Delegated Authority

Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you (Luke 10:19).

Jesus has delegated to us His own authority over Satan and his cohorts! The word authority in the above verse means delegated authority. It’s an authority given to us by another.

A police officer controlling traffic on the street is operating under delegated authority. He doesn’t have personal power to stop those heavy vehicles. But when he holds up his hand, the drivers of the vehicles recognize his delegated authority! The drivers recognize that behind the police officer is the power of the city or state that he represents.

When we use the name of Jesus, Satan recognizes the power behind that name! The believer that knows his rights and privileges in Christ has a real authority over satanic forces!

Satan thought he had defeated Jesus when he had him killed. But Jesus death brought us His resurrection power! But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory (1 Corinthians 2:7-8).

Notice the victory that Jesus gained over Satan: God disarmed the principalities and powers that were ranged against us and made a bold display and public example of them, in triumphing over them in Him and in it the cross (Colossians 2:15 – Amplified).The Message paraphrase of this verse says it well: He stripped all the spiritual tyrants in the universe of their sham authority at the Cross and marched them naked through the streets.

We are now seated in heavenly places in Christ! That simply means that we share His authority! According to Ephesians 1, Jesus is seated at a place that is far above all principality, power, might, and dominion. And we are seated with Him in that place of authority!

Philippians 2 reveals that God has given Jesus the name that is above every name. And at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, in heaven, on earth, and under the earth! Men, angels, and demons must bow to that name.

Don’t allow Satan to harass you with sickness and disease, poverty, oppression, depression, and fear. Use your delegated authority and command him to leave you in Jesus’ name! He has to obey. For backing you is the authority of the throne of God. Satan is a defeated foe!

Faith for Answered Prayer

One of the greatest stress relievers I know of is answered prayer. One of the most spiritually productive things you can do is to develop your faith in God to answer prayer!

I was raised in church and frequently heard that when God answers prayer, He sometimes says yes, sometimes says maybe or wait a while, and sometimes says no. And I heard that if prayer was not answered, then what was prayed must not have been the will of God.

All of this is carnal thinking! As I began to read the Bible, I saw clearly that the Father wants to answer prayer! And not with a no or a maybe, but with a resounding yes! So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened (Luke 11:9-10).

First, find scripture that covers what you are praying about. That is, make sure according to the Word that what you’re praying about is the will of God. Once you do that, pray, stand your ground in faith, and expectantly wait for the answer!

Prayer is a sure cure for worry, which is really faith in reverse! Prayer is an excellent way to release your faith in the Father to work in the circumstances of your life. Don’t worry and brood over problems that arise. Pray and ask the Father to work them out!

Make these scripture a part of your daily meditation. They will build up in your faith in the Father to answer your prayers!

And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive (Matthew 21:22)Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them (Mark 11:24). If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you (John 15:7). And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you. Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full (John 16:23-24). And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight (1 John 3:22). Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him (1 John 5:14-15).

No Sickness Allowed!

So you shall serve the Lord your God, and He will bless your bread and your water. And I will take sickness away from the midst of you (Exodus 23:25).

God originally planned for us to live in these bodies for eternity. Sin marred God’s plan and introduced its offspring of sickness, disease, and death. Our redemption in Christ guarantees us freedom from sickness. And eventually our last enemy death will be destroyed by the Son of God!

When God delivered the Israelites out of Egypt, He made a covenant of healing with them that was perpetual and was more sure than the rising of the sun. And said, If you diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the Lord who heals you (Exodus 15:26).

This healing covenant is still in force, and is now a part of our inheritance in Christ. We have a better covenant established on better promises! We are redeemed from the curse of the broken law (Galatians 3:13). This involved poverty, sickness, and spiritual death.

It’s important that we keep our faith built up for the healing and health of our bodies. Faith comes by hearing the word! Take time to meditate on the promises of God for your health. Don’t allow sickness to trespass in your body. You have a legal right to health under the terms of your covenant! You must insist that Satan keep his hands off your body!

The moment symptom appear in your body, command in the name of Jesus that they leave! Believe right then that you receive healing based on your covenant with God. Remind Him of His promises, and act like He heard you! Don’t sign for the “package” of sickness that Satan brings by confessing the symptoms. Refuse it and tell him that it's not yours.

Expect the Holy Spirit to quicken your body. Expect health and healing to be yours life long! How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him (Acts 10:38). That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: He Himself took our infirmities And bore our sicknesses (Matthew 8:17). Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness — by whose stripes you were healed (1 Peter 2:24).

Keep the healing Word of God built up inside of you. Meditate on these healing promises daily. Speak health and healing, not sickness and disease. Expect the Father to bless your food when you eat, and expect Him to keep sickness away from you.

