Yes and Amen!

"For no matter how many promises God has made, they are 'Yes' in Christ. And so through him the 'Amen' is spoken by us to the glory of God."
2 Corinthians 1:20

I am confident that all of us have many promises that God has given us. Of course every promise in the Bible is for us, but beyond that, we have all received promises regarding our future, our circumstances, our relationships with others, and more. Over the course of time, our faith may waver because we don't see the promises becoming realities. So the entire purpose of my words today is to remind us that every promise of God is still true.
    God gives us the promises. I know that you have received promises from Him that are very personal. They may have come through a person who shared with you what God has spoken to them about you. It may have come through spending time in the Word and prayer. If the Holy Spirit gave you the promise and gave you the awareness to realize that God was the author, then the promise is still 'Yes.' God does not change his mind. He does not withhold his promises because we have done something wrong. What God promises is not dependent on what we do. They are given to us purely out of His incredible love for us.
    I know that our faith wears thin sometimes. As time passes, it is more difficult to stand firm in God's promises. I know people who have written down promises years ago, but have yet to see them. Does this mean that God is a liar? Not at all. His promises are still 'Yes.' God's timing is his alone. We cannot force him to move. We must realize that the promises God has given us were set in place before the creation of the world. They were already a part of our destinies before we were born. In that fact we take courage and comfort. God's words are true and have been set for us in advance.
    There remains but one thing to do: We must speak the 'Amen' to all of God's promises. By doing this, you are simply saying, "God, I agree with your promises for me." Too many times, we have tried to do things to earn the blessing of God. This never works. Instead, it usually binds us to self-imposed rules. All God asks of us is to simply agree with his plan. This is faith. It takes faith to say, 'Amen' to God's promise. But if we do, we are sustained until the fulfillment. Be encouraged today. In God, all his promises are "Yes and Amen!"

Death to Life

"Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness."
Romans 6:13

One morning recently, I was praying. It occurred to me that our God of resurrection. He brings us from death to life. We are so conditioned to view our lives as ones that are passing from life to death that we forget this important truth. While the world is passing from life to death and our bodies are doing the same, God is doing a miracle in our behalf. He is leading us the other direction into eternal life. So I wondered, why can't I apply God's way of death to life in every area of my own life?
    I already know that I have passed from death to life. I was dead in sin and now I am alive in Christ. This is the foundation of the Christian life. But the reality is this: Where I live, in a world that is sinful, and in a body that is slowly dying, death seems to be in control. So I asked God how it works. How do I apply his way of death to life to every situation? The answer is found in the instructions of Jesus. When he taught us to pray, he told us to say this: "Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." Through this I know that I am to pray the kingdom of heaven into every area of my life. I am even supposed to pray the kingdom into the world around me.
    God's kingdom is all about life, not death. I saw part of a movie recently. In one scene, the characters found themselves in a place where everything was backwards. Gravity drew things up instead of down. Plants grew down from the top of a cave, instead of up from the ground. The only things that were still under our laws of nature were the people themselves. They were in awe of this magical place. The same is true of my life. I am subject to the laws of the natural world. My body is dying and death is imminent for every living thing. But I also live in a kingdom where all the laws of the natural world are reversed. His kingdom is full of opposites to the world I live in. There is life there, not death. There is health there, not sickness. There is prosperity there, not poverty. There is the presence of God there, not the curses of the enemy. His kingdom is like the magical place in the movie. Everything is opposite.
    So the way for me to apply God's way of death to life is to pray his kingdom into those areas of my life where I am literally dying. If I need life in my finances, I find it in the kingdom of God. If I need life to my body, I find it by praying his kingdom into my health. You see, I understand that I have everything in Christ...in the Spirit. But now I must take what is mine spiritually and apply it to the physical. This physical reality in which I live must be turned upside down by the power of the kingdom of God. As I do it, as you do it, our lives are transformed and everything about us is passing from death to life just as God has planned. Death no longer reigns, but life! And that, even more abundantly!

Words of Life

"For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel—not with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power."
1 Corinthians 1:17

"This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words."
1 Corinthians 2:13

There is a misguided philosophy that is alive and well in Christianity today. Some believe that the church must teach 'life management.' These would be things such as coping skills, self-help, etc. Unfortunately most of those who teach in our churches are not experienced enough or educated enough to teach such things. It should be left to the psychologists and experts. What we are called to teach is the same message that Paul preached. It is an intensely spiritual message that cannot be discerned with human wisdom.
    Human wisdom has little eternal value. It is a bold statement that the apostle made. He declared that if he were to speak the gospel with human wisdom, the cross would be emptied of its power. In other words, there are no words of life found in human wisdom. Men have sought eternal life in many different ways for thousands of years. They have taught about ways to better one's self in hopes that we would be good enough to please God. But all of these philosophies, spoken apart from the power of the cross, leave us as we have always been; hopeless and dead in our transgressions. But in the church, we are to teach a gospel of life, a gospel that honors the cross and helps us to understand the incredible, history-changing things that happened there.
    The gospel is not one of human wisdom. We cannot teach the power of God through words that have been learned through human ideas. In an attempt to remain relevant, some have attempted to make the gospel an appeasing, self help idea. But the mandate to us is to express spiritual truth with spiritual words. When we do this, the Holy Spirit is able to take those words and revolutionize lives. When the words are grasped by the hearers, everything in their lives becomes new. They are absolutely new creations. There is a saying that goes like this: "He (or she) is too spiritually minded to be any earthly good." This is usually said about those who are perceived as pseudo-spiritual. But spiritual things are taught in spiritual words. It is not our responsibility to water them down to be palatable. A true message of life is a spiritual thing, and the only way to communicate it is through spiritual words.
    We must allow ourselves to be taught by the Holy Spirit. In the course of this teaching, many things taught by human wisdom will fall away. The light of God exposes lies that we have believed. I would much rather live my life as a spiritual being who is taught by the Holy Spirit. I've had enough of human wisdom. I've tried to live that way and it didn't work. The only way to true life is living in the Spirit. I'm not going to live by words of death anymore. I choose to live and speak words of life.

O My Soul!

"But I have stilled and quieted my soul; like a weaned child with its mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me."
Psalm 131:2

" Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name."
Psalm 103:1

The Psalmists often talked about the soul. If you read carefully, you will see that they were always talking to their souls, commanding them to do certain things: Be still, be quiet, praise the Lord, don't be downcast. This is because we have control over our souls. The soul is our mind, will, and emotions. We have authority to tell our souls to act appropriately to the situation. In other words, we make choices to guide our souls into relationship with God.
    I am learning to quiet my soul in the presence of the Lord. When I pray, I have the mentality that I should be speaking. I think, "If I am not talking, I'm not praying." But this could not be further from the truth. Prayer is fellowship, communion, and conversation with God. I find myself more and more, being quiet and allowing God to simply minister to me through his love, peace and blessing. Some may call this meditation. Whatever it is called, the benefit of quieting one's soul before God is beyond measure. For me, I would much rather hear from God and be touched by him than to speak a thousand words of requests. I know it's important to lay my requests before him, but then I must be quiet and receive from God.
    I am also learning that I must command my soul to praise the Lord. There is nothing more valuable than this. As I praise him, I am strengthened and encouraged. Not only is God exalted through my praise, but my soul is built up. I find myself saying, "Bless the Lord, O my soul!" I say it often, even in the midst of a busy day. It is a simple way that I have found to praise God and encourage my soul at the same time. It's a simple thing, but when words fail me, it is more than enough to express my praise to God.
    It's interesting to me that the further I grow in relationship with God, and the older I get, things get much more simple. I have always thought it was complex, but I am as a child and He is my Father. I don't need to know much on my own, just receive what he gives me. I continue to be amazed that God's kingdom works completely opposite of the world. The world tells me I must know more to grow. God tells me I must know little and he will bring the spiritual growth. How refreshing, how stress-relieving is the thought. "Bless the Lord O my soul! Be quiet and receive his blessing."

