Ministry Gifts

And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ (Ephesians 4:11-12).

The body is Christ is made up of many members with varied functions, gifts, skills, and talents. Every member of the body of Christ is necessary, and should seek to fulfill their God given mandate.

The verse above lists the “five fold ministry gifts” as we call them. These gifts are specifically set in the body of Christ to help each member mature and to enable each member to function in their calling.

Today ,Festus Nsoha is our guest speaker at Victory Fellowship. He functions in the ministry office of an Apostle and a Prophet. The Lord has gifted him with the ability to establish churches and to work in difficult, unreached areas. This is the work of an Apostle.

The Word of Knowledge, the Word of Wisdom, the Gift of Faith, the Working of Miracles, and the Gifts of Healings operate through Him as the Holy Spirit wills. These spiritual gifts correspond to the apostle’s ministry as well as to the ministry of the prophet.

Every few weeks we have a guest speaker at Victory Fellowship because I believe that our church body needs exposure to the various ministry anointings in the body of Christ. I don’t have all the ministry anointings as pastor. I only have what God has given me. And I’m comfortable with my own skin. I’m glad to give my pulpit to men and women of God who have a message and a ministry anointing, and a proven track record.

Let’s believe God for His best as He ministers to us through the ministry offices that He has set in the church!

Use the Gift!

Do not neglect the gift which is in you, that special inward endowment which was directly imparted to you by the Holy Spirit by prophetic utterance when the elders laid their hands upon you at your ordination. Practice and cultivate and meditate upon these duties; throw yourself wholly into them [as your ministry], so that your progress may be evident to everybody (1Tim 4:14-15 –Amplified).

Each of us has been given a special gift, talent, or ability by the Father. It’s just an embryo within us at first. Sometimes it manifests as a faint desire that glimmers faintly in the background of our thoughts.

This special ability won’t develop on its own. In fact in many people it lies dormant year after year, longing to be activated, but never given opportunity. Paul’s admonition to Timothy shows the practical way the gifts of God develop in us. You must practice, cultivate, meditate upon, and throw yourself wholly into them.

I was eighteen years old when I first sensed the call of God on my life to preach the Word. It came as an embryo of desire to begin with. I changed the course of my life from pursuing a career to pursuing this call. It was a general call to ministry at first, and following that desire I enrolled in Bible College.

Then I began to notice a strong desire to help people understand who they are in Christ and to help them apply the scriptures to their own lives. It was faint at first, but as I began to talk with people, it seemed like a “switch” would turn on inside and I found words pouring out of me with passion. That was the gift God placed in me seeking to manifest.

A while later I was asked to speak in the morning devotions for our large church staff. I was petrified by fear! But I said yes, and spent weeks studying, praying, and preparing. That “switch” cut on again as I spoke for the few minutes each day that week and the words just poured out. Later I ministered one on one in hospitals, taught Bible studies, ministered to people one on one, and said yes anytime a need arose for someone to minister in a small meeting. The gift kept growing, until today, it dominates me!

The Father has placed a gift in you. Develop it. Allow it to grow by giving in to it. It may be only a faint desire, but go after it! Pursue your passion. Give yourself to the godly desire that rises from within. This desire will “tickle” your thoughts over and over again until you yield to it. Fear will seek to override it and keep you from acting, but go ahead and do it scared!

It may be a spiritual or natural desire, but give yourself to it. Some have a gift to make money and finance the kingdom of God in earth. Others yearn to stay in the background and be a support for those called into full time ministry. Some have a strong desire to teach and mentor children. Still other have a desire to reach out to the lonely, the down and out and provide practical relief. Some yearn to pray. Whatever the desire, you must give in to it and allow it to develop. It will not until you act.

With practice, the gift from the Father in you will make room for itself. Make room in your life for it, and watch what the Father will accomplish with it. He’s waiting on you to faithfully act!

Servant Leaders

But Jesus called them to Himself and said, You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them.

Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave — just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many (Matthew 20:25-28).

There’s a lot out there these days about leadership. Seminars and self-help books abound. While much of the information is helpful, we must keep ourselves in check as believers. We live in a different kingdom. Jesus said my kingdom is not of this world. Our standards are different that that of the world’s. And our attitudes and motives are different.

We’re not called to acquire a big name for ourselves; we’re called to glorify Jesus in all we do. We’re not building our little kingdoms; we’re building the kingdom of God. We’re called to be servants. If we’re leading others, we’re called to be servant leaders. The greatest leaders among us must become the greatest servant of all. The more we lead, the more we serve.

Jesus washed the feet of the disciples in John 13. This was the job of the lowest servant in the house. It was a menial task to be sure. And Jesus didn’t stop until He had washed all of the disciple’s feet! He left us such a wonderful example. We need to be very careful in this day of big ministries, lots of money, and lots of helpers. We must never lose the perspective of servanthood in our lives, regardless of our position in ministry.

We should carry ourselves in such a way that attention is not brought to us, but to Jesus. In reading of the life of Smith Wigglesworth, he became troubled just before his home-going that people were bragging on him and his accomplishments too much, and he lamented that people were not deflecting the praise to Jesus. Poor Wigglesworth, he said. God must remove me from the scene soon. He longed for people to grasp the concepts of humility and servanthood.

I’ll leave you today with Paul’s comments that we best be familiar with:

For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence. But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God — and righteousness and sanctification and redemption — that, as it is written, He who glories, let him glory in the Lord (1 Corinthians 1:26-31).

