Have you ever wondered why Jesus said, when told about a boy with a demon, "O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you and bear with you?" Luke 9:41 I used to think that He was rebuking His disciples for not being able to cast the unclean spirit out. But He was addressing a whole generation of the nation of Israel, not just a few guys. What do you think was bothering Him? I got an insight on that today from our Old Testament passage in the OYB.
When I was pondering what to write today, the Holy Spirit said "Start with Jesus and go back." So I did. This is a good principle - I highly recommend it!
I'm quite certain that Jesus was disturbed because this was God's chosen people and they had become completely victimized by Satan. If they had obeyed God's directions back when they were given the Promised Land, the ones we read today and have been reading, they would not have been in this predicament. They were as bad off as the rest of the world, at least in the demonic oppression arena, when they should have been free from the evil one's torment. But they did exactly what God had told them not to do: imitate the nations around them, especially when it came to spiritual practices.
“When you come into the land which the LORD your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the abominations of those nations. There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. For all who do these things are an abomination to the LORD, and because of these abominations the LORD your God drives them out from before you. You shall be blameless before the LORD your God. For these nations which you will dispossess listened to soothsayers and diviners; but as for you, the LORD your God has not appointed such for you." Deuteronomy 18: 9-14
When I was in college (long, long ago "in a faraway land"), I got caught up in the occult. I promise you, when you do this stuff, or even dabble in it, you open up doors to demonic influence. My salvation included a lot of necessary deliverance from evil spirits. Some people go way too far in condemning every little thing, and they become as tormenting as the demons they're afraid of! I'm not talking about witch-hunting or "finding a demon under every rock". I'm serious, though, about not grieving the Spirit and not giving place to the abominations that God clearly hates.
Unfortunately, our culture is full of evil practices, idol worship, and occult fascination and involvement. "Pagan" is big these days. I run into it a lot in the artistic circles I associate in (this is my mission field). The Lord reminds me often not to let it influence me. We are so surrounded by it that I think we (the Church in general) are becoming callous to it. Be open to the correction of the Holy Spirit, and also of those who watch over you spiritually, such as your pastor, when they warn you of these things. I'm not one of these, I am just a messenger (but if you hear His voice through me, listen). As such, I'll name a couple of things as examples of what I feel are infiltrating influences that I know for a fact that some Christians are allowing in: vampire stuff and Harry Potter. Sorry to meddle, but these images and ideas are from the devil; they should not be fun to a believer because they grieve the Holy Spirit. This stuff is contamination; I think at best it is lowering your spiritual immune system, but probably much worse. Please consider dealing with it!
When our spirit is no longer grieved by what grieves the Holy Spirit (or we continue to ignore the grief) we are in great spiritual danger. This troubles me because we are to be overcomers, and this means "conquerors". Should we be conquered by the evil that Jesus died and rose again to conquer? He delivered us from evil; we even pray "deliver us from evil". Why do we play with it then? We call it "entertainment"! Wouldn't Jesus call it "faithless and perverse?" This hurts, I know, but it needs to be said. Believe me, I've heard it from Him more than once myself.
It is prophetic types, like me, who are most attracted (when not yielding to the Holy Spirit) to darkness, evil practices and occult spiritual power. Even though they are called to be especially tuned-in to God's communications and purposes and to help train others this way, it is this type of person that is most likely to be influenced by satanic and occult things. [This is why God gave instructions as to how to know a prophetic word was from Him or not. Deut. 18: 21-22, and many others] This may seem strange and unbelievable to many, but if you are this type of person, or you are near someone who is, you will easily be able to observe what I am talking about. Sadly, I have known people who are amazingly gifted prophetically who have gotten far too interested in what the devil is doing, so much so that they ended up following him instead of Christ Jesus. Don't you be one of these! And if you are a parent, and you have a child who is generally drawn to these things, pay attention, because you probably have a prophetically motivated/gifted child, and you will need to understand these things and learn how to raise them up in the Lord according to their gifts.
I praise God because Jesus conquered! He completely trampled down the devil. Jesus is Lord!! It is up to each of us individually to allow Jesus to be Lord in our own life. When He is, He will increase His kingdom in us, and through us where He gives us authority. These are dark and perilous times, and deceptions are rampant. Since we are the Children of Light, let us all live in the Light and shine His Light into the world.
Showing posts with label Jesus Christ. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jesus Christ. Show all posts
Friday, April 1, 2011
Monday, March 28, 2011
March 27, 2011 The Rarest Asset on Earth
[I didn't have a chance to post this on Sunday, but I wanted to share what I got yesterday anyway].
And the costliest! It took the Israelites 40 years in the wilderness to get it! What is that asset? Humility! How rare is it? Just look around you. I look into my own heart and life, and I'm not even sure it's there. But one thing I do know, I've been through the wilderness (seems like 40 years anyway!), and now that it's time to enter the Promised Land. I'm hoping the wilderness experience did it's job, and I will be able to walk humble and not stumble.
"And you shall remember that the LORD your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not." Deuteronomy 8:2
The blessings and requirements of the Promised Land demand the character of humility! We won't be able to stand, much less bring glory to God, if we are in pride. The Lord makes it clear that the temptations to pride will be great in our new territory. Just think: He has to remove seven mighty "nations" to make room for you! He will be so big in you that He's going to have to take down a lot of the works of the devil that you encounter in your new land to make room for you and His work! Seven - a completed number - He won't leave anything there to torment you if you will totally submit to Him and follow His directions! This is good promise here!! Grab it! Hold on!
In Luke we get a great picture of Jesus honoring humility: Then He turned to the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has washed My feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head. You gave Me no kiss, but this woman has not ceased to kiss My feet since the time I came in. You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with fragrant oil. Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.” Then He said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” Luke 7:44-48 NKJV
Worship Jesus in humility, and it's a sweet-smelling fragrance to Him and to others!
One key to humility is remembering the works of God in your life - staying thankful for His grace, salvation and forgiveness. One hindrance to humility is condemnation! This might sound contradictory, but it's not. Pharisees and other hypocrites join right in with the devil in seeing us in the sin of our present and past, and naming us with it. This does not help us stay humble, it gets our eyes on our self and lies to us - so don't join it, rebuke it! No matter what your past is, He's got a good plan for you. When Jesus calls us "Forgiven" we are forgiven. He called us that on the cross! It's up to us to believe that, grab a hold of it, thank Him for it, and walk in the freedom from our sin that He bought for us.
Humility in our heart will keep us in constant dependency on God, and impel us to remain current with our repentance. We may be maturing in the Lord, but we still need forgiveness - and we still need our feet washed. If Jesus could allow a woman with a "bad reputation" to wash His feet, we can certainly let Him wash ours!
Agreeing with God is the essence of true humility. Agree with Him about His promises to make you great in the heavenly Kingdom. Agree with Him about His lordship, your need for Him, and His "always rightness".
Walk humble, and you won't stumble.
And the costliest! It took the Israelites 40 years in the wilderness to get it! What is that asset? Humility! How rare is it? Just look around you. I look into my own heart and life, and I'm not even sure it's there. But one thing I do know, I've been through the wilderness (seems like 40 years anyway!), and now that it's time to enter the Promised Land. I'm hoping the wilderness experience did it's job, and I will be able to walk humble and not stumble.
"And you shall remember that the LORD your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not." Deuteronomy 8:2
The blessings and requirements of the Promised Land demand the character of humility! We won't be able to stand, much less bring glory to God, if we are in pride. The Lord makes it clear that the temptations to pride will be great in our new territory. Just think: He has to remove seven mighty "nations" to make room for you! He will be so big in you that He's going to have to take down a lot of the works of the devil that you encounter in your new land to make room for you and His work! Seven - a completed number - He won't leave anything there to torment you if you will totally submit to Him and follow His directions! This is good promise here!! Grab it! Hold on!
In Luke we get a great picture of Jesus honoring humility: Then He turned to the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has washed My feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head. You gave Me no kiss, but this woman has not ceased to kiss My feet since the time I came in. You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with fragrant oil. Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.” Then He said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” Luke 7:44-48 NKJV
Worship Jesus in humility, and it's a sweet-smelling fragrance to Him and to others!
One key to humility is remembering the works of God in your life - staying thankful for His grace, salvation and forgiveness. One hindrance to humility is condemnation! This might sound contradictory, but it's not. Pharisees and other hypocrites join right in with the devil in seeing us in the sin of our present and past, and naming us with it. This does not help us stay humble, it gets our eyes on our self and lies to us - so don't join it, rebuke it! No matter what your past is, He's got a good plan for you. When Jesus calls us "Forgiven" we are forgiven. He called us that on the cross! It's up to us to believe that, grab a hold of it, thank Him for it, and walk in the freedom from our sin that He bought for us.
Humility in our heart will keep us in constant dependency on God, and impel us to remain current with our repentance. We may be maturing in the Lord, but we still need forgiveness - and we still need our feet washed. If Jesus could allow a woman with a "bad reputation" to wash His feet, we can certainly let Him wash ours!
Agreeing with God is the essence of true humility. Agree with Him about His promises to make you great in the heavenly Kingdom. Agree with Him about His lordship, your need for Him, and His "always rightness".
Walk humble, and you won't stumble.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
November 3, 2010 The Mark of Groaning
Jesus, God's faithful High Priest, has been revealing to us the idols that grieve Him-- all leading up to the exposure of the "image that provokes to jealousy." Although there may very well be an historical outworking of this in the world, with the beast, false prophet and the "abomination of desolation," I am, right now, simply responding to the Spirit who is revealing spiritual conditions of the human heart. In my understanding, this image that provokes God to jealousy is the self, sitting on the throne of the heart. By now, we should have a clear sense of God's opinion of this. If that is what we see in ourselves, then we must allow Christ to deal with it once and for all. True salvation includes deliverance from the rule and worship of self.
God has work for His saints to do. We're not just waiting around for the end to come~ we are called to be kings and priests with Him as His Kingdom grows upon the earth. He intercedes 24/7 in the heavenlies and we are to minister with Him (we are in the heavenlies when we walk in the Spirit). This requires purification of heart so that we may be at one with Him and His purposes. Once our hearts are cleansed and in unity with the Spirit, we begin to see what He is doing on the earth and to be united with His purposes.