Wake Up!

"And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light."
 Romans 13:11&12

Clearly it is time for the church of Christ to wake up. I am not one to discredit the church or call it out as apostate, but I do believe that you and I must awaken our spirits to the things that God is doing today. The scripture above begins by saying, "And do this..." What the apostle Paul is talking about here is love. He had just finished saying that love is the fulfillment of the law. So we are to wake up to the fact that love is the greatest thing we have as Christians. 
    The church has been accused of being asleep to the things that God wants to do. Maybe we have been, and maybe some still are. But for those of us who are living our lives to grow in knowledge and relationship with Jesus, the idea of waking up is somewhat different. It is a call for us to intensify our seeking of God and his kingdom. It is a call for us to love more than we ever have before. As we approach the day of his return, everything becomes more intense. Every move we make, every word we say takes on more significance. It's as if time is compressing. Paul uses the analogy of darkness and light. The night is almost over, it is time to get up and get the day started. This is true because the return of Christ and the establishing of his earthly kingdom is nearer now than ever before.
    Sometimes I wake up before it is time to actually rise. Often it is within an hour of the time appointed for me to get up and get ready for the day. When this happens, it is very difficult, even impossible to go back to sleep. Why? Because the day is almost here. The same is true of the times in which we live. All the things we hope for as Christians, all the things we anticipate are closer now. The church is strengthening. The enemy is flailing. The kingdom of God is being established. How can we sleep through all this? We are being awakened by God himself. He is calling to us to wake up and get ready for his coming. 
    A bride prepares all day for her wedding ceremony and feast. We are the bride of Christ and the wedding supper of the Lamb is coming. It is preparation time and there is no time for sleep. Let's make a decision to love God's people and those who are yet to be saved. Let's make it our goal to seek God and his kingdom more than we ever have. We must devote time to this. Spending time with God is a blessing, let's make it a priority. Being told to wake up is not a bad thing. On the contrary, it is a great and hopeful thing. It means a new day is dawning. The night is nearly over. 

The Devil Made Me Do It!

"We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the one who was born of God keeps him safe, and the evil one cannot harm him."
1 John 5:18

From the beginning of time, people have been blaming the devil for their conduct. Adam and Eve were the first. After being tempted by the serpent, they succumbed to his lies and ate the forbidden fruit. Today, people continue to blame him for sin. Although he certainly is the author of sin and lies, we have been brought from death to life through the blood of Jesus shed on the cross. We are born of God and we no longer can blame the devil for sin.
    I am learning that the cross of Christ is more than enough. After being a Christian for thirty five years, I am just now beginning to understand that I don't have to live with sin any longer. It has all been paid for at the cross. Although I may do sinful things, sin no longer reigns in me. Every sin I have committed and will commit, has already been forgiven. As I count myself dead to sin every day, I am participating in the cross of Christ. Anything short of this empties the cross of its power. I refuse to give the devil any credit or blame. Sin is no longer an issue. It is a non-event. I have been set free and my goal is holiness which is brought about because of the righteousness I already have in Christ. I will no longer say, "The devil made me do it."
    I hear Christians say that the devil is harming them. They say that he is taking advantage of them, causing them to be depressed, causing them to be physically ill, destroying relationships, and generally messing up their lives. Unless I am misreading this scripture, it tells us that we cannot be harmed by the evil one. Why? Because we have been born of God, and the One who was born of God first, Jesus keeps us safe from the onslaught of the enemy. It is time to stop saying, "The devil made me do it." It's time to stop declaring that the enemy is destroying us. It is now time to declare with all the authority of Christ, that we are without sin and we are kept safe in the arms of Christ. Sin doesn't master us and the devil does not own us. We are set free and in full authority over sin and the devil.
    I urge you to rethink your position on the devil. He isn't in authority over you and he cannot harm you. Are you born of God? If so, your sins are gone and the devil is positioned under your feet. It is a mistake to give the devil too much credit or too much blame. We live in a world that is controlled by sin and is under the influence of the enemy. But we are not! This is what separates us from the world. If we make choices to accept the position we have in Christ, we will live in victory over the enemy. I am not suggesting that the devil doesn't exist or that he isn't trying to harm us. He is. But the reality is this: He can try all he wants, but those who are born of God are untouchable. All we must do is agree with who we already are.

Understanding for the Simple

"Your statutes are wonderful;
    therefore I obey them. 
 The unfolding of your words gives light;
    it gives understanding to the simple. 
 I open my mouth and pant,
    longing for your commands. 
 Turn to me and have mercy on me,
    as you always do to those who love your name. 
 Direct my footsteps according to your word;
    let no sin rule over me. 
 Redeem me from the oppression of men,
    that I may obey your precepts. 
 Make your face shine upon your servant
    and teach me your decrees. 
 Streams of tears flow from my eyes,
    for your law is not obeyed."
Psalm 119:129-136 

The writer of the Psalm 119 understood the value of God's word. Everything that had been written previously was valuable to him. He understood that without the word of God, he was directionless. With them, he had a clear path set before him. We should understand what the Psalmist knew. If we will continue, faithfully in God's word, we will have the direction and peace that all of us desire. 
    I love this statement: "The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple." In reality, all of us are the simple ones. We do not understand the ways of God, his thoughts are too lofty for us. We struggle with the reasons bad things happen. We live in bliss when everything goes our way, often forgetting to thank Him who has given such great blessings. Yet for the simple, there is great understanding available. It is found in the unfolding of God's words. To me this is more than just reading two chapters and then walking away with no memory of what was just read. To unfold God's word takes effort. It is the act of uncovering what is inside. This is not a quest for knowledge, it is a deep desire to apply the words of life to ourselves.. 
    There are those who study the Bible with great zeal. There are others who are faithful readers, but the idea of studying seems too difficult for them. There are also those who read very little or not at all. How do all of us receive God's understanding? I think it is found in the meditation of God's word. We can study, and that is good if it leads to new revelation for our lives. We can read and this is also good, for it plants seeds in our spirits that the Holy Spirit can cultivate to bring change. But when we meditate on God's word, we are agreeing and partnering with the Holy Spirit. We are in effect saying, "my mind is engaged with my spirit." In this way, the word of God can touch and change our spirits, souls, and bodies. 
    You don't have to be a student to meditate on God's word. If while reading, a particular verse or phrase jumps off the page, memorize it. Think about it when you pray or when you are lying on your bed at night. Ask God to open up his Word to you. The words of God are for our good. They are designed for us to apply to our daily lives. The Bible is the greatest book ever written to teach us how to live. It is God's words, spoken directly to us. Everyone wants to hear God's voice. Even those who are far away from God would say that they would love to hear God actually speak. He has already spoken to all mankind through the words of the Bible and he continues to speak to those of us who are willing to meditate on his words and allow them to become life to our spirits. He will bring new revelation, he will direct our paths, he will deliver promises for our future. But we must listen. We must make ourselves available for the Holy Spirit to quicken God's word to us. We are the simple. We need understanding...and God is waiting for us to pay attention. 

Be Magnified!

I have made You too small in my eyes
O Lord, forgive me;
I have believed in a lie
That You were unable to help me.
But now, O Lord, I see my wrong
Heal my heart and show Yourself strong;
And in my eyes and with my song
O Lord, be magnified
O Lord, be magnified.

