The Power of a Gaze

Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God (Hebrews 12:1-2).

The phrase looking unto Jesus is from a Greek word that means to look away from everything else and to look at something with an attentive and unwavering gaze. To look at Jesus this way, we must look away from our own failures and insecurities. We must look away from past experiences. We must look away from our personal fears and weaknesses. When we see only Jesus, life takes on new potential.

Paul encountered Jesus on the road to Damascus. His sights were set on harming the Christian church and hindering its purposes. His vision was transformed by the blinding light of Jesus’ visage. Three days later, Ananias laid hands on Paul and not only was his physical sight restored, but his life vision was changed! For the rest of Paul’s life, he looked at the Son of God, and became one of the greatest saints of the church age.

Noah found grace in God’s sight, and was chosen to save a remnant of humanity from the deadly flood. For 120 years after God spoke to Noah, he “looked unto” the flood, and worked feverishly to build the boat God designed. Noah’s vision set him apart from his generation. His vision of the coming deluge moved him past the criticism and sarcasm of his age. The mocking and ridicule continued unabated decade after decade, and Noah never moved from his convictions because his continually looked at the coming flood and God’s command.

Abram was called out of a city of idolaters who worshiped the moon. God’s promise that he would father a child with his 65 year old wife changed his life forever. Abraham became the Father of faith as he gazed at the stars in the nighttime sky. God promised that he would have as many kids as the stars he could see. As Abraham gazed upon the sand on the shoreline of the ocean, he was reminded that he and Sarah’s days of barrenness would end with the blessing of being the father of a multitude and of the whole world benefiting from God’s promise to him. Abraham’s life changed because he no longer focused on his inability but on the promise of God.

Keep the vision of your intimacy with Jesus ever before you today. In Him we live and move and have our being. You are seated with Him in heavenly place far above Satan’s rule and power. You are loved and favored by the Father. You never face one life event alone. The Greater One is in you to enable you in each task today. He is intimately involved in every relationship and in every circumstance. Keep looking unto Jesus and there will be no room in you for discouragement, darkness, and dread. What you see is what you will get!

Back in Civilization

Bruce and I returned to Addis today. We had great meetings in Southern Ethiopia. The believers were stirred! The pastors eagerly received the Word. I spoke to them about keeping their eyes on Jesus through the Word and gave them examples of Noah, Abraham, and Paul as those who had their vision changed by God in a dramatic way. In life, what you see is what you get! We become what we focus on. That’s the reason we must keep our focus on Jesus! Our focus determines our destiny!

I also spoke to the pastors about walking by faith and believing you receive to have prayer answered.

On Saturday, we had great evangelistic meetings with maybe a thousand in attendance. The crowds were way down because of Easter being this past Sunday in Ethiopia! I preached on being ready to die on Saturday morning, relating what the scriptures say about life after death for the saved and the lost. I told a personal story of a car accident at age 16 that brought me to a reality check as my whole life flashed before my mind in a second of time. I then related the story of the rich man and Lazarus. The crowd was very attentive as I ministered. When I gave the altar call to the mostly church going crowd, about 100 responded and fell to their knees crying out for salvation. I’ll show you the pictures when I get back. It was an electric moment.

On Saturday afternoon I preached on the baptism with the Holy Spirit, and at least 150 responded to receive! We had an awesome time as the Holy Spirit fell on them as we prayed together! We then had a wild time of worship as they danced, shouted, ran, and praised!

On Sunday, we preached in a church in a neighboring city. We had to change our scheduled evangelistic meeting on Sunday due to it being Easter Sunday in Ethiopia! Yep, they are different than the rest of the world here!

On Sunday night, we met with Meberatu, who is the person we support who over sees the churches in Western Ethiopia that are Victory Fellowship Churches. Without giving much detail for now, let me just say that Bruce and I had to invoke some spiritual discipline on him in a matter, and decided to cancel the meetings we had scheduled with him in the Western Churches. I’ll give the details when I get home.

So, here it is Monday, and Bruce and I are headed home early. We’re in a hotel in Addis, and are waiting for our return flights to be confirmed! I hope to be home by Wednesday afternoon! Believe with me!

Leaving Civilization Today

I was not able to access my blog until now. It's Thursday here in Addis. It's around 6:00 AM and I'll be leaving for southern Ethiopia at 8:00 AM my time (1:00 AM your time). Please agree with Bruce and me for safe travel there. The roads are interesting; pedestrians, animals, rickshaws, motorcycles, donkeys, horses, large trucks, vans, cars, and bicycles make for an interesting trip along with gargantuan pot holes!

We should arrive in Yirgecheffe by late afternoon. This is in the mountains and is a beautiful place. Please agree with us for effective ministry with the pastors there. They are so hungry for hungry word, and will listen for hours.

Please agree with us for a great move of the Spirit during our evangelistic services on Saturday and Sunday. Last time we were there, armed guards kept us from preaching, but all of that is straightened out now, and we should have no problems. There will be thousands there, so believe with me for conviction of sin, and for the Holy Spirit to minister in His awesome healing presence. They have dire needs.

I may not be in touch again until next Tuesday or Wednesday. I hope to make contact with Bruce's satellite phone before Sunday and Pastor Mike will give you an update then.

I'll have plenty of pictures to show you when I get back!

And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word through the accompanying signs (Mark 16:20).

Traveling

I arrived in Dubai at 11:20 am your time today. My flight was boring, which also means safe! I was able to sleep on the 12 hour flight. It’s 8 40 at night here in Dubai, and Bruce McDonald will be here in a couple of hours. We’re meeting at a rest lounge near one of the gates here. That’s where I am as I write this. It has food, restrooms, and showers that are wonderful, as well as a large room for resting. We will leave for Addis Ababa at 8:25 am tomorrow (Wednesday) morning, and should be there by noon.