George Washington’s Proclamation

Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people He has chosen for His inheritance. The LORD looks from heaven; He sees all the sons of men. From the place of His dwelling He looks on all the inhabitants of the earth; He fashions their hearts individually; He considers all their works. No king is saved by the multitude of an army; a mighty man is not delivered by great strength. A horse is a vain hope for safety; neither shall it deliver any by its great strength. Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear Him, on those who hope in His mercy, To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine. Our soul waits for the LORD; He is our help and our shield. For our heart shall rejoice in Him, because we have trusted in His holy name. Let Your mercy, O LORD, be upon us, just as we hope in You (Psalm 33.12-22).

We enjoyed Thanksgiving Day with our children. Today, we’ll be in SC visiting my parents.

The following is George Washington’s Thanksgiving proclamation from 1789. We need leaders today that will humble themselves before God in this way:

Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor; and Whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me to "recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness:"

Now, therefore, I do recommend and assign Thursday, the 26th day of November next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies and the favorable interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed; for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and, in general, for all the great and various favors which He has been pleased to confer upon us.

And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions; to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually; to render our National Government a blessing to all the people by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all sovereigns and nations (especially such as have shown kindness to us), and to bless them with good governments, peace, and concord; to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us; and, generally to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as He alone knows to be best.

A Thankful Heart

Before an individual or a nation goes astray, they lose their thankfulness. Because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened (Romans 1:21).

The early settlers here in America were thankful for the provision God had provided after their arrival and the harsh winter that ensued. They held a feast together and gave thanks for the blessings of God.

In 1789 George Washington proclaimed a day of thanks for God’s blessing and favor on our nation. In 1863 Abraham Lincoln also signed a Thanksgiving proclamation. Then in 1941 the US Congress passed a law declaring the fourth Thursday of November as a national day of Thanksgiving.

Let’s take some time today to give thanks to our Father for His provision of life and resources. It is He that has made us, and not we ourselves. Don’t take for granted the blessings of friends and family, of food and shelter, and of the freedom and liberty that you enjoy.

Remember today those who have had life changes; a divorce or a death in the family. Holidays bring stress to many. Ask the Father to help them and minister to them.

I’ll leave you today with scripture concerning giving of thanks:

When you have eaten and are full, then you shall bless the LORD your God for the good land which He has given you (Deuteronomy 8:10). It is good to give thanks to the LORD, and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High (Psalm 92:1). Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name (Psalm 100:4). Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy (Psalm 107:1-2). Giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ (Ephesians 5:20).

Susan and I pray that the Father will continue to reveal Himself to you, and to provide for your every need. Happy Thanksgiving!

A Jealous Lover

Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, the Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously? (James 4:5).

The Holy Spirit is a jealous lover. He is jealous over what occupies our thoughts, our time, our ambitions, and our daily lives. His major job is to make Jesus real to us.

He works constantly to keep us on the path of righteousness, bearing conviction through the Word when we go astray. His goal is our Christ-likeness. We should be thankful for this jealous lover that the Father has placed within us.

The Holy Spirit wants us to hear the words well done good and faithful servant when we stand before the Father one day. He works incessantly to keep us out of trouble and close to Jesus and the Father.

We should be careful not to grieve Him through neglect of conscience, bearing unforgiveness towards others, or by the wrong use of our words or our anger. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you (Ephesians 4:30-32).

The Holy Spirit is chosen by Jesus and the Father to be our constant companion throughout life. Listening to Him will keep us out of trouble and will enable us to fulfill the will of the Father every day. He is very sensitive to the Word. One of His major responsibilities is to open the Word to us, making it real and applicable to daily life. He feels neglected when we don’t spend time with the Father in the Word.

I’ve found that one of the best ways to pray for fellow believers that goes astray is to pray for this jealous yearning of the Holy Spirit to rise us within them. I pray that everywhere they are and everywhere they go the Holy Spirit will woo them and make then uncomfortable with wrong living. I’ve seen some wonderful answers to prayer by this method.

Honor the jealous lover in your life today. If you do, He will give you’re his joy and peace. These only comes through obedience to the Word and obedience to His incessant pull away from the world and to Jesus and the Father. Remember, you are never alone!

Your Natural Life Reflects Your Spiritual Condition

Do not waste time arguing over godless ideas and old wives' tales. Instead, train yourself to be godly. Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come. This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it (1Timothy 4:7-9 - New Living Translation)

Your natural life is a direct reflection of your spiritual condition. What you are on the outside is the result of who you are within. The mental habits that you have spill over into every crevice of life, both natural and spiritual.

Our outward world parallels our inner world. When you make strides toward God, and increase in spirituality, there should also be a change in natural behavior, or it’s not true spiritual increase!

