The Word of God Can Change You

I delight to do Your will, O my God, And Your law is within my heart (Psalm 40:8)
    
The Word is filled with creative power. It has the power to change your desires, to move you to change your behavior and life focus. David went from being an adulterous murderer to a person who delighted in God and in doing His will. What made the drastic change? The Word!
   
The word contains in it the very power of God! Jesus said the words that I speak are spirit and life. Paul was preaching in Ephesus and a revival broke out. People were saved and Spirit-Filled. Many were set free from occult practices, burning their witchcraft wares. Paul remained there in Ephesus a good while and notice what caused the great change in the city: So mightily grew the Word of God and prevailed (Acts 19:20). The Word affected change a whole city!
    
The Word dwelling in you can change any area of your life from being flesh dominated to being spirit dominated! The catalyst is you and your will. Time spent ingesting the word will produce dividends of great change in your life and lifestyle. You could begin your own personal revival just by becoming involved with the Word! Draw near to God and He will draw near to you!
    
Notice the change the Word will bring as noted by these verses: How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word (Psalm 119:9).Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You (Psalm 119:11).The law of his God is in his heart; None of his steps shall slide (Psalm 37:31). Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth (John 17:17). That He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word (Ephesians 5:26). And we also especially thank God continually for this, that when you received the message of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of mere men, but as it truly is, the Word of God, which is effectually at work in you who believe, exercising its superhuman power in those who adhere to and trust in and rely on it (1 Thessalonians 2:13-Amplified).

Nothing has the power to change you like the Word. The enemy knows this and seeks to keep you occupied with other things so the Word is choked and doesn’t bear fruit. Outsmart him today! Get in the Word when you first awaken, then meditate on it throughout the day. You’ll find its superhuman power creating in you strength, ability, wisdom, love, and godliness. Loose the power of God in your life today by being a person of the Word!

Unity

As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?" And he said, "Who are You, Lord?" Then the Lord said, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting (Acts 9:3-5).

  

The way we treat other members of the body of Christ is the way we treat Jesus Himself. This is quite a statement. If I’m angry and resentful towards a fellow believer, I’m that way towards Jesus! The way I treat my wife Susan is the way I’m treating Jesus!

   

If we want the Holy Spirit to work in our lives, we must treat other members of the body of Christ with the same respect we would give to Jesus Himself.

In the book of Acts it seems that the Holy Spirit manifested freely as the believers worked together in unity (Acts 1:14; 2:1; 2:46; 4:32; 5:12)

   

According to Jesus, when we see the stranger and give him shelter, when we go minister to the sick person, or the person in prison, we are ministering to Jesus Himself (see Matthew 25).

   

We create an environment that either attracts or detracts from the presence of God by what we do with our attitudes, words, and actions towards fellow believers.

  

Be careful today with how you treat others. It will directly affect your relationship with the Lord! If we say we love Jesus, and pay no attention to others needs, how can we really say we love Him?

  

Our age is quickly becoming numb and loveless. This is our time to shine! Treat others the way you want to be treated. Pray for those you come in contact with daily. Ask the Lord to make you a blessing to them. Ask Him what you can do to show care and compassion to them.

  

If I don’t care for the person I can see, there’s no way I can really love the God I can’t see (1 John 4:20).

    

Let’s be sensitive to others today.  What we do to them, the attitudes we portray, and what we say to them or about them to others is how we’re treating the Lord Jesus!

Pray in the Spirit!

We are in the middle of a clash of kingdoms! The kingdom of God verses the kingdom of darkness. Satan has a desire to curtail any influence that Jesus Christ and the Word of God has on human life. He seeks to make black look white and white look black; he seeks to make bad look good, and good look bad. He makes sin seem innocuous.

At the same time God is pushing His agenda to bring Jesus Christ back to earth. The Words spoken by the prophets will come to pass! God speaks – and then allows His Word to fulfill itself while He watches over it (Isaiah 55:11; Jeremiah 1:12)!

We live on earth while at the same time owning allegiance to the kingdom of heaven. The Father wants to use each one of us in carrying out His kingdom purposes on earth before the rapture of the church.

The most effective thing we can do is PRAY! Notice Ephesians 6:18: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints.