We must understand that God allows things to come to fruition~ He lets them develop until they are fully grown. It is then that things are seen for what they are, and God's judgments are shown to be righteous. Ezekiel writes: "The rod has blossomed, pride has budded. Violence has risen up into a rod of wickedness." Ezekiel 7: 10b-11a NKJV This is one reason we don't see God act on things when we think He ought to! Yes, it is troublesome to have to put up with evil all around us, but the end is coming for all wickedness.
I'll never forget the first time I realized that I was supposed to be grieved over the evil in the world (before that, I sort of ignored it). I had read a Scripture verse about Lot being troubled over the evil of his city (2 Peter 2:7 I suggest reading the different translations), and I realized that I wasn't all that bothered myself. I began to pray for God's heart on it: wow, what a change that brought on! Very uncomfortable, but how can we pray if we don't see things the way God does?
One of the reasons we don't want to see and feel God's way is that it makes us feel separated from humanity, and from the world we live in. Most of us don't want to feel that way. We have such an intense need to belong that we dull ourselves to the evil, or hide ourselves away in little pockets of Christian life. No, of course we don't need to wallow in wickedness~ that's not what I'm getting it. But you can hardly get away from it if you exist in the world. It is how we respond to what we see that I'm talking about. The sick feeling I get in my soul and spirit when I see the way the world is does not drive me to attack the world, rather it causes me to go before the throne of God for direction and grace. I then receive His comfort, because He feels the same separation from the world, and so many of the people in it. Christ came to bridge that separation, yet how many refuse to cross into the blessedness of God's light? And yet, His heart rejoices greatly in those who love Him, and His glorious plans for the future are real and sure.
Sharing God's hatred of evil and His love of the truth sets us apart from the world, and brings us into His realm of protection. "And He called to the man clothed with linen, who had the writer’s inkhorn at his side; and the LORD said to him, “Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and cry over all the abominations that are done within it.” Ezekiel 9: 3-4 NKJV (Of course, we know this includes women too). Part of the Lord's Prayer is "deliver us from evil". Are we serious about praying this, or are we too concerned about how it will affect our lifestyle?
God's "secret place" is not always a very comfortable one, but it is a spiritually safe one.
These visions of Ezekiel today are some of the most chilling in the Bible to me. This picture strikes at the heart of what is going on in the world and in our nation, not just historically in the past or future temple in Jerusalem:
"Then he said to me, 'Mortal, have you seen what the elders of the house of Israel are doing in the dark, each in his room of images? For they say 'The Lord does not see us, the Lord has forsaken the land.'" Ezekiel 8:12 NRSV
Satan has dark strategies that are working out in the governments of man. But there is nothing hidden that will not be revealed. We might as well face it: God sees everything. He's dealing with what's inside His people's hearts until we can join in praying wholeheartedly "Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. . .deliver us from evil." We ask the Spirit of Truth and Revelation to expose the darkness, bring those who will repent into the Kingdom of Christ, and to glorify His name in the lives of the people of God.
Don't be afraid to see what the Lord shows you about what is happening in the world. Because Christ is victorious, and so are you!
Come quickly, Lord Jesus!
God has work for His saints to do. We're not just waiting around for the end to come~ we are called to be kings and priests with Him as His Kingdom grows upon the earth. He intercedes 24/7 in the heavenlies and we are to minister with Him (we are in the heavenlies when we walk in the Spirit). This requires purification of heart so that we may be at one with Him and His purposes. Once our hearts are cleansed and in unity with the Spirit, we begin to see what He is doing on the earth and to be united with His purposes.
We must understand that God allows things to come to fruition~ He lets them develop until they are fully grown. It is then that things are seen for what they are, and God's judgments are shown to be righteous. Ezekiel writes: "The rod has blossomed, pride has budded. Violence has risen up into a rod of wickedness." Ezekiel 7: 10b-11a NKJV This is one reason we don't see God act on things when we think He ought to! Yes, it is troublesome to have to put up with evil all around us, but the end is coming for all wickedness.
I'll never forget the first time I realized that I was supposed to be grieved over the evil in the world (before that, I sort of ignored it). I had read a Scripture verse about Lot being troubled over the evil of his city (2 Peter 2:7 I suggest reading the different translations), and I realized that I wasn't all that bothered myself. I began to pray for God's heart on it: wow, what a change that brought on! Very uncomfortable, but how can we pray if we don't see things the way God does?
One of the reasons we don't want to see and feel God's way is that it makes us feel separated from humanity, and from the world we live in. Most of us don't want to feel that way. We have such an intense need to belong that we dull ourselves to the evil, or hide ourselves away in little pockets of Christian life. No, of course we don't need to wallow in wickedness~ that's not what I'm getting it. But you can hardly get away from it if you exist in the world. It is how we respond to what we see that I'm talking about. The sick feeling I get in my soul and spirit when I see the way the world is does not drive me to attack the world, rather it causes me to go before the throne of God for direction and grace. I then receive His comfort, because He feels the same separation from the world, and so many of the people in it. Christ came to bridge that separation, yet how many refuse to cross into the blessedness of God's light? And yet, His heart rejoices greatly in those who love Him, and His glorious plans for the future are real and sure.
Sharing God's hatred of evil and His love of the truth sets us apart from the world, and brings us into His realm of protection. "And He called to the man clothed with linen, who had the writer’s inkhorn at his side; and the LORD said to him, “Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and cry over all the abominations that are done within it.” Ezekiel 9: 3-4 NKJV (Of course, we know this includes women too). Part of the Lord's Prayer is "deliver us from evil". Are we serious about praying this, or are we too concerned about how it will affect our lifestyle?
God's "secret place" is not always a very comfortable one, but it is a spiritually safe one.
These visions of Ezekiel today are some of the most chilling in the Bible to me. This picture strikes at the heart of what is going on in the world and in our nation, not just historically in the past or future temple in Jerusalem:
"Then he said to me, 'Mortal, have you seen what the elders of the house of Israel are doing in the dark, each in his room of images? For they say 'The Lord does not see us, the Lord has forsaken the land.'" Ezekiel 8:12 NRSV
Satan has dark strategies that are working out in the governments of man. But there is nothing hidden that will not be revealed. We might as well face it: God sees everything. He's dealing with what's inside His people's hearts until we can join in praying wholeheartedly "Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. . .deliver us from evil." We ask the Spirit of Truth and Revelation to expose the darkness, bring those who will repent into the Kingdom of Christ, and to glorify His name in the lives of the people of God.
Don't be afraid to see what the Lord shows you about what is happening in the world. Because Christ is victorious, and so are you!
Come quickly, Lord Jesus!
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
November 2, 2010 Taking It Personally
Whenever I read Scripture, whether Old Testament or New, I always ask "How does this pertain to me?" and "What are you showing me about yourself today, Lord?" So even if I don't understand very much of what I read, I'm still going to come away having had an encounter with the Lord. My goals of understanding Him more and being more equipped to live for Him are therefore always fulfilled.
One thing that stands out to me when I read the prophets is how much God hates idolatry. This isn't going to touch me much if I keep myself at a distance from these expressions, or put them in the past tense, or aim them in someone else's direction. In the here and now, Christ is passionate about burning away the things that I substitute for Him, the things that I worship that are not Him. The things that I fear and bow down to-- the things that intimidate me-- or the things I try to fill up with other than Him. Even though I know very well that nothing can fill the emptiness that we all feel without Him, I still struggle at times to keep from seeking fulfillment from other sources. We all do.
Accepting God's feelings about idols helps me to lay them down. As I move from being motivated mostly by the fear of the Lord to being motivated by love for Him, I find that I don't want to grieve His heart. Hidden idols in my heart grieve Him, and I want to be rid of them at all cost. I have to ask Him what they are, because it is still part of my sin nature to hide them from myself. Once we're willing to deal with this issue, He gently guides us towards freeing ourselves from all that is contrary to pure heart worship.
When I see how much Ezekiel was willing to go through to demonstrate God's Word to His people I feel pretty wimpy in comparison. God hasn't called me to do the things Ezekiel did (whew!) but He has called me to do some things, which I often find lame excuses for not doing. I wonder if idols have anything to do with this? I think I'll ask Him.
I love the book of Hebrews! What glorious visions of Christ we find here! Today, I'm grateful to be reminded of His loving priesthood and how we can, because of Him, come boldly to the throne for mercy and grace. Every day is my time of need! If I want to do the works He's called me to do, I'll have to enter into (and remain in) that seventh day. This is the place of pure worship that I'm looking for!
Avoiding things I'm called to do is just as much outside of the Rest as doing things I'm not called to do (it's all my own works).
"There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His." Hebrews 4:9-10 NKJV
I embrace the sword of His Word, as painful as it sometimes is, because it so clearly shows me where I'm at, as well as vividly revealing the Lord. As His sword cuts away the junk, it makes more room in my life for Him.
One thing that stands out to me when I read the prophets is how much God hates idolatry. This isn't going to touch me much if I keep myself at a distance from these expressions, or put them in the past tense, or aim them in someone else's direction. In the here and now, Christ is passionate about burning away the things that I substitute for Him, the things that I worship that are not Him. The things that I fear and bow down to-- the things that intimidate me-- or the things I try to fill up with other than Him. Even though I know very well that nothing can fill the emptiness that we all feel without Him, I still struggle at times to keep from seeking fulfillment from other sources. We all do.
Accepting God's feelings about idols helps me to lay them down. As I move from being motivated mostly by the fear of the Lord to being motivated by love for Him, I find that I don't want to grieve His heart. Hidden idols in my heart grieve Him, and I want to be rid of them at all cost. I have to ask Him what they are, because it is still part of my sin nature to hide them from myself. Once we're willing to deal with this issue, He gently guides us towards freeing ourselves from all that is contrary to pure heart worship.
When I see how much Ezekiel was willing to go through to demonstrate God's Word to His people I feel pretty wimpy in comparison. God hasn't called me to do the things Ezekiel did (whew!) but He has called me to do some things, which I often find lame excuses for not doing. I wonder if idols have anything to do with this? I think I'll ask Him.