If you’re late for work, you’ll also be late in being faithful to a ministry obligation. If you’re not passionate about natural life responsibilities, you won’t be passionate about spiritual responsibilities. If you see no value in obeying natural law, you may show the same disrespect for spiritual authority. IF you’re a lazy bones naturally, and find it hard to get motivated to perform, you’ll be lazy bones spiritually and will lack spiritual passion.

If I look in your car and see all kinds of debris in the floorboard and seats, it tells me that you don’t value excellence, and you’ll be prone to under perform spiritually! If I walk into your home and it’s consistently untidy, that tells a lot about your values. Excellence starts with thinking, and will filter into all we are and do.

When God started the process of changing my life with His Word, my natural life began to feel the pressure to change! And it’s been changing ever since!

When I’m looking for those to help me in ministry, I look at these natural areas first. You can pray fervently, shout loudly, and preach like you’re spitting cotton! But if natural things don’t sing the same song, it’s all a bluff!

Give yourself a check-up today. What’s your natural life saying about what you value right now. Remember, your natural life is a direct reflection of your spiritual condition.

God and the Eagle

You have seen what I did to the Egyptians and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to Myself (Exodus 19:4). As an eagle stirs up its nest, hovers over its young, spreading out its wings, taking them up, carrying them on its wings, so the Lord alone led him, And there was no foreign god with him (Deut 32:11-12).

An eagle must lead his young to maturity or they will die. The baby eaglet is helpless at birth and must be fed and cared for by its mother. High in a nest on the crag of a mountain cliff, the baby eagle is protected from anything that would bring harm. The mother had lined the nest with her soft feathers prior to the eaglet’s birth, and the first part of the eaglet’s life is filled with comfort as mother brings it daily food.

But the baby eagle will soon become so large that the mother cannot carry it enough food, and the nest will become too small to support its weight. If the eaglet’s wings are not strengthened, it will one day die of starvation.

So one day the mother eagle comes to the nest after a time of hunting for food, and to the eaglet’s surprise, begins to tear the down feathers from the bottom of the nest, leaving sharp thorns and twigs exposed. Chaffed from the thorns, the baby eaglet jumps to the side of the nest, and to its shock, the mother hits it with her beak and pushes it off of the nest.

It plunges toward the ground below to what looks like a certain death. But just before it hits the ground, the mother swoops down and catches the eaglet on her back and flies safely to the nest, only to repeat this process over and over.

What the baby thinks is harshness is really the mother loving her child enough to train it to fly. Without the seeming harshness, the dependant eaglet would one day die of starvation.

The Father in a similar way deals with us as children of God. As we mature, the challenges of life come to us. Sometimes His Spirit leads us down a path filled with uncomfortable things that force us to exercise our faith, and to believe in what we cannot see. His gentle firm hand is leading us to walk by faith so that we are not choked by circumstances in our future. He teaches us to navigate life by faith. In doing so, in His wisdom, He allows the difficult to come our way.

Don’t forget that Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. The Spirit of God actually led Jesus into a hard place. He may lead you there too. Without the hard places of life, you’ll not develop spiritual muscles that will lift you above life’s circumstances. I’m not talking here about God putting sickness or disease on us, or causing hurtful things like accidents or tragedy. I’m referring to God purposely leading you into a place that demands faith!

Some of the greatest growth places in my life have also been the hardest. God was kicking me out of the nest. He wanted me to develop my character and my faith.

When your way seems challenging, remember the little eaglet. The Father wants you to stretch your faith wings and learn to live by faith! Don’t despise the hard place. Allow it to help you grow!

The Right Attitude

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials (James 1:2).

If we have the right attitude, then every challenge and hardship that comes our way can be an opportunity to become a stronger believer. Satan often brings tests and challenges into our lives to defeat us. He has yet to learn that the very think he uses to defeat us is the very thing that enables our spiritual muscles to become strong!

When we resist the pressure of difficult circumstance with the word, we grow a bit spiritually. When we choose to keep our chin up when things “go south,” we’re choosing to allow our spirit to override our fleshly responses, and we’re gaining ground in the spirit.

If you’re going through a hard time and you feel stuck, as though there’s no way out, look up! Expect the Father to make a way for you! Instead of whining and complaining about how hard it is, look up to the Father and give thanks for His goodness and expect Him to deliver you.

Your attitude in a test shows where your focus is! Don’t look the things seen and felt, look at the Word and God’s promises to deliver and help! While we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal (2 Corinthians 4:18) He’s promised to never leaver or forsake us (Heb. 13:5); to be with us in trouble (Psalm 91:15); to be our very present help (Psalm 46:1); that we are more than conquerors (Romans 8:37); and to deliver us from difficulty (Psalm 37: 39-40).

While on top of a mountain in Ethiopia, in the midst of pelting rain, slogging uphill in mud, I thought about the importance of my attitude. I could not change the circumstance I was in. I had to go through it. So I just determined to use the experience as a spiritual stepping stone, and began to praise God for His goodness in my life, and for helping me get through this. It made the two and a half mile trek through the mud, rain, and cold much shorter!