Praying in the spirit or in other tongues is the most effective way to pray. When we pray in tongues we are uttering secret truths and hidden things not obvious to the understanding (1 Corinthians 14:2 - Amplified).When we pray in tongues or with groaning which cannot be uttered (Romans 8:26), we are praying the perfect will of God (Romans 8:27).

This kind of praying is vehemently resisted by Satan and his forces because it is so effective. So he stirs up controversy about praying in tongues; decries it in every way possible so that believers generally ignore its value. Then for those who do believe in the effectiveness of praying in the spirit, Satan seeks to keep them so busy and preoccupied with other things that they just don’t give time to it. All the while he pushes his dark agenda.

Let’s begin now to press into God and to take time every day to pray in the spirit. Don’t be moved by thoughts and feelings that seem to push you away. When fighting a spiritual battle, at times you sense great resistance; it seems like you’re doing nothing and getting nowhere when praying in the spirit. Don’t yield to this! Pray all the more! If you’ll persevere, the Spirit of God will anoint you to intercede and at times groan and travail in prayer (Isaiah 66:8).

Times are serious; more serious than ever in our lifetime. Set time aside today and everyday to be used by the Father to pray in the spirit. It’s time to give our Father the opportunity to show Himself strong! 

Memorial Day Thoughts

Today is Memorial Day and we as a nation are honoring those who have served our country in the military and have given their lives as the ultimate sacrifice to secure our freedom. As we take a day to relax from work and spend time with family and friends, let’s also take some time today to pray for the families of those who have had family members killed while defending our nation. We enjoy freedom of worship, free speech and the various rights as US citizens because of those who have defended this adventure in life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Let’s also take some time to pray for our President and national and local leaders. I’m reminded of Psalm 127:1: Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it; unless the Lord guards the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.

Some people do not understand how to balance what the Ten Commandments say about murder with serving in the military and facing the need to kill an enemy endangering national security. As a result, many are pacifists and believe that national peace can be secured by diplomacy alone.

Let’s first of all look at some fundamental facts. Thou shalt not kill should actually be translated Thou shalt do no murder. The prohibition is against premeditated murder. Understand that the same God that said Thou shalt not murder also told the Israelites to go to battle and kill their enemy during the conquests of Canaan, Israel’s promised land. And God told them that He would empower them in battle and help them defeat their enemy. This is the killing of an enemy to spare a nation from annihilation by an enemy set on their destruction. This kind of killing for the defense of a nation is allowed by God.

A strong national defense is a deterrent to an enemy that is set on a nation’s downfall. A strong national defense actually encourages peace because it sends a strong message to those seeking to undermine a nation’s security. Because of the wicked fallen human condition, a nation must defend itself against attack. As Paul said in Romans 12, we should seek, as much as lies within us, to live peaceably with all men. That’s not always the easiest thing to do in the light of the depravity and wickedness of man.

As you enjoy your peaceful holiday today, please pray for our nation. Our international enemies would love for our nation to fall into ruin. Many forces are seeking to steal the liberties that we as a people enjoy. We are hated by extremist that are actively seeking ways to destroy America. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Pray that our nation would continue to be a friend of Israel. Our national survival hinges on how we as a nation deal with Israel.

And remember the sacrifices made for your freedom. Peace through military strength will be necessary until the millennial reign of Christ when the nations will beat their swords into plowshares!

Prayer Responsibility

This is a day when we must give ourselves more fully to prayer. John Wesley said, It seems that God is limited by our prayer life – that He can do nothing for humanity unless someone asks Him. The reason for this becomes clear from scripture. God must work through the human today because He originally gave a human temporary custody of this planet.

God gave Adam dominion over the earth as His under-ruler. Satan obtained this dominion from Adam when Adam sinned. Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said to Him, all this authority I will give you, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish (Luke 4:5-6).

Satan obtained a legal right to rule on earth when Adam sinned. Jesus, as the representative New Creation man, gave the church back the original dominion that God gave Adam. 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 nations…(Matthew 28:18-19).

