Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary defines inheritance:
• as the act of inheriting property
• the reception of genetic qualities by transmission from parent to offspring
• the acquisition of a possession, condition, or trait from past generations
• something that is or may be inherited; a valuable possession that is a common heritage from nature
Considering this definition of inheritance – has anyone inherited anything from family or friends? If so, was it something valuable, useful or unusual? Were family or friends treated equally or were there differences in what people received?
The proportion (measurement) of our spiritual inheritance may differ individually. We read in Ephesians 4:5-7 a measure of God’s grace is given to each member though we are one body. The word measure means in the original, the “basis for determining what is enough (or not enough), what is fair (or not fair).” God has given each a measure of grace to be spent for His kingdom to the glory of God and for the souls of men. Unlike the prodigal, we don’t want to take lightly the resources He has bestowed on us as sons and daughters. Remember, we have been brought with the precious blood of Jesus.
We read Israel’s inheritance differ among the tribes in Numbers 26:54 when the Lord said to Moses, “To a larger group give a larger inheritance, and to a smaller group a smaller one; each is to receive its inheritance according to the number of those listed.”
What problems might exist after you received an inheritance?
Jesus warns not store up treasure on earth where moth, rust or thieves can break in and steal (Matthew 6:19). An inheritance can be depleted for any number of reasons. However, in Christ there is no end or depletion to the riches of His inheritance as Isaiah 64:4 describes, “For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him.”
With our inheritance in Christ, we receive a new position. In Romans 8:16-17 we are called heirs and co-heirs. Not only are we an heir who generally is the first in line of succession, but we are also co-heirs. This means we share in the inheritance of the heavenly Father with (or through) the chief heir, Jesus Christ. Jesus is called the Firstborn (Colossians 1:15). The firstborn son generally receives a double (Deuteronomy 21:17).
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Monday, April 29, 2013
Frustration
Frustration is one of those strong emotions that we experience from opposition that creates a blockage to our momentum and motivation. Merriam Webster defines frustration as “a deep chronic sense or state of insecurity and dissatisfaction arising from unresolved problems or unfulfilled needs”.
What causes you the most frustration?
Intense frustration happens most when we are exhausted. In weariness, our guard slips and we are the most vulnerable to the lies of the Enemy that says “You are a failure!” “You will never get out of this mess, you are stuck!”
How do you feel when you are frustrated?
Recall the dictionary phrases “dissatisfaction” and “unfilled needs”. Frustration is an attitude of dissatisfaction when our personal desires and needs are overlooked, even ignored. From my experience of a father’s neglect in my childhood, I struggled at times in feeling defenseless and this carried into adulthood causing problems in relationships.
When things went wrong, I felt left on my own and vulnerable to negative criticism. It frustrated me when those close to me failed to respond to my pressing needs, even if it was selfishly motivated.
Frustration, like an electrical shortage, will almost always ends in some form of heated anger and resentment. Sadly, this anger is often directed toward God. You can hear people who are frustrated when they say, “I prayed and nothing happens and my situation is only getting worse! So what’s the point of praying?”
Beloved, isn't this is the very ploy of the Enemy, our accuser.
If Satan can move us out of the proportion (or circle) of grace God ordained for us to live in then we are no longer abiding in Christ, who is of all things, our Prince of Peace. Ephesians 4:7 says, “But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.”
Psalms 16:6 says, “The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance,” so until we can agree to the Scripture we’ll find ourselves constantly dissatisfied and frustrated with life and God.
What causes you the most frustration?
Intense frustration happens most when we are exhausted. In weariness, our guard slips and we are the most vulnerable to the lies of the Enemy that says “You are a failure!” “You will never get out of this mess, you are stuck!”
How do you feel when you are frustrated?
Recall the dictionary phrases “dissatisfaction” and “unfilled needs”. Frustration is an attitude of dissatisfaction when our personal desires and needs are overlooked, even ignored. From my experience of a father’s neglect in my childhood, I struggled at times in feeling defenseless and this carried into adulthood causing problems in relationships.
When things went wrong, I felt left on my own and vulnerable to negative criticism. It frustrated me when those close to me failed to respond to my pressing needs, even if it was selfishly motivated.
Frustration, like an electrical shortage, will almost always ends in some form of heated anger and resentment. Sadly, this anger is often directed toward God. You can hear people who are frustrated when they say, “I prayed and nothing happens and my situation is only getting worse! So what’s the point of praying?”
Beloved, isn't this is the very ploy of the Enemy, our accuser.
If Satan can move us out of the proportion (or circle) of grace God ordained for us to live in then we are no longer abiding in Christ, who is of all things, our Prince of Peace. Ephesians 4:7 says, “But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.”
Psalms 16:6 says, “The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance,” so until we can agree to the Scripture we’ll find ourselves constantly dissatisfied and frustrated with life and God.
Sunday, April 28, 2013
A Little Is A Lot
When we are willingly to give God our smallest offering, He will not only provide for us but will increase it!
God comes to us in our most desperate hour and visits us. Like the widow gathering firewood who had enough to bake a small meal for her son. This will be their last meal, but the prophet Elijah appears. It says the Lord “commanded” this woman to feed him (I Kings 17:8-15). In the original, the word command means “appoint”.
God has appointed or chosen you. He will make supernatural provision to meet your needs so you can meet the needs of others. This widow being a gentile was considered an outcast by the Jews, yet a Jewish prophet comes to her home. As a widow she was left with no financial support.
But God appoints us and comes to us in our weakness, in our poverty and in our hunger. Why? To demonstrate He alone has the power to save and deliver us. It’s not within our ability to change, provide or make any difference in our lives or the lives of others without His help.
When God comes to visits us He will ask us to surrender the little we have in our possession. Elijah boldly asks to be fed first, but gives a promise to the widow that she will be fed until the famine is over (verse 13).
What little has God given you that you may offer it to Him? You may think that I have nothing to offer. I’m bound by this addiction or don’t have a job or money, or you don’t know where I've been or what I've done. Why would God visit me in my desperate hour and call me to serve Him?
A poor widow put in a mite, the least valuable Roman coin (similar to our modern day penny)but Jesus sees monetary value very differently. Mark 12:43 records, "Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, "Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others" (NIV).
Likewise Jesus says in Matthew 17:20, “… if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.”
The little you give to the Lord is a lot when it comes from a sincere heart!
God comes to us in our most desperate hour and visits us. Like the widow gathering firewood who had enough to bake a small meal for her son. This will be their last meal, but the prophet Elijah appears. It says the Lord “commanded” this woman to feed him (I Kings 17:8-15). In the original, the word command means “appoint”.
God has appointed or chosen you. He will make supernatural provision to meet your needs so you can meet the needs of others. This widow being a gentile was considered an outcast by the Jews, yet a Jewish prophet comes to her home. As a widow she was left with no financial support.
But God appoints us and comes to us in our weakness, in our poverty and in our hunger. Why? To demonstrate He alone has the power to save and deliver us. It’s not within our ability to change, provide or make any difference in our lives or the lives of others without His help.
When God comes to visits us He will ask us to surrender the little we have in our possession. Elijah boldly asks to be fed first, but gives a promise to the widow that she will be fed until the famine is over (verse 13).
What little has God given you that you may offer it to Him? You may think that I have nothing to offer. I’m bound by this addiction or don’t have a job or money, or you don’t know where I've been or what I've done. Why would God visit me in my desperate hour and call me to serve Him?
A poor widow put in a mite, the least valuable Roman coin (similar to our modern day penny)but Jesus sees monetary value very differently. Mark 12:43 records, "Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, "Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others" (NIV).
Likewise Jesus says in Matthew 17:20, “… if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.”
The little you give to the Lord is a lot when it comes from a sincere heart!
Saturday, April 27, 2013
Patience
Today my wife and I went to a home improvement store to have an estimate on updating the kitchen counter for the apartment we are renting.
Little did I know the next three hours would try every ounce of my patience. This same national chain store did excellent work for our home in Pacific Northwest before we put it on the market. So we entered the store with high expectations to make the process smooth, quick and efficient.
The first surprise is that we were expected to pay based on our own tentative measurements. I'm not good at measuring and didn't even have a tape measure. Later, we were told, someone will come out and do the proper measurements and make any adjustments to the final cost. The next shock was the elderly man who assisted us. His words were somewhat slurred so we had to ask to repeat much of what he was saying and he fell asleep while inputting the information in the computer. My eye caught him struggling between various screens not sure which to select or complete. At one point he got up to lead us down an aisle to show us an example of a back splash when I noticed he walked with a limp. What should have taken minutes took thirty minutes when we finally made some excuse and left.
Though I couldn't control the man's behavior or the poor experience in the store, God holds me responsible to treat people with care and respect. Earlier this morning, I prayed to fear God even more so He set up a classroom training for me in the afternoon!
Patience is not cultivated when all is well. Paul writes, "and not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;" (KJV).
When I prayed for understanding, the Lord gave me empathy for this elderly man. Even though my flesh was struggling, compassion overtook me. And God instilled in me patience to listen a little bit closer to a man who was apparently struggling with physical ailments.
Little did I know the next three hours would try every ounce of my patience. This same national chain store did excellent work for our home in Pacific Northwest before we put it on the market. So we entered the store with high expectations to make the process smooth, quick and efficient.
The first surprise is that we were expected to pay based on our own tentative measurements. I'm not good at measuring and didn't even have a tape measure. Later, we were told, someone will come out and do the proper measurements and make any adjustments to the final cost. The next shock was the elderly man who assisted us. His words were somewhat slurred so we had to ask to repeat much of what he was saying and he fell asleep while inputting the information in the computer. My eye caught him struggling between various screens not sure which to select or complete. At one point he got up to lead us down an aisle to show us an example of a back splash when I noticed he walked with a limp. What should have taken minutes took thirty minutes when we finally made some excuse and left.
Though I couldn't control the man's behavior or the poor experience in the store, God holds me responsible to treat people with care and respect. Earlier this morning, I prayed to fear God even more so He set up a classroom training for me in the afternoon!
Patience is not cultivated when all is well. Paul writes, "and not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;" (KJV).
When I prayed for understanding, the Lord gave me empathy for this elderly man. Even though my flesh was struggling, compassion overtook me. And God instilled in me patience to listen a little bit closer to a man who was apparently struggling with physical ailments.
Friday, April 26, 2013
The Work of Restoration
Restoration is not an easy work. It requires a surrendered heart to the work of the Holy Ghost. Any restoration in our own strength will fail. We can't change people or terrible circumstances that happen in our lives but God can restore completely.
