-40).
A few years ago I was on top of a mountain in Ethiopia, in the midst of pelting rain, slogging uphill in mud. I was not happy! I thought about the importance of my attitude. I could not change the circumstance I was in. I had to go through it. So I just determined to use the experience as a spiritual stepping stone, and began to praise God for His goodness in my life, and for helping me get through this. It made the two and a half mile trek through the mud, rain, and cold much shorter!
Make sure your attitude points you to the Father and His Word during the challenges of today! If you do, tonight you’ll be stronger!
If we have the right attitude, then every challenge and hardship that comes our way can be an opportunity to help us become a stronger believer. Satan often brings tests and challenges into our lives to defeat us. He has yet to learn that the very think he uses to defeat us is the very thing that enables our spiritual muscles to become strong!
When we resist the pressure of difficult circumstance with the word, we grow a bit spiritually. When we choose to keep our chin up when things “go south,” we’re choosing to allow our spirit to override our fleshly responses, and we’re gaining ground in the spirit.
If you’re going through a hard time and you feel stuck, as though there’s no way out, look up! Expect the Father to make a way for you! Instead of whining and complaining about how hard it is, look up to the Father and give thanks for His goodness and expect Him to deliver you.
Your attitude in a test shows where your focus is! Don’t look the things seen and felt, look at the Word and God’s promises to deliver and help! While we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal (2 Corinthians 4:18).
He’s promised to never leaver or forsake us (Heb. 13:5); to be with us in trouble (Psalm 91:15); to be our very present help (Psalm 46:1); that we are more than conquerors (Romans 8:37); and to deliver us from difficulty (Psalm 37: 39-40).
A few years ago I was on top of a mountain in Ethiopia, in the midst of pelting rain, slogging uphill in mud. I was not happy! I thought about the importance of my attitude. I could not change the circumstance I was in. I had to go through it. So I just determined to use the experience as a spiritual stepping stone, and began to praise God for His goodness in my life, and for helping me get through this. It made the two and a half mile trek through the mud, rain, and cold much shorter!
Make sure your attitude points you to the Father and His Word during the challenges of today! If you do, tonight you’ll be stronger!
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you (Proverbs 4:25 – Living).
To walk in the best that God has for you, it’s important to look ahead, not behind. Think about how many people live in the shadow of what they have done. If it’s negative, the past becomes a weight, or a strong chain, holding you back and keeping you from progressing. If you only in the light of past accomplishments, you’ll feel depressed, thinking that nothing could get better than that.
But our best days are ahead of us. I heard Lester Sumrall say many times, nothing that I have done, nothing that I am doing, is to be compared to what I’m going to do for Jesus!
Paul encourages us to focus on the future: 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 (Philippians 3:13-14)
During an era of great personal hardship in my life, my mind wanted to focus on where I had been, what I had accomplished, and how God had used me. It made me feel as though my days of usefulness and adventure were over. The Lord graciously showed me the dead end street I was on, and urged me to look ahead and believe Him for greater things.
During this time, as I was working one day God used a song by Steve Green to adjust my focus from behind to ahead. I broke down in sobs of thanksgiving as he sang: He who began a good work in you, He who began a good work in you, He’ll be faithful to complete it, He’ll be faithful to complete it. He who started the work will be faithful to complete it in you.
Let you daily confession be that your best days are yet to come! Think of all things that the Father has put in your heart, and make them the focus of your mental attention. If you want them badly enough, as you seek God, and pursue diligence, the Father and you will find a way to bring those desires to pass.
Remember that the path of the just is as a shining light, that shines more and more until that perfect day (Proverbs 4:18). Remember that He will perfect that which concerns me (Psalm 138:8). 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 (Philippians 1:6).
In the end, we become what we really expect. Expect God’s best!
To walk in the best that God has for you, it’s important to look ahead, not behind. Think about how many people live in the shadow of what they have done. If it’s negative, the past becomes a weight, or a strong chain, holding you back and keeping you from progressing. If you only in the light of past accomplishments, you’ll feel depressed, thinking that nothing could get better than that.
But our best days are ahead of us. I heard Lester Sumrall say many times, nothing that I have done, nothing that I am doing, is to be compared to what I’m going to do for Jesus!
Paul encourages us to focus on the future: 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 (Philippians 3:13-14)
During an era of great personal hardship in my life, my mind wanted to focus on where I had been, what I had accomplished, and how God had used me. It made me feel as though my days of usefulness and adventure were over. The Lord graciously showed me the dead end street I was on, and urged me to look ahead and believe Him for greater things.