Stop Striving

A man came and fought with Jacob until just before daybreak. When the man saw that he could not win, he struck Jacob on the hip and threw it out of joint.

They kept on wrestling until the man said, "Let go of me! It's almost daylight." "You can't go until you bless me," Jacob replied. Then the man asked, "What is your name?" "Jacob," he answered. The man said, "Your name will no longer be Jacob. You have wrestled with God and with men, and you have won. That's why your name will be Israel."(Genesis 32:24-28 - Contemporary English Version)

Even before birth, Jacob, whose name means deceiver, was in a struggle. Since birth, he had pushed his way through life, doing whatever was necessary to make it. He took advantage of others, and thought nothing of deceiving to get his way.

One night of wrestling with an angel (the angel was possibly Jesus Himself!) changed Jacob from deceiver to Israel, prince with God. After that night of struggle, He walked with a limp. He was never the same again. His character was transformed.

Don’t ever give up on yourself. No matter how long you’re struggled with issues in your life, keep going forward! The Lord can transform you. It usually requires that you come to the end of yourself just like Jacob. When his best human efforts failed, Jacob finally realized his need to yield to God’s plan for his life, and he changed. His walking with a limp was an outward sign of his inward submission.

Moses was transformed at the burning bush. David was transformed from a shepherd to mighty warrior when he faced Goliath. Peter was transformed after denying Jesus and being filled with shame. The power of God’s mercy created with him a pastor’s heart. Saul was converted on the Damascus Road and was transformed into Paul, one of the greatest men of the church age.

In my own life, I was an extreme introvert, ruled by fear and rejection thinking. My only sense of value was through accomplishment. When I came to the end of my own ability, I found God’s grace to change. He replaced the fear with genuine love, the rejection with a knowing that I am accepted in the beloved, and the goodness by works attitude with a knowing that it’s not my deeds, but His grace that make me acceptable to God.

Take your personal frustrations with yourself and take your failures to the foot of the cross. Lay them by faith at the feet of Jesus. Humble yourself to Him and like Jacob, he will change your name! He’ll create in you the ability to be what He has called you to be.

At he end of your self-striving to accomplish, to be something, or to succeed, you’ll find the power of God to transform. But you must be willing like Jacob to walk with a limp.

Don’t Despise Your Birthright!

Jacob then gave Esau some bread and some of the bean stew, and when Esau had finished eating and drinking, he just got up and left, showing how little he thought of his rights as the first-born (Genesis 25:34 - Contemporary English Version).

The story of Esau despising his first-born birthright is an excellent example to us of how yielding to the flesh can cost us the blessings of God.

Esau was born struggling. Before he and his brother were born, they were wrestling in the womb. When He was born, his twin brother Jacob had grasped his heel. Jacob means deceiver, schemer. These brothers were always disagreeing and fighting. Their personalities were opposite extremes. Jacob was a shepherd and stayed close to home. Esau was a hunter and loved the open field.

Esau came in from hunting one day and was overcome with hungry. He asked Jacob for a bowl of the soup he had made. The aroma had filled the house. Jacob was only willing to give Esau the soup if he would trade his firstborn birthright to him. Esau so little regarded his birthright that he gave it away for a simple bowl of soup!

The firstborn birthright meant that when his father died, he received 2/3 of the inheritance. The 1/3 left was divided among all of the rest of the siblings! This birthright was both an honor and a great responsibility! And Esau gave it away for next to nothing. He despised it.

As believers, we have a great heritage. We are heirs of God, and equal heirs with Jesus! We have inherited every spiritual blessing in heavenly places in Christ (Ephesians 1:3). We have God’s delegated authority, His favor, His nature. The Greater One lives within us. The gifts of the Spirit are available to us. Healing belongs to us. The Father has promised to prosper us as we honor Him. We have such a rich heritage!

But if we yield to the flesh and refuse to walk in the spirit, we stand to lose it all. It’s just like Esau giving away his inheritance!

Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God (Galatians 5:19-21).

It’s just not worth yielding to the flesh to stand losing all that Jesus made available to us. Don’t allow Satan to dangle the carrot of the flesh in any area before your eyes! Just like the forbidden fruit, it may look good and taste good to your flesh, but it’s not worth the end result! Let’s respect our God given inheritance and walk in the spirit today!

It’s Time to Be Holy!

As obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, Be holy, for I am holy (1 Peter 1:14-16)

Now is the time for believers to show the world what our God is really like. He is Holy. The Israelites introduced the surrounding sex -crazed pagan cultures to their Holy God by keeping themselves pure as they outwardly obeyed the Ten Commandments. We have the law of God written on our hearts. This enables us to be living epistles known and read of all men. And in this day of looseness, we have a tremendous opportunity to shine!

It’s time to pursue holiness! Notice 2 Corinthians 7:1: Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. Not only will your fellowship with your Holy Father deepen, but you’ll begin to be noticed by those around you as different, and that’s a good thing!

Sensuality is on the rise everywhere. It’s the spirit of the age. Watch your TV and movie viewing and don’t compromise! The internet is full of filth. Magazines and newspapers are filled with risqué pictures and articles that just don’t need to be written! Be wise!