As God restores, it means we put no demands on Him for us to understand, argue or question to what or how He does the work. We must chose to take our eyes of the natural state of our lives – the dry, ruined, desolate or overrun places – and fix our eyes on a risen Christ.
Nehemiah was a captive and a cup bearer to the King of Persia, King Artaxerxes. Nehemiah received a report of those who escaped captivity were in great distress and reproach. The walls of Jerusalem were broken down and the gates were burned (Nehemiah 1:2-3).
He didn't raise a fist to God demanding answers or ask Him endless questions. Rather, he was so moved by the report that he sat down and wept for many days. He fasted and prayed over the plight of his people and the city of Jerusalem.
The work of restoration starts when we can acknowledge the ruins in our own lives much to our own disobedience and willful rebellion against God’s word. If the truth is going to set us free, it will set us free when we confess to the Lord we have lived much of our lives apart from what He requires in the Word of God.
Overall, the work of restoration requires humility. Even Job who suffered greatly and his friends were miserable comforters, was asked by the Lord to pray for them. After Job had prayed for his friends, the LORD restored his fortunes and gave him twice as much as he had before (Job 42:10, NIV).
The work of restoration is often complete when we extend our lives to others who are broken.
As God restores, it means we put no demands on Him for us to understand, argue or question to what or how He does the work. We must chose to take our eyes of the natural state of our lives – the dry, ruined, desolate or overrun places – and fix our eyes on a risen Christ.
Nehemiah was a captive and a cup bearer to the King of Persia, King Artaxerxes. Nehemiah received a report of those who escaped captivity were in great distress and reproach. The walls of Jerusalem were broken down and the gates were burned (Nehemiah 1:2-3).
He didn't raise a fist to God demanding answers or ask Him endless questions. Rather, he was so moved by the report that he sat down and wept for many days. He fasted and prayed over the plight of his people and the city of Jerusalem.
The work of restoration starts when we can acknowledge the ruins in our own lives much to our own disobedience and willful rebellion against God’s word. If the truth is going to set us free, it will set us free when we confess to the Lord we have lived much of our lives apart from what He requires in the Word of God.
Overall, the work of restoration requires humility. Even Job who suffered greatly and his friends were miserable comforters, was asked by the Lord to pray for them. After Job had prayed for his friends, the LORD restored his fortunes and gave him twice as much as he had before (Job 42:10, NIV).
The work of restoration is often complete when we extend our lives to others who are broken.
Thursday, April 25, 2013
God is Good All The Time
Psalms 100:5 speaks of God’s goodness. For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations. (KJV).
The Scriptural truth of God’s goodness is essential to our Christian maturity and spiritual outlook.
God is good all the time. Regardless to what we feel or what we understand (or don't) or what others tell us. We must believe God is good – all the time. Life isn't always good, but God is good.
He's good to the wife holding her husband's hand when his breath becomes shallow and his words slow. Then his eyes close leaving her alone after a long and beautiful marriage.
God is good is when the sun is shinning and the world seems right. And He is good when the shadows fall in the evening and the seasons change.
He is good when our prayers are answered and while other prayers seem to be swallowed up by our sorrow or sit dormant on a shelf for days, weeks and even for years in a deafening silence.
His goodness will never match our pathetic attempts to keep on the straight and narrow. For when we stumble and fall our goodness can never make up the loss of moral footing. But He remains faithful and out of His goodness, He rescues us.
Even in our darkest hour when pain, fear and confusion seem to overwhelm us and those around us raise an argument or question about God’s goodness; we should never be swayed by their insistent pleas.
If we don’t believe He is good, we will quickly be overcome in a fallen world filled by devilish distractions, questions, and arguments that God is not good and therefore, not worthy to be trusted. And when God is no longer believed to be good, we live miserably in fear.
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
He Calls Us Friend
Most of us are familiar with the passage of Philippians 4:6. We are to present our requests and petitions (literally means demands)to God with thanksgiving. A request without thanksgiving is a complaint.
A request is generally directed to a friend or a loved one. We understand within that relationship we will receive a response to our needs.
But can God call us His friend? Is our heart open to His questions? And consider this question. What does it mean to have the Lord talk to you as His friend, a confidant, someone who longs to whisper secrets in your ears and heart (Psalms 25:14)?
In John 15:15 Jesus calls us friends. In this verse Jesus illustrates a servant relationship that has little or no knowledge of his or her master but a close friend knows the Lord’s business. This is important in “framing” our requests to the Lord as we remain in a state of persistence and patience until the prayer is answered.
And since we can know His mind and heart we can present our requests to Him, our Friend, with assurance and boldness. I would venture to say that in prayer there are times the Holy Spirit will bring revelation to present requests on behalf of the body of Christ that otherwise you wouldn't have known or may understand.
When we understand that God calls us His friend, it will change our individual and corporate mission (Your kingdom come!) and purpose of prayer (Your will be done!). So what we ask for will align to His greater purpose and design not just for our lives but for the church and even globally.
Mark 2:16-17 says Jesus is the friend of sinners. He truly loves us no matter our condition. And we can ask Him anything, boldly understanding this deep, personal love of a Friend.
A request is generally directed to a friend or a loved one. We understand within that relationship we will receive a response to our needs.
But can God call us His friend? Is our heart open to His questions? And consider this question. What does it mean to have the Lord talk to you as His friend, a confidant, someone who longs to whisper secrets in your ears and heart (Psalms 25:14)?
In John 15:15 Jesus calls us friends. In this verse Jesus illustrates a servant relationship that has little or no knowledge of his or her master but a close friend knows the Lord’s business. This is important in “framing” our requests to the Lord as we remain in a state of persistence and patience until the prayer is answered.
And since we can know His mind and heart we can present our requests to Him, our Friend, with assurance and boldness. I would venture to say that in prayer there are times the Holy Spirit will bring revelation to present requests on behalf of the body of Christ that otherwise you wouldn't have known or may understand.
When we understand that God calls us His friend, it will change our individual and corporate mission (Your kingdom come!) and purpose of prayer (Your will be done!). So what we ask for will align to His greater purpose and design not just for our lives but for the church and even globally.
Mark 2:16-17 says Jesus is the friend of sinners. He truly loves us no matter our condition. And we can ask Him anything, boldly understanding this deep, personal love of a Friend.
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
A New Song
Have you lost your song? Do you long to enter into worship and soar above your circumstances? Do you feel overwhelmed and exhausted by life the last thing you want to do is sing songs of praise?
Paul and Silas were cruelly beaten and imprisoned. But the Scriptures say,"about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them." (Acts 16:25).
When you chose to worship in your midnight hour, God will bring about a great deliverance - not only for you - but those who are listening.
It says, "Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone's chains came loose" (verse 16).
Not only was there a powerful encounter where all the prisoner's chains were broken but the jailer and his family was saved. The church of Philippi was born. Out of a song of worship from broken men, prisoners became parishioners and a jailer a spiritual leader!
You may say, I can't keep a tune or don't know any lyrics to sing. But God will give you the song. He will put the music in your heart to sing. By day the LORD directs his love, at night his song is with me-- a prayer to the God of my life.(Psalms 42:8, NIV).
Sing, beloved, sing!
And the inner prison in your mind where you may be bound by fear, worry, or anxiety will shake and the chains that bind you will be shattered. When you are free to sing, others will sing with you. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the LORD and put their trust in him (Psalms 40:3, NIV).
Paul and Silas were cruelly beaten and imprisoned. But the Scriptures say,"about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them." (Acts 16:25).
When you chose to worship in your midnight hour, God will bring about a great deliverance - not only for you - but those who are listening.
It says, "Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone's chains came loose" (verse 16).
Not only was there a powerful encounter where all the prisoner's chains were broken but the jailer and his family was saved. The church of Philippi was born. Out of a song of worship from broken men, prisoners became parishioners and a jailer a spiritual leader!
You may say, I can't keep a tune or don't know any lyrics to sing. But God will give you the song. He will put the music in your heart to sing. By day the LORD directs his love, at night his song is with me-- a prayer to the God of my life.(Psalms 42:8, NIV).
Sing, beloved, sing!
And the inner prison in your mind where you may be bound by fear, worry, or anxiety will shake and the chains that bind you will be shattered. When you are free to sing, others will sing with you. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the LORD and put their trust in him (Psalms 40:3, NIV).
Monday, April 22, 2013
Steadfast
The psalmist writes, "My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise" (Psalms 57:7, KJV). The word steadfast in the original means firm.
Change is inevitable and it can leave us feeling shaken and unstable. Step outside your door. Daily the weather can change in hours from bright and beautiful to stormy and threatening. Political and economic forces rise and fall, leaving in it's wake civil unrest and destruction. Newspapers and other media can't keep up with the latest breaking news which can leave many overwhelmed and uncertain about the future.
On Sunday afternoon, I spoke to my father whose health is failing. Then on the way home from work my phone signaled an incoming text message. At a red light, I glance down where the phone rested on the passenger seat. A message from my mom read, "Dad...in the hospital...don't know anything else." In seconds, my world was spinning with anxiety and apprehension. My thoughts raced with the next steps to take or prepare. I'm just a few hours away from Delaware, but did not know what hospital he was admitted or how I could manage the trip while in training for my new job position. I'm still staying in a hotel waiting for the apartment to open and it was quickly growing wearisome.
To be unshakable in uncertain times requires us to be rooted in a deep, abiding trust in the Lord. Difficulties and challenges won't remain forever, but faith in God will anchor us to the Unchanging One, the Ancient One of Days.
"But blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit." (Jeremiah 17:7-8, NIV).
Beloved, you will not go under or be swept away in a torrent of fear. God will cause our lives to be green in the summer or times of drought because God will never fail us!
Change is inevitable and it can leave us feeling shaken and unstable. Step outside your door. Daily the weather can change in hours from bright and beautiful to stormy and threatening. Political and economic forces rise and fall, leaving in it's wake civil unrest and destruction. Newspapers and other media can't keep up with the latest breaking news which can leave many overwhelmed and uncertain about the future.
On Sunday afternoon, I spoke to my father whose health is failing. Then on the way home from work my phone signaled an incoming text message. At a red light, I glance down where the phone rested on the passenger seat. A message from my mom read, "Dad...in the hospital...don't know anything else." In seconds, my world was spinning with anxiety and apprehension. My thoughts raced with the next steps to take or prepare. I'm just a few hours away from Delaware, but did not know what hospital he was admitted or how I could manage the trip while in training for my new job position. I'm still staying in a hotel waiting for the apartment to open and it was quickly growing wearisome.
To be unshakable in uncertain times requires us to be rooted in a deep, abiding trust in the Lord. Difficulties and challenges won't remain forever, but faith in God will anchor us to the Unchanging One, the Ancient One of Days.