My goal today (tonight) is to read and rest! I have finally learned how to walk in the providence of God. I’ve learned to relinquish the having to be in control of everything part of my personality to Him! The Lord is watching over my life, my family, my travel, my relationships, and as I walk by faith He guides my steps. That’s a great way to live, and it’s the way that you can walk in rest and still be active.

Thanks to my staff for taking such good care of the church while I’m away. I hope to bring you some great reports of what the Lord is doing as we travel to Southern Ethiopia on Thursday. Until then, it’s time to rest and read!

Off to Ethiopia!

And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen (Matthew 28:18-20). And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover (Mark 16:15-18). And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen (Mark 16:20).

I’m leaving for Ethiopia today at 1:20 pm. This is my 10th trip to Ethiopia. We’ll be conducting a pastor’s conference in southern Ethiopia and an evangelistic crusade there as well. The people are always eager to hear the Word of God preached and have such a simple faith. Miracles of healing just flow as you pray for the sick. These folk don’t let their head get in the way of heart belief!

I’ll arrive in Ethiopia around 4:30 am Eastern Time here in the States. That’s a long time to be without prone sleep! We arrive in Addis around noon on Wednesday. After an afternoon of rest and a good night’s sleep we will leave for southern Ethiopia on Thursday morning. It’s a 7 to 8 hour trip. Friday we will conduct the pastor’s conference and on Saturday and Sunday we will conduct an evangelistic crusade.

On Monday, we will travel to minister in our churches in Western Ethiopia on Monday and Tuesday, and on Wednesday the 30th, we will travel back to Addis for our trip home.

Please believe with me for an outpouring of the Spirit on these precious pastors and for many to be born again, spirit-filled, and healed during the evangelistic crusades.

My pastor’s heart already misses everyone! I’ll blog as much as possible during the trip. I have wi-fi access at airports and in Addis, but very little access when we head south. Just keep checking in and I’ll post as often as possible and keep you updated!

Thanks for praying!

Don't Be Passive

We are either aggressing or regressing in our walk with God. If we are not passionately pursuing Him, then we are by default backing away. We must fight spiritual passivity.

In 2 Timothy 2: 4-6, Paul uses three excellent analogies of how we are to pursue our walk with God. No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier. And also if anyone competes in athletics, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. The hardworking farmer must be first to partake of the crops.

We are to conduct our selves like a soldier. A soldier has submitted himself to his superiors. He is ready at a moment’s notice to act without delay. He has been trained to engage the enemy and win. He has learned how to work as a team with his fellow comrades. He has disciplined himself for had times.

An athlete has disciplined his body through hours of exercise. He has learned to endure and to push himself beyond what is average. He strictly controls his diet and regiments his whole life in pursuit of his dream of winning the competition.

A farmer is diligent with growing his crops. He is up at sunrise ready to tend the fields. He sows his seed early and watches over it as it grows. He removes all obstacles of growth from the tender plants so that he can receive a full harvest in due season. He works hard!

So we are to fight like a soldier, prepare like an athlete, and work like a farmer. There is no place for slackness in the kingdom of God. Don’t allow yourself to be mediocre spiritually. Jesus shed His blood to redeem you from the world, the flesh, and from Satan’s dominion. Passivity dishonors His work at Calvary. Give God you best today.

Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:13-14).

Promotion

“For exaltation comes neither from the east nor from the west nor from the south. But God is the judge: He puts down one, and exalts another.” (Psalm 75:6-7)

This verse was quickened to me this morning during my personal time with the Lord. We cannot promote ourselves into the place that God has for us. This promotion comes from the Lord. But we can do the things that place us in position to be promoted in God’s timing for us.

Paul said in Romans 1:1, “Paul, a bondservant of Jesus, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God.” Notice that Paul was called to be an apostle. That calling happened eons ago in the mind and heart of God. But then Paul says he was separated to this call. God has a plan, a call, for all of us. There is a Divine purpose for our lives that was determined before we were born (See Psalm 139).

But we must be separated to that call or Divine purpose. And the separation to the call is when we actually begin to function in the will of God for our lives. And that separation has more to with us than with God. God calls, and it’s up to us to respond. Jesus said it this way, “Many are called, few are chosen.” (Matthew 22:14). Being chosen means entering into the call that God has for us.

God doesn’t look for ability but for availability when He separates us to the call for our lives. And the number one character trait God looks for is faithfulness when looking to promote us. It’s the faithful man that will abound with blessing. (Proverbs 28:20). It’s required in stewards that a man be found faithful (1 Corinthians 4:2). Paul told Timothy to look for faithful men to help him in ministry (2 Timothy 2:2). And Paul himself was placed in ministry, or you could say, he was separated to the call of God upon his life, because God counted him faithful (1 Timothy 1:12).

Are we faithful now in the small things? Promotion comes when we are faithful where we are. He looks for us to be faithful in our attitudes and words; faithful to submit and yield to others in positions of leadership. If we can’t be faithful in helping another person in ministry, how can God trust us with our own (Luke 16:12)?

God has required faithfulness in me before each time of promotion in my life. I’ve been at the place of discontent with my lot in life so many times. Each time, the Lord kept me there until I could say, “Lord, if this is you plan for me, I will stay in this place the rest of my life; I want what you want for me.” And when I stopped striving, and focused on being faithful, promotion came. The call comes from the Lord, but the separation to that is determined by my faithfulness.

Secret Truths and Hidden Things

For one who speaks in an [unknown] tongue speaks not to men but to God, for no one understands or catches his meaning, because in the [Holy] Spirit he utters secret truths and hidden things [not obvious to the understanding]
(1 Corinthians 14:2- Amplified).

Praying in tongues every day will give you an ability to walk in the wisdom if God. Nothing else will give you the ability to tap into secret truths and hidden things not obvious to the understanding.

So many things are hidden from us: things about our future; answers to pressing problems; issues about our jobs and our finances; how to deal with testy relationships. I’ve found praying in the spirit to be a real key to practically hearing from heaven about everyday life.