"Be Magnified"
Words and music by Don Moen

I sometimes sing this song as I lead people in worship. But I have found that the lyrics are actually the cry of my own heart. It is much more than just leading others in the words and music, it is a passionate confession that flows from deep within me. There are too many times when I have believed the lie that God cannot or will not help me in my times of need. Singing this song encourages me to receive the truth and reject the lies that have kept me from fully entering into the glorious freedom that God has for me.
    It is not that God needs to be magnified. He is already the Supreme King of everything. But he needs to be magnified in my own heart. The simple truth is that I need to allow God to become much bigger in my life. As surely as a microscope causes the smallest of creatures to be easily seen by the eye of the student, my eyes need to be fully opened to the glorious magnificence and presence of God Almighty.
    So I say, "O Lord, forgive me!" It is absolutely true that I have made him much too small in my life. You see, he is not just a part of my life, he IS my life. Without his live, grace, and mercy, I would surely be doomed to hell. Without his precious Holy Spirit within me, I would be the most depraved and wicked of sinners. Yet he has blessed me. He has shown himself strong in my life. He has been faithful when I have been unfaithful. He has continued to reveal the truth even though I have trusted and believed in lies.  So I cry out, "God, be magnified in my life!"
    Surely there is healing in the arms of God. For those of us who have made him too small, his forgiveness is big enough. For those who have believed lies, his truth will set us free. When we run out of words to tell him just how great he is, the only thing left to do is declare: "Be magnified o God!" It is for our benefit that he is magnified. It is for our good that we praise him. God's desire is to be the only thing that really matters in our lives. When we give him that place, he is truly our Lord. This is all he asks in return for the great redemption, forgiveness, grace and blessing he has given us. And so we say, "BE MAGNIFIED, O LORD!"

Praise from God

"No, a man is a Jew if he is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a man’s praise is not from men, but from God."
Romans 2:29 

Apparently a person who has a circumcised heart receives praise from God. It is an interesting analogy that Paul the apostle gives us. He was writing to Jews, people who had followed the written law for thousands of years. What developed over that time was a religion that was more concerned about external appearances than the hearts of people. So they wore the right robes, celebrated the right holidays, attended the temple services, and provided the right animal sacrifices according to the law. Now they were being told that none of this was good enough to satisfy God. They would never attain righteousness in this way. The only way was to except the work of Jesus on the cross, validated by his resurrection. 
    It is still true today. We may do all the right things externally. We may dress well, look good, and generally be nice and respected people. But none of this is what pleases the heart of God. We may gather accolades from men, but this is not what pleases God. We all know that God looks on the heart, not the external appearance of a person, nor the deeds that he or she does. God is interested in our hearts. 
    Spiritual circumcision is the act of cutting away flesh and sin from our lives. These things are deeply engrained. The only way to accomplish it is by the work of the Holy Spirit. The scripture above tells us that this spiritual circumcision is done by the Spirit, not by the written code. You and I cannot make ourselves clean on the inside, only God can. I bring this up because many Christians, including myself, have tried to do this for their entire lives. The reality is; we must submit to God and the work of the Holy Spirit whose ministry is to expose the sin and flesh in our hearts. When we agree with him and allow him to do his work, we will find that the process of spiritual circumcision is being completed in us. It is such a freedom to realize that we don't have to do it ourselves. All we have to do is partner with, and follow the Holy Spirit as he does the work. 
    Everyone loves to receive praise. We love to hear others tell us that we did a good job, or that we look nice. But such praise is temporary. It may make us feel good about ourselves, but it has no eternal value. But when we allow the Holy Spirit to circumcise our hearts and lives, we receive praise from God, not from men. In fact, men may never see the deep work that is being done in our lives. But God will, and he will bless us and praise us because his kingdom is being built within us. Be free from the burden of trying to circumcise your own heart. It will only cause a life of despair. Allow the Holy Spirit to cut away the sin and flesh from your heart and receive your praise from God!

Love Never Fails

"Love never fails." 
1 Corinthians 13:8a

Every once in awhile, we need to get back to the basics. We spoend so much time living, studying, and perfecting the Christian life that the foundations often get covered up by the new things we are learning. But one thing remains, as the scripture says, and that one thing is love. The Bible is clear that love is the foundation of everything. It is the basis of our relationship with God, it is the pathway to our salvation, and it is the vehicle that makes all things possible.
    We can never forget that God is love. He is more than just a loving God, he IS love. You cannot separate God and his love, they are one in the same. Since this is true, you and I have experienced the greatest expression of love, the cross of Christ, that has ever been given. We are experiencing that same love every day because we have a continuing, growing relationship with God. That relationship will never fail. It will sustain us through all the trials of life.
    Because we have God within us in the person of the Holy Spirit, love is being actively manifested in our lives every moment of the day. To illustrate this, I would challenge you to read 1 Corinthians 13:4-7. Whenever you see the word 'love,' insert 'The Holy Spirit.' Since God is love, we can take the liberty to do this and it gives us a new perspective on the fact that the love of God lives in us through the Holy Spirit. The foundation of love is always with us even though we may lose focus and dwell on other things. All other things we deem important; spiritual gifts, church, fellowship, Bible reading, prayer, etc. all flow through love. If we put them ahead of love, we have missed the point. The foundation of all these other things is the cornerstone of love in Christ Jesus.
    Let's take some time to center our lives again on love. When we begin to understand the love of God and accept it as our living foundation, we will have to change our perspective. When love invades our life, we can't help but give it to others. Matthew 12:34 says, "Out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks." If love is in our hearts, it will come out of our mouths. If hatefulness is in our hearts, it will come out instead. So let's choose the way of love, yielding to the Holy Spirit. Because love will never fail!

The Truth about Sin

"In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires."
Romans 6:11&12 

It is no secret that all people, even Christians, struggle with sin. The apostle Paul told us in Romans 7 that he struggled with doing the right things. I think there is a solution that requires us to declare that we are free from sin. Over the years, there have been many methods suggested to deal with the problem. Even though we have been forgiven of all our sin; past, present and future, God desires that we live a holy life, following the example of Jesus. So what is the answer? How do we deal with the problem of sin? 
    Often, we fall into the trap of what I call, sin management. We set resolutions, trying to defeat a particular sin within our own strength. While this may work for a time, we almost always end up back in the same habit as before. We also find ourselves confessing the same sin day after day, wanting the assurance that we are forgiven. This is our way of making ourselves feel better for the sin that we cannot defeat. But God has forgiven us already. We are completely forgiven. The love and blood of Christ has covered all our sin. When we bring up a sin before him, he does not know what we are talking about, for the Word tells us that he forgets our sins and remembers them no more. Sin management does not work. We always find ourselves on the proverbial hamster wheel, always coming back around to the same place of sin. 
    The true way to defeat sin is found in the scripture above. Like everything in our Christian lives, we must make a decision to defeat sin. We must change our minds about it. When we are caught in an addictive sin, this is difficult to do. The real answer, the truth about defeating sin is this: We must reckon (or count) ourselves dead to sin. Since we are alive in Christ, we are now dead to sin. Let me illustrate this. If you went and got a dead man, took him to the warm, sunny beach, propped him up on a bench and paraded scantily clad women in front of him, would he respond or react in any way? Of course not, because he is dead! If you showed a dead person all the riches of the world, they would not respond at all because they are dead. They are dead to the world and therefore to sin. This is the truth about sin. We are dead to it. It no longer masters us, it should no longer appeal to us. But we must RECKON ourselves dead to sin. This means we must first believe it, then speak it, and then live it!
    This is a revelation to me. Instead of repenting every day for the same old sin, I can choose to count myself dead to sin before it happens. The more I declare it, the more I believe it. The more I believe it, the more I am victorious over sin. Sin will no longer reign in me. My desire for it is waning because I am dead to sin and alive to Christ. It is really a matter of you and I understanding the totality of our positions in Christ. Because we are in him, we are dead to the sin, we are dead to the world, and we are alive to God through Christ. Try it with me. Today, declare that you are dead to sin. Do it every day. In fact, do it several times a day. When tempted, let's say, "I am dead to sin, and alive in Christ Jesus." I believe the results will be life-changing. This is the truth about sin, and we can defeat it!