"But blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit." (Jeremiah 17:7-8, NIV).
Beloved, you will not go under or be swept away in a torrent of fear. God will cause our lives to be green in the summer or times of drought because God will never fail us!
Sunday, April 21, 2013
Touch Me Lord!
Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!" Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy (Matthew 8:3, NIV).
In my childhood years, I suffered from eczema which left my arms and legs in a terrible, painful rash. At its worse, the skin would split open and bleed. My sister also suffered from this ailment. Sometimes we had to wear shirts with long sleeves and pants on a hot summer day. Winters were the worse season as our skin was heavily layered to keep warm and hot baths only made the condition worsen. Daily we coated ourselves with creams and took prescribed medication.
Over the years, my skin cleared up but my sister saw little improvement.
But the emotional scars of the disease even though faded, is a reminder of the uncomfortable stares and remarks others whispered which they thought I didn't hear. Worse was to see my sister in physical pain but as a growing woman, limited to what she could wear and interact with others, was difficult as she would cry and plead for healing. She read the passage of Naaman dipping in the muddy Jordan seven times until his flesh became like that of a child (2 Kings 5:14).
Perhaps the deepest pain was the desire to be touched, embraced. I didn't just feel awful but felt ugly, someone to be avoided because of the condition that made me a pitiful sight. With the skin condition, sometimes came a terrible smell from dead skin cells.
You may not have a skin condition or some other disease that makes others stare or cause whispers, but there are things in our heart that make us feel untouchable - if they only knew. But Jesus did not just heal the leaper by a word, but it says He reached out His hand and touched the man.
Jesus will touch you, if you let Him. It makes no difference to Him your condition. He will not be corrupted or changed by your failures or illness rather His touch will make you whole. For those who had suffered from abuse, disease or sin, God loves you not just to speak to you from a distance. No, it's not enough for Him, but he desires to reach out His hand to touch you - and it's touch is only love.
In my childhood years, I suffered from eczema which left my arms and legs in a terrible, painful rash. At its worse, the skin would split open and bleed. My sister also suffered from this ailment. Sometimes we had to wear shirts with long sleeves and pants on a hot summer day. Winters were the worse season as our skin was heavily layered to keep warm and hot baths only made the condition worsen. Daily we coated ourselves with creams and took prescribed medication.
Over the years, my skin cleared up but my sister saw little improvement.
But the emotional scars of the disease even though faded, is a reminder of the uncomfortable stares and remarks others whispered which they thought I didn't hear. Worse was to see my sister in physical pain but as a growing woman, limited to what she could wear and interact with others, was difficult as she would cry and plead for healing. She read the passage of Naaman dipping in the muddy Jordan seven times until his flesh became like that of a child (2 Kings 5:14).
Perhaps the deepest pain was the desire to be touched, embraced. I didn't just feel awful but felt ugly, someone to be avoided because of the condition that made me a pitiful sight. With the skin condition, sometimes came a terrible smell from dead skin cells.
You may not have a skin condition or some other disease that makes others stare or cause whispers, but there are things in our heart that make us feel untouchable - if they only knew. But Jesus did not just heal the leaper by a word, but it says He reached out His hand and touched the man.
Jesus will touch you, if you let Him. It makes no difference to Him your condition. He will not be corrupted or changed by your failures or illness rather His touch will make you whole. For those who had suffered from abuse, disease or sin, God loves you not just to speak to you from a distance. No, it's not enough for Him, but he desires to reach out His hand to touch you - and it's touch is only love.
Saturday, April 20, 2013
Uprooted
Stubbornness is something the Lord had to uproot in my heart.
Like a petulant child, I said in essence, “I will get what I want, how I want it and when I want it and will not move from this position or place until I get it!”
For years I gave it other names: perseverance, persistence and determination. I even used Scriptures like the passage of the widow who repeatedly went to the unjust judge for justice (which I erroneously viewed God as being hard and unfeeling) to ask Him for things that was not for His kingdom, but my own interest. I used religious catch phrases to make it more appeasing and acceptable. Speak it into existence! Name it and claim it!
Behind such requests, God knew the intent of my heart. He knew how corrupt my thinking had become as evident in my prayers but I could no longer think clearly or rightly.
Truth be told, I enjoyed the sense of power to assert my will to get my way. When I finally worn down everyone and everything in it's path to possess whatever I wanted, I would feel this incredible rush of power to make it happen. Yes, even giving thanks to God for His bestowed blessing! I must be a special child of God!
What God saw in my heart was the thing Samuel described to King Saul after he disobeyed the commandment of the Lord. I Samuel 15:23 reads, “For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.”
The root of stubbornness was very much connected to rebellion. I was not submitting myself or my desires to the Lord. I was insistent (yes, another word I used to replace stubbornness) to bring about my own answer to prayer. God pointed to idolatry of self but even deeper still, at a demonic influence. Satan, who rebelled from the beginning to be like God and to sit on His throne, really is at the core of all idolatry. Remember my statement? I will get what I want, how I want and when I want it and will not move from this position. It nearly echoes Lucifer words in Ezekiel 14:13-14 when he declares his boastful five “I will statements”.
How did God correct this way of thinking in my heart? It’s a process that requires me to revisit the garden of Gethsemane where Christ yielded to the Father’s will.
Now, I’m learning to pray in this manner.
Don’t give me what I want, Lord! I don’t want to be like Israel who languished in unbelief in the wilderness even though got what they requested in regards to bread and water but never saw the land flowing with milk and honey. Free me from the spirit of unbelief. I want only what You Lord desire for my life. You said to seek your kingdom first – and those things – what things? The things You, Oh Lord, want me that will only further your plans and purposes in my life to bring the greater glory!” Amen.
God's discipline is not to destroy us but that we might have more of the life of Christ manifested in our lives. Out of a deep, rich love the Lord is training us to be a fine and beautiful child of God. Like a good father, He doesn’t discipline us merely when we are disobedient but daily instructs, guides and nurtures us so that our full potential as sons and daughters of God is realized.
Like a petulant child, I said in essence, “I will get what I want, how I want it and when I want it and will not move from this position or place until I get it!”
For years I gave it other names: perseverance, persistence and determination. I even used Scriptures like the passage of the widow who repeatedly went to the unjust judge for justice (which I erroneously viewed God as being hard and unfeeling) to ask Him for things that was not for His kingdom, but my own interest. I used religious catch phrases to make it more appeasing and acceptable. Speak it into existence! Name it and claim it!
Behind such requests, God knew the intent of my heart. He knew how corrupt my thinking had become as evident in my prayers but I could no longer think clearly or rightly.
Truth be told, I enjoyed the sense of power to assert my will to get my way. When I finally worn down everyone and everything in it's path to possess whatever I wanted, I would feel this incredible rush of power to make it happen. Yes, even giving thanks to God for His bestowed blessing! I must be a special child of God!
What God saw in my heart was the thing Samuel described to King Saul after he disobeyed the commandment of the Lord. I Samuel 15:23 reads, “For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.”
The root of stubbornness was very much connected to rebellion. I was not submitting myself or my desires to the Lord. I was insistent (yes, another word I used to replace stubbornness) to bring about my own answer to prayer. God pointed to idolatry of self but even deeper still, at a demonic influence. Satan, who rebelled from the beginning to be like God and to sit on His throne, really is at the core of all idolatry. Remember my statement? I will get what I want, how I want and when I want it and will not move from this position. It nearly echoes Lucifer words in Ezekiel 14:13-14 when he declares his boastful five “I will statements”.
How did God correct this way of thinking in my heart? It’s a process that requires me to revisit the garden of Gethsemane where Christ yielded to the Father’s will.
Now, I’m learning to pray in this manner.
Don’t give me what I want, Lord! I don’t want to be like Israel who languished in unbelief in the wilderness even though got what they requested in regards to bread and water but never saw the land flowing with milk and honey. Free me from the spirit of unbelief. I want only what You Lord desire for my life. You said to seek your kingdom first – and those things – what things? The things You, Oh Lord, want me that will only further your plans and purposes in my life to bring the greater glory!” Amen.
God's discipline is not to destroy us but that we might have more of the life of Christ manifested in our lives. Out of a deep, rich love the Lord is training us to be a fine and beautiful child of God. Like a good father, He doesn’t discipline us merely when we are disobedient but daily instructs, guides and nurtures us so that our full potential as sons and daughters of God is realized.
Friday, April 19, 2013
Honoring The Lord With Our Body
We live in a society that dismisses God's existence and His holiness.
Pleasure, comfort and self-interests drive many individuals, unfortunately, at the cost of ruining their lives and others in a lust driven frenzy to appease the appetites of the flesh.
Sadly, many on that day will find themselves standing before a holy God. 2 Corinthians 5:10 says, "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad." (NIV).
Remember Paul was writing to the Corinthian church of which many members had come out of perverted lifestyles, others were thieves, greedy, drunkards, slanderers and swindlers (I Corinthians 6:9-11). Through God's power the Corinthian church and we today can live a holy life in a corrupt and fallen world.
Beloved, let me encourage to present your bodies to the Lord starting in the morning when your feet touch the floor and all through the day and in the evening. It will cause you to be more aware that God sees and hears your heart's desire to be holy. In presenting your body, this is an opportunity to be honest with the Lord especially in times of temptation.
I often pray lifting up my hands, "Lord, I present my body to You - Your temple - in which You dwell. I give you my ears to hear Your voice. My eyes to look only upon You. And my lips to bless you. My legs and feet to keep in step with the Spirit of God. Help me, Lord, to live a holy life!"
We honor the Lord with our bodies by every member glorifying Him in all we do!
For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's. (I Corinthians 6:20, NIV).
Pleasure, comfort and self-interests drive many individuals, unfortunately, at the cost of ruining their lives and others in a lust driven frenzy to appease the appetites of the flesh.
Sadly, many on that day will find themselves standing before a holy God. 2 Corinthians 5:10 says, "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad." (NIV).
Remember Paul was writing to the Corinthian church of which many members had come out of perverted lifestyles, others were thieves, greedy, drunkards, slanderers and swindlers (I Corinthians 6:9-11). Through God's power the Corinthian church and we today can live a holy life in a corrupt and fallen world.
Beloved, let me encourage to present your bodies to the Lord starting in the morning when your feet touch the floor and all through the day and in the evening. It will cause you to be more aware that God sees and hears your heart's desire to be holy. In presenting your body, this is an opportunity to be honest with the Lord especially in times of temptation.