During this time, as I was working one day God used a song by Steve Green to adjust my focus from behind to ahead. I broke down in sobs of thanksgiving as he sang: He who began a good work in you, He who began a good work in you, He’ll be faithful to complete it, He’ll be faithful to complete it. He who started the work will be faithful to complete it in you.
Let you daily confession be that your best days are yet to come! Think of all things that the Father has put in your heart, and make them the focus of your mental attention. If you want them badly enough, as you seek God, and pursue diligence, the Father and you will find a way to bring those desires to pass.
Remember that the path of the just is as a shining light, that shines more and more until that perfect day (Proverbs 4:18). Remember that He will perfect that which concerns me (Psalm 138:8). 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 (Philippians 1:6).
In the end, we become what we really expect. Expect God’s best!
Friday, November 13, 2009
That Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love (Ephesians 3:17). Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God's love and keep you strong (Ephesians 3:17-NLT).
The word dwell in the above verse is from the Greek word katoikeo, a compound word from the Greek word kata which means down, and from oikeo which means to occupy a house. Katoikeo means to settle down and live permanently somewhere, making that place your home.
When Jesus comes to live within us in the person of the Holy Spirit, He comes with the idea of never leaving! He brings not just His suitcase, but all of His possessions! His residence is not temporary.
Your home becomes His home. When someone comes to live with you, your house becomes available to them. They can use all the parts of your house; the living room, the laundry room, the kitchen, the bathroom.
When Jesus comes in the person of the Holy Spirit to live in our spirit, He wants total access to all areas of our heart life. He wants no locked doors that keep Him out of this room or that room. The idea of course is that He wants full access to all of our thoughts, our motives, our plans, our hurts and pains, and all our desires. He doesn’t want to just be a temporary guest. He wants to come in and help us rearrange the furniture, and make our house a home that He and the Father can feel comfortable living in.
Jesus comes to live in us and has all the needed cleaning equipment with Him. He’s ready to dust and clean and polish and shine the different areas of life that have become soiled with the dirt of the world.
Give Jesus the key to every room in your heart today. Give Him the things that trouble you most; the sin the easily snares you; the bruised relationship that has built walls of self-protection around you; the fears, the guilt, and the worry.
He’s a permanent resident in your house, your life. Allow Him to bring His cleansing presence in. He’s never harsh. He will be congenial and easy. He wants to take weights of life from you, and replace them with His peace.
It starts by us humbling ourselves under God’s mighty hand, and then allowing Jesus through His word to speak to the different areas of life. Little by little, He will make our house, our life, His home.
The word dwell in the above verse is from the Greek word katoikeo, a compound word from the Greek word kata which means down, and from oikeo which means to occupy a house. Katoikeo means to settle down and live permanently somewhere, making that place your home.
When Jesus comes to live within us in the person of the Holy Spirit, He comes with the idea of never leaving! He brings not just His suitcase, but all of His possessions! His residence is not temporary.
Your home becomes His home. When someone comes to live with you, your house becomes available to them. They can use all the parts of your house; the living room, the laundry room, the kitchen, the bathroom.
When Jesus comes in the person of the Holy Spirit to live in our spirit, He wants total access to all areas of our heart life. He wants no locked doors that keep Him out of this room or that room. The idea of course is that He wants full access to all of our thoughts, our motives, our plans, our hurts and pains, and all our desires. He doesn’t want to just be a temporary guest. He wants to come in and help us rearrange the furniture, and make our house a home that He and the Father can feel comfortable living in.
Jesus comes to live in us and has all the needed cleaning equipment with Him. He’s ready to dust and clean and polish and shine the different areas of life that have become soiled with the dirt of the world.
Give Jesus the key to every room in your heart today. Give Him the things that trouble you most; the sin the easily snares you; the bruised relationship that has built walls of self-protection around you; the fears, the guilt, and the worry.
He’s a permanent resident in your house, your life. Allow Him to bring His cleansing presence in. He’s never harsh. He will be congenial and easy. He wants to take weights of life from you, and replace them with His peace.
It starts by us humbling ourselves under God’s mighty hand, and then allowing Jesus through His word to speak to the different areas of life. Little by little, He will make our house, our life, His home.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Who gave Himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works (Titus 2:14). He gave His life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds(NLT)
The word peculiar in the above verse shows us just how much the Father loves us. When we think of the word peculiar, we think of something or someone who is so out of the ordinary that they are strange. But here it has a glorious meaning for the believer.
The Greek word for peculiar is periousios, and is made from two Greek Words. One means around, like a circle, and the other means simply to be. When you put the two words together it forms the picture of a dot within a circle.