Believing Lies

"You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies."
John 8:44

Jesus spoke these words to the Pharisees. They refused to believe in him and so he told them they belonged to the devil. I don't want to focus on that part today. I am writing as a believer in Christ to other believers. The truth we need to understand today is; the devil is a liar. He is the father of lies and there is absolutely no truth in him. As the scripture points out, lies are his native language for he cannot speak the truth any more than God can speak a lie. I bring this up today because I believe that we sometimes believe the lies of the devil. If we do, we have allowed him to compromise our spiritual well-being.
    What lies are you believing? Satan may tell you that you aren't good enough to be God's child. He may condemn you for the way you look; too big, too small, too tall, too short. He may level accusations, telling you that since you cannot overcome sin, you will never reach heaven. There are literally countless lies that the enemy speaks to us every day. It seems that many of the reasons we are depressed, sick, or angry are because we have believed these lies. The way to combat lies is to believe and speak the truth of God.
    When Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil, he responded to his temptations by speaking the Word of God. The devil also quoted the word, but he weaved it into his own lies. The way that you and I can combat the lies of the enemy is to speak the truth into the situation. We find the words of truth in the Bible and through the voice of the Holy Spirit who lives within us. We should take an inventory of the things we believe and present them to God. He is faithful to show us the truth and expose lies. You see when the light of God is shown on a lie, it cannot remain hidden, it will be exposed and we will know the truth. This is the promise of God.
    When we refuse to believe the lies of the devil, we will change. Depression and anger will disappear. Joy will overtake us as we live within the truth of God.and his Word. Lies are exposed by the truth, so the more we pour the Word of God into our minds, the more light is shed on the lies. I know it sounds simple, but the way to expose lies is to read the Bible and then ask God to expose them. Some of the lies have been with us for so long that we don't even recognize them anymore. These kinds of lies need to be exposed by the Holy Spirit as we present ourselves to him. So take inventory. What lies have become a part of your life? Let God expose them and then experience the joy and freedom that comes by living in the truth. Remember Jesus said that we will know the truth and it will set us free. So shall it be with you. 

Do You Love Me?

When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?”
“Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”
   Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me?”
He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”
   The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.”
 Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.
John 21:15-17 

Peter had made a huge mistake. After being warned that he would deny that he knew Jesus, and after he had said that he never would, he did. He felt the shame of his sin and had gone back to do what he knew best, fishing. But after Jesus had risen from the dead, he came and confronted Peter. The verbal exchange was heart-wrenching, not only for Peter, but for all of us who read the story.
    Have you ever felt that you have done something so bad, so sinful, so evil, that it is impossible for God to forgive you? Have you felt separated from God so much that you couldn't even pray? Did the thought of coming before your King seem impossible because of your shame? Then consider yourself in good company because this is exactly how Peter felt. He wanted with all his heart to see Jesus again, but he felt completely unworthy because he had denied him. 
    It seems to me that when Jesus confronted Peter, he wanted little more than to hear him say, "Yes Lord, I love you." Of course, Peter repented and turned away from his sin, and so should we, but ultimately the blood of Jesus shed at the cross forgives and covers our sin. It is a lie of the enemy that tells us we are unworthy to go to Jesus. It is a mistake to believe that Jesus will not receive us because of our sin. He has already forgiven every sin that we will ever commit. It is time to stop believing the lie and believe the truth of God's Word. We are already forgiven, already reconciled, already redeemed. 
    While you should never use the grace of Jesus as a license to sin, you must understand that you are completely forgiven. If you are struggling today with something that you have done, or even a sin that you continue to participate in, you must be set free from the guilt and shame. No, you cannot continue in the sin, because this dishonors the great price that has been paid for you. But you are forgiven and it is never too late to come before Jesus and have the same kind of conversation Peter did. When it's over, you will be satisfied because you have met with Jesus. And he will be satisfied because he heard you say, "Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you." Remember that this is true: "Love covers over a multitude of sins." You are loved so greatly that nothing you do can sever it. When we love him back, there is a cord that cannot be broken. It is the bond of love that sets you free. 

Shaking Foundations

"About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody’s chains came loose."
Acts 16:25&26 

Paul and Silas found themselves in prison, heavily guarded. This happened because they were fearlessly declaring the name of Jesus. Paul had cast a demon from a young girl who was a fortune teller. She was a slave and when her owner heard about it, he had Paul and Silas brought before the city officials who then put them in prison. So we pick up the story at midnight while they are singing and praying. You probably know the story. They were miraculously delivered from the prison. But one phrase in the scripture caught my attention. It is this one thing that I would like to discuss..
    "Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the FOUNDATIONS OF THE PRISON were shaken." (Emphasis mine). Many times we find ourselves in some kind of prison. You may be in the prison of addiction, or financial struggle, or an abusive relationship. Our own minds can be a formidable prison. Whatever prison we find ourselves in, it seems that the miraculous way out is to allow God to shake the foundations. 
    God wants to get to the root of the prison. He wants to heal and deliver us so completely that we walk out and never return. It can truly happen if we allow him to shake the foundation. What took place that led to the prison? What foothold have we given the enemy to allow him to put us there? These are the things that make up the foundation of the prison. It is not enough to try to escape from prison, we need God to rock the foundation so that we can miraculously walk out. The supernatural key to the prison doors is prayer and worship. Notice that Paul and Silas were praying and worshiping when their deliverance happened. We usually spend so much time and energy focusing on the prison we are in that there is little time and effort put into praying, worshiping and honoring God. So it is a change of mind and a change of habit that is required on our part to allow God to set us free. 
    It is not within your own strength to escape the prison. It is God who is the deliverer. You must put the crisis, trial, or circumstance in his hands. You need to adjust your thinking so that you are open to allow God to do the work. Foundation shaking can be a scary experience. It may shake you like an earthquake. It may seem that everything in your life is falling apart. But if it is God who is doing the shaking, your deliverance is surely at hand. Identify the prison, give God access by giving it over to him, praise him every day, and pray. You may have your own idea about how to escape, but true deliverance is accomplished by allowing God to shake the foundations.

Gates of Righteousness

"Open for me the gates of righteousness;
I will enter and give thanks to the Lord.
 This is the gate of the Lord
    through which the righteous may enter.
 I will give you thanks, for you answered me;
    you have become my salvation."
Psalm 118:19-21

All who have received free salvation through Jesus Christ have walked through the gates of righteousness. Within those gates is the presence of God himself. Though we were once barred from entering, the way has now been made. We have right-standing with God and have been invited into his presence to experience him in a personal, intimate, and unique way. Since we have such a great privilege, what is our responsibility? 
    If there is an open gate and we find ourselves at the threshold, we must walk through. To me this means that we must take full advantage of the offer. If God has allowed us, in fact, invited us into his presence, we ought to do it regularly. If we asked people if they would like to see God, talk with him, and ask anything they would like, most people would say yes. You and I have this opportunity all the time. There is nothing separating us from the throne room of God except our own will. If we are not in his presence, it is because we have chosen to stay away. How can we ignore such a great privilege? The gates are wide open and all we need to do is walk through them into the presence of God. 
    What would you do if you were physically standing in front of the King of kings? Probably, you would fall down before him in awe and reverence. You may be speechless, awestruck by his majesty. You would be like a wide-eyed child seeing new things for the very first time. But most of all, you would be thankful for being allowed such a joyful experience. The Psalmist tells us that when we walk through the gates of righteousness into the presence of the Lord, we must be thankful. There are too many times when I forget to thank God for the great things he has done in my life. The greatest of these is the salvation and relationship with him that he has given me. I didn't have to earn the right to stand before him, he gave it to me. My only response must be to praise him and give him thanks. 
    Remember the gates of righteousness. Remember that you are invited into the presence of God. Go there and dwell with him. Literally choose to live in his presence. And while you are there, let thanksgiving be the cry of your heart and lips. He is worthy because he has given us access. He has removed the chasm that once separated us. It is much more than just the fact that he has allowed us to come into his presence, it is that he wants us to come. Would we turn down an invitation from God himself? It is time for us to walk through the gates of righteousness, enter his presence, and thank him with everything we have. He alone is worthy! 

