November 8th, Election Day, is just days away. America is going to the polls to cast their vote for the next President. No, I don't intend to make a political statement but rather a spiritual one.
Scripture tells us to "put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; (Colossians 3:12 KJV). If ever we needed mercy, kindness, humility and patience it is during this contentious election season and every season in our lives.
The word elect means to be selected out of a deep personal choice. When Jesus selected His disciples He didn't pick the power shakers and movers of the Roman Empire. He called fishermen and a tax collector, including one who would betray Him. Still out of this rough and contentious group the church was born. We can take comfort in God choosing us not for our talents and abilities but what He can do through our weakness and frailties.
So His choice to call you and me is very personal.
And beloved you can count on Him not to throw our sins in public light to shame or demean us. Rather He instills faith in our hearts. Unshakeable confidence in His power to act on our behalf for the good of His great name. Love covers a multitude of sins. So too does His pure and holy love cover us in what can be said our least finest moments!
As the elect of God, we need to pray during this time for all people and for this great nation. The people of God have this power in earthen vessels that is greater than casting a vote - we must also pray. Pray for the candidates. Pray for congress. Pray that God elects those in various parts of the government to be a voice of righteousness and wisdom. God will always have a Daniel or Esther that regardless to their national condition and being in exile, God still moved through these chosen saints.
With God on our side, we are victorious regardless if the Devil demands some recount or recall - God has already cast his ballot in our favor!
The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD.
Proverbs 16:33 (NIV)
Saturday, October 29, 2016
Saturday, October 22, 2016
Halting At The Crossroads
There are places in our heart where our commitment to Christ is sorely tested. Often it comes to no surprise because we are aware of the resistance to submit fully to His will.
So many profess His power and love but when it comes to a particular area we come to a complete stand still. A decision has to be made. All to Him I surrender? Or perhaps just dodge the issue in hopes it will go away? But it never does. The Holy Spirit is faithful to convict and teach us. He shows us a better way of living. And of thinking rightly with a clear and sober mind about sin and righteousness. Still the choice is ours to make.
How much we love Him and how devoted to His cause there is no limits. But when we fail to surrender we greatly limit God's wonderful inner working in our life and blessings that follow.
After the miraculous deliverance from Egypt, Israel crossed the Red Sea and spent nearly forty years in the wilderness. God proved to His people He is faithful to sustain and guide them. He made it clear to them that He alone belongs the power and glory forever. He yearned for His people to possess singleness of mind and heart. Even after crossing the Jordan and taking over the Promise Land we find Joshua in his later years saying, "throw away the foreign gods that are among you and yield your hearts to the LORD, the God of Israel." (Joshua 24:23 NIV)
Imagine victory after victory and still God's people secretly clung to idols. How many believers are emotionally and spiritually unfaithful to God because in times of stress or distress they retreat to the familiar and comfortable. I'm learning in the most trying times to press into God for help. Nothing blesses Him more than a simple humble prayer that acknowledges He alone can save and deliver.
May we say, "Asshur shall not save us; we will not ride upon horses: neither will we say any more to the work of our hands, Ye are our gods: for in thee the fatherless findeth mercy." (Hosea 14:3 KJV).
Beloved it's not easy to let go of old habits of responding to difficult circumstances but when we do there is a peace that floods our soul. At least we can sleep well at night knowing we did not turn back to sinful practices but put our hands into His own - trusting Him alone. And as we sleep I can only imagine our loving Father smiling back at us - "I'll help you. I'm for you not against you."
So many profess His power and love but when it comes to a particular area we come to a complete stand still. A decision has to be made. All to Him I surrender? Or perhaps just dodge the issue in hopes it will go away? But it never does. The Holy Spirit is faithful to convict and teach us. He shows us a better way of living. And of thinking rightly with a clear and sober mind about sin and righteousness. Still the choice is ours to make.
How much we love Him and how devoted to His cause there is no limits. But when we fail to surrender we greatly limit God's wonderful inner working in our life and blessings that follow.
After the miraculous deliverance from Egypt, Israel crossed the Red Sea and spent nearly forty years in the wilderness. God proved to His people He is faithful to sustain and guide them. He made it clear to them that He alone belongs the power and glory forever. He yearned for His people to possess singleness of mind and heart. Even after crossing the Jordan and taking over the Promise Land we find Joshua in his later years saying, "throw away the foreign gods that are among you and yield your hearts to the LORD, the God of Israel." (Joshua 24:23 NIV)
Imagine victory after victory and still God's people secretly clung to idols. How many believers are emotionally and spiritually unfaithful to God because in times of stress or distress they retreat to the familiar and comfortable. I'm learning in the most trying times to press into God for help. Nothing blesses Him more than a simple humble prayer that acknowledges He alone can save and deliver.
May we say, "Asshur shall not save us; we will not ride upon horses: neither will we say any more to the work of our hands, Ye are our gods: for in thee the fatherless findeth mercy." (Hosea 14:3 KJV).
