Many believers seem to be confused about the redemptive plan of God. God's Word tells us that you will know a person by their fruit. This is how we know as Christians who are the needy. People that are consumed by the pleasures of this world are very clear to someone that is a child of God. God's design was never to become like the world so much that we blend in with them. He called us to live separate from them. Not in segregation physically, but our desires are to be for the things of God and not for the lustful desires of this world! You can tell what people are passionate about when you talk to them because what ever they are full of kicks back out of their mouths. For some it's sports or motorcycles or cars or hunting and fishing and the list goes on and on. Then when they ask me and I talk about the things of God like going to church, my small group, reading my Bible and doing the work of God they bind up and harden their hearts. Why?
There seems to be some confusion in the minds of people in what truly took place as Jesus was beaten, hung on the cross, buried and resurrected. I say this because when you receive the revelation of who we are in Christ and what God has restored back to us that was lost in the garden of Eden, through the precious shed blood of His Son Jesus. There is nothing boring about the things of God! In every circumstance and every trial we find ourselves going through God has supplied the victory through His redemptive plan of Christ! That means all your needs are met! All, every single one of them! And that's on this side of heaven as well as the other side! As He is so are we now in this world God says! If you are sick with any disease or sickness, we are made well because Jesus borne our sicknesses and carried our pains. Jesus said that all things are possible to him that believes. Jesus said the things I do you shall do too, and even greater works than these shall you do, because I am going to be with the Father, and anything you ask for in my name I will do for you! Glory to God. That means no longer do we have to put up with the bondages of this perverse world and the god of it! Our enemy is now made our foot stool and we are now more than a conqueror through Christ Jesus! How is this not good news to him that believes! How could someone not want to love a God who loves him that much?
You know writing a check is a good picture of how to operate in the spiritual realm. Your strength or money,to buy something is in the bank. When you need something you pull out the check book or debit card and you write a check or swipe your card for the purchase. Even though you did not physically supply the actual funds for your need, you provided the substitute. Well that substitute is faith in the name of Jesus! Your bank is heaven! We have a God in heaven that can supply all our needs according to His riches and it's been supplied by Christ Jesus! Now our check or debit card is our faith in Jesus. Faith in that Jesus has supplied everything we need. He said my grace is sufficient! That means nothing is lacking, we have everything we need now in this world to reign in life! That means when cancer's ugly head pops up you cut it off like David did Goliath's! You stand on the Word of God in faith, that God's grace is sufficient. When finances are short you stand there and declare the Arm of the Lord over them, and that God's strength is with you and it's by His strength alone! And even when you can't see how victory will ever prevail you stand there and sing praises to the Lord until victory shows up! God said my Word I have given you and it shall not return to me void of power! There is power and virtue and authority in the name of Jesus for the believer! And when the Lord is more than your Savior but He's also your Lord, you can declare that you are more than a conqueror in Christ Jesus! And the enemy must flee! Shout it out if you believe! Hallelujah!!!!
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Humbled
Sometimes I get so impatient! I cannot think of any situations that became better when I rushed into them without taking time to process. Sometimes my mouth runs faster than my brain and I begin to say things that aren't wise (to say the least). When this happens I feel so stupid! However, it is in these moments where I learn to most about myself. Today I had one of those moments. One of the leaders at church asked me a question and my response was, "well I'll have to pray about that and seek direction from the Lord before I commit to anything." It sounded wise at the time, but when I went to discuss it with my wife it occurred to me that I had no idea why I needed to pray. Actually what I needed to do was praise! I immediately found Pastor and corrected my stupidity, but what was to follow would be the life change.
I walked away with a sense of humility... How could I have been so stupid! I thought. I began to search myself and my motives of everything I am doing. Am I doing this over here because that is what the Lord is leading me to do, or am I doing that because that's what I want to do for the Lord? I believe there are things in our lives that need to be checked. What I mean is, I believe we need to be honest with ourselves and ask if this is what we want? Or is this what God is leading us to do? I believe there are some necessary steps that need to be taken before you reach the destination God has for your life. We are being molded by the Lord through our experiences. The result of the experiences is that we are prepared and equipped to do the things God has called us to do. Sometimes we get so caught up in the reward at the end that we forget to count the costs involved. We live in a culture that says, "I want it and I want it now!" And it's so easy to carry that over into our walk with the Lord.