As the circle surrounds the dot on all sides, so the Lord surrounds us, encases us, protects us, watches over us as His own special possession! The dot belongs to nothing but the circle. It has a relationship of closeness with the circle as it has with nothing else!
The Father has reserved us in Christ for Himself. We belong to Him and Him alone. This is a place of privilege and care. 1 Peter 2:9-10 says it well: But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God's very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light. Once you had no identity as a people; now you are God's people. Once you received no mercy; now you have received God's mercy (New Living).
The Father loves us just as much as He loves His own Son. We are unique to Him. We are the ones that are cared for. Just as a mother holds the newborn babe tightly to her chest, so the Father surrounds us with His intimate care. That’s a good thing to know when you’re in a really hard place.
Being peculiar, or seeing ourselves as the dot surrounded by the circle is also a place of protection. Nothing can come to the dot except it penetrates the circle. The Father has provided us all we need to live life in a fallen world. He has placed His favor and protection upon us. He surrounds us!
The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure (1 Corinthians 10:13 –NLT).
When temptations come from without and penetrate the circle, the Father has provided you with the needed strength to resist them. You’re not by yourself. Cry out for His ready help.
When the tests of life come to you, you’re not alone in facing them. The Father encircles you. You and He are walking together though life. He has given you His favor and protection. His ability is yours. His grace, His favor and ability make you more than able to face every issue life brings and overcome!
See yourself today as the dot within the circle of God’s love and care. It’s a great thing to be peculiar!
The word peculiar in the above verse shows us just how much the Father loves us. When we think of the word peculiar, we think of something or someone who is so out of the ordinary that they are strange. But here it has a glorious meaning for the believer.
The Greek word for peculiar is periousios, and is made from two Greek Words. One means around, like a circle, and the other means simply to be. When you put the two words together it forms the picture of a dot within a circle.
As the circle surrounds the dot on all sides, so the Lord surrounds us, encases us, protects us, watches over us as His own special possession! The dot belongs to nothing but the circle. It has a relationship of closeness with the circle as it has with nothing else!
The Father has reserved us in Christ for Himself. We belong to Him and Him alone. This is a place of privilege and care. 1 Peter 2:9-10 says it well: But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God's very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light. Once you had no identity as a people; now you are God's people. Once you received no mercy; now you have received God's mercy (New Living).
The Father loves us just as much as He loves His own Son. We are unique to Him. We are the ones that are cared for. Just as a mother holds the newborn babe tightly to her chest, so the Father surrounds us with His intimate care. That’s a good thing to know when you’re in a really hard place.
Being peculiar, or seeing ourselves as the dot surrounded by the circle is also a place of protection. Nothing can come to the dot except it penetrates the circle. The Father has provided us all we need to live life in a fallen world. He has placed His favor and protection upon us. He surrounds us!
The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure (1 Corinthians 10:13 –NLT).
When temptations come from without and penetrate the circle, the Father has provided you with the needed strength to resist them. You’re not by yourself. Cry out for His ready help.
When the tests of life come to you, you’re not alone in facing them. The Father encircles you. You and He are walking together though life. He has given you His favor and protection. His ability is yours. His grace, His favor and ability make you more than able to face every issue life brings and overcome!
See yourself today as the dot within the circle of God’s love and care. It’s a great thing to be peculiar!
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
He always stands by His covenant— the commitment He made to a thousand generations (Psalm 105:8 – NLT). My covenant I will not break, nor alter the word that has gone out of My lips (Psalm 89:34).
God’s word is forever settled in Heaven. What He says always comes to pass. God used His Words to create everything we see. God uses His Word to control the universe. By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible (Hebrews 11:3).
Today institutions that have served people for generations are failing. The world as we have known it for decades is undergoing abrupt and rapid change. But the one thing we must know as believers is that God’s promises to us in His Word are clear and unchanging.
Today, Israel is God’s timepiece in the earth. Their very existence as a nation reflects the faithfulness of our covenant God. Even though Jews as a whole have rejected Jesus as Messiah, God still honors His national promises to them through Abraham. Notice Psalm 89:32-37: Then I will punish their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes. Nevertheless My lovingkindness I will not utterly take from him, nor allow My faithfulness to fail. My covenant I will not break, nor alter the word that has gone out of My lips. Once I have sworn by My holiness; I will not lie to David: His seed shall endure forever, and his throne as the sun before Me; It shall be established forever like the moon, even like the faithful witness in the sky.
If God still honors His covenant Word to Israel, He will certainly honor His promises to us His people today!