I often pray lifting up my hands, "Lord, I present my body to You - Your temple - in which You dwell. I give you my ears to hear Your voice. My eyes to look only upon You. And my lips to bless you. My legs and feet to keep in step with the Spirit of God. Help me, Lord, to live a holy life!"
We honor the Lord with our bodies by every member glorifying Him in all we do!
For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's. (I Corinthians 6:20, NIV).
Thursday, April 18, 2013
When God Calls Your Name
There is nothing more wonderful and sweeter than the name of Jesus. At the name of Jesus, we are healed, restored, delivered and comforted. And there is something delightful, powerful and intimate when Jesus speaks our name. Our name can't be compared to His, no matter how influential or popular our names might represent us as a person.
Today I went to a sandwich shop for lunch. While eating, an older man sat down, his back was to me. He led his guide dog around one side of his chair to rest. Then he called for assistance. One of the cashiers responded he'd call one of the servers to help. Thanking him, the visually impaired man asked his name. Something about the question caught my attention. I glanced up while flipping through the pages of the Bible. Minutes later I watched a server make his way to the table and take his order. Once again, the man asked the man's name who took the order.
My eyes fell right on the passage in Mark. "Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (which means "son of Timaeus"), was sitting by the roadside begging. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" (10:46-47).
Then I heard the old man say to the young woman who came by to confirm his order,"I'm not good at hearing voices, so I ask for the name."
Here this visually impaired man couldn't discern a particular voice in a room full of noise, but he could call out the man or woman's name. When they responded, their voice would come into focus, the only unique voice attached to that individual.
A prayer flowed from my heart. "Say my name, Lord, because I can't see clearly. Speak, Jesus for my eyes are blinded by the present circumstances. Unbelief clouds my vision for seeing a clear vision of You. I need to hear you speak my name." My eyes brimmed with tears when the Lord whispered, "When you can't see in the darkness, I'll call your name. Follow the leading of My voice."
Jesus stopped and said, "Call him." So they called to the blind man, "Cheer up! On your feet! He's calling you." Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus(verse 49 -50).
When He calls your name, it brings joy to leap to your feet and throw off a cloak of heaviness and despair and run to Him!
Today I went to a sandwich shop for lunch. While eating, an older man sat down, his back was to me. He led his guide dog around one side of his chair to rest. Then he called for assistance. One of the cashiers responded he'd call one of the servers to help. Thanking him, the visually impaired man asked his name. Something about the question caught my attention. I glanced up while flipping through the pages of the Bible. Minutes later I watched a server make his way to the table and take his order. Once again, the man asked the man's name who took the order.
My eyes fell right on the passage in Mark. "Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (which means "son of Timaeus"), was sitting by the roadside begging. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" (10:46-47).
Then I heard the old man say to the young woman who came by to confirm his order,"I'm not good at hearing voices, so I ask for the name."
Here this visually impaired man couldn't discern a particular voice in a room full of noise, but he could call out the man or woman's name. When they responded, their voice would come into focus, the only unique voice attached to that individual.
A prayer flowed from my heart. "Say my name, Lord, because I can't see clearly. Speak, Jesus for my eyes are blinded by the present circumstances. Unbelief clouds my vision for seeing a clear vision of You. I need to hear you speak my name." My eyes brimmed with tears when the Lord whispered, "When you can't see in the darkness, I'll call your name. Follow the leading of My voice."
Jesus stopped and said, "Call him." So they called to the blind man, "Cheer up! On your feet! He's calling you." Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus(verse 49 -50).
When He calls your name, it brings joy to leap to your feet and throw off a cloak of heaviness and despair and run to Him!
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Belt of Truth
David said in Psalms 51:6, "Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom" (KJV).
This same man who wrote this psalm committed adultery, murder and lied to cover it up. He cries out to God in repentance, desiring His truth in the deepest places of his heart and gut. One word for "inward parts" is the kidneys.
Have you ever been "hit in the gut" by a stinging remark? Or suffered such a painful loss, it sends you reeling and bending over, clutching your stomach in pain?
Recently in my research as an disability insurance examiner, I learned of gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT). Wikipedia explains, "GALT is made up of several types of lymphoid tissue that store immune cells, such as T and B lymphocytes, that carry out attacks and defend against pathogens".
After reading this the Lord spoke to my heart on the importance of the belt of truth. Ephesians 6:14 says, "Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness" (KJV).
Truth (or lack of it) effects our spiritual immune system. When we live in His truth, we have a defense from the blows of the enemy from within and without. Beloved, we need to remind ourselves to put on the belt of truth daily...and tighten it throughout the day to keep the "pathogens" or those infectious agents of the flesh and world from infecting us.
This same man who wrote this psalm committed adultery, murder and lied to cover it up. He cries out to God in repentance, desiring His truth in the deepest places of his heart and gut. One word for "inward parts" is the kidneys.
Have you ever been "hit in the gut" by a stinging remark? Or suffered such a painful loss, it sends you reeling and bending over, clutching your stomach in pain?
Recently in my research as an disability insurance examiner, I learned of gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT). Wikipedia explains, "GALT is made up of several types of lymphoid tissue that store immune cells, such as T and B lymphocytes, that carry out attacks and defend against pathogens".
After reading this the Lord spoke to my heart on the importance of the belt of truth. Ephesians 6:14 says, "Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness" (KJV).
Truth (or lack of it) effects our spiritual immune system. When we live in His truth, we have a defense from the blows of the enemy from within and without. Beloved, we need to remind ourselves to put on the belt of truth daily...and tighten it throughout the day to keep the "pathogens" or those infectious agents of the flesh and world from infecting us.
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Binding Our Wounds
Psalms 147:3 says, "He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds" (NIV). And in Job 5:18, "For he wounds, but he also binds up; he injures, but his hands also heal" (NIV).
When your heart is broken, shattered in a thousand shards, God gathers all the broken pieces and makes you whole. When you have suffered from the loss of a loved one or a son or daughter who may have wondered far from home. God can heal the painful, seeping wound by lovingly bandaging it.
Wounds can be self-inflicted by sinful or foolish choices or wounds can be inflicted by others.
But if God wounds us? Hebrews 12:6 says the Lord chastens (scourges) those He loves. Why? So that we might know the depth of His love as a Father (verse 6), that we are His sons and daughters not illegitimate children (verse 8) and that we would partake in His holiness (verse 10). His wounding is to bring us to a place of revelation of His love and wholeness.
When God wounds us, it's to bring our unruly flesh to an end. Although we may still struggle, once wounded, we never forget and never want to wander from Him. How we have wounded Him time after time with our rebellion and disobedience!
And when He wounds, His hands always heal. God is not like some fathers who have abused and wounded their child by striking them in anger and frustration.
Remember the nailed scarred hands. Those same hands will bind our wounds, cuts and scrapes.
When your heart is broken, shattered in a thousand shards, God gathers all the broken pieces and makes you whole. When you have suffered from the loss of a loved one or a son or daughter who may have wondered far from home. God can heal the painful, seeping wound by lovingly bandaging it.
Wounds can be self-inflicted by sinful or foolish choices or wounds can be inflicted by others.
But if God wounds us? Hebrews 12:6 says the Lord chastens (scourges) those He loves. Why? So that we might know the depth of His love as a Father (verse 6), that we are His sons and daughters not illegitimate children (verse 8) and that we would partake in His holiness (verse 10). His wounding is to bring us to a place of revelation of His love and wholeness.
When God wounds us, it's to bring our unruly flesh to an end. Although we may still struggle, once wounded, we never forget and never want to wander from Him. How we have wounded Him time after time with our rebellion and disobedience!
And when He wounds, His hands always heal. God is not like some fathers who have abused and wounded their child by striking them in anger and frustration.
Remember the nailed scarred hands. Those same hands will bind our wounds, cuts and scrapes.
Monday, April 15, 2013
When God Remembers Us
Like a tsunami, swells of terror roll across the globe and have broken over our own shores. 9/11 forever changed America where we have long known peace and prosperity.
Recently, an Asian nation is provoking the world with threats of nuclear activity sending ripples of fear throughout the earth. Take for instance the real estate agent who remarked why does the president of this nation have to be so cruel, unkind, when it could be an opportunity to do good? You could detect the undertones of concern and apprehension.
Only this afternoon there was a bombing at a marathon (though yet to be determine the reason and who is responsible).
When the world is being swallowed by rising fear and terror, we have this unshakable assurance in Christ. He is our Rock who never changes. He is for us and not against us. We can be a people rooted, grounded, firmly planted and unshakable in turbulent times because we serve a mighty God.
Our testimony to a world is not of perfection but a people who know the peace of God in troubling times. We can be at rest understanding God is in control. God is good all the time no matter the outcome. God fearing saints lost their lives in 9/11, they were not exempt simply because they were Christians. We walk in a fallen, decaying and violent world and our touched by tragedy and pain.
Remember Noah? His generation was so wicked God flooded the entire earth, but out of His mercy Noah and his family was spared along with some of the animal kingdom. It says, "But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and the livestock that were with him in the ark, and he sent a wind over the earth, and the waters receded." (Genesis 8:11, NIV).
God remembers us and will bring deliverance. He will cause the tides of fear to recede so we are not overcome. God will not forsake or forget you! You are on His mind every moment - when He remembers you - He remembers His promises to keep and sustain you forever.
Recently, an Asian nation is provoking the world with threats of nuclear activity sending ripples of fear throughout the earth. Take for instance the real estate agent who remarked why does the president of this nation have to be so cruel, unkind, when it could be an opportunity to do good? You could detect the undertones of concern and apprehension.
Only this afternoon there was a bombing at a marathon (though yet to be determine the reason and who is responsible).
When the world is being swallowed by rising fear and terror, we have this unshakable assurance in Christ. He is our Rock who never changes. He is for us and not against us. We can be a people rooted, grounded, firmly planted and unshakable in turbulent times because we serve a mighty God.
Our testimony to a world is not of perfection but a people who know the peace of God in troubling times. We can be at rest understanding God is in control. God is good all the time no matter the outcome. God fearing saints lost their lives in 9/11, they were not exempt simply because they were Christians. We walk in a fallen, decaying and violent world and our touched by tragedy and pain.
Remember Noah? His generation was so wicked God flooded the entire earth, but out of His mercy Noah and his family was spared along with some of the animal kingdom. It says, "But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and the livestock that were with him in the ark, and he sent a wind over the earth, and the waters receded." (Genesis 8:11, NIV).
God remembers us and will bring deliverance. He will cause the tides of fear to recede so we are not overcome. God will not forsake or forget you! You are on His mind every moment - when He remembers you - He remembers His promises to keep and sustain you forever.