We exercise our God given authority over Satan and his forces through believing prayer. Here’s a quote from a book that I’ve had in my library for over 30 years entitled In His Presence by E.W. Kenyon. The following is a portion of that quote:


Jesus did not exercise any authority or ability that is not latent in His Name today. Some day there is going to rise a people who will take Jesus’ place and bless humanity as Jesus blessed them in dear old Galilee. Did not Jesus say in Matthew 28:18-20: All authority has been given unto Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples, (not converts, but students of the Word) of all nations …and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of this age. He is with us in the Word, that living Word. He is with us in His Name. He is with us in the presence of the Holy Spirit. We join forces with Him in this prayer life. That “all authority” was given to Him as the head of the church, and it is for the church to use. The authority that is in His Name is in your lips. You let that authority loose. You give it liberty and it blesses men. He has made us sons. He has given us the Name. He has given us the Holy Spirit. He has restored all that Adam lost and more. We are Satan’s rulers. We are masters of demons and the laws that sin brought into being. Why did He redeem us? Why make us new creations? Why make us righteous? Why dwell in us? Why give us the Name? Why say that in Jesus’ Name we could cast out demons? What did He expect us to do after making us all this? Just to be good, neutral sons who never face the enemy; who simply read the Word but never act on it; who do not take our Redemption and New Creation seriously? Is He mocking us? Is His Word like dry clouds in a drought? Is Satan invincible? Must we yield to Satan’s dominion and Satan-ruled circumstances? Must we say that tanks, planes, and bombs are to rule the world? Or is God still living, and are we tied up with Him? I can feel God’s question there. He is saying to me, Have you taken these facts as seriously as your nations has taken the draft laws? Is my Redemption and New Creation as real as the taxes? Does it mean anything? We must face the issue. We are surrounded by demoniacal forces that are dominating the human on earth, and if the church hasn’t authority over these, then no one has. But the church has! And prayer is our method and mode of dominating these diabolical forces that are wrecking civilization.*
* In His Presence by E.W.Kenyon, (Kenyon’s Gospel Publishing Society, Inc: 1969) pages 10-11.

Take your prayer place today! Join with me, and let’s believe God for many people to come to know  Him personally!

Exert Your Authority!

A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. (11) Put on all of God's armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. (12) For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. (13) Therefore, put on every piece of God's armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm (Ephesians 6:10-13).

Satan’s goal is to eventually control all of mankind on the earth. The culmination of his diabolical schemes will be the revealing of the the person the Bible calls the man of sin, or the antiChrist. His goal will be to annihilate from the earth all things Christian and biblical. He is working behind the scenes right now to bring this to pass. So, you and I who believe in Jesus feel the pressure every day!

This is not a day to compromise your walk with God. This is a day to exercise your authority in Christ and keep Satan and his minions in their place – under your feet!

The only group of people on earth that have the authority to put Satan in his place are believers! Jesus gave us authority to tread on “serpents and scorpions” and over all the power of the enemy (Luke 10:19).  When Jesus was raised from the dead, and just before He ascended to heaven, He told His disciples, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…”

Jesus already had authority over Satan before He died and rose from the dead. The authority that He proclaimed there was the authority that He legally obtained over Satan as the representative man! As a man Jesus humbled Himself and lived as we do, facing our every challenge and temptation without sin. Then He submitted to becoming our spiritual death and becoming a sacrifice for our sin. He then submitted to death. In His resurrection, Jesus defeated Satan and took from him the keys of hell and of death. Keys represent authority. Jesus took from Satan His authority over the human race and gave that authority to the church.

Satan is called the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that works in the sons of disobedience (Ephesians 2:2). John declares that the rest of the world around us is under Satan’s power and control (1 John 5:19 – Living). Satan still rules over the masses of the unsaved, and seeks to dominate world thought.

We are called to exercise authority over Satan. We are raised up together with Jesus, and are seated with Him in heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6). Jesus is seated far above all principality, power, might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. God has put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all (Ephesians 1:21-23).

We must not sit back in a lukewarm position, holding authority yet refusing to exercise it. We must become and remain vigilant in faith, prayer, and action!

Let me encourage us all in a practical way to command Satan to take His hands off of our nation, our community, our families, our children, our bodies, our finances, and all that belongs to us. Let us cry out to the Father for a great moving of the Holy Spirit in convicting power over the unsaved in our communities. And let us stand for an increase in the proclamation of the word of God, that the Word of the Lord may run swiftly and be glorified (2 Thessalonians 3:2).