Remember that we have a new covenant that is based on better promises that those of God’s covenant with Israel. In fact, the covenant we have with the Lord now contains all that God promised to Abraham and more. Through Christ Jesus, God has blessed the Gentiles with the same blessing he promised to Abraham, so that we who are believers might receive the promised Holy Spirit through faith (Galatians 3:14 – NLT) And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and God's promise to Abraham belongs to you (Galatians 3:29- NLT).
Expect The Father to honor His covenant in your life today. Expect Him to bless you in the midst of the challenges of our time. Expect all that you do to prosper. Expect things to work out for your good and God’s glory. His promises to Abraham are for you too. Don’t sell yourself short. Keep your eyes on the faithfulness of your God.
I’ll leave you with an excellent summation of God’s promise to Abraham that are yours too. Meditate on them!
Deuteronomy 28:1-14(New Living Translation)
If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully keep all his commands that I am giving you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the world. (2) You will experience all these blessings if you obey the Lord your God: (3) Your towns and your fields will be blessed. (4) Your children and your crops will be blessed. The offspring of your herds and flocks will be blessed. (5) Your fruit baskets and breadboards will be blessed.(6) Wherever you go and whatever you do, you will be blessed. (7) "The Lord will conquer your enemies when they attack you. They will attack you from one direction, but they will scatter from you in seven! (8) "The Lord will guarantee a blessing on everything you do and will fill your storehouses with grain. The Lord your God will bless you in the land he is giving you.(9) "If you obey the commands of the Lord your God and walk in his ways, the Lord will establish you as his holy people as he swore he would do. (10) Then all the nations of the world will see that you are a people claimed by the Lord, and they will stand in awe of you. (11) The Lord will give you prosperity in the land he swore to your ancestors to give you, blessing you with many children, numerous livestock, and abundant crops. (12) The Lord will send rain at the proper time from his rich treasury in the heavens and will bless all the work you do. You will lend to many nations, but you will never need to borrow from them. (13) If you listen to these commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today, and if you carefully obey them, the Lord will make you the head and not the tail, and you will always be on top and never at the bottom. (14) You must not turn away from any of the commands I am giving you today, nor follow after other gods and worship them.
God’s word is forever settled in Heaven. What He says always comes to pass. God used His Words to create everything we see. God uses His Word to control the universe. By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible (Hebrews 11:3).
Today institutions that have served people for generations are failing. The world as we have known it for decades is undergoing abrupt and rapid change. But the one thing we must know as believers is that God’s promises to us in His Word are clear and unchanging.
Today, Israel is God’s timepiece in the earth. Their very existence as a nation reflects the faithfulness of our covenant God. Even though Jews as a whole have rejected Jesus as Messiah, God still honors His national promises to them through Abraham. Notice Psalm 89:32-37: Then I will punish their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes. Nevertheless My lovingkindness I will not utterly take from him, nor allow My faithfulness to fail. My covenant I will not break, nor alter the word that has gone out of My lips. Once I have sworn by My holiness; I will not lie to David: His seed shall endure forever, and his throne as the sun before Me; It shall be established forever like the moon, even like the faithful witness in the sky.
If God still honors His covenant Word to Israel, He will certainly honor His promises to us His people today!
Remember that we have a new covenant that is based on better promises that those of God’s covenant with Israel. In fact, the covenant we have with the Lord now contains all that God promised to Abraham and more. Through Christ Jesus, God has blessed the Gentiles with the same blessing he promised to Abraham, so that we who are believers might receive the promised Holy Spirit through faith (Galatians 3:14 – NLT) And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and God's promise to Abraham belongs to you (Galatians 3:29- NLT).
Expect The Father to honor His covenant in your life today. Expect Him to bless you in the midst of the challenges of our time. Expect all that you do to prosper. Expect things to work out for your good and God’s glory. His promises to Abraham are for you too. Don’t sell yourself short. Keep your eyes on the faithfulness of your God.
I’ll leave you with an excellent summation of God’s promise to Abraham that are yours too. Meditate on them!
