True authority is given by God. It comes by His word. We saw three examples today: Joshua, John the Baptist, and Jesus. God told Moses to give Joshua some of his authority to lead the people. John the Baptist was sent out by the word of God that came to him. Luke 3:2 Jesus was released into His ministry by the Spirit of God and the voice of the Father. 3:22 Each of these were also empowered by the Spirit of God.
Who operated in God's authority: John, who rebuked Herod the tetrarch for his wickedness, or Herod, who imprisoned John (and eventually had him beheaded)? What happens to people who usurp authority not given to them by God, or abuse the power of their position of authority? Are you able to discern when a leader is not submitted to God's authority? How do you respond to that situation?
All of us, including you, are given authority over some areas in life. What has God given you authority over? How do you know? What do you do with the authority that God has given you? Have you ever tried to take authority over something/someone that was not given to you? How did that turn out?
One way we can recognize our authority is by the fact that we have to make decisions. In what areas of life do you have to make decisions? We get into trouble when we start trying to make decisions in areas that are not under our authority.
Do you have trouble making decisions? God told Moses that Joshua would need to go to the priest, who would inquire for him "by the decision of the Urim before the Lord." Numbers 27:21 I have to admit that I haven't done research on the Urim and the Thummim of the Old Testament priesthood, even though it's always intrigued me. I have this picture of some stones lighting up with God's "yes" or His "no"! (I'd be happy to have a comment with any knowledge you might have on this.) Back then, they cast lots to make decisions, such as apportioning the land for the tribes' inheritances, trusting God to make the decisions. We don't have to cast lots now, because we have the Holy Spirit and we can hear the Lord's voice speaking directly to our hearts. Isn't that awesome?
"Peace" and "anxiety" are kind of like the Urim and Thummim to me. I go to the Lord with a decision and seek to hear His word on it. If I'm worrying over something, I wait for the peace of God about it before I do anything. Decisions based on fear don't turn out very well! I try to keep myself free from anxiety (e.g., anxiety stemming from consuming too much caffeine). Maintaining a peaceful spirit and quiet mind makes it easy for the Holy Spirit to use a "feeling" of anxiety as a quick warning system, to stop me from making a wrong decision, or to protect me from danger. I try to respond immediately to that. He can always explain later! I haven't mastered all this, but I've gotten a lot better at it with practice. [I have found that external "peace enhancers" interfere with my ability to be led by the Spirit. This doesn't mean that if you need to take prescribed tranquilizers that you should suddenly quit taking them; but it is a goal to work toward, maybe with the help of a therapist.]
The Good News is that when you're born of God, you're the brother or sister of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Almighty God is your Father! When was the last time you sat quietly with the Lord and heard Him say to your heart, "You are my Beloved son/daughter; with you I am well pleased." Shhhh. . .listen carefully. You'll hear Him, I know you will.
Showing posts with label inquiring of the Lord. Show all posts
Showing posts with label inquiring of the Lord. Show all posts
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
March 16, 2010
It isn't always our own wrongdoing or negative words that bring opposition to us. Sometimes its persecution from an enemy! How do we know the difference? We have to keep on inquiring of the Lord. If things are troubling us we need to go talk to the Lord about it. By allowing God to examine us, we avoid self-justification and blame-shifting, as well as condemnation and false guilt.
David wrote in Psalm 59 "Even now they lie in wait for my life; the mighty stir up strife against me. For no transgression or sin of mine, O Lord, for no fault of mine, they run and make ready." vs 3-4 All persecution arises from a real enemy who hates us: Satan. It can either come through direct activity of evil spirits, through people who are influenced by them, or from a worldly system that is given over to Satan. We should not blame everything that happens on the devil, for we can do a lot to ourselves through our choices, but we also should not ignore the fact that we have an aggressively evil foe. What do we do about this foe?