The Father is waiting today for you to exercise your Jesus given authority of Satan in your life and in your family. Let Him wait no longer!

Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:9-11).

Round Peg, Square Hole Love

The love of God is our spiritual barometer, the gauge of progress as we move away from being dominated by the flesh. As we become spiritually attuned to God, we exude His love.

Please be aware that often the Father will place you with people who just don’t do life the way you do it. They don’t think or respond the way you do. Sometimes the “round peg, square hole” times, when you just don’t seem to fit into an environment, are just the recipe the Father is looking for to move you into walking in love. Love is easy when you like the people you’re involved with. But, our true colors, who we really are, show brightly when we are challenged. This will probably happen in life today!
 
Use love as the benchmark of your spiritual progress. Ask the Father to help you develop this precious gift that He’s placed in your spirit. The following is a compilation of several translations of 1 Corinthians 13:4-8. This will help you plot your progress. Use it daily as a guide:

Let me describe love. It is slow to lose patience; love stays in difficult relationships with kindness, and it always looks for ways to be constructive. There is no envy in love. It is not possessive and never boils over with jealousy. Love makes no parade of itself; it never boasts, nor does it puff up with pride. Love is never arrogant and never puts itself on display, because it is neither anxious to impress, nor does it cherish inflated ideas of its own importance. Love never gets irritated and is never resentful.

Love holds no grudges, and it keeps no record of evil done to it. Love refuses to be provoked and never harbors evil thoughts.

Love is not rude or grasping or overly sensitive, nor does love search for imperfections and faults in others. Love does not compile statistics of evil or gloat over the wickedness of other people. On the contrary, it is glad with all good men when truth prevails. Love celebrates what is real and not what is perverse or incomplete.

Love never does the graceless thing. Love has good manners and does not pursue selfish advantage. Love never insists on its own rights, never irritably loses its temper, and never nurses its wrath to keep it warm. Love is not touchy.

Love can stand any kind of treatment because there are no limits to its endurance, no end to its trust. Love bears up under anything; it perseveres in all circumstances. Love’s first instinct is to believe in people. If you love someone, you will be loyal to him no matter what the cost. You will always believe in him, always expect the best in him, and always stand your ground in defending him. Love never regards anyone or anything as hopeless. Love keeps up hope in everything. Love’s hope never fades.

Love keeps on keeping on! It trusts in God in every situation and expects God to act in all circumstances. Love goes on forever. Nothing can destroy love. Nothing can happen that can break love’s spirit. In fact, it is the one thing that still stands when all else has fallen.

Love Solves Relationship Problems

Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us (Romans 5:5).
 
Love is the solution to every relationship problem known to man. We’re to love God with our entire being. We’re to love others the way we love ourselves. Then Jesus added that we are to love others the way He loves us!
 
Romans 13:10 reads Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. So for every relational challenge I encounter I must see love as the cure.
  
Here’s the best part. The Father has already placed inside of us as believers the answers to our issues with others. This love that He has placed in our hearts must be nurtured until it is absorbed into all of our mental processes. The Father’s plan is that this love worm its way into every nook and cranny of our thought life; into our every response in each relationship. He wants it to totally replace our ingrained selfish patterns of thinking and response.
 
Our mind fights love’s control. The mind of the flesh is the enemy of God (Romans 8:7). Our natural mind automatically repels thoughts that come from our spirit to act and react in love. That’s the reason we must take much time to meditate in love until it is absorbed into our mental processes. Without this meditation, our minds will pull us away from love and force us to live a self-centered life.
 
We must see that this love is so powerful, so potentially life altering, that we give it room to change us. Every thought and action within us that has become an ingrained habit can be changed by yielding to love’s sway. There are no exceptions. Love is the most powerful force known to man.
 
Our goal must be to yield ourselves to this love moment by moment. Compare every thought, every word, and every action to this love. Change anything in you that disagrees with the love of God. This is our high calling, to be love men and love women. To be so totally absorbed in this love that it’s the first thing people notice about us!
 