Deuteronomy 28:1-14(New Living Translation)
If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully keep all his commands that I am giving you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the world. (2) You will experience all these blessings if you obey the Lord your God: (3) Your towns and your fields will be blessed. (4) Your children and your crops will be blessed. The offspring of your herds and flocks will be blessed. (5) Your fruit baskets and breadboards will be blessed.(6) Wherever you go and whatever you do, you will be blessed. (7) "The Lord will conquer your enemies when they attack you. They will attack you from one direction, but they will scatter from you in seven! (8) "The Lord will guarantee a blessing on everything you do and will fill your storehouses with grain. The Lord your God will bless you in the land he is giving you.(9) "If you obey the commands of the Lord your God and walk in his ways, the Lord will establish you as his holy people as he swore he would do. (10) Then all the nations of the world will see that you are a people claimed by the Lord, and they will stand in awe of you. (11) The Lord will give you prosperity in the land he swore to your ancestors to give you, blessing you with many children, numerous livestock, and abundant crops. (12) The Lord will send rain at the proper time from his rich treasury in the heavens and will bless all the work you do. You will lend to many nations, but you will never need to borrow from them. (13) If you listen to these commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today, and if you carefully obey them, the Lord will make you the head and not the tail, and you will always be on top and never at the bottom. (14) You must not turn away from any of the commands I am giving you today, nor follow after other gods and worship them.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction. (Proverbs 1:7) Happy is the man who finds wisdom, And the man who gains understanding (Proverbs 3:13).
A head full of knowledge without wisdom is useless. Wisdom mixed with knowledge brings success. Wisdom is the ability to use knowledge correctly.
The vantage point of wisdom is seeing all of creation in the light of the moral laws of God and cooperating with them. Wisdom means being skillful and successful in one's relationships and responsibilities ... observing and following the Creator's principles of order in the moral universe (Dr. Roy Zuck ). 1
Warren Weirsbe reveals: Biblical wisdom has little if any relationship to a person's IQ or education, because it is a matter of moral and spiritual understanding. It has to do with character and values; it means looking at the world through the grid of God's truth. 2
Notice the benefits of wisdom as mentioned in Proverbs 3:14-18: For her proceeds are better than the profits of silver, and her gain than fine gold. She is more precious than rubies, and all the things you may desire cannot compare with her. Length of days is in her right hand, in her left hand riches and honor. Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, and happy are all who retain her.
The above verse in Proverbs tells us that if we walk in wisdom we’ll have length of days, riches, honor, pleasantness, peace, life, and happiness.
Jesus said that if we seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, that all the things we need for life will be given to us (Matthew 6:33). That is walking in wisdom!
Now here is the great news. Jesus is our wisdom in life. Notice 1 Corinthians 1:30: But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God — and righteousness and sanctification and redemption. You don’t have to grunt and strain for wisdom. If you’re in Christ, you have it! All you need to do is to open yourself to receive the wisdom that is already there.
Of course James tells to ask if we lack wisdom, and if we ask without wavering in unbelief, we’ll receive the needed wisdom for the moment.
Let’s stop saying, well, I just don’t know what to do about this or that. Let’s let our confession be that God is granting us His wisdom in every endeavor of life. He is enabling us to see the end from the beginning!
1. From The Bible Exposition Commentary: Old Testament © 2001-2004 by Warren W. Wiersbe. All rights reserved.
2. Ibid.
A head full of knowledge without wisdom is useless. Wisdom mixed with knowledge brings success. Wisdom is the ability to use knowledge correctly.
The vantage point of wisdom is seeing all of creation in the light of the moral laws of God and cooperating with them. Wisdom means being skillful and successful in one's relationships and responsibilities ... observing and following the Creator's principles of order in the moral universe (Dr. Roy Zuck ). 1
Warren Weirsbe reveals: Biblical wisdom has little if any relationship to a person's IQ or education, because it is a matter of moral and spiritual understanding. It has to do with character and values; it means looking at the world through the grid of God's truth. 2
Notice the benefits of wisdom as mentioned in Proverbs 3:14-18: For her proceeds are better than the profits of silver, and her gain than fine gold. She is more precious than rubies, and all the things you may desire cannot compare with her. Length of days is in her right hand, in her left hand riches and honor. Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, and happy are all who retain her.
The above verse in Proverbs tells us that if we walk in wisdom we’ll have length of days, riches, honor, pleasantness, peace, life, and happiness.
Jesus said that if we seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, that all the things we need for life will be given to us (Matthew 6:33). That is walking in wisdom!
Now here is the great news. Jesus is our wisdom in life. Notice 1 Corinthians 1:30: But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God — and righteousness and sanctification and redemption. You don’t have to grunt and strain for wisdom. If you’re in Christ, you have it! All you need to do is to open yourself to receive the wisdom that is already there.
Of course James tells to ask if we lack wisdom, and if we ask without wavering in unbelief, we’ll receive the needed wisdom for the moment.
Let’s stop saying, well, I just don’t know what to do about this or that. Let’s let our confession be that God is granting us His wisdom in every endeavor of life. He is enabling us to see the end from the beginning!
1. From The Bible Exposition Commentary: Old Testament © 2001-2004 by Warren W. Wiersbe. All rights reserved.
2. Ibid.
Saturday, November 7, 2009
October 5,1926-November 3, 2009
Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled: "Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?" For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:54-57).