God works on His time not ours. He knows what's best for us. Jesus said in John 10:11, "I am the good shepherd..." Up in verse 4 He says"...he (the good shepherd) goes before them and the sheep follow him..." So many times I want to lead the Lord in the direction I want Him to take me. You could say, I want my own head. I am ashamed of myself for this. But did you know God uses humility to correct us? For me it's an effective way to learn and learn quickly! I don't like feeling stupid, do you? Then I am going to make corrections to my thinking. This is where many miss it. Some are full of pride and want to make excuses for their errors instead of admitting fault. Well, God says I resist the proud, but give grace to the humble. I don't know about you but I want grace and not resistance from God!
When you do or say something stupid and you find yourself humiliated the best thing to do is ask for forgiveness, repent, and go on down the road. So Lord, please forgive me for getting out ahead of you. I am sorry for being stiffed necked and not yielding to your direction. Please forgive me Lord, and help me to be sensitive to your voice. With your Holy Spirit go before me and guide me down this path. You are the Good Shepherd! I will follow your voice where ever you may lead me. Thank you Lord for your patience with my stubbornness. Illuminate to me where correction is needed, and by your grace I will do it, as well as all you have called me to do! And as I do I will give you all the praise and glory in Jesus name, Amen!
I walked away with a sense of humility... How could I have been so stupid! I thought. I began to search myself and my motives of everything I am doing. Am I doing this over here because that is what the Lord is leading me to do, or am I doing that because that's what I want to do for the Lord? I believe there are things in our lives that need to be checked. What I mean is, I believe we need to be honest with ourselves and ask if this is what we want? Or is this what God is leading us to do? I believe there are some necessary steps that need to be taken before you reach the destination God has for your life. We are being molded by the Lord through our experiences. The result of the experiences is that we are prepared and equipped to do the things God has called us to do. Sometimes we get so caught up in the reward at the end that we forget to count the costs involved. We live in a culture that says, "I want it and I want it now!" And it's so easy to carry that over into our walk with the Lord.
God works on His time not ours. He knows what's best for us. Jesus said in John 10:11, "I am the good shepherd..." Up in verse 4 He says"...he (the good shepherd) goes before them and the sheep follow him..." So many times I want to lead the Lord in the direction I want Him to take me. You could say, I want my own head. I am ashamed of myself for this. But did you know God uses humility to correct us? For me it's an effective way to learn and learn quickly! I don't like feeling stupid, do you? Then I am going to make corrections to my thinking. This is where many miss it. Some are full of pride and want to make excuses for their errors instead of admitting fault. Well, God says I resist the proud, but give grace to the humble. I don't know about you but I want grace and not resistance from God!
When you do or say something stupid and you find yourself humiliated the best thing to do is ask for forgiveness, repent, and go on down the road. So Lord, please forgive me for getting out ahead of you. I am sorry for being stiffed necked and not yielding to your direction. Please forgive me Lord, and help me to be sensitive to your voice. With your Holy Spirit go before me and guide me down this path. You are the Good Shepherd! I will follow your voice where ever you may lead me. Thank you Lord for your patience with my stubbornness. Illuminate to me where correction is needed, and by your grace I will do it, as well as all you have called me to do! And as I do I will give you all the praise and glory in Jesus name, Amen!
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Established!
What does it mean to be established? There are 5 different uses in the Greek language that mean established, but the best description of the word established referring to someone that is established in the Word Of God is the Greek word, stereoo. According to the Vine's expository of new testament words this means; to make firm, solid, physically received strength, hath made strong, strengthened. So to say someone is established in the Word, is to say they have been strengthened by the Word of God. Reading the Word of God makes you strong both physically and spiritually, did you know that? The way you become established in the Word of God is found in Proverbs 4:20-22 (New King James Version)
20 My son, give attention to my words;
Incline your ear to my sayings.