Sunday, April 14, 2013
Direction
On the drive back from the store, I listened to the female voice giving directions from the GPS (global positioning system)on my phone.
My wife and I nicknamed the GPS, "Tina". After traveling some 3,000 miles we find ourselves saying, "Just ask Tina". We even used GPS while walking in Manhattan to locate Central Park.
My wife sitting in the passenger seat commented, "Why doesn't the Holy Spirit speak verbally like like Tina, giving direction every step of the way?" The GPS has a way of adjusting directions should I take a wrong turn without making you feel foolish. We laughed considering the many choices we face in finding housing, my wife's employment and other important decisions. Wouldn't it be nice to hear God's audible voice say, "Not this apartment, but go down the street 1 mile, take a left followed by a right and you will reach your destination."
The question isn't that God doesn't hear or speak, but rather are we listening? Are we willing to be attentive to His voice to obey His direction? How many times has God performed course correction because we ignore His commands to take "left and right" turns?
And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left (Isaiah 30:21 KJV).
My brothers and sisters, in these uncertain times, we must listen to the still, small voice of God in a loud, noisy world. There is a cost when take a wrong direction or move in opposition to God's leading. We will find ourselves taking detours, dead-ends, U-turns that God rather much keep us from taking because it means pain, heartache and suffering needlessly.
Trust His voice, it will only to life, light and freedom.
Who among you fears the LORD and obeys his servant? If you are walking in darkness, without a ray of light, trust in the LORD and rely on your God (Isaiah 50:10, NLT).
My wife and I nicknamed the GPS, "Tina". After traveling some 3,000 miles we find ourselves saying, "Just ask Tina". We even used GPS while walking in Manhattan to locate Central Park.
My wife sitting in the passenger seat commented, "Why doesn't the Holy Spirit speak verbally like like Tina, giving direction every step of the way?" The GPS has a way of adjusting directions should I take a wrong turn without making you feel foolish. We laughed considering the many choices we face in finding housing, my wife's employment and other important decisions. Wouldn't it be nice to hear God's audible voice say, "Not this apartment, but go down the street 1 mile, take a left followed by a right and you will reach your destination."
The question isn't that God doesn't hear or speak, but rather are we listening? Are we willing to be attentive to His voice to obey His direction? How many times has God performed course correction because we ignore His commands to take "left and right" turns?
And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left (Isaiah 30:21 KJV).
My brothers and sisters, in these uncertain times, we must listen to the still, small voice of God in a loud, noisy world. There is a cost when take a wrong direction or move in opposition to God's leading. We will find ourselves taking detours, dead-ends, U-turns that God rather much keep us from taking because it means pain, heartache and suffering needlessly.
Trust His voice, it will only to life, light and freedom.
Who among you fears the LORD and obeys his servant? If you are walking in darkness, without a ray of light, trust in the LORD and rely on your God (Isaiah 50:10, NLT).
Saturday, April 13, 2013
Joy
In the book of Nehemiah, we read those who returned from captivity wept while the Levites read the book of the law.
They read from the Book of the Law of God, making it clear and giving the meaning so that the people understood what was being read. (Nehemiah 8:8 NIV).
As the word of the God was read, there was a deeper understanding that their present condition was a result of their nation's disobedience and unfaithfulness.
But they sadly missed the point.
God promised that after 70 years in Babylonian captivity they would return home. This was an occasion to rejoice, to be glad despite the challenges to rebuild Jerusalem and the temple, most importantly, a righteous nation. The reading of the word of God was to instruct them from returning to a state of unfaithfulness and disobedience by reminding and forewarning them.
Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and teacher of the Law, and the Levites who were instructing the people said to them all, "This day is holy to the LORD your God. Do not mourn or weep." For all the people had been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law. Nehemiah said, "Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength."(Nehemiah 8:9-10).
Listen my beloved, God will lead us out of our captivity to what seems to be a hard and difficult place. You may be in a broken relationship, a dead-end job or suffering from choices you now regret but God wants you to rejoice. Why? Because He wants you to see something wonderful and new. The chapter of captivity was over. Now, a new chapter is being written and a bright future was ahead.
See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland (Isaiah 43:19 NIV).
Joy gives us strength to believe and perceive what the natural eyes can not see.
They read from the Book of the Law of God, making it clear and giving the meaning so that the people understood what was being read. (Nehemiah 8:8 NIV).
As the word of the God was read, there was a deeper understanding that their present condition was a result of their nation's disobedience and unfaithfulness.
But they sadly missed the point.
God promised that after 70 years in Babylonian captivity they would return home. This was an occasion to rejoice, to be glad despite the challenges to rebuild Jerusalem and the temple, most importantly, a righteous nation. The reading of the word of God was to instruct them from returning to a state of unfaithfulness and disobedience by reminding and forewarning them.
Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and teacher of the Law, and the Levites who were instructing the people said to them all, "This day is holy to the LORD your God. Do not mourn or weep." For all the people had been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law. Nehemiah said, "Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength."(Nehemiah 8:9-10).
Listen my beloved, God will lead us out of our captivity to what seems to be a hard and difficult place. You may be in a broken relationship, a dead-end job or suffering from choices you now regret but God wants you to rejoice. Why? Because He wants you to see something wonderful and new. The chapter of captivity was over. Now, a new chapter is being written and a bright future was ahead.
See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland (Isaiah 43:19 NIV).
Joy gives us strength to believe and perceive what the natural eyes can not see.
Friday, April 12, 2013
Reign Down
After a quick breakfast, I left the hotel to be greeted by icy rain falling and strong gusts of wind. I walked toward a local park as the rain soaked through my clothes. I circled a running track while praying and worshiping God. Somehow the stormy weather spoke of God's majestic power.
The God who created the winds and rain, can still the storms in the heart. Peace be still! Even if the circumstance don't change or even get worse. Every storm, my beloved, will pass. What remains is what we learn in those stormy hours of God's character that remains.
There is another rain, when God pours out His abundant grace, to reign over every human passion, ambition and desire. My cry this morning is Lord reign over me. Over my known and hidden desires, let only your passion, your kingdom, your desires alone rule me.
While I'm learning to have confidence in God to hear my prayers and act according to what He has promised, I dare not trust in my requests alone. No matter how many tears, how prophetic or pathetic my words my sound. Beneath those seemingly good and noble requests, can be what James describes, "When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures." (4:3, NIV).
Despite the unpleasant biting wind and cold rain, simply to come before the Lord in worship brings Him pleasure because it comes from a heart that truly wants Him above all else in life. Nothing or no one will truly satisfy.
You can be certain, a holy desire that burns for the Lord is far better than fleshly lusts that corrupts the heart. Lust will bring a different reign, a cruel bondage, until you are utterly destroyed by it.
Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you. (Hosea 10:12, KJV).
The God who created the winds and rain, can still the storms in the heart. Peace be still! Even if the circumstance don't change or even get worse. Every storm, my beloved, will pass. What remains is what we learn in those stormy hours of God's character that remains.
There is another rain, when God pours out His abundant grace, to reign over every human passion, ambition and desire. My cry this morning is Lord reign over me. Over my known and hidden desires, let only your passion, your kingdom, your desires alone rule me.
While I'm learning to have confidence in God to hear my prayers and act according to what He has promised, I dare not trust in my requests alone. No matter how many tears, how prophetic or pathetic my words my sound. Beneath those seemingly good and noble requests, can be what James describes, "When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures." (4:3, NIV).
Despite the unpleasant biting wind and cold rain, simply to come before the Lord in worship brings Him pleasure because it comes from a heart that truly wants Him above all else in life. Nothing or no one will truly satisfy.
You can be certain, a holy desire that burns for the Lord is far better than fleshly lusts that corrupts the heart. Lust will bring a different reign, a cruel bondage, until you are utterly destroyed by it.
Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you. (Hosea 10:12, KJV).
Wavering
In the book of James 1:6 we read, "But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind." (NIV). In the original the word wavering means rough water, a wave, billow or surge.
Waves are formed by relative motion of water with relation to air (wind) or land. One layer moves faster than the other (surface or bottom layer) which causes rotation within the liquid. Currents of the liquid can also induce this affect (Wiki.answers.com)
Likewise, a double minded man or woman has one thing in their mind while below the surface the heart is moving in a different direction. When we doubt decisions are more difficult, confidence drops, fear rises and faith staggers. All this forms a tidal surge or wave that rises and crashes against the foundation of what we believe about God. The weight and force of waves break and fan out in a tumultuous roll as it approaches the shoreline, then moments later, the tide pulls anything in its path back into the foaming sea. Some of us feel swept out to sea, tossed about with no firm anchor to steady the heart.
The psalmist writes, I hear the tumult of the raging seas as your waves and surging tides sweep over me (Psalms 42:7). When we are overwhelmed, this is an opportunity to anchor our faith in His promises, to believe God more firmly. This is were we are tested, not to waver between conflicting opinions or voices, but trust Him.
How often do our prayers rise and fall with conflicting emotions?
We may feel close to the Lord believing Him for the impossible only to collapse in despair and panic. Like a receding wave, we fold and pull back from the Lord when the deep things of the heart move contrary to what we think should be the outcome. So many layers are stirred by prevailing winds of the culture, of other peoples opinions and our own desires.
Remember beloved this promise when you waver in times of storm.
This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God's inner sanctuary (Hebrews 6:19 NLT).
Waves are formed by relative motion of water with relation to air (wind) or land. One layer moves faster than the other (surface or bottom layer) which causes rotation within the liquid. Currents of the liquid can also induce this affect (Wiki.answers.com)
Likewise, a double minded man or woman has one thing in their mind while below the surface the heart is moving in a different direction. When we doubt decisions are more difficult, confidence drops, fear rises and faith staggers. All this forms a tidal surge or wave that rises and crashes against the foundation of what we believe about God. The weight and force of waves break and fan out in a tumultuous roll as it approaches the shoreline, then moments later, the tide pulls anything in its path back into the foaming sea. Some of us feel swept out to sea, tossed about with no firm anchor to steady the heart.
The psalmist writes, I hear the tumult of the raging seas as your waves and surging tides sweep over me (Psalms 42:7). When we are overwhelmed, this is an opportunity to anchor our faith in His promises, to believe God more firmly. This is were we are tested, not to waver between conflicting opinions or voices, but trust Him.
How often do our prayers rise and fall with conflicting emotions?
We may feel close to the Lord believing Him for the impossible only to collapse in despair and panic. Like a receding wave, we fold and pull back from the Lord when the deep things of the heart move contrary to what we think should be the outcome. So many layers are stirred by prevailing winds of the culture, of other peoples opinions and our own desires.
Remember beloved this promise when you waver in times of storm.