I love the book of Hebrews! What glorious visions of Christ we find here! Today, I'm grateful to be reminded of His loving priesthood and how we can, because of Him, come boldly to the throne for mercy and grace. Every day is my time of need! If I want to do the works He's called me to do, I'll have to enter into (and remain in) that seventh day. This is the place of pure worship that I'm looking for!
Avoiding things I'm called to do is just as much outside of the Rest as doing things I'm not called to do (it's all my own works).
"There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His." Hebrews 4:9-10 NKJV
I embrace the sword of His Word, as painful as it sometimes is, because it so clearly shows me where I'm at, as well as vividly revealing the Lord. As His sword cuts away the junk, it makes more room in my life for Him.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
October 16, 2010 The Merciful Conscience
It's the insights we receive in our quiet study of the Word of God, and the applications we see as we internally meditate on that Word during our day, that prepare us for the things we face, day in and day out. We don't suddenly decide what we believe and how to react when someone accuses us falsely to our face, or when our child throws a temper tantrum in the middle of Walmart. We don't have time to think then-- we just react. Or better yet, respond. Responses we'll be happy with, and that will please the Lord, will be determined in the quiet times we spend with the Lord, not on the fly.
Reading Paul's instructions to Timothy today sounded so much like a loving father getting his son ready for dealing with people-- maybe some really obnoxious people-- getting him ready for times he'd more likely react than respond. It's like he was saying to him, "Son, when you're studying the Word, make sure you study how to be merciful." Paul gives us some tips.
He was telling Timothy that as much as we hate evil and want to teach people the right way, we first must be patient and merciful. The key to this is to remember how we've been in the past. "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief," said Paul, who went on to express his appreciation for the mercy that Christ had shown him. I know we can all relate. The Lord expects us to take this mercy and pass it on. Without mercy, we are not instructing people, we are setting ourselves up as their judge. "Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith," Paul explains. Without mercy, we will not have any of these, for we will not even forgive ourselves.
Our biggest incentive to be merciful, rather than legalistic and vengeful, is that God is: "O God, the proud have risen against me, and a mob of violent men have sought my life, and have not set You before them. But You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth." Psalm 86: 14-15 NKJV
As hard as it is to swallow sometimes, we must be merciful with sinners, because if we're not, we're "rejecting conscience." God will eventually punish the wicked. For now, it is our job to instruct in righteousness and to offer the saving grace of Christ.
Reading Paul's instructions to Timothy today sounded so much like a loving father getting his son ready for dealing with people-- maybe some really obnoxious people-- getting him ready for times he'd more likely react than respond. It's like he was saying to him, "Son, when you're studying the Word, make sure you study how to be merciful." Paul gives us some tips.
He was telling Timothy that as much as we hate evil and want to teach people the right way, we first must be patient and merciful. The key to this is to remember how we've been in the past. "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief," said Paul, who went on to express his appreciation for the mercy that Christ had shown him. I know we can all relate. The Lord expects us to take this mercy and pass it on. Without mercy, we are not instructing people, we are setting ourselves up as their judge. "Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith," Paul explains. Without mercy, we will not have any of these, for we will not even forgive ourselves.
Our biggest incentive to be merciful, rather than legalistic and vengeful, is that God is: "O God, the proud have risen against me, and a mob of violent men have sought my life, and have not set You before them. But You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth." Psalm 86: 14-15 NKJV
As hard as it is to swallow sometimes, we must be merciful with sinners, because if we're not, we're "rejecting conscience." God will eventually punish the wicked. For now, it is our job to instruct in righteousness and to offer the saving grace of Christ.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
October 14, 2010 I Choose The Temple Of Truth
Since we are created to be God's temple, individually and corporately, we have a responsibility to remain faithful to Him. There is an unholy temple, and I don't want to be it. In that temple, the self is set up as god, and lawlessness "rules." Unrighteousness is its condition. According to our reading today, it is the work of Satan. It is the result of not loving the truth, and those who live there are given over to a lying delusion, and eventually to destruction.
On the other hand, we have the choice to live in, and be, God's holy temple. In this temple, Christ Jesus is King, and because of His grace, we serve the living God. This temple is full of the praise of God, and His truth rules. The condition of those who live here is blessing and strength, grace and glory!
Even though the world seems to be, more and more, embracing the spirit of antichrist, rushing headlong into insanity, we who are in Christ Jesus may be always joyful and hopeful in Him. As we patiently wait for His return, we have the awesome privilege to daily serve Him in whatever He has given us to do, whether small or great.
"Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace, comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word and work."
2 Thessalonians 2: 16-17 NKJV
On the other hand, we have the choice to live in, and be, God's holy temple. In this temple, Christ Jesus is King, and because of His grace, we serve the living God. This temple is full of the praise of God, and His truth rules. The condition of those who live here is blessing and strength, grace and glory!
Even though the world seems to be, more and more, embracing the spirit of antichrist, rushing headlong into insanity, we who are in Christ Jesus may be always joyful and hopeful in Him. As we patiently wait for His return, we have the awesome privilege to daily serve Him in whatever He has given us to do, whether small or great.
"Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace, comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word and work."
2 Thessalonians 2: 16-17 NKJV
Saturday, August 7, 2010
August 7, 2010 Random Thoughts of Encouragement
I found a personal encouragement in each section today:
Ezra -- God can and will deal with a government that is hindering a labor given by God: this is personally applicable for us, as Bob's business has been directly hindered by State government being slow, and totally ignorant; and it was a business given to us by prophecy.
Corinthians -- I'm God's fellow laborer. That doesn't make me better than anyone else, it just means that God is doing His part in giving increase. I'm the temple of the Holy Spirit: His refining fire is working all the time to burn off stuff that doesn't please Him. If I hang in there with Him, I'll have some gold and silver and precious stones to offer Him in the end.
Psalms -- I'm just in awe of the voice of God! The power, beauty and majesty of His voice is compelling beyond all other sounds. Whenever I hear Him, I am moved to worship Him. I can see, hear, touch, feel and sometimes even taste His voice. I want more.
Proverbs -- I just got this picture of the Lord walking around in my unconscious holding up a lamp. He's not leaving a single corner, closet or cubbyhole untouched by His light. There is nothing hidden or unknown to Him, so I don't have to fear what might be lurking around in there. I'm encouraged to cooperate with Him and let Him completely in.
It's just not possible to read God's word and not get something, if you're open. If you're not getting anything real and personal from Him everyday, ask yourself this question:
Am I willing to receive whatever the Lord has to say to me today?
Ezra -- God can and will deal with a government that is hindering a labor given by God: this is personally applicable for us, as Bob's business has been directly hindered by State government being slow, and totally ignorant; and it was a business given to us by prophecy.
Corinthians -- I'm God's fellow laborer. That doesn't make me better than anyone else, it just means that God is doing His part in giving increase. I'm the temple of the Holy Spirit: His refining fire is working all the time to burn off stuff that doesn't please Him. If I hang in there with Him, I'll have some gold and silver and precious stones to offer Him in the end.
Psalms -- I'm just in awe of the voice of God! The power, beauty and majesty of His voice is compelling beyond all other sounds. Whenever I hear Him, I am moved to worship Him. I can see, hear, touch, feel and sometimes even taste His voice. I want more.
Proverbs -- I just got this picture of the Lord walking around in my unconscious holding up a lamp. He's not leaving a single corner, closet or cubbyhole untouched by His light. There is nothing hidden or unknown to Him, so I don't have to fear what might be lurking around in there. I'm encouraged to cooperate with Him and let Him completely in.
It's just not possible to read God's word and not get something, if you're open. If you're not getting anything real and personal from Him everyday, ask yourself this question:
Am I willing to receive whatever the Lord has to say to me today?
Friday, August 6, 2010
August 6, 2010 God's Two-Part Plan For Establishing His Abiding Glory
I may have said this before, but it's hitting me like waves: Babylonian captivity is all about worship. We go into captivity and confusion because we worship other gods. When we come out, the first thing that happens is that the true worship of God is restored.
The things we're confronted with in captivity are all the things we've worshipped instead of God: What am I trusting in? Who do I fear? What do I desire most of all? Who or what am I molding myself to? Who am I trying to please? What am I filling myself with? Who am I following? How am I getting guidance? What do I think about all the time? What do I crave? Who or what intimidates me? What am I addicted to? What am I patterning my life after? Who or what do I run to for protection? What or who do I count on for provision? For fulfillment? For worth? For identity? What are my entanglements? Who or what do I actually worship?
Because there are so many things we worship as idols instead of, or along side of, God, we might have to go into captivity more than once. But every time we are released, we are back to getting true worship established once again. This is a life process for all of us, I think. The faster we're willing to relinquish our idols the quicker we are out of captivity and into freedom.
If we want God's abiding glory, we must first turn away from our idols (and this is why God identifies them to us and shows us His perspective on them). Then we must follow God's directions for establishing true worship. While this is happening, there will be opposition.
In these chapters today we see opposing ages and the spiritual rulers of these ages at work. There is this present age of the world (which is reaching its end), and the satanic spirits that rule over it. There is also the Kingdom age (which began with Christ's appearance in the world). That has been a mystery that has slowly been revealed since then, and is still being progressively revealed. The Spirit of Truth is the ruling spirit of the Kingdom Age.
Every person has to choose which age he or she will partake of. We are born, naturally, into this present worldly age. What could we call it? The age of rebellion? The age of lies? When we're born again, we begin to partake of the Kingdom age in some ways. But just because we're born again in the spirit doesn't mean we're able to understand or accept much of it-- it's so different than what we've gotten used to. We find ourselves in two opposing kingdoms and two opposing ages at once, and we are mighty confused!
From what Paul is saying about wisdom and spirit, I understand that the wisdom of this age comes from the heart of pride and rebellion that originated with satan. The wisdom of the Kingdom of Christ proceeds from the heart of God. Since it's written that it's the spirit of man that knows the "things of a man" and that the Spirit of God knows the deep things of God, I'm taking it that the wisdom of this age is also what comes from the heart of man separated from God. Satan is completely obsessed with man, however, so it takes discerning of spirits to sometimes be able to tell the difference between what's coming from man's spirit and what's coming from demonic spirits.
