Guard Your Spiritual Life!

We know that whoever is born of God does not sin; but he who has been born of God keeps himself, and the wicked one does not touch him (1 John 5:18).

 

If you’re going to walk closely with the Lord, you must guard or “keep” yourself. We must be vigilant to continue to do the things necessary to keep our walk with the Father strong and robust.

  

The writer of Hebrews said it well: Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away (Hebrews 2:1). Lest we drift away could be translated run out as leaking vessels. We have a leaking problem! It’s so easy to become slack and not be diligent in the things of God. To be a strong believer today, I must continue to do the things I’ve done in the past to remain strong. Too many believers become slack and let down their defenses and drift from the place of safety in God.

Therefore let anyone who thinks he stands [who feels sure that he has a steadfast mind and is standing firm], take heed lest he fall [into sin]( 1 Corinthians 10:12 - Amplified).

 Keep guard over yourselves, so that you may not lose the results of your good deeds, but may receive back a full reward (2 John 8 – Weymouth)

  

During their wilderness wanderings, God graciously gave the Israelites daily food called manna to sustain them physically. The manna would appear on the ground at night and they were to pick it up the next morning before the dew dried. And they could only get a one day supply with the exception of the day before Sabbath, where they could pick up an extra day’s supply for the Sabbath rest.

 

Some lazy Israelites tried to pick up an extra day’s supply on a weekday, and the manna bread worms and begin to stink! You see, we can’t live on yesterday’s time with God, and we can’t depend on what has happened in our past to sustain us today in God. The blessings of yesterday won’t sustain you in the challenges of today! We must maintain a real time fellowship with the Father in the Word and in prayer every day. Smith Wigglesworth said: Pay attention to life’s inflow. Outward service will dwindle if inward energies are not renewed.

 

I’ve seen so many believers over the years become satisfied and slack! And I’ve watched as the spiritual fire and zeal slowly left their lives. Don’t let that happen to you. Don’t become complacent and think that you’re safe. Take heed!

Within myself I keep this thought: just because I was spiritually strong yesterday, and just because I have a record of God using me in the past, is no indication that I will be strong today. I could fall away unless I keep doing the things necessary to stay close to my Father. Honest assessment guards against slackness.

 

Ask yourself the following questions. Do I take time each day to “feed” on the Word? Do I maintain a daily private life of prayer and communion with the Father? Do I judge sin in my life immediately? Or do I just let it go and think that the Father understands me and my “weakness?” Am I as close to the Lord now as I was a year ago? Are my personal habits pure? Do I guard my thoughts and refuse to think on unseemly things? Do I readily forgive all offenses? Am I selfish? Do I spend my time wisely?

A wise believer keeps careful guard over himself. Keep yourself. Give yourself a regular spiritual checkup.

Every Life is Precious to God!

You know me inside and out, you know every bone in my body; You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit, how I was sculpted from nothing into something. Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth; all the stages of my life were spread out before you, the days of my life all prepared before I'd even lived one day. Your thoughts — how rare, how beautiful! God, I'll never comprehend them! (Psalm 139:15-17)[1]

 

I was born on Tuesday, October 7, 1958. At 8:20 AM, I breathed my first breath of life. I was born a basic barbarian with a nature of sin in my spirit and with a mind empty and clueless about life.

  

As a child I absorbed my surroundings. The influences of my father and mother set patterns in my life. Some were good, others were hurtful, and in later years had to be broken. My young mind gained concepts of self, of how to relate to others, and thankfully I was taught that there as an unseen God that reveals Himself through His word, and that we should worship Him and honor Him with all we do.

 

My mother taught me to read the Bible, to pray, and to respect others and their property. My father taught me the value of honesty, integrity, and of being truthful always. He taught me to work hard, to spend my money wisely, and to tithe. Mom and Dad taught me by example the golden rule: do unto others what you would have them do to you.