The Power of the Cross

"Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God,
    and the authority of his Christ."
Revelation 12:10a 

I've been thinking about the cross of Christ recently. There was so much accomplished there that we aren't even aware of. In fact, I'm sure we will never know the full victory of the cross until we are with Jesus. On that day when our minds are fully enlightened with the revelation of God's complete redemption, we will know, even as we are fully known by God. The victory of the cross is more than just the death of Jesus, it is the resurrection and ascension that completed the work. The full power of the cross took more than just the one day in which he died. Much was accomplished during the three days that he was physically dead, and even more when he ascended to take his rightful place at the right hand of the Father. 
    Of course we know that we have received salvation through the cross. It is an eternal salvation that has allowed us to pass from death to life just as Jesus did. Central to Christianity is the fact that we have been saved through Christ's work on the cross. We should never lose this focus. But there is much more that was accomplished on the cross. 
    The power of God was established that day. It seems like an odd statement, since God has always had full power. After all, he did create the universe and guide humanity for thousands of years before the time of the cross. But what was established at the cross was this: The power of God was fully made known to men. It came in a different way than we expected. Man thought that God would do something supernaturally spectacular. They expected an amazing sign from God. he did do something spectacular and loving, but it did not come with hail, fire, and brimstone. It was a history changing event. All mankind was given permission to be reconciled to God. So his power was fully revealed to mankind through the cross. 
    The kingdom of God was also made known to men. The kingdom was embodied in Jesus while he was here on earth and then was deposited in us in the person of the Holy Spirit. You see, God had established a kingdom on earth in the beginning, but sin destroyed it. The cross of Christ established it again in our hearts and gave us a new and glorious hope that it will be established on the earth again. In fact, he commissioned us to pray that his kingdom would be established here as it is already established in heaven. What a great blessing that God gave us through the work of the cross! His kingdom was placed within us all.
    The authority of Christ was established in the eyes of all people. When he ascended to take his place in heaven, he was given all authority on heaven and earth. Every other authority bows before him and all things are under his feet. The victory of the cross was complete. The enemy was hurled down, mankind was saved and the war between heaven and hell was won. Let us rejoice in the power and victory of the cross today. We have been forever changed, history has been forever changed, and our destiny has been firmly set. We are his, bought with the price of his shed blood. There was nothing before, and nothing since, that can compare with the power of the cross! And that power is alive and working in us.

Earnest Prayer

"So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him."
Acts 12:5 

The story of Peter's escape from prison is one of my favorites. Having been put in prison for preaching about Jesus, he was bound in chains between two guards. There were guards at the doors as well. The situation looked bleak as Herod attempted to squash the growing early church. But there was something that Herod had not counted on...The church was praying.
    It is a passion of mine to not only pray, but to teach the church to do so. I believe the power of prayer is beyond any earthly power. It is responsible for bringing the will of God to the earth and establishing his kingdom here. So we have a great responsibility. I wonder what would have happened to Peter if the church had not been praying? But he was delivered miraculously from prison because of the prayers of the saints. The same power that brought his deliverance is available to us today. It is the power of prayer. 
    Maybe the key word in the scripture above is, "earnestly." The church was not casually praying. They weren't just launching an occasional prayer toward heaven. They were engaged in prayer. I believe they were together when they were praying, because when Peter was delivered, he found several together in one house. There is an amazing power that takes place when a group of people gather to pray. When there is a specific need, the will of God is released into that situation and answers come. It takes a level of pressing in to the throne room of God. It requires a commitment to not stop until something happens. This is the kind of prayer that accomplishes great things. 
    If we will make a new commitment to pray and press in, we will see the same kinds of miracles that the early church saw. God has not changed his mind about us. He has not stripped us of the power and authority he gave us. It is the same today as it was then. The difference is; we don't always exercise that power and authority in prayer. We are called to be people of prayer. It is good for us to pray unceasingly, and it is powerful for us to gather together for the purpose of prayer. Perhaps it's time to go back to the days of prayer meetings. I wonder what it would be like if we gathered to pray for a specific purpose and didn't give up until the answer came. When people see the answer, they would have to say: "The church was earnestly praying."

Oh Happy Day!

Oh happy day (Oh happy day)
Oh happy day (Oh happy day)
When Jesus washed (When Jesus washed)
Oh when He washed (When Jesus washed)
Mmm, when He washed (Mmm, when He washed)
All my sins away (Oh happy day)

He taught me how to watch
Watch and pray
Watch and pray (Watch and pray)
And live rejoicing every day
Every day (Every day)

'Oh Happy Day' Lyrics by Edwin Hawkins

I happened to think about this song recently. It is one of those songs that causes one to smile. The lyrics, the tune, everything about it brings joy. It caused me to wonder why. As I thought about it, one phrase kept coming to my mind: "And live rejoicing every day." I realized that I don't really live this way. Perhaps that's why I thought of the song. Perhaps it was a challenge from the Holy Spirit for me to begin to change my attitude and outlook on my daily life.
    I don't know about you, but it certainly isn't every day that I get up and declare: "Oh happy day!" Many days, I wake up already thinking about the struggles that may await me at work or home. The troubles of life overtake me before I have even had a chance to move into the heart of the day. So the idea of declaring, "Oh happy day!" each morning seems to be a great one. Maybe it would change my outlook and the outcome of each day. When I think about the song, I realize that I do have a reason to believe that each day is a happy one; Jesus really has washed my sins away, and that one thing is worth declaring my joy in the Lord each day.
    All this reminds me that I do not "Live rejoicing every day." And that must change. To me, it is all about changing my attitudes. Instead of focusing on the negatives, the struggles, and potential pitfalls that each day may offer, I should be rejoicing in the truth that Jesus has cleansed me, given me right-standing with God, and has given me a destiny that he created for me before the world began. In this, there is great reason to rejoice. No matter what comes my way, that truth is always with me. I think this is why the apostle Paul wrote: "Rejoice in the Lord always, I will say it again: Rejoice!" Philippians 4:4. So it is no longer just a catchy tune that asks me to live rejoicing each day, it is the Word of God that emphatically requires me to do so. I must always rejoice in the Lord.
    If any of this speaks to your own heart, make a decision with me, to live each day rejoicing in the Lord. If you must sing the song, sing it. If you must quote the verse, quote it. If you must tell yourself to rejoice, tell yourself. Whatever it takes, you and I must change the way we live each day. Instead of living in the oppressive negativity of the world, let's live in the overwhelming joy of the Lord. It seems to me that many people will notice our rejoicing. When they notice, they may even ask us about it. That will give us an opportunity to speak the words of Christ. So "Rejoice in the Lord, I will say it again: Rejoice!"