The spirit of man gravitates one way or the other. People are going to receive from demonic spirits or the Spirit of God, like it or not. If we've not put ourselves in subjection to the Kingdom of God, then we're subjected to the kingdom of rebellion (or lies, or darkness). The "rulers of this age," that Paul speaks of, can't logically be human, as he's talking about the fact that they crucified Christ, not knowing that He would be risen from the dead. Obviously, they worked through people. These spirits are still around, still working through people, trying to keep the Kingdom of God from prevailing. Too late! They've been defeated. They didn't stop it from coming and they didn't even see what was going to happen. They can't possibly stop it. The glorious reign of Christ on earth is inevitable.
Carnally minded people, even Christians, have a hard (or impossible) time seeing what's going on in the Kingdom of God. Until we reject the idols of this present age of rebellion, we can't be spiritually minded. Until we are spiritually minded, we can't receive the deep things of God revealed by the Spirit of God. When we are worshipping idols, we are still receiving only the wisdom of this age, the same "wisdom" that blindly crucified Christ.
Wrongly directed worship destroys the fruit of the Spirit in us and tears down the seed of the Word in us. It defiles and defames the temple. When we get disgusted with living in the age of rebellion, and reject its idols, we can then become cleansed from their influence and become a vessel for pure worship of God. We begin to have the fruit of the Spirit in abundance. Instead of ourselves usurping the throne of our hearts (being actually "puppet kings" of satan), then Christ is welcomed as King of kings, and we are holy participants in the Kingdom Age. We are now worshiping Him in whatever areas we are not rebelling against Him as King. He is working on getting all of us to absolute worship of Him! Give us an undivided heart to worship You! Glory!!
The Kingdom Age has glories in it we are only beginning to see as we come out from this putrid cloud of darkness. The Spirit of God delights to reveal these things to us; Jesus Christ knows all things of the Father's heart, and instructs the Spirit to reveal them to us when we are ready to receive them.
I hope this helps you to rise up and put off everything that hinders you from worshiping God purely from the heart. It certainly does motivate me!
“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard,
Nor have entered into the heart of man
The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”
But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit.
For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.
1 Corinthians 2: 9-10 NKJV
Questions to ponder:
Has your concept of idol worship changed?
What idol or idols in your life has the Spirit of God identified to you today, or recently?
How is He motivating you to turn away from them?
What is He showing you to do that will replace the practices of idol worship?
What glimpse of His glory has He given you to keep you wanting the deep things of God?
The things we're confronted with in captivity are all the things we've worshipped instead of God: What am I trusting in? Who do I fear? What do I desire most of all? Who or what am I molding myself to? Who am I trying to please? What am I filling myself with? Who am I following? How am I getting guidance? What do I think about all the time? What do I crave? Who or what intimidates me? What am I addicted to? What am I patterning my life after? Who or what do I run to for protection? What or who do I count on for provision? For fulfillment? For worth? For identity? What are my entanglements? Who or what do I actually worship?
Because there are so many things we worship as idols instead of, or along side of, God, we might have to go into captivity more than once. But every time we are released, we are back to getting true worship established once again. This is a life process for all of us, I think. The faster we're willing to relinquish our idols the quicker we are out of captivity and into freedom.
If we want God's abiding glory, we must first turn away from our idols (and this is why God identifies them to us and shows us His perspective on them). Then we must follow God's directions for establishing true worship. While this is happening, there will be opposition.
In these chapters today we see opposing ages and the spiritual rulers of these ages at work. There is this present age of the world (which is reaching its end), and the satanic spirits that rule over it. There is also the Kingdom age (which began with Christ's appearance in the world). That has been a mystery that has slowly been revealed since then, and is still being progressively revealed. The Spirit of Truth is the ruling spirit of the Kingdom Age.
Every person has to choose which age he or she will partake of. We are born, naturally, into this present worldly age. What could we call it? The age of rebellion? The age of lies? When we're born again, we begin to partake of the Kingdom age in some ways. But just because we're born again in the spirit doesn't mean we're able to understand or accept much of it-- it's so different than what we've gotten used to. We find ourselves in two opposing kingdoms and two opposing ages at once, and we are mighty confused!
From what Paul is saying about wisdom and spirit, I understand that the wisdom of this age comes from the heart of pride and rebellion that originated with satan. The wisdom of the Kingdom of Christ proceeds from the heart of God. Since it's written that it's the spirit of man that knows the "things of a man" and that the Spirit of God knows the deep things of God, I'm taking it that the wisdom of this age is also what comes from the heart of man separated from God. Satan is completely obsessed with man, however, so it takes discerning of spirits to sometimes be able to tell the difference between what's coming from man's spirit and what's coming from demonic spirits.
The spirit of man gravitates one way or the other. People are going to receive from demonic spirits or the Spirit of God, like it or not. If we've not put ourselves in subjection to the Kingdom of God, then we're subjected to the kingdom of rebellion (or lies, or darkness). The "rulers of this age," that Paul speaks of, can't logically be human, as he's talking about the fact that they crucified Christ, not knowing that He would be risen from the dead. Obviously, they worked through people. These spirits are still around, still working through people, trying to keep the Kingdom of God from prevailing. Too late! They've been defeated. They didn't stop it from coming and they didn't even see what was going to happen. They can't possibly stop it. The glorious reign of Christ on earth is inevitable.
Carnally minded people, even Christians, have a hard (or impossible) time seeing what's going on in the Kingdom of God. Until we reject the idols of this present age of rebellion, we can't be spiritually minded. Until we are spiritually minded, we can't receive the deep things of God revealed by the Spirit of God. When we are worshipping idols, we are still receiving only the wisdom of this age, the same "wisdom" that blindly crucified Christ.
Wrongly directed worship destroys the fruit of the Spirit in us and tears down the seed of the Word in us. It defiles and defames the temple. When we get disgusted with living in the age of rebellion, and reject its idols, we can then become cleansed from their influence and become a vessel for pure worship of God. We begin to have the fruit of the Spirit in abundance. Instead of ourselves usurping the throne of our hearts (being actually "puppet kings" of satan), then Christ is welcomed as King of kings, and we are holy participants in the Kingdom Age. We are now worshiping Him in whatever areas we are not rebelling against Him as King. He is working on getting all of us to absolute worship of Him! Give us an undivided heart to worship You! Glory!!
The Kingdom Age has glories in it we are only beginning to see as we come out from this putrid cloud of darkness. The Spirit of God delights to reveal these things to us; Jesus Christ knows all things of the Father's heart, and instructs the Spirit to reveal them to us when we are ready to receive them.
I hope this helps you to rise up and put off everything that hinders you from worshiping God purely from the heart. It certainly does motivate me!
“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard,
Nor have entered into the heart of man
The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”
But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit.
For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.
1 Corinthians 2: 9-10 NKJV
Questions to ponder:
Has your concept of idol worship changed?
What idol or idols in your life has the Spirit of God identified to you today, or recently?
How is He motivating you to turn away from them?
What is He showing you to do that will replace the practices of idol worship?
What glimpse of His glory has He given you to keep you wanting the deep things of God?
Thursday, August 5, 2010
August 5, 2010 When All Seems Lost, God Makes A Way
I was suicidal once, years back; for a month or more, I struggled with thoughts of how I could end my life because chronic depression had left me hopeless, and my circumstances seemed unchangeable. I had lost connection with my faith in God, although I would not have denied it consciously. The only thing that kept me going was that I needed to take care of my children. I thank God for a dad who heard God, comprehended where I was at, and offered to pay for therapy. This was the beginning of a long journey of healing and restoration for me. That I now have abiding peace and joy in my life, and a stable environment and relationships, is a great example of the power of the cross of Christ. It is in Him alone that I have found reality, sanity and purpose.
I share this because it is the first thing I thought of when I saw the heading for today's reading in Ezra: End of the Babylonian Captivity. What I saw in the passage was that if God could stir up the spirit of Cyrus, He can do whatever needs to be done to rescue us from our distresses. He did do that for me. When I thought no good could come from my life (that was of course, a deception), God broke through my darkness and brought me out. My sinful choices had gotten me into captivity in the first place. God used it for good in my life anyway.
When humanity had fallen into the depths of depravity, God made a way. When Jesus went to the cross to die, He took upon Himself the whole of mankind's mess. He came back from the depths of death bringing our deliverance with Him. As Paul said, it sounds like foolishness to a lot of people, but I say, foolishness or not, it's wisdom and life. I can testify first hand-- I'm only alive because of Him.
The Corinthians passages are some of the most powerful and hopeful I know of: I love them! When you put them together with the Ezra account, the Psalms and the Proverbs, today's reading packs a powerfully hopeful punch! I completely embrace being a "foolish thing"! It means I'm chosen to put to shame the "high and mighty" things of the world. I just said to my husband this morning, that I didn't belong in the big, bad world-- that I just wanted to hide out "in a cave" and be a little girl. The fact is, I am God's little girl! I don't have to fit in with, or be accepted by, the world (that's perishing anyway); I don't belong! I belong to the Kingdom! I'm in Christ and Christ is in God. I can be strong in the power of His might! I can glory in Him! I don't have to be anything, because He is everything. However, as I keep pressing into Him, the foolishness that is me gives way to the wisdom that is Him. I begin to realize that in the Kingdom I have substance, significance, sustainability.
If you are lost, Jesus is the Way. If you have been found by Him, Jesus is still the Way. Along the Way you find Truth and Life. These things are worth living for! Whether you know it or not, Jesus already died for you and proclaimed you "forgiven." Your future love relationship with God began at that moment. Whenever you awake to this reality and say "yes," the adventure begins. Never give up on your life! You will be totally surprised at the wondrous things He has in store for you, even if you feel like a foolish thing right now.
Bonus: Negativity is the beginning of the suicidal road; here's how not to get there, ever:
"I would have lost heart, unless I had believed
That I would see the goodness of the LORD
In the land of the living.
Wait on the LORD;
Be of good courage,
And He shall strengthen your heart;
Wait, I say, on the LORD."
Psalm 27:13-14
Questions to ponder:
Have you ever struggled with despair or suicidal thoughts? How did you get out from under them?