21 Do not let them depart from your eyes;
Keep them in the midst of your heart;
22 For they are life to those who find them,
And health to all their flesh.
I think many Christians lose focus on how important it is to be established in God's Word. Reading the Word everyday for some seems to be more of a hassle than a blessing from God. These people believe that they receive enough of the Word when they go to church and hear the message. Most of the time they do not even bring their Bible to church and judge the message by the Word of God. They are just taking their Pastor's word for it to be truth. How dangerous and traumatizing this type of behavior could be. Have you ever heard of James Warren Jones? You may know him better as Jim Jones? He lead a group of 900 plus astray and to their deaths in Georgetown, Guyana. This is an extreme case to most people, but let me show you an even more extreme case that is not so obvious to folks... Disease, poverty, sickness, divorce, death of a loved one, temptation, and the list goes on and on! These are things are what believers and unbelievers face everyday! These are the things that effect the lives of billions of people every where. And yes I said billions with a B.
Jesus told His disciples in Matthew 7, "Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock." The Word of God is His sayings. When you hearken to the voice of the Lord, you become established! It doesn't matter what life throws your way, you are established, strengthened, solid! Nothing can shake you, there is nothing lacking! You are already quickened by the Word of God, they are in the midst of your heart the proverbs says. Just waiting to destroy the yoke the enemy tries to recapture you with. Jesus, our master, the one we are to imitate was so established in the Word that when Satan tried to tempt Him in the wilderness. Jesus' response every time was, "It is written!" Knowing the word of God and having it in the midst of you heart turns situations that could potentially end in to tragedy, and redirects them in a way that betters your situation and brings glory to God.
Many people wait until some tragic event has already manifested in their life before they turn to God for help. Thank God He is full of mercy and is always there to help you out. But wouldn't it be better to have avoided the tragedy all together? It can be done! I said it can be done! Why wait to introduce your self to God's will in the midst of tragedy? So many wait till the storm arrives before they prepare. It sounds stupid to everyone if you know that a hurricane is coming but you do nothing until it shows up. The same thing is true for life. We all know evil will try to force itself upon you, why wait till it arrives to do something about it? I don't know about you but I am going to be established in the word of God! When the storm arrives in Kansas I'll be on a beach some where praising God with the others who are also established! Glory to God!
Looking all around I see a hurting world! A world that is in need of a Savior! Millions are perishing with no hope in Jesus. Many Christians are afflicted of the enemy and oppressed. They are beaten down and are running low on faith. I refuse to believe that my God sent His Son to die for this lost and hurting world, and then abandoned us with no hope and ill-equipped to take on everything in life. Jesus told apostle Paul that His Grace was sufficient to handle the messenger of Satan. He said it, I believe it, and that settles it for me! My God, Who's powerful resurrecting Spirit that dwells in me, has supplied all my needs according to His riches in glory by Jesus Christ! My faith is in God and I am not moved by what I see! Jesus has borne it all and that means I will turn to Him everyday and to His Word, so when I come against it His Word has already established me and equipped me to reign over it! Hallelujah! Can someone say Amen!
20 My son, give attention to my words;
Incline your ear to my sayings.
21 Do not let them depart from your eyes;
Keep them in the midst of your heart;
22 For they are life to those who find them,
And health to all their flesh.
I think many Christians lose focus on how important it is to be established in God's Word. Reading the Word everyday for some seems to be more of a hassle than a blessing from God. These people believe that they receive enough of the Word when they go to church and hear the message. Most of the time they do not even bring their Bible to church and judge the message by the Word of God. They are just taking their Pastor's word for it to be truth. How dangerous and traumatizing this type of behavior could be. Have you ever heard of James Warren Jones? You may know him better as Jim Jones? He lead a group of 900 plus astray and to their deaths in Georgetown, Guyana. This is an extreme case to most people, but let me show you an even more extreme case that is not so obvious to folks... Disease, poverty, sickness, divorce, death of a loved one, temptation, and the list goes on and on! These are things are what believers and unbelievers face everyday! These are the things that effect the lives of billions of people every where. And yes I said billions with a B.