John was known as the apostle of love. I’ll leave you with his words on the subject from the Message Paraphrase:

My beloved friends, let us continue to love each other since love comes from God. Everyone who loves is born of God and experiences a relationship with God. The person who refuses to love doesn't know the first thing about God, because God is love — so you can't know him if you don't love. This is how God showed his love for us: God sent his only Son into the world so we might live through him. This is the kind of love we are talking about — not that we once upon a time loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to clear away our sins and the damage they've done to our relationship with God. My dear, dear friends, if God loved us like this, we certainly ought to love each other. No one has seen God, ever. But if we love one another, God dwells deeply within us, and his love becomes complete in us — perfect love! This is how we know we're living steadily and deeply in him, and he in us: He's given us life from his life, from his very own Spirit. Also, we've seen for ourselves and continue to state openly that the Father sent his Son as Savior of the world. Everyone who confesses that Jesus is God's Son participates continuously in an intimate relationship with God. We know it so well, we've embraced it heart and soul, this love that comes from God. God is love. When we take up permanent residence in a life of love, we live in God and God lives in us. This way, love has the run of the house, becomes at home and mature in us, so that we're free of worry on Judgment Day — our standing in the world is identical with Christ's. There is no room in love for fear. Well-formed love banishes fear. Since fear is crippling, a fearful life — fear of death, fear of judgment — is one not yet fully formed in love. We, though, are going to love — love and be loved. First we were loved, now we love. He loved us first. If anyone boasts, "I love God," and goes right on hating his brother or sister, thinking nothing of it, he is a liar. If he won't love the person he can see, how can he love the God he can't see? The command we have from Christ is blunt: Loving God includes loving people. You've got to love both.
(I John 4: 7-21 - from THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language © 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved.)

By This All Will Know

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another . By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another. (John 13:34-35).
 
If I strip away all the Christian speak that I use; if I remove all religious symbols from my person, my car, my home, my office, etc.; if I use no references to God, Jesus, the Bible, church, etc., would others know that I am a disciple of Jesus? Jesus said by this all men will know.

This love is to be the main advertisement for God in my life. It’s designed by the Father to make me attractive to others. I must ask myself, is love attracting others to the God who lives in me? If I say no, then there is still too much of me ruling me!
 
Until we make love the main thing, we’re not going to be effective in moving our culture towards God. His plan is that this love be the advertisement, the display that draws attention to Him.
 
Think about it this way. When I was born again, He deposited this love in me, actually poured it out inside of me, in my spirit. This love is designed to be to power supply for my spiritual life. If I renew my mind to it, if I think and meditate on it, it rises up from my spirit and begins its process of taking me over. Little by little, like honey, it oozes into every crack and crevice of my personality. It’s a slow process. Some parts of me are hard and unyielding to it, but it is so powerful, that even the hardest areas break under its force.

This love has nothing to do with feeling or emotion. Most often it moves me to act against reason and feeling. It urges me to do the loving thing when harsh words threaten me, when human impulse urges me to retaliate.

My mind sometimes rebels against this new boss that has moved into me. My mind often thinks it knows how best to protect me from the hurts others may bring. But this love stands up within me, telling my mind to sit down and be quiet.

This love nature is constantly speaking within me: Father knows best. Love your enemies. Do good to those who mistreat you. Pray for those who use you for their advantage. Return good for evil. Do to others what you want them to do to you. Be kind. be gentle. Calm down and be patient. Overlook that fault you see in that person. Forgive and act as though that word was never spoken to you. Act toward that person as though they had never done you wrong. Don’t reveal that fault you see in this person to anyone else. Don’t brag about your skills or accomplishments.
 
Open yourself to this boss that’s moved inside of you. This love only wants your success. If you let it lead you today, it will lead you out of every relationship problem that arises. Love never fails. It’s a good boss. By this all will know…

The Girls, The Gold, and The Glory

So he (Samson) went up and told his father and mother, saying, "I have seen a woman in Timnah of the daughters of the Philistines; now therefore, get her for me as a wife (Judges 14:2).

Marrying a Philistine was forbidden by God for the Israelites. The Philistines worshipped idols, and intermarrying with the Philistines would bring the curses associated with idolatry to Israel.

Samson was dedicated to God from his birth. His mother had taken a Nazarite vow before his birth. Samson was dedicated to do the will of God. The anointing of a judge and deliverer for Israel came upon Samson when he was a young man. Supernatural strength rose up within him, and God used him to deliver Israel from her enemies.