I was in Rajahmundry, India on a Wednesday morning, November 4th, when I received the news via e-mail that Susan’s dad, Jesse W. Benton had died the night before. I was shocked and saddened at the news of course, but my mind immediately flashed a scene from the past before me that I would like to relate to you. This is rather personal to me, but I feel compelled to share it. Mr. Benton was 83 years young.
This past July, Susan and I and our kids were coming home from a week of much needed vacation and decided to stop by Mr. Benton’s home to see how he was doing since his health had been declining for some time.
We arrived on a Sunday afternoon, and had rested a bit. I was in their kitchen going into their den when Mr. Benton rolled up to me in his motorized wheelchair. He told me that he would like for me to pray with him, and he had a look of great concern on his face.
I knelt down so we could speak face to face. He said to me, “Mitch, I want you to pray with me so that I will know that God has forgiven all my sins.” He had tears in his eyes. He said, “I know I haven’t always done everything that I should have, and that I’ve failed the Lord at times.” I said, “Mr. Benton, I’ll be glad to pray with you. The Bible says in 1 John 1:9 that if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. When God forgives, He forgets everything we have ever done wrong, and treats us as though we had never sinned. Isaiah 43:25 says, I even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember your sins.”
I asked him if we could pray and he said “yes, please do.” I grabbed his aged hand in mine and asked him to repeat a prayer of confession and repentance of any and every sin of omission and commission that he had ever committed in his entire life. He prayed with me as tears streamed down his face. And suddenly he began to smile and then he began to laugh uncontrollably!
Mr. Benton had been raised in Pentecostal churches, and when he felt the Holy Spirit, he would sometimes begin to laugh. He would call it holy laughter. He laughed and cried tears of joy there for I guess five minutes or so, and I laughed and cried with him.
Fellowship between he and his Heavenly Father had been restored. That night, he had the first night of peaceful, uninterrupted sleep that he had in a long time. His guilty conscience had kept him in a state of unrest and fitfulness. That Sunday night, the peace of God entered his life once again as he received the mercy and grace of God in a fresh way. At times, we all need God's mercy in this way.
I was visiting with Mr. Benton again this past September. Susan’s mother had left to go to the grocery store to get a few items she needed. Susan was in another room. I was sitting in Mr. Benton’s living room where he was in his bed that been placed there since he was ill. He looked over at me and said something, and I couldn’t understand him.
I went up to his bed and saw a hymn book lying on a nearby table. I asked him, “Mr. Benton, would you like for me to sing some of these hymns to you?” “Yes,” he replied with a smile. I began to sing, How Great Thou Art, and At the Cross. He began to hum the tunes with me as tears rolled down his cheeks. The presence of God filled his living room that day.
I picked up an old Bible that belonged to his family and read to him Psalm 100 and Psalm 23. Again, tears rolled down Mr. Benton’s face as the Holy Spirit witnessed to his heart from the Word. He and I had Pentecost all over again in his living room that Wednesday in September.
When I heard that Mr. Benton’s spirit had been released from his tired, worn body last Tuesday night, I knew that he had experience the fullness of joy, and the pleasures forevermore promised us in Psalm 16:11 when we enter the presence of God. We are not as others which have no hope (1 Thessalonians 4:13).
I look forward to seeing Mr. Jesse Benton again one day. Until then, you and I have a race to run. Let’s give God our best.
Friday, November 6, 2009
I just completed the first leg of my trip home. I'm now awaiting my flight out of India.
We had a great conference with the pastors on Thursday. The conference lasted from 10:00am until 6:00pm. I preached for over 5 hours. The pastors were blessed and encouraged.
When I finished my ministry time, one pastor came up to me and told me that his ear problem was healed while I was speaking! At the end of my ministry time just before leaving conference, I prayed for many, many people to be healed. I'm looking forward to hearing of the results.
Here are a few photos of the meetings with the pastors. Thanks for agreeing with me in prayer as I travel home tomorrow; that we'll be safe and that the flights will arrive on time.
Thanks to all who have sent personal condolences via facebook to my family and me. It's such an encouragement to have friends like you. I will try to post again in a few hours.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
We just returned from a meeting in a village church. Though this one was held in a church building (which is a shelter with a top and open sides all the way around), we had over 30 saved.
I preached on being prepared to die. All of us have an appointment with death. We’re not ready to live until we’re ready to die. I mentioned Susan’s dad being ready to go to heaven (I’ll relate this in another blog).
Then I related the story of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16. I concluded with a description of who Jesus Christ is (virgin born), how he became our sin payment, and was raised to make us right with God. Over 30 people responded to the salvation call! This was a small meeting with less than 100 in attendance.