The key is keeping at it. I pray in tongues everyday. And I seek to pray for at least an hour. The mind fights this because it doesn’t know what you’re saying and wants to be in control. The emotions many times are unaffected. But the results are always the same.

I usually don’t receive the wisdom when I’m praying; it comes later, like while I’m cutting the grass, running an errand, driving to an engagement, or when I’m awakened at night. Praying in the spirit tunes you into the spirit real; to the realm of your own spirit where God can get information through to you. It’s like you’re opening up a new avenue for information in your mind by praying in tongues. The path of information from your human spirit to your mind becomes accessible and clear.

Years ago after a season of praying in tongues, I was shaving, and not feeing spiritual at all. I suddenly had a desire to check the oil in my car. It was Monday morning and I never check my oil on Monday morning.

When I checked it, to my dismay I found a mixture of oil and water. I drove immediately to my mechanic who told me that my head gasket had burst. And then he told me something that surprised me. He said it had obviously just occurred. And because I had caught it in time, no damage had occurred to my engine. If I had waited, my engine would have been greatly damaged.

The Lord cared about that natural thing in my life and showed me what I did not know. It was hidden from me. But because I took time to pray about secret truths and hidden things, I was spared a greater expense.

I have hundreds of stories like this from over a thirty year period. It happens that I stumble upon secret truth and hidden things just about every week. Take time to pray in the spirit every day. Listen to that inward voice. Pay attention to those inward thoughts and desires that seem fleeting and small. It may that the Lord is revealing some secret truths and hidden things to you. It will save you time, heartache, and sometimes money. And you’ll be able to tap into a new source of wisdom from above.

Examine Yourself

For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18).

The rapture of the church could happen at any moment in time. No Bible prophecy needs to be fulfilled for it to occur. In a millisecond of time, you will be involved with something here and then suddenly you will be in the presence of Jesus Christ.

Today, as everyday should be, is preparation day for my meeting with the Son of God. The fire in His eyes will try my works. All that I have done since making Jesus Lord of my life will come under the scrutiny of His gaze. The results will be gold, silver, precious stones, or wood, hay, and straw added to my personal heavenly rewards.

I’m going to leave you with these challenging scripture to ponder today. The philosopher stated millennia ago the un-examined life is not worth living. Keep short accounts with Jesus. His coming is soon.

For we must all appear and be revealed as we are before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive [his pay] according to what he has done in the body, whether good or evil [considering what his purpose and motive have been, and what he has achieved, been busy with, and given himself and his attention to accomplishing] (2 Corinthians 5:10- Amplified). But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written: "As I live, says the Lord, Every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall confess to God." So then each of us shall give account of himself to God (Romans 14:10-12).Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one's work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one's work, of what sort it is. If anyone's work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone's work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire (1 Corinthians 3:12-15). For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world (1 Corinthians 11:31-32). If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:8-9).

Grace is Enough

Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. Indeed I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing. And I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that he is a debtor to keep the whole law. You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace. For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love (Galatians 5:1-6).

The believers in Galatia were encouraged by Paul to continue living in the grace of God and to not revert back to the keeping of the law to appease a guilty conscience. The Judaizers as we call them were demanding that these newly converted Jewish believers submit to circumcision and obedience to the law as well as to their faith in Jesus.

The purpose of the law was to reveal the weakness and inability of the flesh. The law was our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ. The law could never save from sin. The law, with its demands for outward rigid performance, is impossible to keep without the indwelling of the Spirit.

Paul urges with great intensity and passion for those who are in Christ to remain free from the dictatorial demands of religion that places accomplishment of outward demands in the place of a living current relationship with the Father.

Here in Galatians, he contrasts the works of the flesh, or the works of the law with the fruit of faith, or the fruit of the spirit. One is cold and lifeless, while the other is alive and invigorating.

Life with Jesus frees us from the outward demands of the law because it creates a desire for closeness with the Father and a motivation to shun anything that would compromise that intimacy with the Most High. Walking in the grace of God creates a liberty that frees me to respond to the Father from within and literally cancels the yearning of the flesh!

When I think of work, I think of sweat, hard toil, tiredness, and labor. The Father has freed me from a works consciousness that does to please. Now I am what I am by the grace of God! The liberty of grace working in me produces fruit. When I think of fruit I think of refreshment, of a meadow full of trees bearing all sorts of delectable treats that awaken my being and bring delight! Fruit is easy. It comes natural. And the fruit of the spirit are borne from my personal intimacy with the Father.

When I was about a year old in the Lord, I decided that needed to fast a couple of days a week to discipline my flesh. A few weeks into this regimen, the Lord very abruptly told me to stop fasting. He told me that I was doing this as a form of works to be pleasing to Him. And He told me that it was producing spiritual pride in my life as I looked to see if others were as disciplined as I was. I stopped the regular fasting for a long time. I had to grow spiritually before I could fast with the right heart motive and not to gain favor with God.

The grace He has given us cost the Father so much that He is never pleased when we turn to the flesh and outward things to prove our rightness in His eyes. The grace provided by Jesus’ sacrifice more than enables you and me to stand in the presence of the Father fully pleasing to Him.

Stand fast in your liberty from religion today and your freedom from outward performance in order to please. His Grace is enough!

Righteousness

For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (2 Corinthians 5:21).

My own righteousness is like a filthy rag when I stand before God. I can’t do enough good works to be right with Him and He knows that! So the Father has imputed the right standing of Jesus to me. Jesus became what I was so that I could be what He is to the Father.

To be righteous means to be able to stand before the Father as though sin and condemnation had never existed in your life. It’s just as though you had never done any wrong! The Father made us righteous in Jesus so that we could have full fellowship with Him twenty four hours a day, seven days a week.