But Samson had flesh problems. He liked forbidden Philistine women. This became his downfall. He became so numb to God that he was not aware when the anointing left him. His flesh cost him his life.

Years ago Lester Sumrall mentioned three hindrances those in ministry should guard against. They were the girls, the gold, and the glory. Take measures in your own life to guard against these potential pitfalls.
 
The Girls. If you’re married, decide to remain with your spouse for life. Nurture your relationship with your mate. Refuse any personal friendship with the opposite sex that does not include your spouse. Refuse to eat meals alone with the opposite sex and refuse to get into your car alone with someone of the opposite sex unless your spouse is with you. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. If you’re single, refuse to be alone with the opposite sex. Keep yourself pure.

The Gold. Be careful when God blesses you financially. We are to shun covetousness and are to be content with what we have. The spirit of our age is covetousness. The love of money is rampant, even in the church. Yes, God wants to bless, but we should be very careful not to manipulate or use money as the motivation for what we do.

The Glory. Pride is a deep human problem. It was transferred to us in the fall from Satan. Pride was found in him while he served before the throne of God in heaven. We all have the tendency to self glory. We must constantly humble ourselves under God’s mighty hand, and give all the glory to Jesus when others are blessed by our efforts. God will not share His glory with another.

Perhaps the Apostle Paul said it best in 1 Corinthians 9:27- Amplified:
But [like a boxer] I buffet my body [handle it roughly, discipline it by hardships] and subdue it, for fear that after proclaiming to others the Gospel and things pertaining to it, I myself should become unfit [not stand the test, be unapproved and rejected as a counterfeit].

Live Guilt Free!

If You, Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with You, that You may be feared (Psalm 130:3-4).

The greatest hindrance to faith is condemnation and inferiority. Satan is the accuser of the brethren. He is skilled at reminding you of what you’ve done and how you don’t qualify for the blessings of God.

In a conversation with an interviewer in the 1960’s, Oral Roberts made the comment that I’ve never made a mistake! He was commenting on how he keeps his faith strong and said that though he makes mistakes, he walks in the forgiveness God offers!

As far as God is concerned, you have never done wrong! That’s a reality that you need to meditate on to allow it to soak in! Don’t brood over wrongs you have done. If you miss it, confess your sin. Keep short accounts with the Father.

When you confess your sin, he is faithful and just to forgive and cleanse the sin. And when God forgives, He forgets. Most of us are hard on ourselves when we do wrong. God and others forgive us long before we usually forgive ourselves. And that kind of condemnation will hinder your faith life.

Take plenty of time to meditate on the forgiveness the Father offers you. I’ll leave you with the scriptures I meditate on regularly to arm me against the accusations of Satan. Be free from condemnation and inferiority. Your Father thinks you’re perfect!

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). 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). Then He adds, "Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more (Hebrews 10:17). Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases (Psalm 103:3). As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us (Psalm 103:12). I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; And I will not remember your sins (Isaiah 43:25). He will again have compassion on us, And will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea (Micah 7:19).

Increasing God Hunger

For He satisfies the longing soul, and fills the hungry soul with goodness (Psalm 107:9).


Hunger is a sign of physical health. And spiritual health is strong when we’re hungry for God. As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the Word that you may grow thereby (1 Peter 2:2).
 
Smith Wigglesworth said, Spiritual hunger is when nothing satisfies us so much as being near to God. As I’ve read about the life of Smith Wigglesworth, I’ve been stirred to fresh hunger for Jesus. In his book Ever Increasing Faith, he said, I’d rather have a man on my platform that is not Spirit Filled but hungry, than a man who is Spirit Filled and satisfied.

Smith Wigglesworth’s passion for God is seen in a letter he wrote to a friend, Pleased to receive the news of much blessing in your ministry, especially in souls being saved and God keeping you in a very hungry and needy place. W. Hacking wrote a book about Smith’s life and summed up his work by saying, Wisdom, brokenness, purity, and spiritual hunger characterized his ministry.