Tomorrow we will minister to pastors all day long. And Friday, we will take a flight to Hyderabad in preparation to leave on Saturday morning. I will be home by Saturday night.
Thanks to everyone for you kindness to Susan and me. And thanks for praying. We will be in the conference tomorrow from 10:00 am until 5:00 pm or after. I’ll be in touch.
Pastor Mitch
Susan's dad died Tuesday night around 10:30 pm. and I must cut my trip short. I've been working all day to find a quick way home. Please pray that Bruce and I will be able to work out our flights home, and that I can find the quickest way. We have an evangelistic crusade tonight(Wednesday), and are planning to leave the city we are in on Friday morning, the earliest we can get a flight out. We may be able to minister to pastors tomorrow (Thursday) before we leave. Again, thanks for praying for us.
Pastor Mitch
Pastor Mitch
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Then Isaac said to Jacob, "Come closer so I can touch you and make sure that you really are Esau." So Jacob went closer to his father, and Isaac touched him. "The voice is Jacob's, but the hands are Esau's," Isaac said. But he did not recognize Jacob, because Jacob's hands felt hairy just like Esau's. So Isaac prepared to bless Jacob (Genesis 27:21-23 - NLT).
Isaac was Abraham and Sarah’s son of promise, being born supernaturally in their old age by the promise of God. Though Isaac had a supernatural life beginning by the Word of the living God, he didn’t always allow God’s Word to rule his life.
Here at the end of Isaac’s life, you see once again Isaac trying to change what God had spoken. God had earlier decreed that Isaac’s second born son Jacob would receive the blessing of the firstborn instead of the rightful heir Esau receiving it. (Genesis 25:23).
God had previously decreed that Jacob would receive the blessing of the firstborn since Esau had given the blessing away one day in a fit of hunger (See Genesis 25:27-34). He promised his brother Jacob his rights as firstborn if his brother would give him some stew after he came in from the field starving. Esau trusted the flesh more than the spirit, just as his Father Isaac in his old age did.
Isaac had a stubborn streak that wanted to depend on the feelings of the flesh more than God’s decreed Word. Knowing he was going to die, he tried to change God’s decree. In a fit of hunger, he told Esau to kill an animal and prepare him his favorite stew so that he could give him the blessing of the firstborn.
Isaac’s wife Rebecca overheard him, and hurriedly prepared a stew and dressed Jacob to smell and feel just like his older brother Esau. Jacob posed as his brother while giving Isaac the stew, and Isaac heard the voice of Jacob, but felt his hairy arms and smelled his clothing and discounted the voice that sounded like Jacob. Isaac gave Jacob the firstborn blessing that should have gone to Esau.
Isaac, in his old age, reasoning away the voice of God, tried to do things his way, and was deceived by the flesh. The flesh will always deceive you. Feelings cannot be trusted! God’s Word always proves itself true!
Trust God’s Word today over what you can see and feel. Feelings are deceiving. You may feel like a failure, that life doesn’t matter. You may feel unable to do what God has promised you. You may still feel the guilt over your past seeking to steal away from you the righteousness that Jesus has given you. Circumstances may cause things to look as though God promises will never come to pass in your life. Refuse to counsel with your feelings and your flesh! Make a choice today to believe God’s Word in spite of your feelings. Don’t give away your blessing as a child of God, by believe the feelings of the flesh over the Word of our Faithful Father! Put God’s Word above your feelings and emotions today!
Trip update…
Bruce and I are taking the day to recover from our trip and study. I think we have a crusade tonight. Thanks for praying and believing with us for a great harvest!
Isaac was Abraham and Sarah’s son of promise, being born supernaturally in their old age by the promise of God. Though Isaac had a supernatural life beginning by the Word of the living God, he didn’t always allow God’s Word to rule his life.
Here at the end of Isaac’s life, you see once again Isaac trying to change what God had spoken. God had earlier decreed that Isaac’s second born son Jacob would receive the blessing of the firstborn instead of the rightful heir Esau receiving it. (Genesis 25:23).
God had previously decreed that Jacob would receive the blessing of the firstborn since Esau had given the blessing away one day in a fit of hunger (See Genesis 25:27-34). He promised his brother Jacob his rights as firstborn if his brother would give him some stew after he came in from the field starving. Esau trusted the flesh more than the spirit, just as his Father Isaac in his old age did.
Isaac had a stubborn streak that wanted to depend on the feelings of the flesh more than God’s decreed Word. Knowing he was going to die, he tried to change God’s decree. In a fit of hunger, he told Esau to kill an animal and prepare him his favorite stew so that he could give him the blessing of the firstborn.