If you don’t make an on purpose decision to be Holy or separated from the perversion that abounds today, you’re likely to yield to it or be hardened by it. Notice what Peter says to us from the Amplified Bible: So, since Christ suffered in the flesh for us, for you, arm yourselves with the same thought and purpose [patiently to suffer rather than fail to please God]. For whoever has suffered in the flesh [having the mind of Christ] is done with [intentional] sin [has stopped pleasing himself and the world, and pleases God], So that he can no longer spend the rest of his natural life living by [his] human appetites and desires, but [he lives] for what God wills (1Peter 4:1-2 – Amplified).

Paul says it so well in 1 Thessalonians 4:3-8: God’s plan is to make you holy, and that means a clean cut with sexual immorality. Every one of you should learn to control his body, keeping it pure and treating it with respect, and never allowing it to fall victim to lust, as do pagans with no knowledge of God. You cannot break this rule without cheating and exploiting your fellow men. Indeed God will punish all who offend do offend in this matter, as we have plainly told you and warned you. The calling of God is not to impurity but to the most thorough purity, and anyone who makes light of the matter is not making light of man’s ruling but of God’s command. It is not for nothing that the Spirit God gives us is called the Holy Spirit.

Stand before the Father today and pledge to Him your devotion and love by committing to a life of holiness and purity. Refuse to compromise God’s standards by yielding to the low standards of the world. Our nation’s future depends on our morals. If they fail, our nation will fail. History begs us not to repeat it!

The Bedchamber Experience

But when you pray, go into your most private room, and, closing the door, pray to your Father, Who is in secret; and your Father, Who sees in secret, will reward you in the open (Matthew 6:6 –Amplified).

In the Greek language, this word for most private room could be translated bedchamber. It’s a place of intimacy and privacy. It’s the place where a husband and wife share their most private moments. A place where the world is locked out, and a place where life is created.

The Father wants you to go regularly to you bedchamber with Him. He longs to share private moments with you where the world and others are locked out. It’s just you and Him talking together, sharing together. It’s the one place where your life can really be transformed.

Most people misunderstand the Father. He has such compassion and love. He so wants you to excel in life’s fight. He longs to be invited into your private life for conversation. His great desire is that you open your inner self to Him, sharing secrets that you would share with no other. He wants you to invite Him into your most private room.

The major stumbling block to this intimacy with the Father is condemnation and inferiority. But He has made provision for forgiveness of wrong and the cleansing of the conscience. He has made you righteous (2 Corinthians 5:21). Righteousness is the ability to stand before the Father without sin, condemnation, or inferiority, just as though you had never sinned! He forgives your sin (1John 1:9), forgets all you’ve ever done wrong (Hebrews 10:17), and promises never to remember or bring up to you sins you confess (Isaiah 43:25). He casts your sins into the depths of the sea (Micah 7:19). Don’t go fishing for them! He removes your misdeeds from you as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12).

The Father wants you to go into your private room with Him with this knowledge. That way, inferiority and condemnation don’t get in the way of you pouring your heart out to Him. Talk to Him about everything in your life. Talk to him about the pressures that seem overwhelming. Talk to Him about your dreams and your disappointments. Talk to Him about your inadequacies and failures. Discuss with Him your hidden agendas, your motives, your attitudes. Lay before Him your secret desires that you would reveal to no one.

You see, He already knows you better than you know yourself. None of these things will be news to the Father. He knew about them before you did! But when you pour out your life before Him, and then ask Him to help you where you struggle, it empowers Him and gives Him permission to help you with His supernatural ability.

After you spend time speaking to Him, listen. Be open to hear what He says to you through His word by the Holy Spirit. He is usually direct, but so loving. He’s firm, but so compassionate. I’ve gone from these places of speaking to my Father so broken that I wanted no human contact; so loved by Him that I was overwhelmed. He loved me so much. He took the time to listen and care. He didn’t condemn me. His love drew me away. His care compelled me to change. His power changed my inner desires.

Take some time with the Father in your most private room today. If you’ve never done this, it’s a bit scary at first. But then you’ll experience the Father in a new way, and you’ll change. That’s the power of being with Him in your most private room.

Be Filled With the Spirit!

And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18).

The Message paraphrase of this verse reads, Don't drink too much wine. That cheapens your life. Drink the Spirit of God, huge draughts of him. And Weymouth’s translation declares, Do not over-indulge in wine--a thing in which excess is so easy- but drink deeply of God's Spirit.

The Greek verb in this verse is in the continuous present tense. It should read: be being filled with the Spirit, indicating progressive continuous action. When a person is born again, the Holy Spirit enters his or her body and changes their spirit from spiritual death to spiritual life; from darkness to light; from the power of Satan to the power of God.

When a believer receives the baptism with the Holy Spirit, that person enters into a closer relationship with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit immerses the person into Himself!

There is only one experience of the indwelling of the Spirit that we receive in the new birth. There is only one instance in a person’s life of receiving the baptism with the Holy Spirit. But there should be many instances of a believer being filled with the Spirit!

We leak. As we go through life we use up our spiritual energy reserves. They must be replenished. Being filled with the Spirit needs to be a daily experience for all of us!

Here’s how. Get alone; go into your “closet” where you privately fellowship with the Lord (a long, walk, a secluded room, just a real private place). Begin to worship, singing songs in English and singing in tongues! Tell the Lord of how wonderful He is and how thankful you are that He has and is transforming your life. Sing some more. Pick up your Bible and read a passage out loud. Lift your hands and praise some more. Sing some more in tongues. And just keep this regimen going for a while. Then pray, pouring your heart out to the Father, mentioning the things that trouble you to Him. Go into great detail, and ask Him to help you! Talk to Him about your personal weaknesses, and ask Him to help you overcome them! Then, lift your hands and sing and praise some more. Sing songs that you know, and sing in tongues. You may not “feel” it, but you’re being refreshed and filled with the Spirit as you to this!