Notice Isaiah 43:25: I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; And I will not remember your sins. To the person who has been made righteous, there is no record of past sins!

When a believer sins and confesses the sin to the Father, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). It’s important when you sin to bear your heart to the Father and confess it before Him. My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world (1 John 2:1-2). And when sin is confessed it is as though it never happened! Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more (Hebrews 10:17).

Satan traffics in condemnation and inferiority. He wants you to think and feel as though you’re not quite good enough to approach the Father for fellowship and requests. Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down (Revelation 12:10).

Refuse the character assaults that Satan brings your way. Forget what God has forgiven! Your sins have been cast into the depths of the sea (Micah 7:19). Condemnation and inferiority are the chief enemies of your faith life, and it’s your faith that overcomes the world. See condemnation and inferiority to God as an attack of the enemy to hinder your faith, and to rob you of your boldness before God.
Stand your ground against these assaults and see yourself as the righteousness of God in Christ!

There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit (Romans 8:1). And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death (Revelation 12:11).

The Test

Until the time that his word came to pass, the word of the Lord tested him (Psalm 105:19).

The above verse refers to Joseph. He had a vision of his family bowing in obeisance before him as a leader. He was 17 years old at the time. This did not come to pass until Joseph was 30. The in between time was difficult. He was sold as a slave by his brothers and his father was told that he was killed by wild animals.

The ruler’s wife thought Joseph was so handsome and she lusted after him. He refused her advances and she accused him of trying to rape her. He was sent to prison for many years. It looked as though God’s promise was untrue. For years he remained imprisoned though innocent of the charges.

Joseph eventually became what we would now call the Prime Minister of Egypt. The whole land was under his authority. Only the Pharaoh was mightier than he. His family came from Canaan starving for food during a famine and during their visit the Word of the Lord to him was fulfilled.

Yes, the Word of the Lord tested Him. Did God speak or not he may have thought during those years of misery. But no word from God is void of power (Luke 1:37)!

So here you are in the middle of some tough circumstances that just don’t let up. Nothing that the Word declares seems to be true in your life. You’ve prayed. You believe that you receive. You’ve stood your ground against the circumstances that tell you repeatedly that you prayers are unanswered and that your faith is not working. The test is on!

Are you going to believe the promise of God, or are you going to yield to the pressure. That’s what Joseph faced all those years. But he knew that if God spoke, then that Word from Him was surer than the rising of the sun. Joseph’s faith kept him for 13 years while the Word of God worked itself out in his life.

If this can work for Joseph, a man under the old covenant, can it not work for us, whose faith is established on a better covenant with promises that are even more sure? We must persevere as Joseph did against the negatives that life brings. Joseph kept his focus on the promise of God and received and so will we! So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal (2 Corinthians 4:18- NIV)

Humility

For thus says the High and Lofty One Who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: "I dwell in the high and holy place, With him who has a contrite and humble spirit, To revive the spirit of the humble, And to revive the heart of the contrite ones (Isaiah 57:15)

Pride challenges us all. Lucifer became prideful of his exquisite beauty and became corrupted. He lost his lofty position and fell. Pride brings us low. Humility exalts us.

Throughout scripture we are encouraged to humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God so that He can exalt us when we’re fully prepared to handle promotion.
In my first year with the Lord, the Father revealed the above scripture to me. Pride ran deep in my person. I knew it could hurt me and others. When I found out that the Father will draw near when we humble ourselves, I began to pursue humility.

I began my times of prayer with, Lord, I humble myself under your mighty hand. I saw roots of pride in so many things I did, wanting others to see my skill, my achievements, dressing to bring attention to myself, having to be in control in social situations, shifting blame instead of taking responsibility. Even self-pity is a form of pride and I was full of it.

If allowed, pride will destroy all that is lovely in a personality, wrapping its tentacles around that which is wholesome and degrading it.

We’ll have to deal with this pride as long as we live. Our relationship with the Father and the degree that He will use us will be determined by how we deal with the noxious weed of pride.

Knowing that pride was born in the heart of Lucifer makes it repulsive to me. That makes me want to push it out of my life and resist it. Rancid food will make you sick if you eat it, and pride will destroy you unless it’s brought under control.

The Father draws near the contrite heart. Let’s humble ourselves today. Open your heart and share your deepest thoughts and needs with the Father. Purposely humble yourself before Him. Ask Him to reveal how pride affects your behavior and ask Him to root it out of you. You’ll find yourself asking others to forgive you for the unkind word or the selfish display. Motivations and attitudes that have been seated in you for years will begin to yield as you purposely pursue the path of humility.

As water ever seeks the lowest place, so the presence of God seeks the humble. Give yourself to humility today!

My Father

I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have my being. May my meditation be sweet to Him; I will be glad in the Lord (Psalm 104:33-34)

My Father reigns supreme over all. When I’m lonely or confused I go to Him and pour my heart out. He knows exactly how I feel and infuses me with courage and strength.

When unrelenting fear comes, I go to Him and He brushes the fear away and points me to my faith in Him. He replaces the fear with a knowing that things will work out well for me. He always causes me to triumph in Christ.

When I’m faced with financial loss or lack, I go to Him and He provides wisdom for the next step. He assures me that He is my supply, and urges me to look away from the foreboding circumstance and keep my focus on Him.

When the enemy attacks with sickness, my Father urges me to stand my ground on His word and never cower or back down. He and His Word are one. He sent His Word and it heals me, and delivers me from my destructions.

When a friend turns his back on me and forsakes the relationship we’ve had, My Father takes me in His arms and comforts me. He shows me that though others may fail me and bring disappointment, He is a safe place for my emotions and my thoughts.

My Father has proved His love for me over and over again. When I get involved with something that would eventually bring me pain, harm, or hurt, He pulls me aside and talks to me about it. And then He shows me the proper way to deal with the issue.