If you’ve lost your hunger for God, you can get it back. Here are four things you can do. First, fast time stealers. Turn off the TV, the computer game, or whatever and take time to feed on the Word and to pray. The Lord ministered to me years ago during a time of personal disappointment that quenched my spiritual zeal. A guest speaker in our church said Your desires always follow your attention. When I heard that I knew that I must turn my attention to the Lord. I made myself listen to tapes and take notes word for word as my pastor preached just to force myself into the Word. I had no desire to do it, but I put my attention there every day. A couple of weeks later I woke up one morning with a desire to fellowship with my Father. Desire follows attention.

Secondly, feast on spiritual things. You desire what you give your time to. James 4:8 says draw near to God and He will draw near to you. We have to take the first step!

Thirdly, become desperate! Make lifestyle changes. If you want to see something you’ve never seen before, you must do something you’ve never done before. Make time in your day for God. Read your Bible and have a season of prayer during lunch. Take a walk in the evening and pray. Read the Word just before you go to sleep at night. Take time with the Lord throughout your day!

Fourthly, Ask the Lord to make you hungry. I’ll leave you with these verses:
No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day (John 6:44). And He said, Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father (John 6:65). The Lord has appeared of old to me, saying: "Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you (Jeremiah 31:3). When You said, "Seek My face," My heart said to You, "Your face, Lord, I will seek” (Psalm 27:8).

Hunger Motivates

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled (Matthew 5:6).

  

Some years ago the Lord spoke to my spirit and said, You are filled with what you are hungry for. Our hunger draws us. Hunger is a tremendous motivator. Susan and I were walking in downtown Raleigh a few months ago, and I watched in shock as a man reached into a trash can on the street and retrieved some partially eaten food for himself.

  

You may have read accounts of single mothers who become prostitutes so they can earn money for their hungry children. Hunger motivates. I confess that there have been times that I’ve gotten so hungry (was just too busy to stop to eat) that my health conscious brain was tempting me to eat some McDonald’s fast food! For me that’s pretty radical. Hunger is a powerful force.

 

The word hunger here in Matthew 5:6 is in the present durative tense in the Greek. That means that the action continues on and on without ceasing. The hunger continues even after you’ve been fed. The longing is not satisfied.

 

In so many ways in life our appetite drives us. How we spend our time, what we value, what we spend our money on, what kind of occupation we are involved in all have to do with our appetite on various levels.  

 

Since our spiritual life is really the hub of our existence and determines our life values, would it not benefit us to remain spiritually hungry? The word here in Matthew 5:6 could be translated starving. Starving people are desperate people. To be starving spiritually would alter daily life! A starving person would do anything to eat. Are you starving spiritually? Are you desperate for God? If not, work on increasing your spiritual appetite.

 

Three things that hinder spiritual appetite are excessive entertainment, excessive activity, and anger and disappointment.

 

Globally people spend 1.8 trillion dollars annually on entertainment! Here in the US it has been estimated that we spend 67 billion dollars a year on entertainment. So do you wonder why so many lack spiritual zeal? The many entertainment distractions inhibit hunger. Movies, video and computer games, all sorts of technology can just eat up your time. Don’t let it happen!

Excessive activity can also crowd out time for God. Recreation is important for high stress lifestyles. But too much can damage your spiritual life. Put recreation in its place. Going to the beach or to the lake, or involvement in a sports activity or working out has great benefit. A hobby is a great diversion from normal routine. But make sure these things don’t crowd out attending your local church or spending time in the word and in prayer each day. For me, I take care of my spiritual life first, and then I involve myself in some form of recreation to relax. Seek first the kingdom of God!

 

Anger and disappointment at God or yourself when life doesn’t go the way you thought it should or would go can quench spiritual hunger. An I don’t care attitude can do some real damage to you spiritually. I’ve been at the place where I was so disillusioned that my natural person just wanted to throw in the towel. That’s a dangerous place to be. The enemy of your soul will take advantage of this kind of demeanor. It can totally quench your hunger for God.

  

Tomorrow I will talk about how to develop your God hunger if you’ve lost it. Don’t let the candy of the word quench your hunger for Jesus. You become what you’re hungry for.

No Longer Guilty

And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. (19) For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people's sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. (20) So we are Christ's ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, "Come back to God!" (21) For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ. (2 Corinthians 5:18-21).
Holy Bible, New Living Translation ®, copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.