Make sure your attitude point you to the Father and His Word during the challenges of today! If you do, tonight you’ll be stronger!

Look Ahead

Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you (Proverbs 4:25 – Living).

To walk in the best that God has for you, it’s important to look ahead, not behind. Think about how many people live in the shadow of what they have done. If it’s negative, the past becomes a weight, or a strong chain, holding you back and keeping you from progressing. If you only in the light of past accomplishments, you’ll feel depressed, thinking that nothing could get better than that.

But our best days are ahead of us. I heard Lester Sumrall say many times, Nothing that I have done, nothing that I am doing, is to be compared to what I’m going to do for Jesus!

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

During an era of great personal hardship in my life, my mind wanted to focus on where I had been, what I had accomplished, and how God had used me. It made me feel as though my days of usefulness and adventure were over. The Lord graciously showed me the dead end street I was on, and urged me to look ahead and believe Him for greater things.

During this time, as I was working one day God used a song by Steve Green to adjust my focus from behind to ahead. I broke down in sobs of thanksgiving as he sang: He who began a good work in you, He who began a good work in you, He’ll be faithful to complete it, He’ll be faithful to complete it. He who started the work will be faithful to complete it in you.

Let you daily confession be that your best days are yet to come! Think of all things that the Father has put in your heart, and make them the focus of your mental attention. If you want them badly enough, as you seek God, and pursue diligence, the Father and you will find a way to bring those desires to pass.

Remember that the path of the just is as a shining light, that shines more and more until that perfect day (Proverbs 4:18). Remember that He will perfect that which concerns me (Psalm 138:8). Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ (Philippians 1:6).

In the end, we become what we really expect. Expect God’s best!

Wisdom

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction. (Proverbs 1:7) Happy is the man who finds wisdom, And the man who gains understanding (Proverbs 3:13).

A head full of knowledge without wisdom is useless. Wisdom mixed with knowledge brings success. Wisdom is the ability to use knowledge correctly.

The vantage point of wisdom is seeing all of creation in the light of the moral laws of God and cooperating with them. Wisdom means being skillful and successful in one's relationships and responsibilities ... observing and following the Creator's principles of order in the moral universe (Dr. Roy Zuck). 1

Warren Weirsbe reveals: Biblical wisdom has little if any relationship to a person's IQ or education, because it is a matter of moral and spiritual understanding. It has to do with character and values; it means looking at the world through the grid of God's truth. 2

Notice the benefits of wisdom as mentioned in Proverbs 3:14-18: For her proceeds are better than the profits of silver, and her gain than fine gold. She is more precious than rubies, and all the things you may desire cannot compare with her. Length of days is in her right hand, in her left hand riches and honor. Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, and happy are all who retain her.

The above verse in Proverbs tells us that if we walk in wisdom we’ll have length of days, riches, honor, pleasantness, peace, life, and happiness.

Jesus said that if we seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, that all the things we need for life will be given to us (Matthew 6:33). That is walking in wisdom!

Now here is the great news. Jesus is our wisdom in life. Notice 1 Corinthians 1:30: But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God — and righteousness and sanctification and redemption . You don’t have to grunt and strain for wisdom. If you’re in Christ, you have it! All you need to do is to open yourself to receive the wisdom that is already there.

Of course James tells to ask if we lack wisdom, and if we ask without wavering in unbelief, we’ll receive the needed wisdom for the moment.

Let’s stop saying, well, I just don’t know what to do about this or that. Let’s let our confession be that God is granting us His wisdom in every endeavor of life. He is enabling us to see the end from the beginning!

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1. From The Bible Exposition Commentary: Old Testament © 2001-2004 by Warren W. Wiersbe. All rights reserved.

2. Ibid.

Independent of Circumstances

It is not that I speak as regards a need, for, so far as I am concerned, I have come to learn, in the circumstances in which I am placed, to be independent of these and self-sufficient. I know in fact how to discipline myself in lowly circumstances. I know in fact how to conduct myself when I have more than enough. In everything and in all things I have learned the secret, both to be satiated and to be hungry, and to have more than enough and to lack. I am strong for all things in the One who constantly infuses strength in me (Philippians 4:10-13 – Wuest). (1)

Several years ago, we had a scheduled evangelistic campaign during a trip to Ethiopia that did not go as planned. That Friday morning began early for us. We traveled to a remote site on top of a mountain that was over 9,000 feet in elevation. The air is thin that high up and you fatigue much more quickly! We were filled with expectation as we walked a crooked dirt path to the place where the meetings would be held.

Hundreds of people looked silently at us with bewildered faces. Twenty armed guards had been sent to stop the meetings. The reason was that a disgruntled former church leader had forced a law that every open public meeting must have approval from the territorial authorities. Those planning the meeting had overlooked this seemingly small detail to our chagrin.