He shows me when my motives are wrong, and allows me to pour my heart out to Him about it. He never threatens or loses patience with me. He calmly listens, then I can He His soft voice beckon me to obedience.

He always leads me towards peace. He is the tenderest person I have ever met. I feel safer with Him than with any person I have ever known. I often wonder what it will be like to actually meet Him for the first time face to face. In my mind, I see myself just melting to the ground in awe of Him. Then I see Him pick me up and hold me to Himself as He brushes away insecurity and self-consciousness. I see Him infusing me with His own nature through and through, finally releasing my soul from every trace of debris from my past. Then I see Him look away and point into the future. There I see the ages to come, where in eternity I experience what it means for mortality to be swallowed up by life.

So that for all future time he could show the very great riches of his grace by being kind to us in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:7 – NCV).

But, on the contrary, as the Scripture says, What eye has not seen and ear has not heard and has not entered into the heart of man, all that God has prepared (made and keeps ready) for those who love Him who hold Him in affectionate reverence, promptly obeying Him and gratefully recognizing the benefits He has bestowed (1 Corinthians 2:9 – Amplified).

Rest and Refreshing

Praying in the spirit or in other tongues is a gift that accompanies the baptism with the Holy Spirit. It is the will of God that every believer has the ability to pray in the spirit.

With the Holy Spirit baptism comes a greater degree of the presence of God in your life. And by praying in the spirit, there comes a deeper intimacy with Him.

Isaiah 28:11-12 reads: For with stammering lips and another tongue He will speak to this people, To whom He said, "This is the rest with which You may cause the weary to rest," and, This is the refreshing...Talking to the Father from your human spirit brings rest and refreshing! It’s a wonderful thing to be able to sit quietly in His presence and pray from your spirit. In this way intimacy with the Father is available to you twenty four hours a day anywhere in the world! During times of difficulty and emotional and mental turmoil, you can turn to your Father and pour your heart out to Him in words that He alone understands.

There’s just something about being totally real with someone that releases stress from your life. When you’re involved in challenges all around, praying in the spirit can take you to that place of solace where the Father can minister His rest and peace to your spirit!

As you work today you can quietly pray in the spirit and commune with the Father under your breath. As you shop, or as you mow the lawn, you can enjoyed uninterrupted communion with the Father of spirits . Take advantage of this “closet experience” throughout the day and you’ll find renewed strength for the task at hand.

He gives power to the tired and worn out, and strength to the weak (Isaiah 40:29 - Living). Praying in the spirit will enable you to wait on the Lord through your busy day today. Take advantage of it!

Spiritual Sensitivity

As I mentioned yesterday, the Baptism with the Holy Spirit enhances you’re ability to connect spiritually with the Lord. Let me go into more detail on what I mean.

When I pray in the spirit, my human spirit is talking to the Lord without the involvement of my mind. This direct spiritual connection to the Lord is so vital to effective prayer, for it enables you to pray the perfect will of God over a person or situation. It’s make prayer limitless!

But another part of this is that when I pray in the spirit, it helps me to tune into the voice of God in my human spirit. Notice again 1 Corinthians 14:14 (Amplified): For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit by the Holy Spirit within me prays, but my mind is unproductive; it bears no fruit and helps nobody. You see the Holy Spirit is in my spirit. That’s where He contacts me. His first contact with my human person is not with my mind, but with my spirit. And praying in tongues regularly helps me stay sensitive to my human spirit. And since the Holy Spirit is in my spirit, I become sensitive to Him too by praying in tongues.

Here another interesting tidbit about praying in tongues. It also helps me sort out the will of God in general for my life as well as the details of daily choices. 1 Corinthians 2: 9 (J.B. Phillips) reads: For who could really understand a man’s inmost thoughts except the spirit of man himself. How much less could anyone understand the thoughts of God except the very Spirit of God. God’s Word Translation of this verse reads: After all, who knows everything about a person except that person’s own spirit. My spirit intuitively knows things that my mind does not know, because the Holy Spirit is in my spirit. So praying in tongues helps me tap into the wisdom of God for life’s particulars.

1 Corinthians 14:13 tells us to ask for the interpretation of what we need to know when we pray in the spirit. Therefore let him who speaks in a tongue pray that he may interpret. So I regularly remind the Lord that I want to know what I’m praying about when I’m praying in tongues when He desires to tell me.

Back in November of 1993 I was praying in tongues one morning and thinking about what the Lord wanted me to do in my future. At the time I was pastoring a church for a pastor while he took a year away to start a church in another country. His time to come back to his church was approaching and I was wondering what the Lord had for me. After I finished praying in tongues for an hour, the words already existing church just seemed to float up to my mind from somewhere. I knew this came from my spirit and that the Lord was talking to me about my future after this pastor came back.

I kept this phrase already existing church in my heart for six months and it evolved into you will go to pastor an already existing church. And that already existing church is where I having been pastoring for the last almost 14 years! How did this come about? It happened because I took time to pray in the spirit and ask the Lord to let me know when He wanted to about what I was saying when I prayed in tongues.

Don’t underestimate the value of praying in tongues. Making it a daily practice will tune your spirit to hear the voice of God more clearly. And if you keep it up, then one day your future and God’s plan for your life will l blend into one!

Praying in Tongues

But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit (Jude 20).

One of the great benefits of receiving the Baptism with the Holy Spirit is the ability to pray in tongues or pray in the Spirit that comes with it. Praying in tongues is God’s method of bypassing the human mind in prayer and allowing spirit to Spirit communion with God. Some people would lead you to think that there is little value in praying in tongues. But let me ask you a question; is there any value in talking to God? 1 Corinthians 14:2(Amplified) reveals: For one who speaks in an unknown tongue speaks not to men but to God, for no one understands or catches his meaning, because in the Holy Spirit he utters secret truths and hidden things not obvious to the understanding. Praying in tongues provides a way for the believer to talk to the Father about things he would otherwise no nothing about.