Gladness of Heart

"They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts,  praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved."
Acts 2:46b&47

Every time I read the book of Acts, I am impressed by the passion of the early church. I see them as little children with wide eyed expectation of what God was going to do in and through them. They were zealous for God and nothing would stop them from sharing the good news with all. Even if it meant their deaths, they would still move forward with the declaration of the gospel. Many were beaten, tortured, and killed. Yet they were full of joy for God. It seems that there are things we should learn about how they lived. 
    I think it is very important that they spent time together. In today's world, we have lost sight of the importance of being together and enjoying the things of God. I heard it said once this way: "Fellowship is two or more fellows in the same ship." We have a common love for God. We want to learn more about him and the best way to do that is to spend time with each other talking about what he has done in each of our lives. There is something special about eating a meal together and talking about the things of God. We all live such busy lives that it is difficult to find the time, but it is critical that we fellowship with one another. 
    When the early church ate together in their homes, they did so with glad and sincere hearts. If there is one thing I often see missing in Christians these days, it is glad hearts. We never have enough time, money, or freedom. We are so caught up in daily life that somehow gladness has taken a back seat to the somber realities of life in this world. Perhaps this is why king David said, "Restore to me the joy of your salvation." How critical it is that we be joyful people with glad hearts for what our God has done for us. It is not merely putting on a happy face, it is experiencing and sharing that deep joy that only comes from a heart that is full of God. It is with sincerity that we enjoy the presence of God and choose to live within his blessing. 
    The result of living lives the way the early church did is this: People will be added to our number. I sometimes think about what I might think of Christians if I was an outsider. I'm not sure if I would see an infectious joy that would draw me into their crowd. Sometimes, Christians are the most negative, discontent, angry or sad people around. I think we should check our own hearts. Are we really joyful, glad people? Do we spend time together rejoicing and praising God for his greatness? Do we present something to unbelievers that draws them to God? Don't go out and plaster on a fake smile. Instead, ask God to restore joy and gladness to your life. It will definitely change you, and it will draw others to God. 
 

Take Heart!

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
John 16:33

This verse has been on my heart today. I feel God speaking this word to me today and encouraging me to share it with you. I don't know all of the difficulties that everyone is facing, but I do know that we all deal with the struggles of the world. Sometimes they seem so overwhelming that we can't gain any victory over the situation. But the glorious truth that we all need to hear is this: Jesus has overcome the world.
    It is guaranteed that in this world, we will have trouble. It comes in the form of persecution, financial struggles, marital issues, employment problems and more. Some of the seasons of life involve troubles. The real question is: How will we deal with the trouble? Human nature often leads us to feel rejected or abandoned by God. But he promises that he will never leave us nor forsake us. So when we feel abandoned, we need to counter with faith that says, "I know my God is with me." Trouble comes because we live in the world. It is a byproduct of the sin and corruption that exists here. Even though we are covered by God's hand, we are not immune to the affects. We may have troubles, but God is with us. He is attentive to us and he promises to deliver us.
    Take heart! This is the necessary response to the issue of troubles. To take heart, means to have courage. We know that it is not possible for us to work up courage within ourselves. It only comes from God. As we lean on him in our troubles instead of trying to shoulder them ourselves, we will find the courage we need. There is a peace that comes from God that will permeate our souls and overcome our distress. God is watching to see how we will deal with troubles. If we run to him and depend on his strength, we will overcome depression, sadness and anger as we go through the trouble. I know that these are easy words to write, but much more difficult to live. The promise of God, utter3ed through Jesus is the knowledge that he has overcome the world. This is our victory.
    Today, let's take comfort in knowing that Jesus has overcome the world. The troubles that we face are no different than the ones he faced when he lived here. He has gone before us, he has carried our burdens, he has brought peace, and he will deliver us. This is the hope we have in God. We must go through trouble, but he has never asked us to do it on our own. He is with us. So take heart! Believe the promise of God and lean on him when you cannot stand on your own. He is strong, loving, and fully able to bring you through the troubles of this world.

The Upright

"Even in darkness light dawns for the upright,
    for the gracious and compassionate and righteous man."
Psalm 112:4

Psalm 112 is full of blessings for the righteous person. The Psalms are comforting and encouraging to us. Even when they speak of difficult times, there is always a word of encouragement for us. This particular psalm is written to encourage those who are righteous and upright. Even though it was written over a thousand years before the age of grace appeared, the Psalmist assured us of the blessings that would follow. 
    We are blessed because we are righteous. When Jesus died, rose from the dead and ascended to heaven, he guaranteed us the opportunity to participate in his righteousness. When we choose to receive him and the work of the cross, we have his right standing with God. Righteousness is not something we can ever earn. Religious people have been trying to attain righteousness for as long as humankind has existed. But it is impossible. The only way to have right standing with God is through his Son, Jesus Christ. There is blessing that comes along with righteousness. The greatest blessing of all is the eternal life we have in Christ. We are assured of our future. There is nothing that can take that away from us. 
     There is still the issue of the "Upright." This is different than our guaranteed righteousness. The upright person is one who is growing in their relationship with God and perfecting holiness here on earth. Notice that the blessings guaranteed the upright are not things promised for the next life, but this one. As we grow in our relationship with God and become more like him, we are given blessings in this lifetime. When we are gracious and compassionate as God is, we can expect blessing to overflow in our lives. There is no darkness where the Upright live. The light of heaven is all around and blessing flows in abundance. 
    Today, we must understand that we have righteousness, and the blessings associated with it are beyond our comprehension. But we must also recognize our need to be upright. There should never be a day, an hour, or a minute that we are not moving toward the holiness of God. Apart from him, we have no chance, but in Christ with the counsel of the Holy Spirit, we can choose to live a pure and upright life before God. It is a growing process that is sometimes difficult, perhaps even painful, but the reward is great. God promises blessing in this life and the next for the righteous and upright. You are one of the righteous, now choose to become one of the Upright.

Where Never is Heard a Discouraging Word

"But everyone who prophesies speaks to men for their strengthening, encouragement and comfort."
1 Corinthians 14:3

It's time to be honest about the prophets. There is a stark difference between the prophets of the Old Testament and the ones in the New Testament. The dispensation of grace has changed the way prophets operate. In the Old Testament, prophets were often used to bring rebuke to nations and men. If they weren't obeying the laws, they were called on it. Even then, there were amazing encouragements brought to us through them. It is indeed profitable to us to read and take to heart the words of the old prophets. But in the church today, there are prophets who speak different kinds of words from God. These are words of encouragement that bring life and strength.
    I have often struggled with the role of a prophet in the church. There is a certain amount of prophet in me and I sometimes did not understand how to release that gift without hurting or offending people. But as I have walked in the ways of the New Testament prophets, I have come to understand that my role is to encourage and strengthen people. The words I speak should comfort them, not harm them. Too many people have been hurt by out of control people who claim to be prophets, but speak words of impending doom or negativity. The prophet today is called to build up the church in the same way pastors, teachers, evangelists and apostles do. Ephesians 4:11 tells us that these different offices of ministry are to: "Prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up." This is accomplished by delivering grace-filled words of encouragement to all.
    Don't get me wrong. I believe that there is a time for correction. But the pattern of the New Testament is to correct the ones who have done something wrong, and then release them back into the work of the ministry. Never did the New Testament church squash someone and stop them from serving. The prophet may see danger approaching long before it ever arrives, but his or her primary responsibility is to pray, warring in the Spirit to bring change to the situation.
    So I say, "Church, release the prophets!" But I also say to the prophets, "Choose your words carefully, for you are God's instrument and you speak his words." He is a God of love, grace and mercy. He extends it to all. How dare we misrepresent him to his people! There is no greater joy to the prophet than to see the face of a person who has received an encouraging, God-inspired word. I've seen it and it is the greatest joy of my life. Arise prophets! Strengthen and encourage the church!