Beloved it's not easy to let go of old habits of responding to difficult circumstances but when we do there is a peace that floods our soul. At least we can sleep well at night knowing we did not turn back to sinful practices but put our hands into His own - trusting Him alone. And as we sleep I can only imagine our loving Father smiling back at us - "I'll help you. I'm for you not against you."
Saturday, October 15, 2016
Plague of Gnats
It says in Exodus 8:17 that "Aaron stretched out his hand with the staff and struck the dust of the ground, gnats came on people and animals. All the dust throughout the land of Egypt became gnats." Another word used for gnats is lice. What ever the insect it came in a swarm and caused great irritation to both livestock and people.
And that is what a spiritual gnat is - a spirit of agitation.
In every day life we encounter things or people that can agitate us. Sometimes people tend to "buzz" around our space. They are in constant motion. They are restless and constantly find ways to interrupt. While we can manage some of these irritants what goes on in the heart is something else. Only God can help us. After a while those gnats of irritation can get under the skin and cause a bad reaction.
I can only "swat" away those irritations for so long before I feel overwhelmed. When someone has pushed my buttons or cross those unspoken lines more than once I find myself with a bad attitude. Sometimes I get outright rude and angry.
What followed the plague of gnats was a plague of flies. Recall that Satan is called Beelzebub, the prince of demons, also called the lord of the flies (first mentioned in 2Kings 1:2-3,6,16, also Luke 11:15). Beloved, small things matter. A slight irritation if not brought under the Lordship of Christ can be an invitation to a larger more demonic invasion of black flies - carriers of disease and illness. It's been noted that house flies are strongly suspected of transmitting at least 65 diseases to humans, including typhoid fever, dysentery, cholera, poliomyelitis, yaws, anthrax, tularemia, leprosy and tuberculosis (Penn State College of Agricultural Studies).
We have a choice to make. Just as God made a clear distinction between His people and the Egyptians (Exodus 8:23) to the impact of the plagues so too we must choose forgiveness. We must choose life. Otherwise, we will needlessly suffer and our spiritual life will wither on the Vine.
It is not easy to make a choice of releasing an offense or carrying it. But that is why we need His grace to pray. Grace to walk away rather than asserting our rights.
Greater strength and healing is ours when we leave the injustice to a just God.
And that is what a spiritual gnat is - a spirit of agitation.
In every day life we encounter things or people that can agitate us. Sometimes people tend to "buzz" around our space. They are in constant motion. They are restless and constantly find ways to interrupt. While we can manage some of these irritants what goes on in the heart is something else. Only God can help us. After a while those gnats of irritation can get under the skin and cause a bad reaction.
I can only "swat" away those irritations for so long before I feel overwhelmed. When someone has pushed my buttons or cross those unspoken lines more than once I find myself with a bad attitude. Sometimes I get outright rude and angry.
What followed the plague of gnats was a plague of flies. Recall that Satan is called Beelzebub, the prince of demons, also called the lord of the flies (first mentioned in 2Kings 1:2-3,6,16, also Luke 11:15). Beloved, small things matter. A slight irritation if not brought under the Lordship of Christ can be an invitation to a larger more demonic invasion of black flies - carriers of disease and illness. It's been noted that house flies are strongly suspected of transmitting at least 65 diseases to humans, including typhoid fever, dysentery, cholera, poliomyelitis, yaws, anthrax, tularemia, leprosy and tuberculosis (Penn State College of Agricultural Studies).
We have a choice to make. Just as God made a clear distinction between His people and the Egyptians (Exodus 8:23) to the impact of the plagues so too we must choose forgiveness. We must choose life. Otherwise, we will needlessly suffer and our spiritual life will wither on the Vine.
It is not easy to make a choice of releasing an offense or carrying it. But that is why we need His grace to pray. Grace to walk away rather than asserting our rights.
Greater strength and healing is ours when we leave the injustice to a just God.
Saturday, October 8, 2016
Trapped
Have you ever felt trapped?
The walls in your home seem to close in around you. A place that should make you feel safe and restful becomes a prison of sorts. There is no relief at work though you are busy and distracted by many activities. You feel pressed up against the wall with looming deadlines. Negative conversations from co-workers seem to corral you into a tight corner. It's like vultures circling over head just waiting for you to drop dead. You try to read the Word of God but this unexplainable fear grips your stomach and you can't even cry out for help. You long for a place of freedom. A place to breathe. Any past victories seem to have faded from memory and you can't recall a moment of joy.
David was on the run from King Saul only to find himself in more fearful place - he was trapped. He faced the king of Achish who was a Philistine warlord. Remember David had killed their champion Goliath. Overwhelmed and trapped David decided to feigned madness. In I Samuel 21:13 it says, "So he pretended to be insane in their presence; and while he was in their hands he acted like a madman, making marks on the doors of the gate and letting saliva run down his beard." Insanity was considered a fearful condition in those days so they quickly tossed him out. David then found himself in a more constricted space. He retreated to a cave in Adullam.