Every person you meet today is equally loved by the Father. He has no favorite children. We are His ambassadors to share the good news with them. The good news is that He’s not mad at them and doesn’t hate them. Though they are sinners, their sin debt has been canceled. All they need to do is to bow their knee in repentance acknowledging their sin. The blood of Jesus will then remove their personal sin debt, and they go free.
 
This is the truth that brought me into the family of God years ago. I had the idea that the Father was mad at me, and that all He did was brood over my sin when He thought of me. When I found out that He did not hold my sin against me, hope sprang up! I saw that if I acknowledged my wrong, forgiveness for all my past deeds was immediately available.
 
A guy said to me, did you know that God is not holding your sin against you, that He loves you? The only thing holding you back from His love is your lack of relationship with Jesus Christ. In Christ, your sin debt is cancelled, and you are free!
 
No one had ever put it to me in those terms. My sin debt is canceled. For a person consumed with guilt, that’s a big deal! Finding out that the Father had already dealt with the sin issue freed me to come to Him, confess my sin, and embrace His free offer of grace.
 
Don’t beat the unsaved person over the head with angry words and tones. They have enough condemnation to deal with. Show them the love of the Father. Be a good ambassador as you represent the Father today. Let others know that in Christ their sin debt is settled. The only thing that stands between them and God the Father is their lack of relationship with Jesus!
 
It’s a great thing to be forgiven all your past sins! Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit (Psalm 32:1-2). 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. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death (Romans 8:1-2).
  
Be a beacon of light to those you meet today! A free gift is theirs today for the taking! Because of Christ, we are no longer guilty.

Temporary

For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, 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 4:17-18).
 
When you’re going through a rough place in life, these verses contain some wisdom for the fight. Realize that the tough place is only temporary, and if you’ll keep your eyes on the finish line the tough place will just make you stronger.
 
I’ve been jogging as a means of exercise for over twenty five years now. When you’ve planned to run a distance of several miles, you sort of “hit the wall” somewhere in mid course. That means that you get very fatigued and you feel like quitting. But if you press through this time you get a “second wind” and you actually feel stronger and a peace settles over your entire being.

To get through this “wall” I usually make my mind think about pleasant things and I keep my vision adjusted way ahead of me. If I only focus my eyes on the ground right in front of me I exacerbate the feelings of tiredness.

I think about this when I’m facing the pressures that life brings. The current problem is only a stepping stone to better days ahead. And the pressure of the moment will only prove to undergird my resolve and make me stronger in the days ahead.

We look at things not seen by keeping our focus on the Word during difficult times. The need will be met. The answer to prayer will come. The healing will manifest. The circumstance will eventually yield. Our job is to keep our eyes, our ears, and our mouth on the Word and the problem will eventually be swallowed by the peace of God! So the problem , which was meant to defeat us, actually makes us stronger!

Watch Out For The "World"

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world — the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life — is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever (1 John 2:15-17).
 
The “world” is one of the enemies of the believer. Theologian Kenneth Wuest defines the “world” as all the floating mass of thoughts, opinions, maxims, beliefs, and values that are current in the world. Smith Wigglesworth defined the world in his simple way as “that which cools my affection towards God.”

We’re admonished not to be friends with the world - James 4:4(Amplified): You are like unfaithful wives having illicit love affairs with the world and breaking your marriage vow to God! Do you not know that being the world's friend is being God's enemy? So whoever chooses to be a friend of the world takes his stand as an enemy of God. It’s strong language.

Friendship with the world leads to being “spotted” by the world - James 1:27: Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.

Friendship with the world also leads to “loving” the world - 1 John 2:15 (NLT): Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. (16) For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. (17) And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.

Loving the world leads to “conforming” to the world Romans 12:2: And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. The Message Paraphrase by Eugene Peterson of this verse is insightful:  Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out.

Finally, conforming to the world  leads to being “condemned” with the world - 1 Corinthians 11:32 (NLT): Yet when we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned along with the world.

Demas was a companion of the Apostle Paul in ministry and left Paul and the ministry because he was overcome by the world. We all must examine ourselves regularly, confessing our faults to one another and our sins to the Father so that He can cleanse us and help us.

Shun the world. Snuggle up to Jesus and to the Word. Fellowship with Him. Pour your heart out to Him. Ask Him to help you overcome temptations that come your way. His throne is full of grace and mercy for your time of need.