Make the previous paragraph a daily thing! Be Being filled every day! Speak to yourself in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make melody in your heart to the Lord! Stay close to Him. Mediate the Word. You’ll stay filled with the Spirit, and the devil will run and hide when you show up! He’ll sense power of the Greater One that has risen within you!

A Healthy Marriage

He who finds a wife finds a good thing, and obtains favor from the Lord (Proverbs 18:22).

Today, Susan and I have been married 28 wonderful years! It’s a milestone in this day where over half of all marriages end in divorce. Here are few ingredients in our relationship that have helped us over the years.

Accept your spouse the way they are without trying to change them. Susan and I are so different! And that’s a good thing! If both of us were like me, we’d explode! Years ago, the Father dealt with me about comparing Susan to this image of a perfect wife I had in my mind (men will sometimes even compare their expectations of their wife with their mother’s example). I learned to accept Susan for who she is, and just lover her. That changed us!

Walk in agape love. While phileo love (friendship) is the reason you marry someone, agape is the oil that keeps your relationship running smoothly. Agape doesn’t take account of the evil done to it, doesn’t pay attention to a suffered wrong. All of us will fail at times. And this agape will cover the multitude of sins (mistakes)! Agape treats the other person as if they had never done anything wrong! It doesn’t bring up the past.

Date each other. Susan and I usually take a night a week to “date.” We’ll go out to eat, rent a movie, go to the mall, etc. And we’ll just talk about whatever.

Verbalize your love. You can’t wear I love you out! We tell each other several time a day. And we hug and kiss and show affection every day! Keep the flame alive!

Give each other some space. Susan needs her time for her woman stuff! I need my space for my man stuff! Give each other some liberty to take time for person hobbies and friendships.

Allow differences without anger. Two people living in the same house coming from different families are at times going to disagree! That’s not a bad thing unless you let uncontrolled anger enter the picture. I think that if you never disagree, you’re not being honest about issues! Allow for differences in views.

Don’t go to bed angry. Each day, clear the air of the day’s conversations and differences. Love forgives, accepts, and forgets. Eph 4:26 reveals, Be angry, and do not sin: do not let the sun go down on your wrath.

Keep your physical relationship strong. Sexuality is a part of human life. God’s answer to the physical desires He places in us is marriage! Hebrews 13:4 reads,

Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge. Keep this area of life private. It should never be discussed with others. As your marriages ages, and children and busy careers enter the picture, it’s important to make private time with each other happen.

Pray for your spouse daily. Instead of praying, Lord change my spouse, pray Lord, help me be the best spouse my mate could possibly have. He me be what (he or she) needs.

Above all, just be a good Christian! If you do, you’ll honor your mate, you’ll be responsible for your actions and words, and you’ll humble yourself and admit when you’re wrong! And you’ll love and respect your spouse.

Once Saved, Always Saved?

I was taught all my life in my denominational church that once you’re a believer, your eternity is secured, and you never have to be concerned about it again. The idea of eternal security and then the other extreme of falling from grace and being eternally lost has been a bone of theological contention in religious circles for hundreds of years.

It really got its start in the 16^th century with two men. Jacobus Arminius and John Calvin graduated from the same institution of learning but each held opposing views. Jacobus Arminius believed that if you commit the smallest sin you are lost, and need to be saved all over again. John Calvin – father of “Old School Calvinism” believed that you were predestined to be saved – “what is to be will be.” They believed that you could only be saved if God gave you a repenting heart. Today, we have “new school Calvinism,” which basically believes the doctrine of eternal security, or what we call “once saved, always saved.”

So, who is right? The answer lies somewhere in the middle. The philosophers say that truth is the mean between two extremes. And that is a wise way to progress on this subject. We must balance the sovereignty of God with the free will of man. There are as many scriptures for eternal security as there are against it in the New Testament. On the other hand, we certainly don’t want to walk in eternal insecurity, where we’re constantly afraid of losing our salvation.

Here’s the bottom line. As long as I want to be saved from sin, I am! As long as I have a repentant heart that is full of faith in the redemptive work of Christ, I’m secure. But there is no scripture that promises that if I am born again, and then choose to live a rebellious, sinful lifestyle void of repentance and confession of sin, that I will inherit heaven as my eternal destiny.

Every believer will at some point commit an act of sin. That’s different than choosing a lifestyle of unrepentant sin. If I as a believer commit a sin, thank God that I have the blood of Jesus that cleanses me when I confess my sins (1 John 1:9). Thank God that we have a lawyer that has never lost a case (1 John 2:1)! Thank God, that when the Father forgives sin, He forgets that we every committed it, and chooses to never remember it again (Isaiah 43:25; Hebrews 10:17)! The Father removes our sin from us as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12)! Jesus is our eternal lawyer with the Father when we miss the mark!

But there is no scripture in the New Testament that promises that God will keep a person in His care eternally that chooses sin as a lifestyle. Not one promise offers this. Not one. In this hour of looseness and liberty, let us be careful to walk closely with the Lord, and not allow sin to harden our hearts to the point that one day we could say, I just don’t care anymore. Believer in Christ, never play with sin. It will harden your heart, and in the end, its wage is death.

I’ll leave you with these quotes:

He that is merciful to sin is cruel to his own soul (Ralph Venning).