If you have had victory in this area, have you ever shared it with others?
Do you know anyone who struggles with depression or suicidal thoughts?
How do you deal with that?
Even if these things are far from your own experience, what have you learned that is applicable to you?
Truth: Whatever you've overcome in your life is what the Lord will use to minister life to others through you.
I share this because it is the first thing I thought of when I saw the heading for today's reading in Ezra: End of the Babylonian Captivity. What I saw in the passage was that if God could stir up the spirit of Cyrus, He can do whatever needs to be done to rescue us from our distresses. He did do that for me. When I thought no good could come from my life (that was of course, a deception), God broke through my darkness and brought me out. My sinful choices had gotten me into captivity in the first place. God used it for good in my life anyway.
When humanity had fallen into the depths of depravity, God made a way. When Jesus went to the cross to die, He took upon Himself the whole of mankind's mess. He came back from the depths of death bringing our deliverance with Him. As Paul said, it sounds like foolishness to a lot of people, but I say, foolishness or not, it's wisdom and life. I can testify first hand-- I'm only alive because of Him.
The Corinthians passages are some of the most powerful and hopeful I know of: I love them! When you put them together with the Ezra account, the Psalms and the Proverbs, today's reading packs a powerfully hopeful punch! I completely embrace being a "foolish thing"! It means I'm chosen to put to shame the "high and mighty" things of the world. I just said to my husband this morning, that I didn't belong in the big, bad world-- that I just wanted to hide out "in a cave" and be a little girl. The fact is, I am God's little girl! I don't have to fit in with, or be accepted by, the world (that's perishing anyway); I don't belong! I belong to the Kingdom! I'm in Christ and Christ is in God. I can be strong in the power of His might! I can glory in Him! I don't have to be anything, because He is everything. However, as I keep pressing into Him, the foolishness that is me gives way to the wisdom that is Him. I begin to realize that in the Kingdom I have substance, significance, sustainability.
If you are lost, Jesus is the Way. If you have been found by Him, Jesus is still the Way. Along the Way you find Truth and Life. These things are worth living for! Whether you know it or not, Jesus already died for you and proclaimed you "forgiven." Your future love relationship with God began at that moment. Whenever you awake to this reality and say "yes," the adventure begins. Never give up on your life! You will be totally surprised at the wondrous things He has in store for you, even if you feel like a foolish thing right now.
Bonus: Negativity is the beginning of the suicidal road; here's how not to get there, ever:
"I would have lost heart, unless I had believed
That I would see the goodness of the LORD
In the land of the living.
Wait on the LORD;
Be of good courage,
And He shall strengthen your heart;
Wait, I say, on the LORD."
Psalm 27:13-14
Questions to ponder:
Have you ever struggled with despair or suicidal thoughts? How did you get out from under them?
If you have had victory in this area, have you ever shared it with others?
Do you know anyone who struggles with depression or suicidal thoughts?
How do you deal with that?
Even if these things are far from your own experience, what have you learned that is applicable to you?
Truth: Whatever you've overcome in your life is what the Lord will use to minister life to others through you.
Friday, July 30, 2010
July 30, 2010 Wearing The Armor of Light
I never noticed before that the passage which says to "put on Christ" is the same passage that says to "put on the armor of light." I think that's awesome! In order to wear this armor, we have to put off the works of darkness. These works are related to being asleep, as the world is. When we're awake, we're walking in love, and this isn't compatible with the works of the flesh, which is the self-centeredness of the fallen nature. Once we've awakened to the reality of our salvation, and we get dressed with the brilliant glory of Christ, what darkness can overcome us?
Again, I'm struck with the prophetic vision of David. He had a relationship with Christ even then, and understood the armor of light. He had no need to fear when he found himself in a dark valley shadowed with evil, enemies, and death. "Dwelling in the house of the Lord forever" takes on a deeper meaning when we understand that it's not necessary to get rid of our natural bodies in order to live in a divine tent of perpetual light that goes wherever we go.
"You are with me" becomes a little more intimate when we're thinking of wearing Christ! It also becomes more public. There's no hiding our salvation or our relationship with the Savior when we're wearing the armor of light! The days of "my faith is personal" (meaning "I don't share it with anyone") are over! When you're dressed in light, can you help but be noticed by people who are in the dark? They might be afraid and run away, but many will be drawn to the light that covers you.
Jesus lives in us by His Word and Spirit when we're born again. But salvation has to be more than just an inner belief, as we have discussed earlier. Having light than shines out from the inside and covers us from the outside is the only effective way to be a witness for Christ. If you're dark, you stay hidden in darkness and nobody notices you. Not to mention how Jesus feels about that! The times we walk around incognito are basically times we're denying that we know Him. I'm not saying we have to be religious about our witnessing! I've known people who talked a lot about the Lord, but were essentially walking in darkness. I've been there myself-- and as "easy" as it is to be asleep, being in the dark is torment when you're a child a God.
The devil feeds on "dust" (Genesis 3:14) which is our self-nature; when we don't put off the works of darkness, he can get us even more entangled in webs of deception, addiction and bitterness than we were before we got "saved." When he's prowling around looking for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8), he's looking for someone who's not defended, not wearing their armor of light. When we're walking in love, and therefore in the light, we're well defended and have nothing to fear.
Putting our armor on is much more than a morning ritual! Just declaring that we have put on our helmet of salvation, etc., isn't what gets us clothed in light! It's waking up to what salvation really is, and making a command decision to leave the darkness behind. It's called repentance.
We are the children of light! The true light lives in us. Christ's love is shiny and wonderfully resistant to attack. Let's start a fashion trend and wear the light! Shine, shine, shine!
Again, I'm struck with the prophetic vision of David. He had a relationship with Christ even then, and understood the armor of light. He had no need to fear when he found himself in a dark valley shadowed with evil, enemies, and death. "Dwelling in the house of the Lord forever" takes on a deeper meaning when we understand that it's not necessary to get rid of our natural bodies in order to live in a divine tent of perpetual light that goes wherever we go.
"You are with me" becomes a little more intimate when we're thinking of wearing Christ! It also becomes more public. There's no hiding our salvation or our relationship with the Savior when we're wearing the armor of light! The days of "my faith is personal" (meaning "I don't share it with anyone") are over! When you're dressed in light, can you help but be noticed by people who are in the dark? They might be afraid and run away, but many will be drawn to the light that covers you.
Jesus lives in us by His Word and Spirit when we're born again. But salvation has to be more than just an inner belief, as we have discussed earlier. Having light than shines out from the inside and covers us from the outside is the only effective way to be a witness for Christ. If you're dark, you stay hidden in darkness and nobody notices you. Not to mention how Jesus feels about that! The times we walk around incognito are basically times we're denying that we know Him. I'm not saying we have to be religious about our witnessing! I've known people who talked a lot about the Lord, but were essentially walking in darkness. I've been there myself-- and as "easy" as it is to be asleep, being in the dark is torment when you're a child a God.
The devil feeds on "dust" (Genesis 3:14) which is our self-nature; when we don't put off the works of darkness, he can get us even more entangled in webs of deception, addiction and bitterness than we were before we got "saved." When he's prowling around looking for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8), he's looking for someone who's not defended, not wearing their armor of light. When we're walking in love, and therefore in the light, we're well defended and have nothing to fear.
Putting our armor on is much more than a morning ritual! Just declaring that we have put on our helmet of salvation, etc., isn't what gets us clothed in light! It's waking up to what salvation really is, and making a command decision to leave the darkness behind. It's called repentance.
We are the children of light! The true light lives in us. Christ's love is shiny and wonderfully resistant to attack. Let's start a fashion trend and wear the light! Shine, shine, shine!
Monday, July 26, 2010
July 26, 2010 Bridge Over the Chasm of Doubt
I often have to be reminded of what I already know. Although I may feel ashamed for having "forgotten" something I had revelation on, and really felt I understood, I am grateful for the prodding I get from the Holy Spirit. He gently reminds me, and somehow gets across His desire that I do what He's saying.
Today He used this passage to do that kind of prodding with me:
But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” Romans 10:8-11 NKJV
I'm not suggesting that I used to be saved but now I'm backslidden and need to be reinstated. No, there's more to salvation than becoming born-again. We tend to use the term "backslidden" to mean "become unsaved," and that's a debatable concept anyway. Just because I might get close to a slippery slope of sin doesn't mean I've lost my salvation! But that's not what I'm talking about here. What I mean is: I'm not walking in total salvation because I forget to cross the bridge from believing to overcoming. What is that bridge anyway? We see the chasm, if we're honest, but we can't see the bridge.
Perhaps we don't see the bridge because whenever we reach that chasm, there is no bridge. We are put in the position of having to build it. We build the bridge over the chasm of doubt by speaking the word of truth that we believe and walking on it until we reach the actuality of our faith.
I'll use myself as an example. Through faith in Christ, I've overcome many obstacles in my life. Depression is one of them. Even though I was a born-again child of God, I still had chronic depression and bouts of severe and debillitating depression-- as I had suffered throughout my life-- until the last several years, where it has diminshed to only an occasional temptation. Quite a process and lots of help from others helped me understand how to overcome the depression. But I had to overcome it myself by walking on the bridge over the chasm of doubt.
All the Word and faith about who I was in Christ, His love for me, His purposes in my life, knowledge of the fruit of the Spirit, etc., wasn't going to defeat the darkness of depression if that truth stayed locked inside my heart. Only by speaking out loud the truth I believed in my heart, and walking upon the bridge it created, would I be able to exit the gross darkness I lived in and into God's glorious light. Declaring what I believed inside my born-again heart was the only thing that could dispel the lying reality that colored my mental and physical existence. Every time I did this, I was able to take another step into freedom from depression. Believing alone could not do it; faith demands action, and speaking is the first action we take.
Sometimes our cultural adages steer us away from believing the word of God. All our life we hear "actions speak louder than words," and so we believe we don't have to speak, only act. This is like saying "the car engine revving is louder than the turn of the key." Well, of course it is, but try getting the engine to rev without turning the key in the ignition switch! And just because the engine is revving doesn't mean we're getting anywhere. We do have to shift gears, release the brake, and put our foot on the gas. Our declared words of faith are like the key that gets it all going.