Jesus told His disciples in Matthew 7, "Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock." The Word of God is His sayings. When you hearken to the voice of the Lord, you become established! It doesn't matter what life throws your way, you are established, strengthened, solid! Nothing can shake you, there is nothing lacking! You are already quickened by the Word of God, they are in the midst of your heart the proverbs says. Just waiting to destroy the yoke the enemy tries to recapture you with. Jesus, our master, the one we are to imitate was so established in the Word that when Satan tried to tempt Him in the wilderness. Jesus' response every time was, "It is written!" Knowing the word of God and having it in the midst of you heart turns situations that could potentially end in to tragedy, and redirects them in a way that betters your situation and brings glory to God.
Many people wait until some tragic event has already manifested in their life before they turn to God for help. Thank God He is full of mercy and is always there to help you out. But wouldn't it be better to have avoided the tragedy all together? It can be done! I said it can be done! Why wait to introduce your self to God's will in the midst of tragedy? So many wait till the storm arrives before they prepare. It sounds stupid to everyone if you know that a hurricane is coming but you do nothing until it shows up. The same thing is true for life. We all know evil will try to force itself upon you, why wait till it arrives to do something about it? I don't know about you but I am going to be established in the word of God! When the storm arrives in Kansas I'll be on a beach some where praising God with the others who are also established! Glory to God!
Looking all around I see a hurting world! A world that is in need of a Savior! Millions are perishing with no hope in Jesus. Many Christians are afflicted of the enemy and oppressed. They are beaten down and are running low on faith. I refuse to believe that my God sent His Son to die for this lost and hurting world, and then abandoned us with no hope and ill-equipped to take on everything in life. Jesus told apostle Paul that His Grace was sufficient to handle the messenger of Satan. He said it, I believe it, and that settles it for me! My God, Who's powerful resurrecting Spirit that dwells in me, has supplied all my needs according to His riches in glory by Jesus Christ! My faith is in God and I am not moved by what I see! Jesus has borne it all and that means I will turn to Him everyday and to His Word, so when I come against it His Word has already established me and equipped me to reign over it! Hallelujah! Can someone say Amen!
Monday, September 20, 2010
Authority Of The Believer
I thank God for His mercy endures forever. God is so good! You know from time to time I find myself losing focus of Who I am in Christ. It's awesome though when the Spirit of the Lord awakens you, and it is comforting to know that He is always there to pick you back up and set you on the solid Rock again! Losing focus is such an easy snare of the devil. His only access in the natural realm is in the mind. He understands that if he can create fear in the mind of the believer then he can destroy the faith that gives the believer access to the powerful arm of the Lord! Which is God's grace, or the empowerment of God's ability to go beyond our natural ability or limitations.
If you are like me, it is always easier to see what others need to change about their lives in order to live a better quality life. As I was at work today, I realized through the guy I was working with, how dangerous it is to entertain evil thoughts. He kept talking about how all the managers are out to get him, and how the company is always putting up road blocks in front of him, and how the company always gives him the worst jobs to work, and he kept going on and on with bitterness. I've learned with these types of people it is better to just keep my mouth shut. All the things he was saying were just thoughts in his head that were false, but he continued to dwell on them until he began to believe they were actually taking place. All this did was get him upset over nothing really, but now he is harboring bitterness toward the company we work for. This bitterness is all the enemy needs to have access to this man's life, including finances and health! This is serious business. Seeing this, the Lord began to minister to me that I needed to take captive every thought that came into my mind.
In 2 Corinthians 10:5, the Lord tells us to cast down every thought that exalts itself above the knowledge of God. But what does this really mean? Thoughts pop into your mind subconsciously. You cannot control this. Good thoughts enter and evil thoughts enter, it's up to us to cast them out or to dwell on them. Good thoughts are thoughts that better your situation and put you in a better place to glorify God. To understand a thought that exalts itself above the knowledge of God we will have to look at a couple of Scriptures to see the truth. God tells us to rightly divide the scriptures with other scriptures. In John 1:16 God says, "And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace." This means we, all who believe, have received the fullness of Christ. His grace that God gave Jesus now becomes the same grace we, His body, posess. Grace for grace! So now, to say something exalts itself above the knowledge of God is like saying, "This thought or 'circumstance' in my life is giving the appearance that it's beyond the power of God's grace." These thoughts must be recognized and cast down the Bible says, or we will become defeated by our thoughts.