Isaac’s wife Rebecca overheard him, and hurriedly prepared a stew and dressed Jacob to smell and feel just like his older brother Esau. Jacob posed as his brother while giving Isaac the stew, and Isaac heard the voice of Jacob, but felt his hairy arms and smelled his clothing and discounted the voice that sounded like Jacob. Isaac gave Jacob the firstborn blessing that should have gone to Esau.
Isaac, in his old age, reasoning away the voice of God, tried to do things his way, and was deceived by the flesh. The flesh will always deceive you. Feelings cannot be trusted! God’s Word always proves itself true!
Trust God’s Word today over what you can see and feel. Feelings are deceiving. You may feel like a failure, that life doesn’t matter. You may feel unable to do what God has promised you. You may still feel the guilt over your past seeking to steal away from you the righteousness that Jesus has given you. Circumstances may cause things to look as though God promises will never come to pass in your life. Refuse to counsel with your feelings and your flesh! Make a choice today to believe God’s Word in spite of your feelings. Don’t give away your blessing as a child of God, by believe the feelings of the flesh over the Word of our Faithful Father! Put God’s Word above your feelings and emotions today!
Trip update…
Bruce and I are taking the day to recover from our trip and study. I think we have a crusade tonight. Thanks for praying and believing with us for a great harvest!
He gives power to the tired and worn out, and strength to the weak. Even the youths shall be exhausted, and the young men will all give up. But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint (Isaiah 40:29-31 – Living Bible).
Tired and worn out definitely describes how I feel after a 34 hour trip to India (including layovers). Bruce and I arrived at our destination about 1:00 am your time Tuesday morning (11:30 am Tuesday here). Our travel was good, just long! A shower and change of clothes, and a hearty meal refreshed us upon arrival.
We’re going to take some time tomorrow to recover from the trip and to study for the pastor’s conference. Then I think we’re going to minister tomorrow night at a village meeting.
My blackberry isn’t working here yet, but if I can resolve the problem tomorrow, I will try to make contact while we’re in meetings via twitter/facebook.
Bruce and I just had a good dinner of some really spicy cultural food here. And I’m heading to my room for some sleep. There’s a 10½ time difference between where we are and the States. It’s presently 9:00 pm on Tuesday evening/ 10:30 am your time.
It’s great to know that wherever you are in the world, the Father is right there with you, and the Spirit of God is in you, so you’re never alone!
Thanks to all who are praying for us. I’ll be in touch soon!
Tired and worn out definitely describes how I feel after a 34 hour trip to India (including layovers). Bruce and I arrived at our destination about 1:00 am your time Tuesday morning (11:30 am Tuesday here). Our travel was good, just long! A shower and change of clothes, and a hearty meal refreshed us upon arrival.
We’re going to take some time tomorrow to recover from the trip and to study for the pastor’s conference. Then I think we’re going to minister tomorrow night at a village meeting.
My blackberry isn’t working here yet, but if I can resolve the problem tomorrow, I will try to make contact while we’re in meetings via twitter/facebook.
Bruce and I just had a good dinner of some really spicy cultural food here. And I’m heading to my room for some sleep. There’s a 10½ time difference between where we are and the States. It’s presently 9:00 pm on Tuesday evening/ 10:30 am your time.
It’s great to know that wherever you are in the world, the Father is right there with you, and the Spirit of God is in you, so you’re never alone!
Thanks to all who are praying for us. I’ll be in touch soon!
Monday, November 2, 2009
I'm in London right now. It's just before 7:00 am your time. I just met up with Bruce McDonald after having a nice English breakfast. Our plane leaves in a couple of hours for India. I'll seek to make contact when I can from there.
Bruce and i want to thank you for your prayers for our travels and ministry time. We will arrive and begin a village crusade the same day we arrive. I'll update you as much as technology will allow where I'm staying.
Rick Beddingfield will be ministering at Victory this Wednesday night, and Pastor Mike will minister on Sunday morning. Cameron Peedin, our youth pastor, will minister on Wednesday the 11th.
I'm looking forward to giving you some good reports!
Be Blessed!
Pastor Mitch
Bruce and i want to thank you for your prayers for our travels and ministry time. We will arrive and begin a village crusade the same day we arrive. I'll update you as much as technology will allow where I'm staying.
Rick Beddingfield will be ministering at Victory this Wednesday night, and Pastor Mike will minister on Sunday morning. Cameron Peedin, our youth pastor, will minister on Wednesday the 11th.
I'm looking forward to giving you some good reports!
Be Blessed!
Pastor Mitch
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