I'm saying all this to help you, as well as myself, so we can get our heart beliefs out where they can activate our salvation. I'm believing God for healing and restructuring of some physical problems that are hindering my life progress. The things I'm wanting to receive from God are stated clearly in the Word-- they are not gray or cloudy. I have complete faith in their truth, and in God's will for me. So why am I not getting saved in those areas? Because I forget to declare the truth out of my mouth. I forget to put the key into the ignition and turn it. I forget to build the bridge and walk on it.
Understanding and practicing this concept can save us a lot of frustration, disappointment, shame and even anger with God. The above Scripture tips us off as to how to get saved, and keep on getting saved. We believed the truth, and we confessed our faith when we were born again. We have to keep practicing that to get to where we're walking in all that Christ bought for us by His death and resurrection. Christ is the Word, and He is the Salvation. We unveil Him once again in our lives at every point of decision whenever we speak the truth we heard and believed.
What hinders you from confessing your faith? Ask the Lord to show you the things that keep you from speaking the word that's in your heart, so that you can walk on the bridge of faith until you own salvation in that area of your life.
Today He used this passage to do that kind of prodding with me:
But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” Romans 10:8-11 NKJV
I'm not suggesting that I used to be saved but now I'm backslidden and need to be reinstated. No, there's more to salvation than becoming born-again. We tend to use the term "backslidden" to mean "become unsaved," and that's a debatable concept anyway. Just because I might get close to a slippery slope of sin doesn't mean I've lost my salvation! But that's not what I'm talking about here. What I mean is: I'm not walking in total salvation because I forget to cross the bridge from believing to overcoming. What is that bridge anyway? We see the chasm, if we're honest, but we can't see the bridge.
Perhaps we don't see the bridge because whenever we reach that chasm, there is no bridge. We are put in the position of having to build it. We build the bridge over the chasm of doubt by speaking the word of truth that we believe and walking on it until we reach the actuality of our faith.
I'll use myself as an example. Through faith in Christ, I've overcome many obstacles in my life. Depression is one of them. Even though I was a born-again child of God, I still had chronic depression and bouts of severe and debillitating depression-- as I had suffered throughout my life-- until the last several years, where it has diminshed to only an occasional temptation. Quite a process and lots of help from others helped me understand how to overcome the depression. But I had to overcome it myself by walking on the bridge over the chasm of doubt.
All the Word and faith about who I was in Christ, His love for me, His purposes in my life, knowledge of the fruit of the Spirit, etc., wasn't going to defeat the darkness of depression if that truth stayed locked inside my heart. Only by speaking out loud the truth I believed in my heart, and walking upon the bridge it created, would I be able to exit the gross darkness I lived in and into God's glorious light. Declaring what I believed inside my born-again heart was the only thing that could dispel the lying reality that colored my mental and physical existence. Every time I did this, I was able to take another step into freedom from depression. Believing alone could not do it; faith demands action, and speaking is the first action we take.
Sometimes our cultural adages steer us away from believing the word of God. All our life we hear "actions speak louder than words," and so we believe we don't have to speak, only act. This is like saying "the car engine revving is louder than the turn of the key." Well, of course it is, but try getting the engine to rev without turning the key in the ignition switch! And just because the engine is revving doesn't mean we're getting anywhere. We do have to shift gears, release the brake, and put our foot on the gas. Our declared words of faith are like the key that gets it all going.
I'm saying all this to help you, as well as myself, so we can get our heart beliefs out where they can activate our salvation. I'm believing God for healing and restructuring of some physical problems that are hindering my life progress. The things I'm wanting to receive from God are stated clearly in the Word-- they are not gray or cloudy. I have complete faith in their truth, and in God's will for me. So why am I not getting saved in those areas? Because I forget to declare the truth out of my mouth. I forget to put the key into the ignition and turn it. I forget to build the bridge and walk on it.
Understanding and practicing this concept can save us a lot of frustration, disappointment, shame and even anger with God. The above Scripture tips us off as to how to get saved, and keep on getting saved. We believed the truth, and we confessed our faith when we were born again. We have to keep practicing that to get to where we're walking in all that Christ bought for us by His death and resurrection. Christ is the Word, and He is the Salvation. We unveil Him once again in our lives at every point of decision whenever we speak the truth we heard and believed.
What hinders you from confessing your faith? Ask the Lord to show you the things that keep you from speaking the word that's in your heart, so that you can walk on the bridge of faith until you own salvation in that area of your life.
Saturday, July 17, 2010
July 17, 2010 The Robe of Righteousness
God's ideas about righteousness are very different from the ones we come up with as human beings. God says righteousness can only be received, by believing Him. He says there's nothing we can do, even from the Mosaic law, to make us righteous. If we want to be accepted by God, we're going to have to come to Him on His terms. We can't go before His throne of grace in filthy rags (our own efforts to be righteous). We have to go before Him in a robe of righteousness. We are given this robe when we receive Christ as our savior. His righteousness is placed on us, and then we are clothed properly.
When we are in right standing with the Father based on our faith in Christ, we can then come before Him in our time of need (which is all the time, isn't it?). Now that we have been given a right relationship with the Father God through Christ our Brother, we are going to have the opportunity to grow up in Him. The end result is people who are just like Jesus, walking in righteousness that flows from the inside out because He lives in us. This delights the Father, but it is never what makes us right with Him.
When we are in right standing with the Father based on our faith in Christ, we can then come before Him in our time of need (which is all the time, isn't it?). Now that we have been given a right relationship with the Father God through Christ our Brother, we are going to have the opportunity to grow up in Him. The end result is people who are just like Jesus, walking in righteousness that flows from the inside out because He lives in us. This delights the Father, but it is never what makes us right with Him.
Monday, July 12, 2010
July 12, 2010 What We're All About
This simple statement is so powerful on its own that I really don't feel the need to say much about it: For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.” Romans 1:16-17 NKJV It was the Apostle Paul's mission statement in a way, if I remember rightly what that term means. It was what he was all about, in a nutshell.
After reading in Acts about the conversion and ministry of Paul, I am quite ready to learn from him (via the Holy Spirit) about the power and righteousness of God, the walk of faith, and the message of the gospel of Christ. I want to have his heart, for truth and for souls, imparted to me-- you?
I think I enjoyed, more than ever before, vicariously going on those mission trips as I imagined sailing on the numerous ships to various places, seeing the miracles and rejoicing in the people who received Christ. Now I am looking forward to sitting at that preacher's feet, in a way, and letting the things that motivated him to so lay down his own life get into me and motivate me. There is no time barrier in the Kingdom of God. It's just as real and alive now as it was then. With this attitude, then, I plan on diving into the letters and coming out changed. Want to join me?
After reading in Acts about the conversion and ministry of Paul, I am quite ready to learn from him (via the Holy Spirit) about the power and righteousness of God, the walk of faith, and the message of the gospel of Christ. I want to have his heart, for truth and for souls, imparted to me-- you?
I think I enjoyed, more than ever before, vicariously going on those mission trips as I imagined sailing on the numerous ships to various places, seeing the miracles and rejoicing in the people who received Christ. Now I am looking forward to sitting at that preacher's feet, in a way, and letting the things that motivated him to so lay down his own life get into me and motivate me. There is no time barrier in the Kingdom of God. It's just as real and alive now as it was then. With this attitude, then, I plan on diving into the letters and coming out changed. Want to join me?
Monday, July 5, 2010
July 5, 2010 Strengthening The Spiritual Immune System
Psalm 3 showed up at a good time for me; it must have been on Paul's mind too when 40 men had vowed to kill him. I don't have people vowing to kill me, (that I know of), but all it takes is one to throw a spiritual javelin at you and take you out (if you don't have your shield of faith up). When an angry person shows up at my door with no good intentions, I have to be reminded that it's "not against flesh and blood" that we fight against, but against "principalities, against powers, against the rulers of darkness of this age, against spiritual wickedness in the heavenly places" (Ephesians 6:12, KJV and NKJV combined).
When we're threatened in any way, we tend to go into our natural "fight or flight" reaction, don't we? I haven't overcome that yet, and I'm not sure we're supposed to. The best thing to do, I think, is to train ourselves to "fly" to God, and then, if we're going to have to fight, we'll do it in His strength and wisdom, and inside His protective shield. I would like to be found in Him to the point where I'm invulnerable to enemy penetration, and always have the Spirit-led response to an attack-- but unfortunately I'm not always where I should be at every given moment.
God uses any attacks from the evil one (and yes, they often come through people who allow themselves to be used) to show us our weak places, or wrong states of being. He heals us right up when we go to Him, so it's not the end of the world when we take a hit. However, when we're not in the place of safety, we are at risk unnecessarily. We waste time when we're knocked out for a while. And the devil plays dirty and likes to kick us when we're down.
One of the worse things about getting wounded by a spiritual attack is that we tend to further injure ourselves with our unhealthy habitual responses to pain. I do better than I used to, but I have to admit I still tend to fall into fleshly "self-medicating" when I am deeply hurt. Our spiritual enemy studies how to hit us where he knows we're vulnerable: we advertise our vulnerabilities all the time, don't we? Most of us have trouble facing what "open books" we are to all who care to observe. Someone who hates you and wants to hurt you will go right for the jugular! All he has to do, then, is watch our behavior afterward to know the attack was effective. He doesn't have to do anything more, knowing we'll finish off the destruction all by ourselves.
I've learned that I will recover much more slowly from a spiritual attack, and even end up getting sick, sometimes depressed, when I take refuge in fleshly things. I thought the Proverb today was such an appropriate reminder: "The spirit of a man will sustain him in sickness, But who can bear a broken spirit? The heart of the prudent acquires knowledge, And the ear of the wise seeks knowledge." Proverbs 18:14-15 If our response to spiritual attack isn't to immediately seek out the Lord-- His word, His comfort, His healing and His wisdom-- we will lower our physical and our spiritual immune systems, becoming even that more vulnerable to whatever would like to destroy us. Even our own weaknesses, then-- things we may have begun to have some victory in-- become greater enemies. The world's lies have more access into us if we take refuge in worldly media when we are down. Do you see why it is so important to go to the Lord first of all, no matter how we feel--even if we are angry with Him for some reason?