He that loves a tree hates the worm that consumes it; he that loves a garment hates the moth that eats it; he that loves life, abhors death; and he that loves the Lord hates everything that offends Him (William Cowper).

I would rather have a moderately small meeting of earnest Christians than to have it packed with thousands of careless people (D.L. Moody).

Jesus Christ came to make the great laws of God incarnate in human life; that is the miracle of God’s grace. We are to be written epistles known and read of all men. There is no allowance whatever in the New Testament for the man who says he is saved by grace but who does not produce the graceful goods. Jesus Christ, by His redemption, can make our actual life in keeping with our religious profession (Oswald Chambers).

If God were not my friend, Satan would not be so much my enemy (Thomas Brooks).

Give me one hundred men who fear nothing but sin, and desire nothing but God, and I will shake the world (John Wesley).

Keep Yourself

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 week day, 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.

Friendship

In his book Spiritual Leadership, J. Oswald Sanders made this comment: The kind of person you are five years from now will be determined by the kinds of books you read, and the friends you entertain. We become what we absorb. We learn by observation, association, and influence. We often develop like thinking, mannerisms and habits of those with whom we closely associate. We must choose our friends wisely.

I was hurt by a friend once as a child and my mother told me that some people are fair weather friends. They are just friends when things go well. Then she mentioned this verse to me in Proverbs17:17: A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity. It’s a great strength to have a person who will stick with you when the going gets tough.

Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful (Proverbs 27:6). The best type of friend to have is the person who will tell you honestly what you need to hear, not what you want to hear. That type of friend is worth more than any amount of money to you. They could help save your life from hurt and ruin. The flatterer is only looking out for himself.

Friends can be closer than family. A man who has friends must himself be friendly, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother (Proverbs 18:24). There is always the risk of being rejected when you open yourself up to another person. But in the end, you’ll be better off by taking that risk. Good friends enrich life. Proverbs 27:17 reads: As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend. A person who makes the most out of life will secure the help of others. A good friend will be real with you.

I’ve learned to choose my close friends carefully. Yes, Jesus was a friend to sinners. So sure, we should be friendly to the unbeliever and to the person who has different values with us. But we must be careful that we don’t compromise our convictions for the sake of friendship. If you are close friends with those who compromise repeatedly with the world, the flesh, and the devil, then your own sense of values will be affected and you may compromise too.

When I came to the Lord over 30 years ago I had to make a hard decision. Some of my closest friends had been in my life since childhood. We shared many like experiences and values. But when I solidly committed my life to Jesus, things changed.

Their values crossed mine. Their compromise was an affront to my walk with God. I no longer found their risqué jokes funny. Their personal lifestyle grieved me. When I would bear my heart about what Jesus had done in my life, and how He had changed Me, they became quiet and at other times sarcastic. I was faced with a difficult decision. Change my close relationship with these friends or lose my spiritual gains. It was an emotional and difficult decision; but it was right. The history of my life now proves that.

I’ll leave you with this quote from the Amplified Bible from 1 Corinthians 15:33. One of the most important things in life is to choose friends wisely; friends who really care about your best interest. Be bold enough to make the necessary changes.

Do not be so deceived and misled! Evil companionships (communion, associations) corrupt and deprave good manners and morals and character.

Be a Lover

We know that we have passed from death to life because we love the brethren. He who does not love His brother abides in death (1 John 3:14).

The last two days, I’ve talked about the life of God, Zoe, which is deposited in the believer when born again. This life changes a person’s character!

The first manifestation of the life of God is love. Not the natural human love that everybody has (Phileo is the Greek word), but Agape, which is unconditional, self-sacrificial love. This agape is a direct manifestation of Zoe. Only believers have access to this love. It is to be the trademark of Christianity.

Jesus said that all would know that we’re His disciples by this Agape. You’ll find that as you grow spiritually, this love will dominate you more and more. You see, there is no spiritual growth without growth in love. God is love, and the closer and more intimate you get to Him, the more this love nature will manifest in your life.

Walking in the Spirit is really letting this love nature rule daily life. From the time you get up in the morning, until the time you go to bed, your success with God today will be determined by how much you allow this love nature to rule your being. Agape will mellow out the harshness that has crept into life. It will enable you to love the unlovely and selfish. It will enable you to overlook the petty faults of others.

This Agape love will cure friction in the home, and will enable you to walk in peace with all people. It is the ultimate social grace.

Above all you do today, make it a goal to be love led, love dominated. You’ll stand out in he crowd if you do. People will be drawn to this love in you. They will ask questions. And the Father will bless them through you.

I’m going to end with a quote from 1 Corinthians 13:4-8, which gives a fine description of the love nature of the Father. Take a moment to refresh your mind as to the attributes of this God nature. Let it loose today!

Love endures long and is patient and kind; love never is envious nor boils over with jealousy, is not boastful or vainglorious, does not display itself haughtily.

It is not conceited (arrogant and inflated with pride); it is not rude (unmannerly) and does not act unbecomingly. Love (God's love in us) does not insist on its own rights or its own way, for it is not self-seeking; it is not touchy or fretful or resentful; it takes no account of the evil done to it [it pays no attention to a suffered wrong]. It does not rejoice at injustice and unrighteousness, but rejoices when right and truth prevail. Love bears up under anything and everything that comes, is ever ready to believe the best of every person, its hopes are fadeless under all circumstances, and it endures everything [without weakening]. Love never fails [never fades out or becomes obsolete or comes to an end] (1 Corinthians 13:4-8).