To add insult to injury, it began to rain. Not just the typical daily rain that frequented this quaint mountain site, but a deluge! We ran for cover under the porch of a nearby building, abandoning the shelter of the primitive brush harbor that offered no shelter from hard rain.

When the rain ended over an hour later, the once clear mountain path we had taken had become a bog of pure red mud! We slogged up hill for over two miles with the thin air exhausting us! Then the rain began again!

On my uphill trek, I thought of this verse. As the cold rain pelted us, and as the mud clung to shoes and coated the cuffs of our pants, I thought of how quickly circumstances can change. And of how important it is when the going gets tough, to keep our eyes of the finish line!

You may be facing what seems like an endless stream of hardship. Take to heart the message found in this scripture. With the power of God enabling us, we can endure every hardship. Jesus endured the hardship of the cross by seeing before Him the joy of millions of believers basking in His presence in eternity.

You can face the difficulty this day may bring because of the promise of God’s providential care for His beloved. We are assured and know that God being a partner in their labor all things work together and are fitting into a plan for good to and for those who love God and are called according to His design and purpose (Romans 8:28 – Amplified). Regardless of the circumstance, expect God’s best!

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(1) From The New Testament: An Expanded Translation by Kenneth S. Wuest Copyright © 1961 by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. All rights reserved.

The Results of Hardness

Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; but exhort one another daily, while it is called "Today," lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin (Hebrews 3:12-13).

While in Ethiopia several years ago, I saw firsthand what can happen when a precious brother in Christ goes astray. A man who walked with us, prayed with us, loved God with us, began seeking to prevent God’s purposes from coming to pass. This wonderful brother defied conscience, allowing personal pride, selfishness, and greed to weaken his conscience, eventually becoming hard-hearted and harming the very people he once led. He led authorities to refuse us permission to hold an evangelistic crusade where hundreds were waiting to hear the gospel. He has begun to threaten physically the very people who once mentored him.

In 1 Timothy 1:19-20, Paul mentions Hymenaeus and Alexander who betrayed conscience and forsook God’s best. In Acts 5 we read of Annanias and Sapphira who died because of their sin against the Holy Spirit.

When we see a precious saint of God go astray, we may think that we are immune, and may wonder how this could happen. A wise believer will always remain aware that he could likewise harden his heart.

A conscience repeatedly violated opens a door in your life to the enemy and gradually shuts God out. It happens at a slow pace, and the end of a seared conscience is spiritual ruin.

It’s the little foxes that spoil the vines. Keep your heart. Watch the small things that creep into life and are not dealt with. Expose every thought, attitude and action to the One who knows all and sees all. Keep short accounts with God. Remain in constant communion.

I fear for my brother who allowed himself to get into this state of utter rebellion. I pray for God’s mercy on his life. He, that being often reproved hardens his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy (Proverbs 29:1). It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God (Hebrews 10:31).

Let us ever be aware of our human frailty, and our need to remain humble before God. May the Father’s hand remain upon us, as He the Divine potter ever molds us into the likeness of our Savior.

Maintain your Faith

In a world values the temporal over the eternal, it’s important that we keep our faith strong. We live a life of faith, and not one of sight! We’re not living by our feelings or the way things seem to be, we living as if the promises of God were absolutely true!

That means that every day I’m expecting the best that God has for my life. I’m expecting His strength to overcome my weakness, His bigness to overwhelm my smallness, His prosperity to absorb my poverty, His riches in glory to assume the obligation of my need, His health and healing to meet every challenge I face with sickness. Jesus is my all in all. He is the fullness that I am seeking.

Take some time today to remind yourself and the Lord of what He has said about you. Let your own ears hear your own mouth my declare God’s word about your life. The Father will use your own words will lift you up!

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) Jesus said to him, "Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." (John 20:29).

Two Kinds of Patience

That you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises (Hebrews 6:12). But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing (James 1:4)

There are two different kinds of patience mentioned in the above verses. In Hebrews 6:12, the Greek word for patience is makrothumia. In James 1:4, the Greek word for patience is hupomeno. Let’s apply them to our lives for just a moment.

Makrothumia comes from two Greek words. Makros means long and thumos means heated or passionate. Put the two words together and makrothumia means long temperedness, or someone has defined it as the ability to burn a long time!

Makrothumia is patience towards people. It’s the ability to walk in peace when you’re moved by a situation. Patience gives you the ability to endure tough places. When events don’t change quickly and you’re tempted to become agitated and angry, makrothumia enables you to bear the waiting time. When others don’t treat you the way you think they should, makrothumia enables you to believe the best of them and hold yourself in check so you don’t do or say something harmful.

Hupomeno comes from the Greek words hupo, which means under and meno, which means to remain. Hupomeno means the ability to hold your head up and remain confident when going through a hard place.