This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God's inner sanctuary (Hebrews 6:19 NLT).
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Consulting God
When we ask God His thoughts and His determination on every decision (yes, every decision) it pleases Him. No matter how small or foolish the request, God cares to hear us. He is pleased when we seek Him rather than seek our own way of going about answering our requests.
Those who seek the Lord's mind in making godly choices are sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit. The way you dress, behave, speak and think changes.
When we consult the Lord, we must be truthfully about our present condition. It's not a time to hide or pretend to be something we are not, rather we must be honest and transparent. The Scriptures states, "The LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth" (Psalms 145:18 KJV).
The lie of the enemy is keep you from praying, saying it doesn't matter or God will not hear or answer you. The devil is the father of lies and opposes the truth. But God is near to those who call upon him in truth.
As my wife and I continue to search for housing, we find ourselves praying several times throughout the day. Both of us are greeted by silence, no imparted word from heaven, but still we pray. We ask God to search our hearts, test our intents and be willing to sacrifice what we believe is precious on the altar for God's best. In such trying times, there's a temptation to revert to old patterns of thinking, of giving into doubt, of blame shifting and self-pity. I can feel these feelings rise from the pit of my stomach and the tightness in my chest from anxiety squeezes even tighter.
Exhausted from a long day, we drove back to the hotel when a storm quickly gathered in the horizon. Along the Hudson River, lightening arced across the sky with a brilliant flash followed by a angry rumble. As we hurried into the hotel, the rain fell in torrents and the ground shook following a burst of thunder. Seconds before entering the hotel doors, the fading rumble of thunder reminded me of God's sovereign power.
God is still in control which is why it's so important to consult Him. Our life, our future, our very breath is in the sovereign care of God. When we consult God, we render all control for His decision in all matters of life.
Those who seek the Lord's mind in making godly choices are sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit. The way you dress, behave, speak and think changes.
When we consult the Lord, we must be truthfully about our present condition. It's not a time to hide or pretend to be something we are not, rather we must be honest and transparent. The Scriptures states, "The LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth" (Psalms 145:18 KJV).
The lie of the enemy is keep you from praying, saying it doesn't matter or God will not hear or answer you. The devil is the father of lies and opposes the truth. But God is near to those who call upon him in truth.
As my wife and I continue to search for housing, we find ourselves praying several times throughout the day. Both of us are greeted by silence, no imparted word from heaven, but still we pray. We ask God to search our hearts, test our intents and be willing to sacrifice what we believe is precious on the altar for God's best. In such trying times, there's a temptation to revert to old patterns of thinking, of giving into doubt, of blame shifting and self-pity. I can feel these feelings rise from the pit of my stomach and the tightness in my chest from anxiety squeezes even tighter.
Exhausted from a long day, we drove back to the hotel when a storm quickly gathered in the horizon. Along the Hudson River, lightening arced across the sky with a brilliant flash followed by a angry rumble. As we hurried into the hotel, the rain fell in torrents and the ground shook following a burst of thunder. Seconds before entering the hotel doors, the fading rumble of thunder reminded me of God's sovereign power.
God is still in control which is why it's so important to consult Him. Our life, our future, our very breath is in the sovereign care of God. When we consult God, we render all control for His decision in all matters of life.
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Seeing God's Provision
Hagar was running from her mistress only to find herself and her child in a barren wasteland (Genesis 16: 7).
As much as we have the prodigal son in the New Testament, Hagar might be called your female prodigal. With Abraham's family, Hagar had plenty to eat, provision and protection except she was despised and not wanted. She was mistreated by Sarah who tried in vain to bring about God's promised offspring - something only He could provide.
When we are facing trying and difficult times, it's easy to look back at the "Egypt" season in our lives where it seemed everything was plentiful. But our minds tend to forget the cost of our self-made provision outside the providence of God. Many of us were morally and spiritually bankrupt. We didn't pray or believe God would hear us.
Israel wanderings in the desert found themselves complaining for water, meat and other fleshly desires. The moaned about returning to Egypt where the "flesh pots" were never empty and they had plenty to drink and eat. All the while forgetting they were slaves in a place of bondage where their bodies, property and other possession were not their own.
At the time of writing this, my wife and I are facing a challenge to find housing that includes parking. Parking is a premium in this city and the rules around when and where you can park are stringent. Added to this difficulty is that no apartment is ready for move in but requires weeks for any repairs and clean up. So we find ourselves in a hotel trying every avenue to find a place before I start working.
Tonight in worship a few lyrics caught my attention. Loosely the words spoke of being silent, letting God go to battle and win the victory.
God's provision is made at the end of ourselves, when every action has come up short and the words fail to express our deepest need.
It's at the end of our strength when God opens our eyes like Hagar so we can say, "She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me.” That is why the well was called Beer Lahai Roi; it is still there, between Kadesh and Bered (Genesis 16:13-14).
As much as we have the prodigal son in the New Testament, Hagar might be called your female prodigal. With Abraham's family, Hagar had plenty to eat, provision and protection except she was despised and not wanted. She was mistreated by Sarah who tried in vain to bring about God's promised offspring - something only He could provide.
When we are facing trying and difficult times, it's easy to look back at the "Egypt" season in our lives where it seemed everything was plentiful. But our minds tend to forget the cost of our self-made provision outside the providence of God. Many of us were morally and spiritually bankrupt. We didn't pray or believe God would hear us.
Israel wanderings in the desert found themselves complaining for water, meat and other fleshly desires. The moaned about returning to Egypt where the "flesh pots" were never empty and they had plenty to drink and eat. All the while forgetting they were slaves in a place of bondage where their bodies, property and other possession were not their own.
At the time of writing this, my wife and I are facing a challenge to find housing that includes parking. Parking is a premium in this city and the rules around when and where you can park are stringent. Added to this difficulty is that no apartment is ready for move in but requires weeks for any repairs and clean up. So we find ourselves in a hotel trying every avenue to find a place before I start working.
Tonight in worship a few lyrics caught my attention. Loosely the words spoke of being silent, letting God go to battle and win the victory.
God's provision is made at the end of ourselves, when every action has come up short and the words fail to express our deepest need.
It's at the end of our strength when God opens our eyes like Hagar so we can say, "She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me.” That is why the well was called Beer Lahai Roi; it is still there, between Kadesh and Bered (Genesis 16:13-14).
Monday, April 8, 2013
Are You Sure?
Before leaving for the East Coast, a friend teasingly said, "Are you sure?"
I knew there will be many unknown things that I'd encounter that might cause me to doubt the decision to leave the Pacific Northwest. Already my wife and I have encountered the high cost of traveling, looking for a place to live and even dinning out. A glance at our credit card charges was discouraging.
Money matters aside, I turned to the Lord, in complete surrender. There is only so much information, research, calling and making inquires can go in finding the best deals and values. Only the Lord can provide what He determines best for us. It requires trust in His providence.
Today we walked through an apartment that is in poor condition. I couldn't believe that a person living 14 years in the place would leave it in such a state. My eyes tried to envision fresh painted walls and scrubbed toilet and sinks and updated kitchen counters but I couldn't see past the mess.
And that is why we live by faith, not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). What we see can stir doubt and fear because it seems so real, so factual and even fatal, but God sees things differently. God sees the start and finish of our personal transformation while our vision is limited to the present. If we could see what rewards await for those who trust Him, it would astound us!
What I know for sure is God loves me. He truly cares for my welfare and will not fail to provide. Perhaps, it might not be in the way I see fit or suites my comfort level, but He always satisfies.
I'm assured His presence is with me.
I knew there will be many unknown things that I'd encounter that might cause me to doubt the decision to leave the Pacific Northwest. Already my wife and I have encountered the high cost of traveling, looking for a place to live and even dinning out. A glance at our credit card charges was discouraging.
Money matters aside, I turned to the Lord, in complete surrender. There is only so much information, research, calling and making inquires can go in finding the best deals and values. Only the Lord can provide what He determines best for us. It requires trust in His providence.
Today we walked through an apartment that is in poor condition. I couldn't believe that a person living 14 years in the place would leave it in such a state. My eyes tried to envision fresh painted walls and scrubbed toilet and sinks and updated kitchen counters but I couldn't see past the mess.
And that is why we live by faith, not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). What we see can stir doubt and fear because it seems so real, so factual and even fatal, but God sees things differently. God sees the start and finish of our personal transformation while our vision is limited to the present. If we could see what rewards await for those who trust Him, it would astound us!
What I know for sure is God loves me. He truly cares for my welfare and will not fail to provide. Perhaps, it might not be in the way I see fit or suites my comfort level, but He always satisfies.
I'm assured His presence is with me.
Sunday, April 7, 2013
Submitting Prayer Requests
After so many years have passed, Sarah has been told she will have a son shortly. Her response is telling. So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, “After I am worn out and my master is old, will I now have this pleasure?” (Genesis 18:12).
From this passage in Genesis we learn what it means to submit our requests.
1.Submitting our requests to God means experiencing a moment where we must be “as good as dead” to any possibility of it happening in our human efforts and abilities. We learn to be unwavering, trusting in the power of God to fulfill His promise. (Romans 4:19-21).
2.Submitting our requests does not always mean an immediate answer to our prayer. Our condition may not change or it may even worsen. Sarah said, “I’m worn out (decaying) and my master is old”. I suppose even years before God first made the promise to Abraham, Sarah had long resigned to her barren state. How often have we grown weary from praying when the answer seems delayed? Jesus encourages us in Luke 18:1 to continue to pray and not faint. The word faint means to “be negatively influenced with the outcome of experiencing inner weariness.” If we look at natural condition and draw a conclusion based on those things that are temporal rather than reminding ourselves of God’s eternal power to fulfill His promise, we can easily grow weary and faint.
3.When God answers our requests, we may find ourselves tested by God to sacrifice the very thing He provided. Think of Abraham asked by God to take Isaac to Mt. Moriah to sacrifice him. Why? Genesis 22:12 says, “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”
Hebrews 11:11 gives a powerful insight into Sarah’s heart. She who said, “God, I’m so worn out. Life has been very hard and difficult. When I was young, you know how much I longed to hold a child, my own child in my arms. Just look at me now! I’m not only old and worn out, but then there is Ishmael, my husband’s child by an Egyptian handmaid. Why would you visit me now? Why this appointed time?”
Listen beloved, the lie of the enemy is to say it’s too late, my time has passed, I have no strength even to conceive the thought of a promised realized, it’s too painful even to consider.
Hebrews 11:11 says God gave Sarah strength to conceive. Why? Because Sarah judged Him faithful to do as he promised. Sarah not only became a mother but she’d become a mother of faith for nations! Her smallest plea was answered but impacted countless others – even today.