 

As I aged I learned that I am responsible for all my actions and the choices they produce. In a large measure, God gives us what we draw to ourselves as a result of our choices. Some influences I had no control over when I was young, but I learned that I must choose to resist and change the ones that produce hurtful effects in me and towards others through me.

Near age 18, I fully committed my life to Jesus, being restored to fellowship with Him, and then receiving the baptism with the Holy Spirit. The principle purpose of my life changed from self-centeredness to seeking to live to please the One who redeemed my life from hell now and later.

 

At age 18, the Father called me to preach His Word. Since then the passion of my life has been to obey Him. Though I fail Him often, I ask Him for His grace to help my weaknesses, and His power to enable me to fulfill His will.

He created me as an eternal human spirit. One day, He will call me to Himself to live with Him in heaven, either in the rapture of the church or through the doorway of physical death. My goal in life is to be pleasing to Him, and to hear Him speak over me the words, well done, good and faithful servant.

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[1] (from THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language © 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved.)

Nurture the New Life in Your Spirit Nature

Always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus' sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh (2 Corinthians 4:10-11).

As I mentioned yesterday, Zoe is the life of God manifested in the believer in the new birth. It is the nature of God placed within the believer. Given opportunity, this life will begin to crowd out the works of the flesh, and will produce stability and fruitfulness in the believer.

 

This life must be nurtured and not ignored. Believers that ignore this Zoe and refuse to do the things necessary to cause it to grow remain spiritual infants, with the carnality ruling their lives.

  

The food that nurtures this life of God is the Word! As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that you may grow thereby (1 Peter 2:2). Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word that proceeds from the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4). I have not departed from the commandment of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth More than my necessary food (Job 23:12). The Word causes us to be partakers of the Divine Nature (2 Peter 1:3-4)!

  

The Word causes the life of God in you to grow. Doubt, fear, selfishness, unforgiveness, irritability, worry, lusts of the flesh, uncontrolled anger, lack of self-control, unrest, impatience etc., are signs of spiritual malnourishment. If you have these symptoms, the cure is a rich diet of the Word so you’ll grow spiritually!

  

If you’ll allow this Zoe to grow and rule you, it will work its way in the fabric of your life and change your habits, your dominant thoughts, you desires, your relationships, your interests, and your job performance. It will move you to be a better father, mother, husband, wife, employee, manager, friend, and you’ll be motivated by love in all you do.

  

When thinking about this Zoe life, the Lord reminded me of some centipede grass I planted in the yard of a house I had built years ago. I sowed some centipede grass seed in along with the fescue that I had planted for quick ground cover. It took some time, but the centipede eventually crowded out the fescue, and hindered weed growth too! And that’s what Zoe will do if you allow it to grow in your life. It will begin to choke the “weeds” of the flesh and the world that seek to rob you of spiritual vitality! In fact, it will not cease to worm its way into all your dealings in life, and will move you to change areas that you’re slack in.

 

Zoe, the life God, brings a life of change to the believer. Let it loose in you today by treating the Word as the spiritual food that it is to you. If you do, the Divine nature will rise up and eventually overwhelm the weakness in your life so that the life of Jesus may be manifested in your body!

In the New Birth God Actually Imparts to Us His Nature!

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16). In Him was life, and the life was the light of men (John 1:4).

 

The Greek word for life in the above verses is Zoe, and is pronounced Zoa. It means life in the absolute sense; life as God has it; the life of God. It’s an astounding thought that in the new birth God actually places in our spirits His own life and nature! In the New Testament, it’s called Everlasting Life or Eternal Life. It refers to a quality of life, not a quantity. As a boy I thought that the eternal life my pastor preached about was living forever. But no, it’s a nature that comes to indwell the child of God!

 

Notice above that in Him was life, and the life was the light of men. Light stands for development. The light was the development of man. In this life that we receive in the new birth is the wisdom of God and the mind of Christ that will direct us in the affairs of life.