James tells us that tests and life challenges produce in us the ability to stick it out and not cave in when the going gets tough. A person operating in hupomeno is able to smile while going through personally painful experiences.

Hupomeno enables you to see the end from the beginning. Jesus, for the joy that was set before Him endured the agony of the cross. Hupomeno enabled Jesus to look beyond His present pain and see how His sacrifice would free humanity from the chains of sin. And when we walk in hupomeno, we’re able to shout and remain upbeat and joy filled when the journey of life is grueling and looks impossible!

We need both kinds of patience today. The Father by the Holy Spirit has placed in us the ability to last a long time and not become enraged with anger when people and circumstances don’t treat us kindly.

The Father has also given us by the Holy Spirit the ability to remain joyful and confident when a situation seems unending and impossible. Let’s allow patience to have its perfect work in us today. If we do, our faith will bring to us the fulfillment of the promises of God of healing; of provision; of deliverance from the hard place; and we will move another step closer to being perfect and complete, lacking nothing! Let’s keep on growing today!

The Promise of Healing

Bless the Lord, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases (Psalm 103:1-3)

Healing is always the will of God for the believer. Right after God delivered Israel from the bondage of Egypt, He revealed Himself as the Physician of His people in Exodus 15:26: If you diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put (allow) none of the diseases on you which I have brought (allowed) on the Egyptians. For I am the Lord who heals you. The phrase I will put in this verse is in the permissive sense, not in the causative sense. It should read I will allow.

This promise of healing is not just for the Old Testament saints, but for us today. We have a better covenant established on better promises. The good new is that the same faith that saves us is the same faith that brings God’s healing power into our bodies. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation (Romans 10:10) So you could also say it this way: For with the heart one believes unto healing, and with the mouth confession is made unto health.

Believing for healing is as simple as believing for forgiveness of sin. First, you see the will of God through the Word to save and to heal. Then you believe it in your heart, and begin to say only what God says about your forgiveness and healing. You must look beyond the feelings you have to be forgiven and to be healed. Pray, ask, believe you receive healing or forgiveness, and then stand you ground in faith until the feelings of forgiveness and the actual healing manifests in your body. Believing and speaking the Word will draw God’s healing power into your body!

Diligently hearkening to the Word for healing is refusing to believe or speak anything contrary to the Word about your body. To do this, you must mediate regularly on God’s promises to heal. You must be diligent in the Word. He sent His Word and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions (Psalm 107:20). I’ll leave you today with God’s medicine for your health. Take it according to the prescription in Exodus 15:26.

So you shall serve the Lord your God, and He will bless your bread and your water. And I will take sickness away from the midst of you (Exodus 23:25). And the Lord will take away from you all sickness, and will afflict you with none of the terrible diseases of Egypt which you have known, but will lay them on all those who hate you (Deuteronomy 7:15). Surely He has borne our griefs (sicknesses) and carried our sorrows (pains); Yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed (Isaiah 53:4-5) That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: "He Himself took our infirmities And bore our sicknesses (Matthew 8:17) Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness — by whose stripes you were healed (1 Peter 2:24).

Stumbling Blocks into Stepping Stones

But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive (Genesis 50:20).

When facing a severe trial of long duration, it’s important to keep perspective. Joseph spent many years bearing the repercussions of his brother’s misdeeds. Though he spent years of suffering shame and mockery in prison, the end result for Joseph was blessing, honor, and favor.

Tests and difficulties are part of living on a fallen planet. Our faith in God’s Word will navigate us through every test if we’ll let it! Satan attacks us, sometimes using others, sometimes using circumstances, and at other times using our own mistakes to ridicule and seek to discourage us.

But we must face each difficulty knowing that we are conquerors! God has destined us to win! We are victors! We can’t be defeated if we refuse to lie down and quit! The promises of God are YES and AMEN in every circumstance. He will never leave us or forsake us! If God be for us, who can be against us!

If we keep the right perspective, tests will only bring out the best in us. Tests will cause the dross to rise to the surface. Tempered steel is the strongest because the heat drew out the impurities that weakened it. Notice what Peter said: That the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 1:7).

Years ago, I found myself in the middle of one of the most difficult periods of my life. Nothing was going the way I thought it would. It seemed as though I would fail. At times, death seemed appealing as a sweet escape. Really, it was a very hard place. But the Holy Spirit kept reminding me of the promises of God when I wanted to just quit. He wouldn’t let me! Day after day, week after week, month after month, this particular test droned on.

At my lowest points, I found my God to be faithful. Knowing what He planned for me, the Father just would not let quit in the middle of my journey. He urged me to act on His Word and keep on going. He sees the end from the beginning. Sometimes we allow the pain of present circumstance to cloud the vision of where we’re headed.