My immune systems are pretty strong right now, because I've been spending time in the Word, and I'm generally in a place of closeness with the Lord. But I can still clearly remember times when I was not. I don't want to get there again! I can see the enemy would like to break my spirit so that I will succumb to sickness and sin and not be able to recover. I am grateful to be shown that I am not where I need to be, and that I can improve my level of immunity. I hope my experience, and these Scriptures today, will encourage you to stay close to the Lord, and run to Him first whenever you are challenged. He is your shield, your defender, your sustenance, and the One who lifts your head.
Extra credit: If the devil shows contempt for Christ by trying to thwart His purposes of redemption, can we be witnesses of the Gospel and gain great personal victories over the devil by overcoming sin, sickness and emotional disorders? See Isaiah 53, Psalm 103, Luke 4:18, 2 Corinthians10:5
When we're threatened in any way, we tend to go into our natural "fight or flight" reaction, don't we? I haven't overcome that yet, and I'm not sure we're supposed to. The best thing to do, I think, is to train ourselves to "fly" to God, and then, if we're going to have to fight, we'll do it in His strength and wisdom, and inside His protective shield. I would like to be found in Him to the point where I'm invulnerable to enemy penetration, and always have the Spirit-led response to an attack-- but unfortunately I'm not always where I should be at every given moment.
God uses any attacks from the evil one (and yes, they often come through people who allow themselves to be used) to show us our weak places, or wrong states of being. He heals us right up when we go to Him, so it's not the end of the world when we take a hit. However, when we're not in the place of safety, we are at risk unnecessarily. We waste time when we're knocked out for a while. And the devil plays dirty and likes to kick us when we're down.
One of the worse things about getting wounded by a spiritual attack is that we tend to further injure ourselves with our unhealthy habitual responses to pain. I do better than I used to, but I have to admit I still tend to fall into fleshly "self-medicating" when I am deeply hurt. Our spiritual enemy studies how to hit us where he knows we're vulnerable: we advertise our vulnerabilities all the time, don't we? Most of us have trouble facing what "open books" we are to all who care to observe. Someone who hates you and wants to hurt you will go right for the jugular! All he has to do, then, is watch our behavior afterward to know the attack was effective. He doesn't have to do anything more, knowing we'll finish off the destruction all by ourselves.
I've learned that I will recover much more slowly from a spiritual attack, and even end up getting sick, sometimes depressed, when I take refuge in fleshly things. I thought the Proverb today was such an appropriate reminder: "The spirit of a man will sustain him in sickness, But who can bear a broken spirit? The heart of the prudent acquires knowledge, And the ear of the wise seeks knowledge." Proverbs 18:14-15 If our response to spiritual attack isn't to immediately seek out the Lord-- His word, His comfort, His healing and His wisdom-- we will lower our physical and our spiritual immune systems, becoming even that more vulnerable to whatever would like to destroy us. Even our own weaknesses, then-- things we may have begun to have some victory in-- become greater enemies. The world's lies have more access into us if we take refuge in worldly media when we are down. Do you see why it is so important to go to the Lord first of all, no matter how we feel--even if we are angry with Him for some reason?
My immune systems are pretty strong right now, because I've been spending time in the Word, and I'm generally in a place of closeness with the Lord. But I can still clearly remember times when I was not. I don't want to get there again! I can see the enemy would like to break my spirit so that I will succumb to sickness and sin and not be able to recover. I am grateful to be shown that I am not where I need to be, and that I can improve my level of immunity. I hope my experience, and these Scriptures today, will encourage you to stay close to the Lord, and run to Him first whenever you are challenged. He is your shield, your defender, your sustenance, and the One who lifts your head.
Extra credit: If the devil shows contempt for Christ by trying to thwart His purposes of redemption, can we be witnesses of the Gospel and gain great personal victories over the devil by overcoming sin, sickness and emotional disorders? See Isaiah 53, Psalm 103, Luke 4:18, 2 Corinthians10:5
Saturday, July 3, 2010
July 3, 2010 Turn At the Light
God's word testifies today of the power that His light and truth have to turn a person, or even a nation to Himself. God had mercy on Josiah because he turned to the Lord, but the nation still had major consequences to deal with because of their great idolatry. Paul the Apostle had a magnificent conversion when he encountered the glorious Christ on the road to Damascus. He had a lot of suffering to deal with in his life, but the Lord used him to reach many souls for Him-- his letters minister to us so much even today.
I remember many years ago-- as a backslidden young woman lost in darkness-- coming to myself just like the progidal son did. The description in today's 2 Kings reading reminds me so much of how I felt back then. Suddenly, my eyes were opened, and I was overwhelmed when the Lord showed me how every area of my life was sin! But because I turned to Him when He revealed himself to me, He cleansed me and healed me, and is in the process of restoring all that was lost through my rebelliousness and idolatry. God is so good! He will do the same for anyone that turns to Jesus as their Lord and Savior in true repentance, and He will lead them in the Way, the Truth and the Life.
I pray, on the anniversary of our "independence," that our nation will likewise have a great conversion. We may still have to accept hard consequences for our mistakes, rebellions and idolatries. But God will have mercy on any one who comes to Him humbly. If enough of us turn to Him with our whole heart, perhaps this country may again shine His light as we are called to do. As a nation, as well as individually, we must not trust in our wealth or our power to save us; we must humble ourselves before God and rely on Him alone.
"The rich man’s wealth is his strong city,
And like a high wall in his own esteem.
Before destruction the heart of a man is haughty,
And before honor is humility." Proverbs 18:11-12 NKJV
I remember many years ago-- as a backslidden young woman lost in darkness-- coming to myself just like the progidal son did. The description in today's 2 Kings reading reminds me so much of how I felt back then. Suddenly, my eyes were opened, and I was overwhelmed when the Lord showed me how every area of my life was sin! But because I turned to Him when He revealed himself to me, He cleansed me and healed me, and is in the process of restoring all that was lost through my rebelliousness and idolatry. God is so good! He will do the same for anyone that turns to Jesus as their Lord and Savior in true repentance, and He will lead them in the Way, the Truth and the Life.
I pray, on the anniversary of our "independence," that our nation will likewise have a great conversion. We may still have to accept hard consequences for our mistakes, rebellions and idolatries. But God will have mercy on any one who comes to Him humbly. If enough of us turn to Him with our whole heart, perhaps this country may again shine His light as we are called to do. As a nation, as well as individually, we must not trust in our wealth or our power to save us; we must humble ourselves before God and rely on Him alone.
"The rich man’s wealth is his strong city,
And like a high wall in his own esteem.
Before destruction the heart of a man is haughty,
And before honor is humility." Proverbs 18:11-12 NKJV
Monday, June 28, 2010
June 28, 2010 A Choice of Princes
Don't you just love the Psalm today? I suppose I could say that about all Scripture verses, since they're all from the Lord. This one spoke to me particularly about something that's been on my mind a great deal lately.
"Do not put your trust in princes, nor in a son of man, in whom there is no help." Psalm 146: 3 I can say "Amen" to this, because, well. . .how many times have I done this myself, only to be disappointed? We're going to get disappointed if we look to a person to be our savior,deliverer, provider. . .etc.
In my personal life, I still struggle sometimes to put my full trust in God. I have to trust God when my husband faces difficulties. I've had to trust God many times when things seemed impossible, and God, not man, has come through. God has not changed, only circumstances. Still, we get stretched, and our faith and hope get stronger. God still uses my husband to provide for me, but without God's help, he wouldn't be able to do it. He'd be the first to say so.
In the wider scope of things, I am challenged daily to again put my full trust in God. I see disasters around the world-- many man-made-- and the problems appear to be so insurmountable that I thank the Lord I am not a world leader. Mankind seems to be making things worse the more we try to fix things. When will we decide we can't do it ourselves and turn to God? I pray for the governments to have the wisdom to solve these things. But more and more, I pray for the return of Christ to rule and make things right. We are instructed to do this, and we all need to be in agreement: "Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on Earth, as it is in Heaven."
While we still have a voice in this nation-- a democracy that gives us the right to think, choose and vote-- we must seek God's will and choose our government accordingly. God has given a great privilege! We have the government we choose. This means that we have the possibility of choosing the Kingdom of God even now! Why would we turn this down?
It is not man we are to look to for leadership, even though God often works through human instruments. Christ Jesus is the Prince of Peace, and He is willing to have the government laid upon His shoulders. He will raise up a government that is able to lead in wisdom and righteousness, if only we will turn back to Christ and look to Him as our true Prince. When we don't look to Christ to lead us into the truth, what we end up with, instead, is lies and destruction. There is no philosophy or political agenda, no man or government that can accomplish God's will without submitting to God. No matter how good it looks, a counterfeit will always disappoint. Let's not choose the wrong prince!
5 Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help,
Whose hope is in the LORD his God,
6 Who made heaven and earth,
The sea, and all that is in them;
Who keeps truth forever,
7 Who executes justice for the oppressed,
Who gives food to the hungry.
The LORD gives freedom to the prisoners.
8 The LORD opens the eyes of the blind;
The LORD raises those who are bowed down;
The LORD loves the righteous.
9 The LORD watches over the strangers;
He relieves the fatherless and widow;
But the way of the wicked He turns upside down.
10 The LORD shall reign forever—
Your God, O Zion, to all generations.
Praise the LORD!
[NKJV]
"Do not put your trust in princes, nor in a son of man, in whom there is no help." Psalm 146: 3 I can say "Amen" to this, because, well. . .how many times have I done this myself, only to be disappointed? We're going to get disappointed if we look to a person to be our savior,deliverer, provider. . .etc.
In my personal life, I still struggle sometimes to put my full trust in God. I have to trust God when my husband faces difficulties. I've had to trust God many times when things seemed impossible, and God, not man, has come through. God has not changed, only circumstances. Still, we get stretched, and our faith and hope get stronger. God still uses my husband to provide for me, but without God's help, he wouldn't be able to do it. He'd be the first to say so.