  

You may note historically that after Martin Luther received the revelation that the just shall live by faith  in the 1500’s that the world came out of the dark ages and the industrial age began. No country has needed a patent law until eternal life was found there. I believe that the progress that we’ve had as a relatively young nation in the US is due to the enlightenment that comes in the new birth to the spirit of man. Our founders craved religious freedom and some had been born again. An impetus to create, to explore, to improve, to aid, to help, to solace, and to better mankind is placed deep within the spirit of man by this Zoe!

 

In personal life, when received and allowed to grow, this Zoe will transform behavior, taking the mediocre, and pushing it into excellence. This life breaks habits and forms new ones. It presses its bearers to mold to its convictions, and pushes rebellion and sin away and in its place creates freedom, joy, liberty, and purity.

  

This Zoe must be allowed to develop and grow or it will not produce change. It thrives when its bearer feeds on the Word of God and becomes prayerful. It is stymied when a person ignores it, pushing it aside for the lusts of the flesh and the attitudes of the current age.

  

If you’ve received Zoe through the new birth, take time each day to feed it with the Word. As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the Word that you may grow thereby (1 Peter 2:2). Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word that proceeds out of the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4). Given nourishment through God’s Word and prayer, this Zoe will grow like a seed, eventually crowding out the “weeds” of the works of the flesh in a human and will little by little begin to produce Christlikeness.

  

Zoe is awesome. Don’t ignore it in you! Allow it to thrive, and it will take you places you never thought you’d go in life! We’ll continue this tomorrow!

Don't Let Disappointment Get You Down!

Hope deferred makes the heart sick, But when the desire comes, it is a tree of life (Proverbs 13:12).

Anyone who has ambition will face disappointments. Ambition is not a bad thing. Ambition is a desire to achieve something. God takes the self-centeredness out of our ambition and turns ambition into useful kingdom purposes.

 

So out of godly ambition, when we set goals and they are not fulfilled, we get disappointed. It’s a normal human reaction to be disappointed when a desire isn’t fulfilled. But we must guard against disappointment turning into discouragement. The slippery slope is disappointment, discouragement, and then depression.

 

Bring dreams often bring larger challenges! Those who succeed in life are not the ones who never fail. In fact, to succeed, you may fail more often than others who sit back inactive. Those who succeed in their endeavors are the ones who refuse to quit. They may face disappointments, but they get up and try again. Abraham Lincoln was a failure for years as a politician, but through faithful plodding left a legacy. Thomas Edison failed thousands of times looking for the right filament for the light bulb, but his one success changed the world.

 

Get accustomed to disappointment if you’re going to succeed. Remember, a righteous man falls seven times and rises up again (Proverbs 24:16). Turn disappointment into prayer, praise and thanksgiving. Never allow disappointment to stop you!

  

Elijah became disappointed right after the victory over the prophets of Baal when God by fire sovereignly consumed his water soaked sacrifice. After this great feat, Elijah outran Ahab’s chariot when he heard that Jezebel wanted him killed. Elijah allowed himself to become disappointed, discouraged, and depressed, as he thought on the idolatry of Israel and how few godly prophets there were to lead the nation back to God. And Elijah’s discouragement and depression cost him his ministry.

 

When God spoke to him after he found him hiding in a cave, he gave Elijah instructions to anoint Elisha to take his place in ministry! God cannot use discouraged people! And God will find someone else to perform a task if the person he has chosen to do it sinks into discouragement! (You can read about all of this in 1 Kings 17 through 19).

  

Refuse to allow present disappointments to discourage you! When you face a setback, take a step back, and reassess your plans. Take disappointment and turn it into an appointment with the Father in prayer! Tell Him what bothers you, cast the care of the disappointment on Him, and get up and go again!

The Kingdom Principle of Giving Will Revolutionize Your Life!

There is one who scatters, yet increases more; And there is one who withholds more than is right, But it leads to poverty. The generous soul will be made rich, And he who waters will also be watered himself (Proverbs 11:24-25).