Feed the Life of God in You

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, un-rest, 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 you 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!

Zoe – The Life of God

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!

Dealing with Disappointment

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, 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!

Be a Giver

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!

No Fear

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 you 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!

The Baptism With the Holy Spirit

But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth (Acts 1:8).

Thirty One years ago today, I received the Baptism with the Holy Spirit. This experience revolutionized my life! The power of God resident in this experience began its work in me that day, and continues to change me!

The Greek word for power in the above verse is dunamis. From this word we get he words dynamic, dynamite, and dynamo. Dunamis means inherent power, capable of reproducing itself, like a dynamo. That inherent power of God began its work in me that day in 1976, and it is still producing!

I was raised in a denominational church, and had never heard of the baptism with the Holy Spirit. My mother had received this experience about a year and a half earlier in a ladies prayer meeting. While praying in a circle in a living room expressing their love for Jesus, these ladies began simultaneously to speak in another language! They didn’t know what happened to them, but they all changed! One of the ladies knew a full gospel pastor who visited them weeks later and informed them of what they had received, the baptism with the Holy Spirit!

My mother changed dramatically. She began to read her Bible and pray, and developed habits of continually praising and worshipping the Lord. My Father, brothers and I were surprised at the sudden change in mom. It continues to this day!

The baptism with the Holy Spirit produces power to change! Three main changes occur with this experience. First of all, there will be a boldness to witness that comes. I was changed from an introvert, hardly looking people in the eye during conversation, to a bold child of God!

Secondly, there will be a greater understanding of the Word that manifests. The Holy Spirit will take the Word and will enlighten your understanding with it. It takes more than education to open the Word to the human mind. It takes the power of the Holy Spirit. And in the baptism with the Holy Spirit, this understanding of the Word is greatly enhanced.

The Third change that occurs in the baptism with the Holy Spirit is that there is given to the believer a new ability to pray. The ability to pray in tongues comes with this experience, and this ability will revolutionize your prayer life if you will yield to it. Instead of praying prays limited by your own understanding, the baptism with the Holy Spirit will enable you to pray in tongues which is praying with your spirit and not your mind. It is spirit to Spirit communion with God, and this kind of praying takes you into an unlimited mode of prayer!

If you’ve received the baptism with the Holy Spirit, walk in the light of it! Spend time with the Father in the Word; allow the Spirit of boldness to rise up within you, and take time daily to pray in this heavenly, unlimited language. If you haven’t received, ask the Father for it today!

The Forever Settled Word

We live in unstable times in an ever changing world. The only thing I know of that never changes is the Word! It’s forever settled, fixed and established! Basing my life on the Word produces stability and confidence. I want to share with you today the scriptures that I meditate on regularly to keep faith in the Word built up strongly within me. I’ve been meditating on these scriptures for many years now, and they have given me strength and confidence in my Father. Take time to meditate on them regularly:

God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good (Numbers 23:19). For the Lord God is a sun and shield; The Lord will give grace and glory; No good thing will He withhold From those who walk uprightly (Psalm 84:11). My covenant I will not break, Nor alter the word that has gone out of My lips (Psalm 89:34). Forever, O Lord, Your word is settled in heaven (Psalm 119:89). I will worship toward Your holy temple, And praise Your name For Your lovingkindness and Your truth; For You have magnified Your word above all Your name (Psalm 138:2). The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever (Isaiah 40:8). So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it (Isaiah 55:11). The Lord said to me, You have seen correctly, for I am watching to see that my word is fulfilled (Jeremiah 1:12 - NIV). Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away (Matthew 24:35).

These scriptures have kept me during some really difficult times. I often meditate them while driving, or when I wake up in the night. Many times I mention them to the Lord when praying. They have become my constant companion. Make them yours!

Seedtime and Harvest

While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer, and day and night shall not cease (Genesis 8:22).

Seedtime and harvest is a universal law of God on earth and in the kingdom of God. Everyday, with every act, we are planting seeds that will produce a harvest! The harvest is determined by the seeds that are planted.

What kind of harvest are you expecting in the various areas of your life? Look at the seeds currently being planted by your words, thoughts, attitudes, and actions! Tomorrow’s health, material well being, relational stability, spiritual stamina, etc., are determined by what you sow today. You just don’t get something for nothing!

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). This law is as stable as the rising and setting of the sun. Cooperate with it, and you’ll have a life of blessing. Work against it, and misery will keep you company!

Paul said it this way: Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap life everlasting.

Let’s sow seeds today that will benefit the kingdom of God, and that will bring blessing to others and to our own lives. Sow time in the Word and in prayer today. Sow words that bless, heal, inspire, quicken, and mend. Sow attitudes that will glorify God and exalt Jesus. Sow actions that will produce health and plenty. You’re casting seed today with every action. Make it count!

Calling Those Things That Do Not Exist as Though They Did

(As it is written, "I have made you a father of many nations) in the presence of Him whom he believed — God, Who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did (Romans 4:17).

God wants us to imitate Him in all things. One of the ways He desires that we imitate Him is in calling those things that do not exist as though they did. The above verse is rich in helping us understand the basic concepts of walking by faith.

First of all, notice that it says that God calls things that do not exist as though they did. Calls in this verse refers to speaking words. And that’s an important part of understanding faith. Faith must be released with words! And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, "I believed and therefore I spoke, we also believe and therefore speak (2 Corinthians 4:13). But what does it say? The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart (that is, the word of faith which we preach) (Romans 10:8).