In the wider scope of things, I am challenged daily to again put my full trust in God. I see disasters around the world-- many man-made-- and the problems appear to be so insurmountable that I thank the Lord I am not a world leader. Mankind seems to be making things worse the more we try to fix things. When will we decide we can't do it ourselves and turn to God? I pray for the governments to have the wisdom to solve these things. But more and more, I pray for the return of Christ to rule and make things right. We are instructed to do this, and we all need to be in agreement: "Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on Earth, as it is in Heaven."
While we still have a voice in this nation-- a democracy that gives us the right to think, choose and vote-- we must seek God's will and choose our government accordingly. God has given a great privilege! We have the government we choose. This means that we have the possibility of choosing the Kingdom of God even now! Why would we turn this down?
It is not man we are to look to for leadership, even though God often works through human instruments. Christ Jesus is the Prince of Peace, and He is willing to have the government laid upon His shoulders. He will raise up a government that is able to lead in wisdom and righteousness, if only we will turn back to Christ and look to Him as our true Prince. When we don't look to Christ to lead us into the truth, what we end up with, instead, is lies and destruction. There is no philosophy or political agenda, no man or government that can accomplish God's will without submitting to God. No matter how good it looks, a counterfeit will always disappoint. Let's not choose the wrong prince!
5 Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help,
Whose hope is in the LORD his God,
6 Who made heaven and earth,
The sea, and all that is in them;
Who keeps truth forever,
7 Who executes justice for the oppressed,
Who gives food to the hungry.
The LORD gives freedom to the prisoners.
8 The LORD opens the eyes of the blind;
The LORD raises those who are bowed down;
The LORD loves the righteous.
9 The LORD watches over the strangers;
He relieves the fatherless and widow;
But the way of the wicked He turns upside down.
10 The LORD shall reign forever—
Your God, O Zion, to all generations.
Praise the LORD!
[NKJV]
Thursday, June 3, 2010
June 3, 2010 Full Circle of Promise
It's like a heavenly "promise ring"-- as the Lord Jesus was taken up into heaven, so He will return. The disciples were gazing up into the heavens as He ascended before their very eyes. We are now in the position of gazing upwards, looking for His return. "Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near." Luke 21: 28 Jesus keeps His promises: He is coming for His bride!
Jesus' prayer for oneness is still resonating in my mind and spirit. When I read the opening lines of Acts, I feel the connection with the disciples. We embrace the promise of His return, and we will at last be together with all the saints.
Jesus kept His promise to empower the disciples as well, sending the Holy Spirit and fire, just as John the Baptist had prophesied. John answered, saying to all, "I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire." Luke 3:16 We accept the Great Commission as including us as well as the Twelve. Why not, then, accept the promise of empowerment from on high? John the Baptist was saying that "to all," not just the Twelve. We are one with them, just as Jesus prayed. And it is not in Christ's character to send us out as witnesses without empowering us first.
The Apostles went before us and paved the way of faith and works. The promises they received and the works they did were for us too. They went first, building a foundation, showing us how to walk in the Spirit and serve Christ in the world. They ran the race with patience, and they passed us the torch. Let's honor them and glorify God by holding the torch high and finishing the race in faith and love.
Jesus' prayer for oneness is still resonating in my mind and spirit. When I read the opening lines of Acts, I feel the connection with the disciples. We embrace the promise of His return, and we will at last be together with all the saints.
Jesus kept His promise to empower the disciples as well, sending the Holy Spirit and fire, just as John the Baptist had prophesied. John answered, saying to all, "I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire." Luke 3:16 We accept the Great Commission as including us as well as the Twelve. Why not, then, accept the promise of empowerment from on high? John the Baptist was saying that "to all," not just the Twelve. We are one with them, just as Jesus prayed. And it is not in Christ's character to send us out as witnesses without empowering us first.
The Apostles went before us and paved the way of faith and works. The promises they received and the works they did were for us too. They went first, building a foundation, showing us how to walk in the Spirit and serve Christ in the world. They ran the race with patience, and they passed us the torch. Let's honor them and glorify God by holding the torch high and finishing the race in faith and love.
Friday, May 28, 2010
May 28, 2010 The Perfect Prayer
I feel so enveloped in love whenever I read John 17 -- it is one of my very favorite Scriptures! This is a prayer that is being, and will be, completely fulfilled. You can't go wrong agreeing with this prayer, as the Father's absolute "YES" comes with it. One of the greatest things on God's heart is His people living in Oneness with Himself and each other. This is a miracle beyond our earthly comprehension, but an absolute promise. No human effort could ever achieve this, what Jesus called glory. The only way to accomplish this is for each believer to be fully filled with Him and to be fully "in Him." The Holy Spirit is powerfully working in and around each one of us, to reveal the glory of the eternal Word, Jesus. Our job is to believe.
"Forever, O LORD,
Your word is settled in heaven."
Psalm 119:89
"Forever, O LORD,
Your word is settled in heaven."
Psalm 119:89
Thursday, May 27, 2010
May 27, 2010 The Overcomer's Cheer
Could there be a more impacting statement than Jesus' saying, "I have overcome the world"? The outcome of believing His statement is "good cheer." I had to look that word up in the Greek-- it's tharseo: the root is "courage, confidence." Tharseo can also be translated "be of good comfort."
So, the sense I get from this is not a "cheer" that ignores all what's going on (the end of that path is a drunken "ignorance is bliss" mentality), but a joy and comfort that comes from having courage. Our courage comes from our knowledge that He is in control, He wins, and He is with us, and in us, to help us and strengthen us. His goal is for us to be overcomers in Him, Who has already overcome. We can go through whatever we have to with this assurance, with peace, joy, and confidence.
So, the sense I get from this is not a "cheer" that ignores all what's going on (the end of that path is a drunken "ignorance is bliss" mentality), but a joy and comfort that comes from having courage. Our courage comes from our knowledge that He is in control, He wins, and He is with us, and in us, to help us and strengthen us. His goal is for us to be overcomers in Him, Who has already overcome. We can go through whatever we have to with this assurance, with peace, joy, and confidence.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
May 26, 2010 The Prayer Jesus Vouches For
We've talked a little bit about getting our prayers answered, and today there's more. I think that this might be something important to Jesus-- that we pray and receive a "yes" to our prayer! I've come to realize, though, that every prayer is not answered. And that's because every prayer doesn't fit His criteria.
Since I'm not doing a comprehensive study here, we'll just have to go with what we've got so far. On the 24th, we saw that one of the requirements for answered prayer is that it is "in My name." That's a big topic in itself. Let's just say, would Jesus sign on this one? Since prayer is asking God to do something beyond what we can do, wouldn't it be reasonable to ask Him to do something He would actually do? That takes knowing Him and what He has done: does this request fit His character? does it fit Who He is actually is? The only way to know this is to know Him.
I'm grateful that He knows us completely, and takes into consideration our small viewpoint! The Holy Spirit is here to guide us into all truth, so if we need a little guidance in our prayer, He's there to help. He hears us at all levels of our maturity and understanding. But the more mature we are, and the more of the knowledge of God we have, the more effective our prayers are going to be. And the older ones should be teaching the younger ones to pray.
Yesterday, Jesus was saying He wants to dwell in us. Now He's saying He wants us to dwell in Him. When you actually live with people, you really get to know them! We find out who snores and who doesn't close up the cracker box right. We find out who actually walks in love. If you've ever had people in your house for an extended stay, you know you know them better than you did before. And they know you. Jesus is all about knowing each other.
So, if you got up in the morning, got some orange juice and toast, and sat down at the table with Jesus (and of course, the Holy Spirit and the Father are there, too), and you got into this great conversation about something in the Word, I guess you'd have a little better knowledge of Him. That Word would start to really be real. It would start to live in your heart. You would feel pretty confident about asking Him to do that thing He just pointed out in the passage you read together. Plus, you got to see how He acted when little dipsy-doodle two-year-old pee'd on the floor right next to His sandals!
I think we'd get to know Jesus a little more if we realized He's there all the time with us. Holy Spirit is giving us this insider-knowledge of just how Jesus is acting all the time. The ultimate Twitter!
When we really know Him, we ask things we know He'll vouch for. That's when we get our prayers answered with a big, resounding "yes!" And that, my friends, is God's will. It makes us really fruitful. It glorifies Him and pleases Him at least as much as it blesses us.
Since I'm not doing a comprehensive study here, we'll just have to go with what we've got so far. On the 24th, we saw that one of the requirements for answered prayer is that it is "in My name." That's a big topic in itself. Let's just say, would Jesus sign on this one? Since prayer is asking God to do something beyond what we can do, wouldn't it be reasonable to ask Him to do something He would actually do? That takes knowing Him and what He has done: does this request fit His character? does it fit Who He is actually is? The only way to know this is to know Him.
I'm grateful that He knows us completely, and takes into consideration our small viewpoint! The Holy Spirit is here to guide us into all truth, so if we need a little guidance in our prayer, He's there to help. He hears us at all levels of our maturity and understanding. But the more mature we are, and the more of the knowledge of God we have, the more effective our prayers are going to be. And the older ones should be teaching the younger ones to pray.
Yesterday, Jesus was saying He wants to dwell in us. Now He's saying He wants us to dwell in Him. When you actually live with people, you really get to know them! We find out who snores and who doesn't close up the cracker box right. We find out who actually walks in love. If you've ever had people in your house for an extended stay, you know you know them better than you did before. And they know you. Jesus is all about knowing each other.
So, if you got up in the morning, got some orange juice and toast, and sat down at the table with Jesus (and of course, the Holy Spirit and the Father are there, too), and you got into this great conversation about something in the Word, I guess you'd have a little better knowledge of Him. That Word would start to really be real. It would start to live in your heart. You would feel pretty confident about asking Him to do that thing He just pointed out in the passage you read together. Plus, you got to see how He acted when little dipsy-doodle two-year-old pee'd on the floor right next to His sandals!
I think we'd get to know Jesus a little more if we realized He's there all the time with us. Holy Spirit is giving us this insider-knowledge of just how Jesus is acting all the time. The ultimate Twitter!
When we really know Him, we ask things we know He'll vouch for. That's when we get our prayers answered with a big, resounding "yes!" And that, my friends, is God's will. It makes us really fruitful. It glorifies Him and pleases Him at least as much as it blesses us.
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