Now looking back, I can see that some of the greatest things God did in me were a result of the pressure I went through. Character changes occurred in me as the pressure squeezed flaws to the surface of my life and forced me to face them.

The enemy sought to destroy me through circumstance, but God turned it all around and used it for my good. Joseph was able to lead Egypt out of a dark period because of the work of preparation during the testing years.

See your present circumstance, not as a stumbling block, but as a stepping stone into God’s greater purposes for you. If you’ll do this in every test and trial, God will turn what was meant by the enemy as evil into opportunity to help you grow!

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us (Romans 8:18). Keep your chin up today!

The Gospel Preached in Hell

For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit, (19) by whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison, (20) who formerly were disobedient, when once the Divine longsuffering waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water (1 Peter 3:18-20). For this reason the gospel was preached also to those who are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit (1 Peter 4:6).

Many people don’t realize that the gospel was preached in Hell to the Old Testament saints. But it’s true. To understand this, a basic fundamental has to be understood about Old Testament saints that died prior to Calvary. Animal sacrifice under Old Covenant Law only covered sin. Old Testament (OT) saints were not born again in the sense that we are; they had hearts of stone. Old Testament animal sacrifices merely atoned or covered sin; they did not cleanse the individual from sin. OT sacrifice offered a promissory note of salvation, but not actual salvation.

Nothing sinful can enter the presence of our Holy God. So the dilemma for the OT saint is where do they go when they die? Technically, they are still sinners with a promise of new life one day; when the Messiah comes. So what happens when they die?

In Luke 16, Jesus sheds light on the problem of where OT saints went at death. Go read the whole passage sometime, but right now here are the pertinent scriptures: So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham's bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. (23) And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom (Luke 16:22-23). And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us (Luke 16:26).

Before Calvary, hell was divided into two compartments; the righteous side, called Abraham’s Bosom, or as Jesus mentioned it to the thief on the cross, paradise; and the unrighteous side where those who didn’t trust God through law and sacrifice went. It was similar to hell now, in that the flames were there. A great chasm divided the two areas of hell. One area was pleasant, the other was horrible. In the above verses, the rich man, not trusting God through OT animal sacrifice, went to the unrighteous side. Lazarus, trusting animal sacrifice, went to Abraham’s Bosom (or lap) or Paradise.

When Jesus died, he went to hell (see Matthew 12:40; Romans 10:6-7; Ephesians 4:8-10). There, He paid the legal penalty for the sins of mankind. When God was satisfied that our sin debt was legally paid for by the Son, Jesus was BORN AGAIN in hell! (See Colossians 1: 15, and 1 Timothy 3:16).

Then, He did what is mentioned 1 Peter 3:18 and 1 Peter 4:6. He preached to the spirits in prison! The OT saints who were awaiting the Messiah’s appearance there in Abraham’s Bosom were paid a visit by the eternal Son! Noah, Abraham, Joseph, Moses, David, Elijah, and the rest of the OT saints were there! Jesus preached the gospel to these OT saints! They were BORN AGAIN! And then Jesus whisked them out of that prison. They were resurrected with Him, and then went on up to heaven! Notice these verses in Matthew 27: 50-53:

And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. (51) Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, (52) and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; (53) and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many.

So yes, the gospel was preached in hell and the captives were released that day. There is probably an archive in hell of the visit that day of the ETERNAL SON. Hell still trembles at His NAME!

The Father's Love

For the Father Himself tenderly loves you because you have loved Me and have believed that I came out from the Father (John 16:27 - Amplified).

The formative years of my life left me with the idea that somehow God just put up with me because that was His job. He had to love me. But I didn’t really think He liked me very much. Maybe a better way to put was that I thought He tolerated me.

After I was Spirit-Baptized I of course had a greater desire to pray than ever before. But I found myself hitting a wall at times with strong thoughts and feels of being rejected by the Father. What I read in the word and what I actually experienced were two different things.

Here’s what I found in the Word about God’s love for me. I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me (John 17:23).

Long before he laid down earth's foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love (Ephesians 1:4-The Message). The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, Slow to anger and great in mercy. The Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works (Psalm 145:8-9). The Lord opens the eyes of the blind; the Lord raises those who are bowed down; the Lord loves the righteous (Psalm 146:8). The Lord is merciful and gracious, Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy. He will not always strive with us, nor will He keep His anger forever. He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor punished us according to our iniquities.

For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him (Psalm 103: 8-11).

My mind and emotions were sabotaging my fellowship with my Father! So I read the above scriptures over and over and spoke them aloud as an affirmation of what I believed. When I prayed, I ignored my fickle feelings and my wrong thinking, and over and over I mentioned out loud to Him what I believed about what He thought about me.