I pray with my understanding every day throughout my day in English. But I also take time throughout the day to pray in tongues. When I exhaust my limited understand of how to pray for a person or situation I tell the Lord that I’m going to pray about that in tongues so that I cover anything that my didn’t know about the situation. Notice Romans 8:26-27:Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God. Praying in the Spirit or in tongues provides a way to pray the perfect prayer!

Praying in tongues will build you up or edify you spiritually. 1 Corinthian 14:4 reads:He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church. The word to edify in the Greek means to build up. A car battery is built up by the alternator while the car engine is running so that it has energy for the next time you need to start your car! Praying in tongues provides similar spiritual edification or building up. I pray in tongues for a couple of hours before I minister the word because it produces the necessary spiritual building up I need before I preach. I get up every morning and pray in the spirit to build myself up spiritually for the day.

Some people question the validity of praying in tongues, saying that it is an emotional experience that produces no fruit. I say that a person with an experience is never at the mercy of a person with an argument! I’ve benefitted so much over the years that it’s a mute point to discuss with those who don’t or won’t believe in this experience. My life has been dramatically altered for the better as a result of praying in tongues every day!

I’ll talk about this awesome experience more tomorrow! Take time today to pray in the spirit!

Three Things

Three things happen to the person who receives the baptism with the Holy Spirit. They receive boldness to witness, an increase in understanding of the word, and they receive a new way to pray!

Acts 1:8 reads: 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. The Greek word for power here is dunamis and from this word we get our English words dynamic, dynamite, and dynamo. There is inherent power produced within the believer when baptized with the Holy Spirit. The day after I was Spirit baptized, I noticed a boldness that rose up within me that I had never experienced before. As a 17 year old, I was working in a grocery store the day after I received the baptism with the Holy Spirit, and a girl asked for a cigarette. Well, I threw mine away the day before, and simply had no desire for them. I started to tell her that I quit, but before I could speak the Holy Spirit from deep within me prodded me to tell her that Jesus set me free from smoking. When I told her that, she was so surprised that I thought she would fall in the floor! And then a joy rose up in me that I had never experienced before. Ever since then that boldness has risen up in me.

The second thing that you will notice after having received the baptism with the Holy Spirit is that a greater hunger for and understanding of the Word will come. 1 Corinthians 2:14 reads: But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. The Holy Spirit authored the Bible. He inspired men to write as they were moved by Him. When He comes into your life in fullness, He will take the Word and unfold its deeper meanings to your spirit. It one thing to intellectually understand the Word, but it’s an awesome experience to suddenly gain the spiritual application of it when you read. I experienced this the day after I was Spirit baptized in 1976. As I read passages that I had known since childhood, suddenly the revelation of their spiritual application to me poured from the pages I read! It’s totally amazing.

The third thing that you receive with the Holy Spirit baptism is a new way to connect with God. Praying is in a whole new realm. It’s one thing to try to connect with the Father with mind to Spirit communication; that is, your mind seeking to make contact with Him who is the sum total of all knowledge! But it’s awesome to be able to contact the Father directly sprit to Spirit. When you pray in tongues after being Spirit baptized, you gain an ability to speak in tongues which is your human spirit making direct contact with the Father of spirits! 1 Corinthians 14:14 (Amplified) declares: For if I pray in an [unknown] tongue, my spirit [by the Holy Spirit within me] prays, but my mind is unproductive [it bears no fruit and helps nobody]. Things that were pent up in me for years were released as I prayed in the spirit or in other tongues. This is the perfect way to pray, because when you’re praying in tongues, you’re praying the perfect will of God for whatever you’re praying about!

Don’t neglect the precious gift of the baptism with the Holy Spirit. Allow it to be a door that opens you to a new realm of spiritual experience and understanding as you receive boldness, illumination, and a new prayer language.

Immersed

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).

The baptism with the Holy Spirit changes you. Let me explain why it should. The Greek word for baptize is baptizo. And this word simply means to immerse into something. When a person is baptized into water, the substance that they are baptized in or immersed in is water. The person’s relationship to water changes in that water completely surrounds the person baptized.

Well, then when a person is baptized with the Holy Spirit, what is the person immersed into? They are immersed into the Holy Spirit. On Sunday, I used an illustration of a cup being filled with water, which is illustrative of a believer being born again and the Holy Spirit indwelling them. In the new birth, the Holy Spirit takes up residence in the believer. Then, I took the cup full of water and immersed it into a pitcher of water. The cup’s relationship with water changed. Not only did water fill the cup, but it surrounded it!

When you receive the baptism with the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit literally encapsulates you, that is, he closes you in on all sides. Understand that the Jesus told the disciples that the Holy Spirit would come when He left the earth and would be to the disciples everything Jesus was to them. The main job of the Holy Spirit is to make Jesus real to us!

My life took a dramatic turn with the Holy Spirit baptism in 1976. When the Holy Spirit engulfed me with Himself that Sunday night at 7:20 P.M., I had an awareness of Jesus that I never had before. As I worked the next day, my thoughts were constantly on the Son of God! I found myself relating my experiences throughout the day to my relationship with Jesus in a very natural way. I thought of my relationship with Jesus all the time.

The Holy Spirit brings spiritual power and insight when He comes into your life. You have this spiritual power and insight with the new birth in a measure. But with the baptism with the Holy Spirit it is magnified many times over.

If you’ve baptized in the Holy Spirit, I encourage you to walk in the light of the experience. Nurture your relationship with the Holy Spirit daily by spending time in the Word and in prayer and meditation. His presence will get stronger if you do. And if you have not yet received this precious experience, cry out to the Father for it. They that hunger and thirst after righteousness will be fill. If any man thirsts let him come unto me and drink! He promised to give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him!

The Baptism with the Holy Spirit

And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, "which," He said, "you have heard from Me; for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now (Acts 1:4-5).