From this passage in Genesis we learn what it means to submit our requests.
1.Submitting our requests to God means experiencing a moment where we must be “as good as dead” to any possibility of it happening in our human efforts and abilities. We learn to be unwavering, trusting in the power of God to fulfill His promise. (Romans 4:19-21).
2.Submitting our requests does not always mean an immediate answer to our prayer. Our condition may not change or it may even worsen. Sarah said, “I’m worn out (decaying) and my master is old”. I suppose even years before God first made the promise to Abraham, Sarah had long resigned to her barren state. How often have we grown weary from praying when the answer seems delayed? Jesus encourages us in Luke 18:1 to continue to pray and not faint. The word faint means to “be negatively influenced with the outcome of experiencing inner weariness.” If we look at natural condition and draw a conclusion based on those things that are temporal rather than reminding ourselves of God’s eternal power to fulfill His promise, we can easily grow weary and faint.
3.When God answers our requests, we may find ourselves tested by God to sacrifice the very thing He provided. Think of Abraham asked by God to take Isaac to Mt. Moriah to sacrifice him. Why? Genesis 22:12 says, “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”
Hebrews 11:11 gives a powerful insight into Sarah’s heart. She who said, “God, I’m so worn out. Life has been very hard and difficult. When I was young, you know how much I longed to hold a child, my own child in my arms. Just look at me now! I’m not only old and worn out, but then there is Ishmael, my husband’s child by an Egyptian handmaid. Why would you visit me now? Why this appointed time?”
Listen beloved, the lie of the enemy is to say it’s too late, my time has passed, I have no strength even to conceive the thought of a promised realized, it’s too painful even to consider.
Hebrews 11:11 says God gave Sarah strength to conceive. Why? Because Sarah judged Him faithful to do as he promised. Sarah not only became a mother but she’d become a mother of faith for nations! Her smallest plea was answered but impacted countless others – even today.
Saturday, April 6, 2013
Lead A Quiet Life
Paul instructs the church of Thessalonians, "Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you," (I Thessalonians 4:11, NIV). You would think to lead a quiet life is to be surrounded by quietness. Perhaps, a idyllic country setting far from the noise of the city or some island retreat without the anxiety of pressing work deadlines?
As I'm writing this, I'm sitting in a New York hotel that has seen better days. Someone above me is constantly on the move. The ceiling creaks and groans with their heavy step. Outside I heard a noise and peer out the window to see a driver run over a white bucket sitting in the middle of the parking lot. Apparently, they were repairing pot holes and left buckets and other objects as a means to keep cars away until the tar could dry. Last night, I press the fan button on high to block out sound of voices,TV and whatever other sounds seeping through the thin walls that separated the rooms. To say the least, I was disturbed and didn't rest very well.
To lead a quiet a life doesn't mean the absence of noise or distraction, rather it means to be lead by the Prince of Peace besides the quiet waters - even if people or circumstances around you are noisy. There is an inner peace that Christ can only provide that can cause you to be lead and be an example of a quieted life for others who need to be at rest. Those outside of Christ, will never know true, lasting peace. Every waking moment is a constant, frantic pace of activities to dull the conscience mind of an aching need to be at rest. Disturbed, hurried and anxious driven people can rob your peace if you let them!
Last evening, in the dark, I got down on my knees beside the bed. I raised my hands to heaven and surrendered myself afresh to the Lord. Then I silenced the demonic voices by binding every foul spirit that was using noise to wreck havoc in my mind - you made a terrible mistake coming here! You were better living on the West Coast...at least it was quiet! Then the peace of God flowed over my heart and a reassuring sense of His presence was restored. I'm loved by God and I'm in my Father's care.
With that, I closed my eyes while the ghost above me kept pacing back and forth with a heavy foot, the ceiling creaking and bowing from someone who just needed to go to bed!
As I'm writing this, I'm sitting in a New York hotel that has seen better days. Someone above me is constantly on the move. The ceiling creaks and groans with their heavy step. Outside I heard a noise and peer out the window to see a driver run over a white bucket sitting in the middle of the parking lot. Apparently, they were repairing pot holes and left buckets and other objects as a means to keep cars away until the tar could dry. Last night, I press the fan button on high to block out sound of voices,TV and whatever other sounds seeping through the thin walls that separated the rooms. To say the least, I was disturbed and didn't rest very well.
To lead a quiet a life doesn't mean the absence of noise or distraction, rather it means to be lead by the Prince of Peace besides the quiet waters - even if people or circumstances around you are noisy. There is an inner peace that Christ can only provide that can cause you to be lead and be an example of a quieted life for others who need to be at rest. Those outside of Christ, will never know true, lasting peace. Every waking moment is a constant, frantic pace of activities to dull the conscience mind of an aching need to be at rest. Disturbed, hurried and anxious driven people can rob your peace if you let them!
Last evening, in the dark, I got down on my knees beside the bed. I raised my hands to heaven and surrendered myself afresh to the Lord. Then I silenced the demonic voices by binding every foul spirit that was using noise to wreck havoc in my mind - you made a terrible mistake coming here! You were better living on the West Coast...at least it was quiet! Then the peace of God flowed over my heart and a reassuring sense of His presence was restored. I'm loved by God and I'm in my Father's care.
With that, I closed my eyes while the ghost above me kept pacing back and forth with a heavy foot, the ceiling creaking and bowing from someone who just needed to go to bed!
Friday, April 5, 2013
Transition
What makes change difficult is the transition from what is known to the unfamiliar.
In the process, things can be unsettling even tumultuous. There is a temptation to return to a state of normalcy but there is a defining moment when you cross the line. There is no going back. You can't imagine returning to a life which has become predictable and frustrating as a yearning daily increases to stretch, grow and learn.
As the hours and hundreds of miles pass, the Pacific Northwest, a season of 14 years is distancing. Strangely, I remember some highlights, close friends and a loving church which we attended for many years. But in this transition from a familiar and well-worn season, there is a growing anticipation for the new and unknown.
When the Israelites were preparing to cross the Jordan into the Promised Land, the officers said, "When you see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, and the Levitical priests carrying it, you are to move out from your positions and follow it.Then you will know which way to go, since you have never been this way before. But keep a distance of about two thousand cubits between you and the ark; do not go near it." (Joshua 3:3-4, NIV).
What makes any change possible and for a smooth transition, is when you follow the Lord's leading. Don't slack your pace out of fear and unbelief nor rush ahead in your own strength. The Israelites had to keep a distance from the ark because the presence of the Lord is to be treated with reverence and awe.
Giants were ahead and the wilderness where the 1st generation died in unbelief was behind them. In the middle, was the presence of God making a way into a new chapter for the nation, for a people God was leading to possess the land promised long ago to Abraham.
Remember, beloved, transition is part of the work of transformation. We are moving from glory to glory
In the process, things can be unsettling even tumultuous. There is a temptation to return to a state of normalcy but there is a defining moment when you cross the line. There is no going back. You can't imagine returning to a life which has become predictable and frustrating as a yearning daily increases to stretch, grow and learn.
As the hours and hundreds of miles pass, the Pacific Northwest, a season of 14 years is distancing. Strangely, I remember some highlights, close friends and a loving church which we attended for many years. But in this transition from a familiar and well-worn season, there is a growing anticipation for the new and unknown.
When the Israelites were preparing to cross the Jordan into the Promised Land, the officers said, "When you see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, and the Levitical priests carrying it, you are to move out from your positions and follow it.Then you will know which way to go, since you have never been this way before. But keep a distance of about two thousand cubits between you and the ark; do not go near it." (Joshua 3:3-4, NIV).
What makes any change possible and for a smooth transition, is when you follow the Lord's leading. Don't slack your pace out of fear and unbelief nor rush ahead in your own strength. The Israelites had to keep a distance from the ark because the presence of the Lord is to be treated with reverence and awe.
Giants were ahead and the wilderness where the 1st generation died in unbelief was behind them. In the middle, was the presence of God making a way into a new chapter for the nation, for a people God was leading to possess the land promised long ago to Abraham.
Remember, beloved, transition is part of the work of transformation. We are moving from glory to glory
Thursday, April 4, 2013
Carried On Eagles Wings
You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself. (Exodus 19:4 NIV).
Once I remember as a child I feigned being asleep. My father picked me up and I squeezed my eyes tighter. I wanted to feel his strong arms lift me up and carry me up the stairs to my bed. There was a strong sense of protection and security in those arms. He slowly made his way up the stairs, each foot step firm and well planted on the old creaky stairs leading up to my bedroom. My father gently lowered me into bed then pulled the covers over me. This time I feel asleep in a peaceful bliss of a father's care.
Through the years, the Father is teaching me to let Him carry me. Yes, at times, He wants me to stand in midst of difficulty and opposition. Other times, He says let me carry you.
As I continue to drive toward the East Coast, hour after hour I listen to the car with a keen ear. This same car brought us to West Coast 14 years ago from Florida, now we are traveling to the Eastern seaboard. A lot of work was put into the car to prepare for the trip, but still there is an anxiety that wants to overcome me. Some of the roads stretch for miles with no place to go for help should the car break down. Cell phone coverage can be spotty or none existent.
In the night as the headlights of passing cars flood the vehicle then leave us in a wake of pitch blackness, the Lord whispers, Let me carry you. I'll take you to the place where I have called you.
Beloved, let the Lord carry you on eagle's wings. He can cause you to soar and take you further than if you were to try in your own strength to walk or stand. All He wants is your willingness to yield to His loving arms in complete trust. He won't drop you but you can be secured and protected in those mighty arms of God.
Once I remember as a child I feigned being asleep. My father picked me up and I squeezed my eyes tighter. I wanted to feel his strong arms lift me up and carry me up the stairs to my bed. There was a strong sense of protection and security in those arms. He slowly made his way up the stairs, each foot step firm and well planted on the old creaky stairs leading up to my bedroom. My father gently lowered me into bed then pulled the covers over me. This time I feel asleep in a peaceful bliss of a father's care.
Through the years, the Father is teaching me to let Him carry me. Yes, at times, He wants me to stand in midst of difficulty and opposition. Other times, He says let me carry you.
As I continue to drive toward the East Coast, hour after hour I listen to the car with a keen ear. This same car brought us to West Coast 14 years ago from Florida, now we are traveling to the Eastern seaboard. A lot of work was put into the car to prepare for the trip, but still there is an anxiety that wants to overcome me. Some of the roads stretch for miles with no place to go for help should the car break down. Cell phone coverage can be spotty or none existent.