Faith never floats out of our heart independent of our words. Word convey faith from the human spirit to God.

Then notice in this verse that God calls those things that do not exist as though they did. He changed Abram (exalted father) to Abraham (father of a multitude). Jesus is the lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

Everything exists in two realms; first the spiritual and then the natural. God spoke the world into existence from things unseen with words (Hebrews 11:3).

To put this together, I must speak what God says about me and my life even when it doesn’t seem that it is true. I must say I believe I’m healed according to the word while the symptoms get worse in my body. I must say my God is meeting all my needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus while the bills are piling up. I must say in all these things I am more than a conqueror through Him who loved me while I feel defeated. I must say He promised to never leave me or forsake me even when I feel alone!

Faith receives before it sees the results. It believes before there is any manifestation of the answer to prayer. And it talks the way it wants things to be, not the way they are!

Start today to call those things that do not exist as thought they did and watch the miracle working power of God work for you!

Love and Respect

We’re in Myrtle Beach today for the final day of Romance Advance. We’ve had a wonderful time of relaxation and fellowship. Yesterday I spoke to the couples on the basic needs of both the husband and wife. These basic needs are found in Ephesians 5:33: Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

The basic need of the wives is love. Basic need of the husband is respect. The husband’s main responsibility before God is to show Agape love to his wife. The wife’s main responsibility is to show respect to her husband.

In Ephesians 5, Paul compares the husband and wife relationship to the relationship we as the church has to Jesus. Husbands are to love their wives as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for it.

This Agape love is a love of action, not feeling. Husbands are to show by their actions that they love their wives. Wives need to her I love you frequently and then need to see I love you demonstrated in practical ways. Helping with the dishes, the laundry, house cleaning, and taking care of the kids so the wife can have some “free” time can be tangible expressions of love.

Agape love is unconditional and self-sacrificial. Agape love expresses itself regardless of the response for it is unconditional. Agape love puts itself last because it is self-sacrificing.

Nowhere in the New Testament is the wife commanded to Agape her husband with the unconditional, self-sacrificing love. Once in Titus 2 the wives are commanded to love their husbands, but the word for love there is the Greek Word Phileo (friendship) and not Agape. But the wife is commanded in verse 33 above to respect her husband.

Husbands need to here words of encouragement like: You did a great job with…or I think you’re the best at…or I like the way you…A man needs the affirmation that his wife values him and what he does for the family. And that’s the major responsibility of the wife.

Let’s believe God for our marriages to be strengthened by the Father. And husbands, love you wives. Wives, respect your husband!

Married to an Unbeliever

But to the rest I, not the Lord, say: If any brother has a wife who does not believe, and she is willing to live with him, let him not divorce her. And a woman who has a husband who does not believe, if he is willing to live with her, let her not divorce him. For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband; otherwise your children would be unclean, but now they are holy. But if the unbeliever departs, let him depart; a brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases. But God has called us to peace (1 Corinthians 7:12-15).

Yesterday, I discussed marriage between two believers and talked about how believers should deal with problems in their marriage relationship. Today, I want to discuss marriage between a believer and a person who isn’t, or a person who says they are, but never acts like it!

In the verses above notice that Paul strangely says but to the rest, I not the Lord, say. He said this because this is the first time in scripture that a marriage between a believer and an unbeliever is mentioned (In the Old Testament, and in the gospels, marriage is addressed in the context of two Jewish believers und the law). When the church age began, those who were converted and already married found themselves in this situation. No believer should marry an unbeliever!

Then Paul basically says that if a believer has an unbelieving spouse, they should remain together as long as they get along and treat each other with kindness and respect. As long as the believer is in the home with the unbeliever, there is an influence of righteousness that speaks into the life of the unbeliever and sets an example for the children. And the unbeliever may come to the Lord!

Those who do not get along have to weigh their options. If the unbeliever is abusive or hurtful to the spouse or children, then the believer has to make the choice of what should be done. Are the actions so bad that they warrant leaving? These matters should be discussed with church leaders, and be treated with much prayer and caution. Rash decisions and hurtful actions by a parent can leave a child scarred for life!

God’s ultimate will is for the unbeliever to come to the Lord in this relationship. And if the believer will pray and live a godly lifestyle, then that may just happen!

This is a day to carefully guard our marriages and families with much prayer. Our nation needs strong families. Our children need the example of those who do it right! Let’s pray for families today. Let’s believe God for His best in life where we find ourselves right now. Don’t waste time brooding over the past. Look ahead from today, and let’s give God our best!

Work out Marriage Problems

Now to the married I command, yet not I but the Lord: A wife is not to depart from her husband. But even if she does depart, let her remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband. And a husband is not to divorce his wife (1 Corinthians 7:10-11)

I’ve often stated it this way: When you get married, regardless of the former circumstances, it becomes the will of God for you to stay married. The will of God for our lives in found in the Word, not in subjective circumstance.

In the above verses, Paul addresses the relationship between two believers in a marriage relationship. He tells both husband and wife that God’s best is that they not divorce when they have difficulties. He acknowledges that at times someone will succumb to the pressures of life and divorce, and in that case he tells believers to remain unmarried for a period of time because as long as they both remain unmarried, there is the possibility of restoring the relationship.

Susan and I have been married 28 years this month! She’s had a lot to put up with in me! We made a decision before we were married that when married, we would never consider separation or divorce as a way to solve problems that would arise.