There in that fortress like place he wrote Psalm 142, a prayer in his lowest hour. He writes in verse 7: "Set me free from my prison, that I may praise your name. Then the righteous will gather about me because of your goodness to me." (NIV).
Only God can deliver us from our madness and the terrible sense of being confined and constricted to live freely for Him. Beloved, if you are bound by a sinful habit or find yourself in a cave of despair and gloom - there is One who rose from the dead to quicken us to life again. Just as He called out Lazarus by name - so too we will find freedom if we respond to His wooing. We have this promise in Job 36:16 that says, "He is wooing you from the jaws of distress to a spacious place free from restriction, to the comfort of your table laden with choice food." (NIV).
Freedom will always begin by thanking Him before the walls fall and we are set free from our prison. So thank Him and watch as His light pierces the darkest places in our lives to lead us out into a broad and spacious place (Psalms 18:19).
The walls in your home seem to close in around you. A place that should make you feel safe and restful becomes a prison of sorts. There is no relief at work though you are busy and distracted by many activities. You feel pressed up against the wall with looming deadlines. Negative conversations from co-workers seem to corral you into a tight corner. It's like vultures circling over head just waiting for you to drop dead. You try to read the Word of God but this unexplainable fear grips your stomach and you can't even cry out for help. You long for a place of freedom. A place to breathe. Any past victories seem to have faded from memory and you can't recall a moment of joy.
David was on the run from King Saul only to find himself in more fearful place - he was trapped. He faced the king of Achish who was a Philistine warlord. Remember David had killed their champion Goliath. Overwhelmed and trapped David decided to feigned madness. In I Samuel 21:13 it says, "So he pretended to be insane in their presence; and while he was in their hands he acted like a madman, making marks on the doors of the gate and letting saliva run down his beard." Insanity was considered a fearful condition in those days so they quickly tossed him out. David then found himself in a more constricted space. He retreated to a cave in Adullam.
There in that fortress like place he wrote Psalm 142, a prayer in his lowest hour. He writes in verse 7: "Set me free from my prison, that I may praise your name. Then the righteous will gather about me because of your goodness to me." (NIV).
Only God can deliver us from our madness and the terrible sense of being confined and constricted to live freely for Him. Beloved, if you are bound by a sinful habit or find yourself in a cave of despair and gloom - there is One who rose from the dead to quicken us to life again. Just as He called out Lazarus by name - so too we will find freedom if we respond to His wooing. We have this promise in Job 36:16 that says, "He is wooing you from the jaws of distress to a spacious place free from restriction, to the comfort of your table laden with choice food." (NIV).
Freedom will always begin by thanking Him before the walls fall and we are set free from our prison. So thank Him and watch as His light pierces the darkest places in our lives to lead us out into a broad and spacious place (Psalms 18:19).
Saturday, October 1, 2016
Boarding Pass
Recently I have had the opportunity to travel on business to the west coast three times on various airlines. True to all airlines is the requirement for a boarding pass to fly.
The pass can be sent electronic or paper. It serves as a receipt for the flight you purchased. The boarding pass has important information on it like date and time, gate and boarding time. And most importantly it serves in going through airport security.
You may say the boarding pass for the five foolish virgins was the oil in their lamps but they just took their lamps (luggage) and found themselves locked out of the feast (Matthew 25:3).
Before a boarding pass is issued you have to check in or confirm with airlines since things can change. Likewise in 2 Peter 1:10 it says, Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble,and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." (NIV).
Beloved, this is not our home. We are in transient to a more glorious place. We take nothing with us - so this is a baggage free flight - except the lives that we have touched with the gospel.
We must daily read His word and pray to confirm our calling and assure our hearts we are heaven bound. God purchased our eternal life through His Son so we are seated in heavenly places. Your seat (position) is sure and your calling confirm. The Lord has made a way to pass from death to life. It's time for take off!
The pass can be sent electronic or paper. It serves as a receipt for the flight you purchased. The boarding pass has important information on it like date and time, gate and boarding time. And most importantly it serves in going through airport security.
You may say the boarding pass for the five foolish virgins was the oil in their lamps but they just took their lamps (luggage) and found themselves locked out of the feast (Matthew 25:3).
Before a boarding pass is issued you have to check in or confirm with airlines since things can change. Likewise in 2 Peter 1:10 it says, Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble,and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." (NIV).
Beloved, this is not our home. We are in transient to a more glorious place. We take nothing with us - so this is a baggage free flight - except the lives that we have touched with the gospel.
We must daily read His word and pray to confirm our calling and assure our hearts we are heaven bound. God purchased our eternal life through His Son so we are seated in heavenly places. Your seat (position) is sure and your calling confirm. The Lord has made a way to pass from death to life. It's time for take off!