Handiwork

"So I reflected on all this and concluded that the righteous and the wise and what they do are in God’s hands."
Ecclesiastes 9:1

If I could give you one encouraging word today, it would be this: You are God's handiwork. I talk to Christians in different places all the time. Some I know, but many I have never met. I find that when we really talk and share what God is saying, we find that it is very similar. This is one way that I know God is alive and real. The Holy Spirit is speaking the same things to people everywhere. One of the things he is saying is: "Find out who you are."
    The problem with religion is that it has left us with ideas of how we should conform to it. We have followed rules, regulations, and philosophies that often cause us to lose our own identities in Christ. I have said it before; The great strength of the church is the fact that it is built on individuals who are being exactly who God created them to be. You see, everyone is different. God made each of us uniquely and he expects us to live the way he created us. he has called us uniquely as well. We cannot expect everyone to be a missionary or a pastor. Each person is called to a specific purpose that can only be fulfilled by that person. The worst thing the church can do is attempt to make everyone conform to its own ideas about ministry. We must release people to be who God created them to be.
    When we realize that who we are and what we do is the handiwork of God, there will be a release in our lives. Some must be released to the ministry of being a mother or grandmother. Some are salesmen, mechanics, teachers, or business managers. Are these things any less valuable than the call of a pastor? Should we look down on those who are fulfilling their call in these ways? Obviously, the answer is no. In the eyes of God, all are the same. The key for us is realizing that whatever we do is done for a kingdom purpose. If you are a stay at home mom, you have been called for a purpose and the kingdom is being strengthened by your life. The same is true of all people who know who they are in Christ and fulfill the call he has given.
    We can rest in the fact that who we are, the righteous ones of God, and what we do, is in the hands of God. In fact, before the universe or the earth were created, he had already knit your life together in his thoughts. It is too marvelous to comprehend, but it is true. So rest easy, child of God. Be who He created you to be. Be comfortable in your own skin, for God made you to be you. Be careful however, to never use it as a license for selfishness. He has created you and called you to bring glory to his name and build the kingdom of heaven. Always remember that your life exists for those purposes. Remember, you are God's handiwork!

The Blessing of Blessing

"Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing."
1 Peter 3:9

Recently I was speaking at a church in another state. I did not know any of the people there except for the pastor and friend who had invited me. After the meeting, a man approached me to talk about what I had shared and to tell me what God had been speaking to him. At the end of the conversation, he spoke a powerful blessing over me. It was so strong that I heard the Holy Spirit say, "Listen to this." It was as if God was speaking audibly to me through this man. I could feel the chills in my body from being in the presence of the Lord.
    Today, I'm thinking about the idea of blessing. In the Old Testament and throughout Jewish culture, blessing was very important. When a father was near death, they would always bless their sons and family. They actually spoke words of blessing over them. In the New Testament, the apostles always made sure they spoke blessing over those they visited. They often spoke of being refreshed themselves by those they had visited. This means that they too had received blessing.
    We know that it is God who blesses. Everything that is good comes from him. But while we are here on the earth, words of blessing often come from our brothers and sisters in Christ. I was refreshed in my spirit because of the things this man spoke over me. It settled like the calm of the morning dew on a cool morning. It is difficult to express how much receiving a word of blessing touches one's heart, but it does. Not only is the recipient blessed and refreshed, but the one who speaks the blessing is also refreshed by the Holy Spirit.
    We are to speak blessing, not curses. We are called to build up others in the faith, not to insult them. The verse above tells us that we are called to repay insults and evil with blessing. Speaking a blessing will neutralize the insult and push back evil. In return, God promises to bless us. How often do we pay back insults with insults? It is an easy habit to form and doing this conforms to the ways of the world. But when we speak blessing, something supernatural happens. Who knows but that one to whom you speak a blessing will come to the saving grace of Jesus. Our own church families can and will be blessed by God as we develop an atmosphere of blessing. When we choose to bless others, it is infectious. Soon a new culture of blessing and grace emerges. This is what God has always intended for his people. Because He blesses us, we choose to bless others. Speak words of blessing over those you come in contact with. Allow the Holy Spirit to use you to bless others. The joy of the Lord will rest on us and we will experience the blessing of blessing.

The Good Shepherd

"I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.
John 10:14-16

The Bible gives us several different pictures of the relationship between Jesus and us, his people. He is our Savior, our brother, our husband, and our King. But one that we don't often talk about is this; He is our good shepherd. Jesus spoke these words himself and the things he said give us insight into his heart for us, his sheep.
   Jesus said that the good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. In John 10:11-13, he speaks of the difference between the good shepherd and the hired hand. He said that the hired hand, when confronted by a ferocious animal, will run and leave the sheep to fend for themselves. Obviously, this results in the loss of sheep. But the good shepherd will never leave the sheep. He will give up his own life for the sake of the flock...and that is exactly what Jesus did. But this picture of the good shepherd is a different look at our relationship with him. It is more than the fact that he died for us. This is a picture of a protector. Jesus takes care of us. He will never allow the enemy to destroy us. This resulted in his death, but he conquered even that. Now he lives to protect the sheep at all costs. You and I are under his watchful eye, his tender care, and his strong arm of protection. 
    We the sheep, know the voice of the good shepherd. I know there are many times when we don't think we hear the voice of God very well. But when we really look at our lives and examine the input of the Holy Spirit into our thinking, we must understand that we do know his voice. It's called discernment. Every one of us has a sense within us that warns us if we are listening to the wrong voice. This is the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Jesus the good shepherd, at work within us. We know it and the only way we don't accept it is if we choose to ignore it. We are sheep and we do know the voice of our good shepherd. 
    There is only one flock. Jesus said that he has more than just one flock. The reference here was to the gentiles. He was speaking to the Jews, but all the gentile nations would later be invited into the blessed salvation offered by Jesus. All are now included, there is only one flock. I think this is important because we have tried to be separate flocks. There is the Catholic flock, the fundamental flock, the evangelical flock, the pentecostal flock, the charismatic flock, and others. But the reality is that in the eyes of the good shepherd, there is only one flock and it is made up of sheep who recognize his voice. If we know Jesus, we know his voice, for he is the good shepherd. What a blessing it is to be a sheep in the flock of the good shepherd. We are well protected by the One who will never leave us or forsake us. 

Adjusting the Attitude

"Then they despised the pleasant land;
    they did not believe his promise.
They grumbled in their tents
    and did not obey the Lord."
Psalm 106:24&25

God had done amazing things when he delivered the Israelites from Egypt. He had caused Pharaoh to let them go, parted the Red Sea for them to cross, drowned all of the Egyptian army in the waters, fed them with manna, provided water, and guided them. But after they had received the promised land, they still were angry at God because there were other nations in the land. They had to take it from them. So the promise God had given them didn't look as good as they had hoped. So they responded in a negative way. I wonder if we act the same way toward God sometimes?
    The Israelites despised the promised land. When we receive a promise from God and it comes to fulfillment, it sometimes looks a lot different than what we were expecting. But it remains the promise of God. If we despise it, we are taking up an offense against God. We may lose sight of the fact that God's will is always perfect, ours is not. These two wills collide and we don't necessarily get our own way. The correct response is to submit to God's will and not despise it. If the Israelites would have done this, they would have been spared much grief. 
    Equally as bad, the Israelites did not believe the promise of God, even though he had done exactly what he had said. They were given the land. But it seems that they expected it to be handed to them with no effort on their parts. When they saw the formidable armies they would have to defeat, they thought God had backed out on his promise. They were blind to the fact that they were already living within the promise. All of us have promises from God. We wait for them and when they come, we may say, "Surely this is not the promise God made." By this, we are telling God that we don't believe him. In effect, we are calling him a liar. But his promises are true and his will is perfect. 
    Like the Israelites, we grumble and disobey God. What if we changed our attitude toward God? What if we didn't take offense at him? What if we received his promises with joy and praised him for them? I am feeling the need to check my attitude toward God. I need to renew my faith in his promises. I need to accept his will with joy and submit to his plan for my life. I think that this will spare me much pain and hardship. Maybe you find yourself living with a bad attitude toward God. If so, it's simply a matter of changing your mind about him, submitting to him, and praising him for all he has done for you. When you reflect on what he has done and the promises he has kept, the result can only be thankfulness and praise for God. We all might need an attitude adjustment.  