  

The principles of the kingdom of God are often contrary to natural principles and human thinking. In the kingdom of God to live you must die; to lead you must serve; to be first, you must be last; and to receive you must give!

  

The mind is trained to think logically. It’s not logical to receive by giving, but that’s the way the kingdom operates. We must train ourselves to value kingdom principles and we must renew our minds to what the Father values. Faith in the kingdom principles of the Word of God will bring increase to your life!

  

God’s method of increase in our lives is through our giving. Giving opens us up to the wisdom of God, the windows of heaven, and begins the principle of blessing in our lives. Notice the scriptures:

   

But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully (2 Corinthians 9:6).

Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness (2 Corinthians 9:10).

Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you (Luke 6:38).

Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap (Galatians 6:7).

Honor the Lord with your possessions, And with the firstfruits of all your increase; So your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine (Proverbs 3:9-10).

Jesus said that our giving would lay up treasures in heaven for us, and that our giving reveals where our heart is (Matthew 6: 19-21).

Make a decision today to be a giver, a scatterer, a sower, a blesser! Don’t wait for excess. Give now! Give with expectation. He gives seed to the sower.   He who observes the wind [and waits for all conditions to be favorable] will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap (Ecclesiastes 11:4 – Amplified).

 

Put your faith to work in God’s principles. Expect the wisdom of God, the favor of God, and the blessings of God to be upon you. Expect the works of your hands to be blessed! Expect to receive. When you do, don’t eat all of your seed! Sow some more. It’s a never ending process. It’s a foundational principle in the kingdom of God. The principle of giving will revolutionize your life!

 

Don't Let Fear Rule You

The fear of the wicked will come upon him, and the desire of the righteous will be granted (Proverbs 10:24).

 

Fear and doubt are the twin enemies of the believer. Fear attracts the enemy the way faith attracts God! Fear is really faith in the negative. It is believing the wrong thing.

 

The enemy can smell fear a mile away! Job’s problems were a result of his allowing fear into his life. For the thing I greatly feared has come upon me, and what I dreaded has happened to me (Job 3:25). Satan had spoken to God about Job and was taunting God about Job and his faith. The Lord told Satan that Job was already in his hands. How? Job had opened the door for Satan to rob and steal and kill through fear. The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe (Proverbs 29:25).

  

Fear is never the will of God! When an angel had a message for an individual it was usually prefaced with fear not!  Face your fears today and refuse to give in to them. Resist them with the Word of God! God hasn’t given us a spirit that cowers to fear. He has given us a spirit of power, and of love and of a sound mind.

 

Fear can be an acronym for False Evidence Appearing Real. Satan is a master of disguise. He’ll wrap a problem up in fear and make you thing there’s no way out. It’s a bluff and a lie! Faith in the Word is the answer to fear. Commit yourself to the Father, believe you receive when you pray, and refuse to allow fear to dominate you.

 

Years ago I was on a missions trip and the ministry we were working with had a airplane that took the volunteer workers to the missions site. The plane crashed in bad weather while we were there and I was one of those who went to the sight to help survivors. When I arrived at the crash site and saw the plane wreckage, a strong fear suddenly grabbed me. At the same time, I heard the words; you better cancel that next missions trip you’ve planned. This may happen again (I had another trip planned a couple of months away).

 

Intuitively I knew that this fear was the enemy speaking. I immediately spoke out loud; I will not live my life in fear! I will go on the next trip and I won’t be afraid!  As soon as the words came out of my mouth, the fear disappeared.

  

Never yield to fear. Commit your way to the Lord. Stand in faith. Speak God’s Word and refuse to yield to circumstance. The Word is the antidote to fear. Meditate on the Word instead of the fear thoughts that come. Find scripture that specifically refutes the lies and think on them!

  

Since God is for you, your enemies don’t stand a chance! Walk by faith and not by sight! We are more than conquerors!  Fear not!