We live in a day when many believers are shying away from the power of God manifested though the baptism with the Holy Spirit. Having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away (2 Timothy 3:5). If there’s ever been a time that we need the power of God,it’s today!

Jesus told the disciples not to leave Jerusalem until they were clothed with the power that comes in being baptized with the Holy Spirit. I sometimes illustrate it this way. What would you rather do; plow a field with a large tractor or with a mule? If you’re cutting a board which is easier; using a handsaw or a skill saw? Would you rather wash dishes by hand or use a dishwasher? Cutting grass with a push mower is not nearly as easy as with a riding mower! You’d want to wash clothes in a washing machine instead of with a scrub board wouldn’t you?

The baptism with the Holy Spirit brings new power to live for God with it! That’s because the baptism with the Holy Spirit relates you to the Holy Spirit in such a more intimate way. It opens you up to spiritual fellowship with Jesus in a way no experience can!

The disciples first received this experience in Acts 2 on the day of Pentecost. Several years later, believers in Samaria received in Acts 8. Then 10 years later in Acts 10 some Gentile believers received it. And then 20 years after Pentecost some believers in Ephesus received t his awesome experience in Acts 19. All of these believer spoke with other tongues when they received. And if you receive the same experience now, you should expect to speak in other tongues too!

I received the baptism with the Holy Spirit in 1976 and my life was radically transformed. I’ve walked in the light of this experience now for almost 32 years. I simply could not imagine living without this intimacy with the Father and with Jesus that comes with the Holy Spirit baptism.

If you have not yet received this experience, cry out to the Father in hunger for it! If you have received, then walk daily in the light of it. Don’t neglect such great a give from Jesus. He want your life to be overflowing with His Life, His love, His ability, His peace, joy, and rest. And the baptism with the Holy Spirit is the catalyst to begin the process that will take you there!

Obedience and Miracles

Now Jericho was securely shut up because of the children of Israel; none went out, and none came in. And the Lord said to Joshua: "See! I have given Jericho into your hand, its king, and the mighty men of valor. You shall march around the city, all you men of war; you shall go all around the city once. This you shall do six days. And seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark. But the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets. It shall come to pass, when they make a long blast with the ram's horn, and when you hear the sound of the trumpet, that all the people shall shout with a great shout; then the wall of the city will fall down flat. And the people shall go up every man straight before him (Joshua 6:1-5)

Obedience creates an atmosphere for miracles! Sometimes the Father asks us to do things that seem outlandish to the mind. Here He told Joshua that He had given Jericho into his hands while the walls were still up. Then the instructions seemed to take a strange twist. March around the city once a day for six days. They may have wondered, so what good is that going to do? Then the Lord instructed Joshua to have the Israelites march around the walls on the seventh day and while they marched to let the priests blow their trumpets. I’m sure to their minds this seemed ridiculous. But the Israelites and Joshua knew that God’s ways are higher than ours and that obedience and faith combined open circumstances to the power of the Almighty! The walls fell down flat! It was unlikely, but it happened!

Elijah told a widow to bake him some bread from her last morsel of flour and last drop of oil and her flour and oil supply would not run out during a severe famine. It happened! Elisha told the captain of the Syrian army to go bath in the dirty water of the Jordan River seven times and he would be healed of leprosy. It was such a foolish command that he didn’t want to do it. But after being convinced that it was worth a try by his servants, he took the seven baths and was totally healed!

Moses held a stick over the Red Sea and it parted. He struck a rock with a stick and water came out of it. Jesus fed thousand with a little boy’s lunch. The fisherman Peter defied fisherman logic and at Jesus’ request threw His nets into the water in a place that he thought had no fish and he caught a net breaking amount! Jesus rubbed mud in a man’s eyes and his sight was restored.

Obedience creates the atmosphere for miracles. So go ahead and obey God! Love the un-loveable. Reward good for evil. Bring your tithes and offerings into the storehouse. Give and it will be given to you. Take the lowest place. Believe that you receive answered prayer while nothing seems to change. Lay hands on the sick.

When you obediently practice the Word, it opens your life up to the power of God! What He’s done before, He can do again. He’s not partial. He watches over His Word to make it good!

Conformed

For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren (Romans 8:29).

Once we’re born again, God wants us to be conformed to the image of His Son. This word conformed is the Greek word ‎summorphoo‎, which means to bring to the same form with. The root of this word is morphe which means an outward expression of an inward essence or nature.

In the New Birth, our spirits are made new creatures in Christ. Old things pass away; all things become new. And what should take place is that what has been placed on the inside should begin to show up in our daily behavior. Years ago we sang a song, “I’ve got something on the inside working on the outside…” That’s the idea here.

Paul prayed for the Galatians believers, My little children, for whom I labor in birth again until Christ is formed in you (Galatians 4:19). This word formed in this verse is the Greek word morphe which again means an outward expression of an inner nature. He was praying that the New Birth experience would begin to show up on the outside in the daily lives of these believers.

Paul travailed in prayer for these believers. Travail is intense prayer. It denotes agony and tears much like a woman giving birth to a child. So instead of complaining about the lack of Christ likeness we may see in others, we should pray as Paul did that Christ may be formed in them.

All of us are the process of being conformed to the image of Jesus. What’s on the inside is rising up to be seen on the outside! Let’s pray for each other today that this process would be completed. We’re morphing!

Prayer Importance

Pray at all times (on every occasion, in every season) in the Spirit, with all [manner of] prayer and entreaty. To that end keep alert and watch with strong purpose and perseverance, interceding in behalf of all the saints (God's consecrated people)(Ephesians 6:18-20 - Amplified).