Majesty

"Who has believed our message
    and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
He grew up before him like a tender shoot,
    and like a root out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, 
    nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
He was despised and rejected by men,
    a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering.
Like one from whom men hide their faces
    he was despised, and we esteemed him not."
 Isaiah 53:1-3

Today, i am overwhelmed by the majesty of God. Majesty by definition is: Sovereignty, power, supreme authority and grandeur.* All these things are attributes of God. Often times, I run out of words to say when I praise God. There don't seem to be enough words in our language to adequately express the magnificence of God. But I think the word 'majesty' is perhaps the best one. It is an all inclusive word that describes our amazing God. But I am struck by one unthinkable truth: There came a point in time when God chose to give up his majesty to become a lowly man.
    When God sent his son to earth, born of a virgin, completely human, he did not make him spectacular. People were not attracted to him because he was incredibly handsome. He was in appearance, average. When he began to speak the words of God, many people despised him, rejected him, and ultimately murdered him. While he lived among men, he was poor and homeless. He suffered beyond what any of us have had to endure. He lived a life of sorrow. This doesn't sound much like a majestic God, does it? In fact, he chose to leave his own majesty and become like us. This is just one great aspect of the incarnation of Jesus. We must realize that it is not only what he did for us that is amazing, but also what he gave up to do it. 
    Hebrews 8:1 tells us: "We do have such a high priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of majesty in heaven." Although he left his majesty behind to become one of us, he regained it in an even more powerful way because of his work here on earth. In the eyes of men, our God is even more majestic than those who lived before the time of Christ could imagine. God proved his majesty by his willingness to give it up and become like us. This is praiseworthy!
    So today, I am choosing to celebrate the majesty of God by praising him for it. There is nothing else I can say to him that comes close to describing how grateful, thankful, and awestruck I am. I can say the words, but it is my heart that really speaks the praise. We should delight in the majesty of God. We should praise him for it. When in the presence of a king, we would call him, "Your Majesty." How much more should we declare our God as the Majestic One? For who he is, for what he's done, let's crown him with praise and declare his majesty!

*American Heritage Dictionary 

The Blessed Ones

"Blessed is the man
    who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked
or stand in the way of sinners
    or sit in the seat of mockers.
But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
    and on his law he meditates day and night.
He is like a tree planted by streams of water,
    which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither.
    Whatever he does prospers."
Psalm 1:1-3 

My intention today, was to write about the changing seasons of life. I sense the change of seasons in the air, and I also sense a new spiritual season is upon us. Change is imminent. But as I read the passage above, I discovered that the blessing of the Lord is for all seasons. In our lives, there are productive seasons and seasons of struggle. But we must understand that God is blessing us in all of them. So the word today is for the blessed, the righteous ones. 
    I suppose it's obvious how the blessed ones act, but it's important for us to think about. All of us fall prey to the predatory ways of the world from time to time. God assures us that we are blessed by him, but it seems to be contingent on our choices. If we want to be fully blessed, we are not to receive counsel from the wicked. This means that a lot of the advice we receive that comes from the world system is counterproductive to our Christian lives and our relationship with God. The ways of his Kingdom are opposed to the world, yet we often find ourselves following the familiar ways and methods of the world. We sometimes fall victim to sin. It is inevitable since we are still sinful beings, but the key here is; don't follow the way of sinners. The application is obvious, we are not to take the sinful road modeled by the world. Notice that the blessing doesn't prohibit us from being with 'sinners,' but we are not to allow ourselves to be drug into sin by them. So we are not to be wicked, sinners, or mockers.
    The blessings of God are reserved for the righteous. We have this righteousness through Christ, but living a life of holiness is our own choice. We must choose to uphold the "do nots" so we can receive the full blessing. But enough about the negatives. The blessed ones are those who delight themselves in the Lord and in his word. The blessed ones have a different focus. We don't have to worry so much about the "do nots" because we are so focused on being delighted in God. If we fall occasionally, we are picked up through the grace of God and set on the path of blessing again. 
    The blessed ones are not those who said 'yes' to Jesus one time and then returned to live the same old life. The blessed ones are those who are so delighted with God that they forsake the old things and live in the new. They are solid, they are fruitful, they don't fall away, and they are prosperous. I choose to be one of the blessed ones. Do you? It is really a matter of choice and we must make the correct ones in every area of our lives. We may be blessed in one area because we delight in God, but we may be struggling in another because we are taking counsel from the wicked. It is a growth process. The key is recognizing it and chossing God's path in every area. It is so good, so refreshing, so productive, to be one of the blessed.

Taking God at His Word

"When this man heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea, he went to him and begged him to come and heal his son, who was close to death. 
'Unless you people see miraculous signs and wonders,' Jesus told him, 'you will never believe.'   The royal official said, 'Sir, come down before my child dies.'
Jesus replied, 'You may go. Your son will live.'
The man took Jesus at his word and departed."
John 4:47-50 

Sometimes we have to tackle tough subjects. We need to be honest about the things we struggle with when it comes to God's will. We all have questions like: Why hasn't God healed me? Why hasn't God provided for me? Why did my loved one die? Why doesn't my circumstance ever seem to get better? I doubt that there is one person who hasn't had these kinds of questions. I have asked them myself. I know God has the answers, but they don't always seem to match mine. I'm not sure we will ever fully understand the answers in this age, but there is a solid rock that we can hang onto. 
    The man in the story above was about to lose his son. He was near death and the last possibility was for him to receive a touch from Jesus. It took a measure of faith for the man to go to Jesus. After all, he had only heard about him and Jesus had only performed one other miracle. So it was a final effort on his part to attempt to save his son. The man had expectations. He felt that if Jesus could heal his son, he would have to go to his house, lay hands on the boy and raise him up before he died. This was the measure of faith the man had. To him, it was big faith, but Jesus had the power to heal the child in any way he chose. Even if the boy died, Jesus could raise him up. 
    It must have been a disappointment when Jesus did not go with him to touch his son. He may have felt that his faith had let him down. But Jesus chose to heal the boy in a different way than the man expected. Jesus simply told him to go home, for his child was made well. So the man never saw Jesus lay his hands on his son. He never experienced the joy that experience would have brought to him. But he was willing to receive anything Jesus had for him, even if it looked different than he expected. And so he took Jesus at his word and went home. While he was still on his way home, his servant ran to meet him with the news that the boy was well. He had been healed at the very hour Jesus had told the man his son would live. 
    So when we ask the tough questions, we need to be able to receive answers that may be outside our level of faith. God can do all things and it may look completely different than what we expect. We are forced to, "Take him at his word."  I think we miss receiving the healing, deliverance, and blessings of God sometimes because we simply don't take God at his word. We lack the faith to believe that he will do what his Word tells us he will do. I don't think it matters if you forcefully claim his word, or you beg him. There is no formula. The man who came to Jesus begged him for his son's life. Maybe that's what you must do. Maybe you should just command it to be done. Whatever method you choose is not the issue. Taking God at his word is the issue. If you will simply believe what God promises, act on that faith by asking, and receive the answer in whatever way God chooses, you will receive what you ask. If we stop questioning God's power and start taking him at his word, we will have whatever we ask.