Just like everyone else, we’ve had disagreements and challenges over the years. That comes with just being human! But we both made the choice to deal with ourselves and to let the Father deal with us.

For two believers, unless there is unrepentant infidelity involved, they should work together to solve their problems. Separation and divorce do not solve problems. Separation often creates a sense of false peace and removes the immediate pressure to problem solve together. And divorce doesn’t solve the problems either; those that go that route may find themselves dealing with the same problems they had in the previous relationship.

Some people say, well, we have marriage problems. Actually, it isn’t the marriage that is having the problem, it’s the two people that make up the marriage that have personal issues that they must face and deal with! Marriage problems are people problems!

God hates divorce because it hurts people, it wounds children, and it weakens society. For us Christians, we have tools available to us to help solve our personal problems that hinder marriage. We have the Word of God to believe and obey. We have the fruit of the spirit that we must choose to develop. We have the Holy Spirit that will help us change. We have the spiritual strength that comes from praying. We have the ability to pray the perfect will of God by praying in the spirit. We have the authority to command Satan to take his hands off of us and our family. We must use what God provides.

Work on your marriage today by working on yourself. You can change yourself. You can’t change your wife, and you’ll frustrate her and yourself if you try! Keep yourself built up in the Word. Pray for your spouse and for the Father to watch over you and your marriage. Ask for His help. Ask for His wisdom and strength. Refuse the taunting of the enemy to compromise with the influences of the world.

Stay Married!

The family unit is the basis for any human society. And marriage is the foundation of the family. If marriage loses its value, then that society is in danger of collapse. Marriage and family are God’s plan to pass values and morality from one generation to the next. As goes the family, so goes the nation.

In our nation, we have more couples living together in fornication and having children than ever before. Divorce is as rampant in the church as it is with the unbeliever. We are a nation in great danger. Our moral fabric is coming apart!

You and I can make a difference! How? By making an unqualified commitment to remain loyal and faithful in our marriage for life! Too many believers have an “escape clause” in their heads if problems in the marriage arise!

Here’s the bottom line. It is the will of God for you remain married for life to your present spouse. There are basically two God sanctioned reasons for divorce in the scriptures. Only two. And if the problems a couple have don’t fit those two, then they should work together to solve them. Every marriage will have some problems because we humans are imperfect! We just have to be willing to work on ourselves and change!

The two God sanctioned reasons for divorce are 1) adultery - But I tell you, whoever dismisses and repudiates and divorces his wife, except on the grounds of unfaithfulness (sexual immorality), causes her to commit adultery, and whoever marries a woman who has been divorced commits adultery (Matthew 5:32) and 2) desertion by the unbelieving party - But if the unbeliever departs, let him depart; a brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases. But God has called us to peace (1 Corinthians 7:15). This second God sanctioned reason also covers spousal abuse and neglect.

Other than these two reasons, generally speaking, stay married! Work your problems out. The Holy Spirit and the Word are God’s two problem solvers! If we’re really committed to Jesus, these two friends will help us find answers to the problems life brings! The Holy Spirit knows you, and the Word of God will change you! All it takes is a committed will.

If you’re already divorced, walk in the grace of God! God forgives and cleanses our past! There are innocent victims of divorce. The Father doesn’t hold guilty a person who has a spouse who chooses to go their own way and forsake God’s plan. If you’re experienced this, let the mercy and grace of the Father mend your heart. And walk in forgiveness.

We should pray for our spouses daily. Here’s a great prayer. Father, help me be the best spouse my husband or wife could possibly have! Help me to be what he or she needs! Don’t pray, Lord, change my spouse! Pray, Lord, change me!

I’ll address the issues of marriage again tomorrow!

You’ve got to Say it!

Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place (2 Corinthians 2:14).Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us (Romans 8:37).

It’s right thinking, right believing, and right speaking, that will lead us into victory in our lives. The first thing that we must correct is our thinking. We are to think on things that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, of good report, positive, and worthy of praise. If our thinking is right, then our believing will be right. And if our believing is right, we’ll speak what we believe.

Words are so important. Your success or failure today will be determined by the tenacity of your confession in the hard place. You may feel and experience all kinds of things, but it’s important to say out loud what you really believe!

Even if it seems like the Word isn’t real and it isn’t working for you, it’s important to say it anyway! Perhaps you’ve heard someone say, so and so has said that so much that they really believe it! Well, the truth is that you can “school” yourself into believing by saying something over and over again.

Meditate on the Word in the area of challenge you face, and then start confessing out loud what the word says. At first, you may not seem to believe it, but just keep on saying it. Sooner or later your words will register on your heart, and you’ll begin to believe what you say. You’ll notice a quickening on the inside, and joy will rise on your spirit! I’ve used this principle so many times in a hard place.

Many years ago, Susan and I faced a financial challenge. It seemed as though lack dominated us! I felt trapped and defeated every day! On a note card, I wrote out scriptures that promised God’s blessings on those that obey Him and are givers.

I meditated on them every day and begin to repeat them out loud. And I would say every day, Father I thank you that we have not only enough money to meet our own needs, but we have enough to give away! I said this over and over again.

Slowly my thinking and believing changed, and I saw myself as a prosperous person. And what I said came to pass! The Lord has blessed us, and our needs are met, and we’re able to give and bless others! God’s Word never fails! He watches over His Word to perform it! Give Him something to watch over today! Start saying what you want to believe, and sooner or later you’ll believe it!