Religious ideas block the importance of prayer. The ones I’m speaking of are the ones that tell you that God is in control of everything. And yes, in His sovereignty He is in control of the full scope of things from beginning to the end. But for now, because of Adam’s failure, he has ceded control to us. Adam’s dominion (Genesis 1:26) was given to Satan when Adam failed. Satan became the god of this world (2 Corinthians 4:4; John 14:30; 1 John 5:19), which means for a limited time in the scope of eternity, Satan has a legal right to steal, kill, and destroy.

Due to Adam’s disobedience and subsequent transfer of legal, God-given authority to Satan, God must obtain legal permission through prayer to invade our circumstances. It’s obvious that God’s will is not being carried out in much of life. It’s not His will that divorces occur, that children are abused, that people are maimed or killed in wrecks and disasters, that wars ravage a nation, that churches split, that people are murdered, that crooks steal, etc.

Prayer is our invitation to the Father to once again invade our circumstances and bring change. Prayer is us using our legal authority in Christ to invoke God’s help in the intricacies of life. Prayer is giving God legal permission to work in a situation or individual. Without our asking in prayer, God is hindered in providing help.

So don’t buy into the religious notion that God is in charge of everything, so just let it happen! In prayer ask for His aid and help in every circumstance you encounter! We are laborers together with God!

Because praying in faith and praying in the spirit are such powerful weapons, the enemy seeks to keep the saints from praying. He usually does this by making them so busy that they just don’t fit prayer into their schedule. Don’t buy into this! Make time to pray!

I’ll leave you with some random quotes from E.M. Bounds book The Weapon of Prayer, pages 7 -12:

He rules the world as He rules the church, through prayer. When the church is in the condition of prayer, God’s cause always flourishes, and His kingdom on earth always triumphs. When the church fails to pray, God’s cause decays, and evil of every kind prevails. God works through the prayers of His people, and when they fail Him at this point, decline and deadness follow. Praying saints are God’s agents for carrying on His saving and providential work on earth. If His agents fail Him, neglecting to pray, then His work fails. Praying agents of the Most High are always forerunners of spiritual prosperity. How we estimate and place prayer is hoe we estimate and place God. To give prayer a secondary place is to make God secondary in life’s affairs. When Satan can keep us too busy to stop and pray, he has effectively disarmed us!

Yoked

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy-laden and overburdened, and I will cause you to rest. I will ease and relieve and refresh your souls. Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me, for I am gentle (meek) and humble (lowly) in heart, and you will find rest ( relief and ease and refreshment and recreation and blessed quiet) for your souls. For My yoke is wholesome (useful, good — not harsh, hard, sharp, or pressing, but comfortable, gracious, and pleasant), and My burden is light and easy to be borne (Matt 11:28-30 - Amplified)

We are yoked with Jesus! When I’m in Ethiopia traveling south from Addis, I see oxen yoked together plowing in a field. Or we’re passing through a small town and I see donkeys yoked together pulling a cart. The yoke connects the oxen or donkeys by the neck and evenly distributes the load they are pulling.

The main deal is that the yoke will only work well if the oxen or the donkeys that are yoked walk in step with each other. If one stops, it hinders the other and they don’t get very far.

To be yoked with Jesus means that He is helping me with my load. If I fail to walk in sync with Him then I causing undue stress and I’m not taking advantage of the help He’s offering. He has much more power and ability than I do, so He brings to the yoke process the majority of strength. If I’ll just walk with Him by being a doer of the Word, then He carries the load and I have a carefree stroll walking along beside Him.

If I was yoked to a person weak and smaller than me, then I would be helping them carry their load! But every day, Jesus wants to be yoked with me as I work, as I relate to family, as I deal with finances, as I deal with children, as I minister. This produces a rest for me because someone else is helping with most of the task I’m involved with all day long! And the someone yoked to me is so much bigger than me!

Don’t resist the yoke that Jesus offers you today! His yoke is easy, and He will lighten the load. Act on His Word, speak the Word, fellowship with Him in prayer, and enjoy the stroll!

First Love

Nevertheless I have this against you that you have left your first love. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place unless you repent (Revelation 2:4-5)

It’s a wise thing to give yourself a spiritual checkup every now and then. I want to post today an excerpt from a newsletter I received from David Wilkerson in 2005. Allow his works to speak to your life. Take some time to wait on the Lord today:

May I give you a short word, which I believe is from the mind of Christ through the Holy Spirit? It has to do with what I believe is one of the greatest needs in the church today. It is a word every believer ought to hear. This is the word: Growing numbers of Christians are no longer fully satisfied with Christ. He is being dethroned by what the Lord Himself called thorns. He defined thorns as the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the lust of other things entering in. Christ said these are the thorns that choke the Word and cause it to become unfruitful. I ask you, is the Lord more on your mind than a year ago? Do you spend more time in His presence than a year ago? Is your passion for Him growing or withering? Many of those who were once passionately in love with Christ now run about pursuing their own interests. They’re burdened down with stress and problems, chasing after riches and the things of this world. They have grown cold or lukewarm, and have less and less time for Jesus. The Lord and His church now only get an hour of their time, on Sunday mornings. Jesus said, If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered (John 15:6). In other words, that person is drying up, no longer drawing from the true vine. Yet he is deceived by thinking all is well, because he still speaks the language of intimacy he once enjoyed with Christ. Riches and the things that are necessary in life are not evil in themselves. All of us face cares and troubles in this life. The sin comes in the time and energy we spend in pursuing these things, at the expense of neglecting Christ. Dear saint of God, one day soon we will stand before our blessed Christ to face His judgment seat. We will see Him face to face. I want to stand in His presence as a fruitful son, not ushered into His presence as a lukewarm, withered, estranged, thorn-choked servant. I hear the Holy Spirit calling the Lord’s people back to their first love. Back to hungering and thirsting for more of Christ. Back to spending quality time in His presence. Back to loving His Word. Back to casting all cares upon Him. Back to depending on Him for guidance.

In all of our activity today, let’s stay in close fellowship with the one person that means more to us than anything. He’s always available to us. Are we always available to Him?