Every now and then my emotions would allow me to feel God’s love. When they did, it was wonderful. When they didn’t, I walked by faith and thanked Him for His love. Over a period of time my thoughts and emotions changed, and began to line up with my spirit and with what the Word says about His care and love for me.

Take time to meditate on the Word about the Father’s love for you. It will open to you a new realm of fellowship with Him. Your prayer life will deepen in intimacy with Him, and you’ll become settled and secure in the Father’s embrace.

The Law of Reciprocity

Cast your bread upon the waters, for you will find it after many days (Ecclesiastes 11:1).

The idea in the above verse is that the waves will bring back to you what you throw out into the water.

Reciprocity is an action that produces in return an action of the same kind. It’s a law in the kingdom of God. In one sense our lives are filled with sowing and reaping. Our tomorrow is found in seed form in what we do today. My actions today are the foundation for tomorrow’s living.

Not only is this a law of the kingdom of God, it’s an eternal promise attached to the earth. While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer, and day and night shall not cease (Genesis 8:22).

This principle is not just about finances, but it applies to all of life. Notice what Jesus said in Luke 6:37-38: Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. 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.

The actions, words, attitudes, and kindness that I show today will come back to me. The way I treat others is the way I will be treated. If that is true, I should see every action and word as a seed that will produce a harvest in my life. So what kind of harvest do I want? Plant the seed for it today!

This also includes our material and financial lives. Notice 2 Corinthians 9:6: But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.

And again we find this principle in Galatians 6:7, where it also refers to the Galatian believers giving to those who minister the Word to them: Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.

Yet Paul broadens this concept to include a believer’s whole life, including his spiritual life in Galatians 6:8:-9: 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 everlasting life. And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.

See yourself as a seed planter today. Only throw the bread on the water that you want to see again! This is a law. A law works all the time. It’s sometimes slow and methodical, but it is always working behind the scenes.

This principle of receiving what you sow is working right now in you. If you’ve sown some bad seed, cry out in repentance for the mercy of God to cleanse you from the wrong. Mercy is when you don’t receive what you deserve! And sometimes God’s mercy will root up a negative seed we’re planted!

Expect the bread you’ve thrown on the water to come back. Sow seeds of kindness, love and mercy into others today. The day will come that you’ll need these in your own life. Let’s sow seed today that we’ll be glad to reap tomorrow.

No Sin History

I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; And I will not remember your sins (Isaiah 43:25).

Psychologists tell us that one of the main de-motivators of human personality is guilt and condemnation. Many people carry the weight of failure due to past deeds. Guilt will keep a person in the downward spiral of hopeless addictions as they seek the numb the pain of past failures.

Addictions of all sorts: alcoholism, drugs, sex, food, and even in work may find their origin in the covering of and hiding from the emotional pain of failure.

God’s remedy for guilt is the forgiveness and cleansing found in the blood of Jesus! As Isaiah says: Come now, and let us reason together, says the Lord, though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool (Isaiah 1:18).

I was freed from my chains of personal failure when I learned that God does not even remember confessed sin. He has no record of it!

Years ago I was reading a book by Dr. Roy Hick entitles He Who Laughs Lasts and Lasts…In the book, Dr. Hicks mentions Einstein’s theory of relativity. Part of that theory is the belief that if a person could travel at the speed of light, time would cease. He would enter into the eternal.

The Bible says that God is light (1 John 1:5). God lives in the realm of the eternal. Past, present, and future are all “now” to God. It’s a hard concept for our finite minds to grasp, but it is true. God lives in the eternal “now.” The panorama of history is constantly before Him. He sees everything that was, is, and will be as “now.” Jesus is the lamb slain from the foundation of the world (before it was created). The Apostle John was shown The Revelation which shows the future. How? All this is or will be exits in the eternal where God dwells. And God showed John what will be because it already exists in the realm of the eternal.

So when God says that He will not remember our sins, it a big deal! That means that confessed sin is not even history, because history can be remembered! Confessed sin is not found in the mind of God. It is blotted out as if it had never been committed. And that is a miracle!

God can do what we can’t. Our past deeds live in our memory, but He has the ability to completely remove confessed sins from His mind, and from recorded history! So when you sin as a believer, don’t brood and whine over it, repent and confess it! Then it will be completely removed from the history of your life and you can walk free from guilt!

This is all by faith. We are usually the last one to forgive ourselves when we sin. For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God (1 John 3:20-21). We often feel the pain of self-inflicted guilt long after God forgives us. The key to being released from this inner condemnation is walking by faith in what God says about you, and choosing to believe what God says and refuse to be affected by the feelings of failure. If God says He forgives and forgets, then you choose to forgive yourself and forget it too!

Regardless of how many times you fail, get up! Confess the sin in repentance, and walk on. Remember, For a righteous man may fall seven times and rise again… (Proverbs 24:16). Forget what God has forgotten and be released from the chains of the past!