Obviously, I'm not going to go into a major teaching in this devotional on how to deal with the devil . But I will do what I've been doing all along, and that is, bring out what I see in the readings for the day. Today, I saw a few things about this:
1) recognize and proclaim that Jesus came to deliver us; the Good News is that we have a Savior! Luke 2: 10-11 (One of the things He came to save us from was Satan and his works: if this is something you don't understand yet, keep your eyes open for evidence of this as you continue reading this year.)
Follow David's example and
2) pray for deliverance and protection from your enemies (and like him, trust God and expect Him to do this). Psalm 59: 1-2
3) declare your faith and trust in God, and His goodness and faithfulness. vs 9-10
4) sing praises to God, remembering how He's protected you before.
5) trust in God's strength and not your own: "O my strength, I will watch for you; for you, O God, are my fortress." vs 9
The angel's message to the shepherds was "do not be afraid; for see-- I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people." Luke 2: 10 Praising God through declaration and singing reminds us of this good news. Fear doesn't survive in an atmosphere of praise. And if we've lost our joy, our peace will be the next to go. Get your joy and your peace back by praising the Lord. It's a great way to activate your shield of faith, and your spiritual enemy hates it and will run the other way!
David wrote in Psalm 59 "Even now they lie in wait for my life; the mighty stir up strife against me. For no transgression or sin of mine, O Lord, for no fault of mine, they run and make ready." vs 3-4 All persecution arises from a real enemy who hates us: Satan. It can either come through direct activity of evil spirits, through people who are influenced by them, or from a worldly system that is given over to Satan. We should not blame everything that happens on the devil, for we can do a lot to ourselves through our choices, but we also should not ignore the fact that we have an aggressively evil foe. What do we do about this foe?
Obviously, I'm not going to go into a major teaching in this devotional on how to deal with the devil . But I will do what I've been doing all along, and that is, bring out what I see in the readings for the day. Today, I saw a few things about this:
1) recognize and proclaim that Jesus came to deliver us; the Good News is that we have a Savior! Luke 2: 10-11 (One of the things He came to save us from was Satan and his works: if this is something you don't understand yet, keep your eyes open for evidence of this as you continue reading this year.)
Follow David's example and
2) pray for deliverance and protection from your enemies (and like him, trust God and expect Him to do this). Psalm 59: 1-2
3) declare your faith and trust in God, and His goodness and faithfulness. vs 9-10
4) sing praises to God, remembering how He's protected you before.
5) trust in God's strength and not your own: "O my strength, I will watch for you; for you, O God, are my fortress." vs 9
The angel's message to the shepherds was "do not be afraid; for see-- I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people." Luke 2: 10 Praising God through declaration and singing reminds us of this good news. Fear doesn't survive in an atmosphere of praise. And if we've lost our joy, our peace will be the next to go. Get your joy and your peace back by praising the Lord. It's a great way to activate your shield of faith, and your spiritual enemy hates it and will run the other way!
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
February 2, 2010
What I saw in today's readings is that if you ask God a question, you're going to get an answer. It just depends on your attitude and heart intention as to what kind of answer you get.
The children of Israel got answers of food and water, since they had a real need, but they also got a rebuke for their complaining and testing God. Much better to just ask politely because you know He's going to provide.
The Pharisees got a wise answer from Jesus, but He also called them on their malicious testing of Him and said they were hypocrites.
David, on the other hand, inquired of the Lord and expressed his needs with the attitude of expectation of good from the Lord. This he got, more than he could have thought or imagined.
I know whose example I want to follow!
The children of Israel got answers of food and water, since they had a real need, but they also got a rebuke for their complaining and testing God. Much better to just ask politely because you know He's going to provide.
The Pharisees got a wise answer from Jesus, but He also called them on their malicious testing of Him and said they were hypocrites.
David, on the other hand, inquired of the Lord and expressed his needs with the attitude of expectation of good from the Lord. This he got, more than he could have thought or imagined.
I know whose example I want to follow!
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