The purpose of these thoughts are to attempt to destroy God's plans for our lives. Many of these thoughts are strategically placed by the enemy to try and steal, kill or destroy us, but God has given us grace. This empowers us with God's ability to exceed our natural capabilities in order to achieve all we are called to do, all for the glory of God! As the Word says let every word be established in the mouths of 2 or 3 witnesses, let's look at another example. Before we do I must ask a question. How was Jesus raised from the dead?... Romans 6:4 tells us that Jesus was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father. This same glory that raised Jesus from the dead is the very same glory found in the believer! Romans 8:11 goes on to say, "But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you." Now that's a shouting verse! Glory to God!
In this covenant of grace we are under, the yoke of our oppressor has been completely destroyed! No longer does the enemy have control over the believer unless the believer doesn't exercise His covenant rights! Paul prayed about the thorn in his flesh, which was the messenger of Satan, but Jesus told him that His grace was sufficient. All authority that was given to Jesus has been given to the believer. In order to access the authority you need faith. Now faith comes by hearing the true word of God. However it leaves by fear. The enemy understands this and this is why he continues to buffet your mind with evil thoughts. As long as the church remains powerless, he can continue to reign in this world. If the Church is full of fear, then they won't have faith to release the power of God that dwells in them. Now we can see clearly what Paul was warning us about in 2 Corithians 6:1 when he warned us not to waste this grace God had bankrupted heaven for us to walk in. Many of people have watered the blood down and limit God's redemptive work to forgiveness of sins, and thank God that is part of it, but that's not all of it. God said "I shall supply ALL your needs according to MY riches in glory by Christ Jesus!" Romans 5:17 proclaims, "For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ." GLORY TO GOD! HALLELUJAH! Now we see the truth when Jesus said, "All things are possible to them that believe!" as well as, "These works I do you will do too, and greater works than these shall you do!" Now do you see what it means to be a son or daughter of God! We are co-heirs with Christ, we have authority over all the works of the devil in the name of Jesus! The enemy is now made our footstool for as He (Jesus) is so are we NOW in this world! HALLELUJAH! HALLELUJAH! GLORY TO GOD! WE ARE MORE THAN CONQUERORS! WE ARE THE BODY OF CHRIST! AMEN and AMEN!
If you are like me, it is always easier to see what others need to change about their lives in order to live a better quality life. As I was at work today, I realized through the guy I was working with, how dangerous it is to entertain evil thoughts. He kept talking about how all the managers are out to get him, and how the company is always putting up road blocks in front of him, and how the company always gives him the worst jobs to work, and he kept going on and on with bitterness. I've learned with these types of people it is better to just keep my mouth shut. All the things he was saying were just thoughts in his head that were false, but he continued to dwell on them until he began to believe they were actually taking place. All this did was get him upset over nothing really, but now he is harboring bitterness toward the company we work for. This bitterness is all the enemy needs to have access to this man's life, including finances and health! This is serious business. Seeing this, the Lord began to minister to me that I needed to take captive every thought that came into my mind.
In 2 Corinthians 10:5, the Lord tells us to cast down every thought that exalts itself above the knowledge of God. But what does this really mean? Thoughts pop into your mind subconsciously. You cannot control this. Good thoughts enter and evil thoughts enter, it's up to us to cast them out or to dwell on them. Good thoughts are thoughts that better your situation and put you in a better place to glorify God. To understand a thought that exalts itself above the knowledge of God we will have to look at a couple of Scriptures to see the truth. God tells us to rightly divide the scriptures with other scriptures. In John 1:16 God says, "And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace." This means we, all who believe, have received the fullness of Christ. His grace that God gave Jesus now becomes the same grace we, His body, posess. Grace for grace! So now, to say something exalts itself above the knowledge of God is like saying, "This thought or 'circumstance' in my life is giving the appearance that it's beyond the power of God's grace." These thoughts must be recognized and cast down the Bible says, or we will become defeated by our thoughts.