In the night as the headlights of passing cars flood the vehicle then leave us in a wake of pitch blackness, the Lord whispers, Let me carry you. I'll take you to the place where I have called you.
Beloved, let the Lord carry you on eagle's wings. He can cause you to soar and take you further than if you were to try in your own strength to walk or stand. All He wants is your willingness to yield to His loving arms in complete trust. He won't drop you but you can be secured and protected in those mighty arms of God.
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Then
It's a simple word, then. The word means immediately or soon afterwards. In Psalms 67:5 says, "May the peoples praise you, God; may all the peoples praise you." The next verse says, "Then shall the earth yield her increase; and God, even our own God, shall bless us." (KJV).
Only when we break out in praise will the Lord break out a promise of fertility. The earth will yield her increase and God will bless us.
At the time of writing this blog, I'm driving from Pacific Northwest to the East Coast, some 3,000 miles. And as I write, I'm sitting in a hotel which is a bit run down. My wife and I caught ourselves complaining about a few inconveniences. Complaining is very easy to do and it seems almost justifiable. After all, we paid to stay the night! We booked the hotel partially on the reviews which sounded positive, but came up short in service. In God's eyes, complaining is sin because He brought us safely thus far and through the night watched over us. There is much to be grateful even if there are challenges and difficulties.
Praise sets the altitude of your attitude.
When we complain, then follows a dryness in our spirit. We grumble and moan, sigh and become irritable about the smallest of things. Nothing is never right. How many of our spiritual lives are dried and withered from complaining? How has this effected our relationships? Who wants to be around a person who is complaining about even the most pleasant and wonderful things in life simply because it's not enough? Remember God sent snakes into the Israelite camp because of complaining (I Corinthians 10:9).
When we praise, then God will open prison doors in our minds and free us. When we praise, then God will chase away the snakes that have come into our lives as result of complaining and free us from the poison, the terrible side effect that misshapes our thinking and way of living.
Only when we break out in praise will the Lord break out a promise of fertility. The earth will yield her increase and God will bless us.
At the time of writing this blog, I'm driving from Pacific Northwest to the East Coast, some 3,000 miles. And as I write, I'm sitting in a hotel which is a bit run down. My wife and I caught ourselves complaining about a few inconveniences. Complaining is very easy to do and it seems almost justifiable. After all, we paid to stay the night! We booked the hotel partially on the reviews which sounded positive, but came up short in service. In God's eyes, complaining is sin because He brought us safely thus far and through the night watched over us. There is much to be grateful even if there are challenges and difficulties.
Praise sets the altitude of your attitude.
When we complain, then follows a dryness in our spirit. We grumble and moan, sigh and become irritable about the smallest of things. Nothing is never right. How many of our spiritual lives are dried and withered from complaining? How has this effected our relationships? Who wants to be around a person who is complaining about even the most pleasant and wonderful things in life simply because it's not enough? Remember God sent snakes into the Israelite camp because of complaining (I Corinthians 10:9).
When we praise, then God will open prison doors in our minds and free us. When we praise, then God will chase away the snakes that have come into our lives as result of complaining and free us from the poison, the terrible side effect that misshapes our thinking and way of living.
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Ai
Fresh from a victory of Jericho, the Israelites move to Ai. Spies were sent to spy out this small city. "When they returned to Joshua, they said, "Not all the army will have to go up against Ai. Send two or three thousand men to take it and do not weary the whole army, for only a few people live there." (Joshua 7:3 NIV). But Israel did not know that someone within their camp broke faith by taking devouted objects from Jericho. The enemy wasn't Ai it was within.
And there was another enemy. Arrogance was creeping into the camp. Notice the response of the spies by stating "only a few people live there". It was as if to say, we conquered Jericho what is Ai?
Except they forgot who was leading them into victory. Remember Joshua's meeting with the Lord in Joshua 5:14-15, "Neither," he replied, "but as commander of the army of the LORD I have now come." Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence, and asked him, "What message does my Lord have for his servant?" The commander of the LORD's army replied, "Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy." And Joshua did so." (NIV).
Ai was not about numbers but of obedience. Obedience in the largest (Jericho) and the smallest (Ai) measures. Beloved, obedience in one area of our lives impacts another area of lives and those around us.
Arrogance causes us to forget what God did for His glory and assume it can happen again in the same measure or greater without consulting or obeying God in every area of our lives.
Beloved, whatever Ai (that small stronghold) in your life, ask the Lord to search your hearts. Don't assume you can march up to the gates of the enemy without the Commander leading the way to victory.
And there was another enemy. Arrogance was creeping into the camp. Notice the response of the spies by stating "only a few people live there". It was as if to say, we conquered Jericho what is Ai?
Except they forgot who was leading them into victory. Remember Joshua's meeting with the Lord in Joshua 5:14-15, "Neither," he replied, "but as commander of the army of the LORD I have now come." Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence, and asked him, "What message does my Lord have for his servant?" The commander of the LORD's army replied, "Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy." And Joshua did so." (NIV).
Ai was not about numbers but of obedience. Obedience in the largest (Jericho) and the smallest (Ai) measures. Beloved, obedience in one area of our lives impacts another area of lives and those around us.
Arrogance causes us to forget what God did for His glory and assume it can happen again in the same measure or greater without consulting or obeying God in every area of our lives.
Beloved, whatever Ai (that small stronghold) in your life, ask the Lord to search your hearts. Don't assume you can march up to the gates of the enemy without the Commander leading the way to victory.
Monday, April 1, 2013
Jericho
Jericho was the first stronghold the Israelites encountered when entering the Promised Land.
This real geographical place can represent our hearts. The Lord is doing a deep abiding work in our lives to root out the enemies known and unknown so we can experience freedom. Freedom to love Him with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. Freedom to pursue His kingdom rather than our own fiefdom of fleshly ambitions and dreams.
To overcome Jericho meant overcoming other enemies. God goes after that one particular stronghold - that place where we have agreed to settle for something less than what God has prescribed for our lives - and by bringing down the stronghold, other places of bondage are weakened and utterly destroyed.
Rahab understood this principal by recounting Israels past victories. "We have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan, whom you completely destroyed. When we heard of it, our hearts melted in fear and everyone's courage failed because of you, for the LORD your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below." (Joshua 2:10-11 NIV).
In destroying Jericho, Rahab was saved and brought into the lineage of Christ. But there was one other man whose stronghold of greed and covetousness would trouble the nation and his family. Achan saw a wedge of gold and a Babylonian garment after Jericho was destroyed. He took them into his tent just as he took them into the stronghold of his heart. Achan's lesson is an important one for us to heed. If we want victories of the Jerichos in our lives, it must come on God's terms.
Today will you be like Rahab who understood in the destruction of her home, her profession, her people would come the greatest freedom to walk away and enter into the Promise One. Or will you be Achan, the troubler of Israel (I Chronicles 2:7), who only strengthened his stronghold, but was destroyed in the end?
This real geographical place can represent our hearts. The Lord is doing a deep abiding work in our lives to root out the enemies known and unknown so we can experience freedom. Freedom to love Him with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. Freedom to pursue His kingdom rather than our own fiefdom of fleshly ambitions and dreams.
To overcome Jericho meant overcoming other enemies. God goes after that one particular stronghold - that place where we have agreed to settle for something less than what God has prescribed for our lives - and by bringing down the stronghold, other places of bondage are weakened and utterly destroyed.
Rahab understood this principal by recounting Israels past victories. "We have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan, whom you completely destroyed. When we heard of it, our hearts melted in fear and everyone's courage failed because of you, for the LORD your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below." (Joshua 2:10-11 NIV).
In destroying Jericho, Rahab was saved and brought into the lineage of Christ. But there was one other man whose stronghold of greed and covetousness would trouble the nation and his family. Achan saw a wedge of gold and a Babylonian garment after Jericho was destroyed. He took them into his tent just as he took them into the stronghold of his heart. Achan's lesson is an important one for us to heed. If we want victories of the Jerichos in our lives, it must come on God's terms.
Today will you be like Rahab who understood in the destruction of her home, her profession, her people would come the greatest freedom to walk away and enter into the Promise One. Or will you be Achan, the troubler of Israel (I Chronicles 2:7), who only strengthened his stronghold, but was destroyed in the end?
Gilgal
Just before the Israelites were about to cross over into the Promised Land, they had to pass through Gilgal. This is a place where the Lord "rolls away the reproach of the enemy" as we read in Joshua 5:10: "And the LORD said unto Joshua, This day have I rolled away the reproach of Egypt from off you. Wherefore the name of the place is called Gilgal unto this day." (KJV).
Some have translated Gilgal as the "hill of foreskins" this is because all the 2nd generation male Israelites were circumcised. Circumcision is a mark of separation, a distinction between Jew and Gentile, a people consecrated as being holy unto God.
Before God can roll away the reproach, the shame, and condemnation the Enemy has tried to place on God's people, the Lord must circumcise our hearts.
He has to remove that fleshly portion in our lives that for some may might be sensuality, world pleasures, or living independently of God's will for their lives.
Deuteronomy 30:6 says, "The LORD your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you may love him with all your heart and with all your soul, and live" (NIV).
Until we allow the Lord to cut away the fleshly appetites, worldly ambitions or some other defilement, we can't not enter into and fully appreciate the promises He has in store for our lives. After the Israelites were circumcised, they celebrated the Passover.
What is that one thing you must invite the Holy Ghost to cut away? As painful and difficult as it might be, you will enter into a deeper love for God. And the things the Devil accused you of not being will roll away by the sheer force of God's work of purifying your heart. The Devil has nothing to attach himself to your life for it's been cut off!
Some have translated Gilgal as the "hill of foreskins" this is because all the 2nd generation male Israelites were circumcised. Circumcision is a mark of separation, a distinction between Jew and Gentile, a people consecrated as being holy unto God.
Before God can roll away the reproach, the shame, and condemnation the Enemy has tried to place on God's people, the Lord must circumcise our hearts.
He has to remove that fleshly portion in our lives that for some may might be sensuality, world pleasures, or living independently of God's will for their lives.
Deuteronomy 30:6 says, "The LORD your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you may love him with all your heart and with all your soul, and live" (NIV).
Until we allow the Lord to cut away the fleshly appetites, worldly ambitions or some other defilement, we can't not enter into and fully appreciate the promises He has in store for our lives. After the Israelites were circumcised, they celebrated the Passover.
What is that one thing you must invite the Holy Ghost to cut away? As painful and difficult as it might be, you will enter into a deeper love for God. And the things the Devil accused you of not being will roll away by the sheer force of God's work of purifying your heart. The Devil has nothing to attach himself to your life for it's been cut off!