The purpose of these thoughts are to attempt to destroy God's plans for our lives. Many of these thoughts are strategically placed by the enemy to try and steal, kill or destroy us, but God has given us grace. This empowers us with God's ability to exceed our natural capabilities in order to achieve all we are called to do, all for the glory of God! As the Word says let every word be established in the mouths of 2 or 3 witnesses, let's look at another example. Before we do I must ask a question. How was Jesus raised from the dead?... Romans 6:4 tells us that Jesus was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father. This same glory that raised Jesus from the dead is the very same glory found in the believer! Romans 8:11 goes on to say, "But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you." Now that's a shouting verse! Glory to God!
In this covenant of grace we are under, the yoke of our oppressor has been completely destroyed! No longer does the enemy have control over the believer unless the believer doesn't exercise His covenant rights! Paul prayed about the thorn in his flesh, which was the messenger of Satan, but Jesus told him that His grace was sufficient. All authority that was given to Jesus has been given to the believer. In order to access the authority you need faith. Now faith comes by hearing the true word of God. However it leaves by fear. The enemy understands this and this is why he continues to buffet your mind with evil thoughts. As long as the church remains powerless, he can continue to reign in this world. If the Church is full of fear, then they won't have faith to release the power of God that dwells in them. Now we can see clearly what Paul was warning us about in 2 Corithians 6:1 when he warned us not to waste this grace God had bankrupted heaven for us to walk in. Many of people have watered the blood down and limit God's redemptive work to forgiveness of sins, and thank God that is part of it, but that's not all of it. God said "I shall supply ALL your needs according to MY riches in glory by Christ Jesus!" Romans 5:17 proclaims, "For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ." GLORY TO GOD! HALLELUJAH! Now we see the truth when Jesus said, "All things are possible to them that believe!" as well as, "These works I do you will do too, and greater works than these shall you do!" Now do you see what it means to be a son or daughter of God! We are co-heirs with Christ, we have authority over all the works of the devil in the name of Jesus! The enemy is now made our footstool for as He (Jesus) is so are we NOW in this world! HALLELUJAH! HALLELUJAH! GLORY TO GOD! WE ARE MORE THAN CONQUERORS! WE ARE THE BODY OF CHRIST! AMEN and AMEN!
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Changing The World Starting With You!
Have you ever set before the Lord by yourself with no distractions and your heart opened for God to pour fourth His life changing truth into you? Let me say it like this, have you ever set before the Word of God and let the Holy Spirit guide you through the scriptures and illuminate something He wants you to see? This morning I woke up, and again like I usually do, I read my daily Bible reading. Before I started I asked God to show me what He wanted me to see in order to transform me into the purpose He has called me to be in this life. It wasn't long before the Holy Spirit had me sitting before 4 different Bibles (NKJV, NLT, Original Greek, and the Dake) all turned to different openings. God through the Holy Spirit has opened my eyes to some truth this morning. My hope is to share with you what He has showed me and that the effect will be the same for you as it was for me, life changing transformation. I believe as you go before the Lord with the expectations of receiving life change He is more than able, He is willing, and the outcome will be elevating your experiences to a higher and deeper level of intimacy with Him. Hallelujah!
This morning I began this journey in John 4, but as you can imagine I didn't stay there. In John 4 we read the story about the Samaritan woman at the well. Usually Jews went out of their way to go around Samaria because they despised them, but not Jesus! He went right through there and never batted an eye. Now to give you some back round on the hatred between the Jews and the Samaritans you would have to do some research, but this is what you would find in a nutshell. After the Assyrian army conquered the northern kingdom of Israel, the Assyrians intermarried with the Jews still left in Samaria. These people now referred to themselves as Samaritans. Then after the Judeans returned from Babylon, conflict arose between the Jews and Samaritans. The Samaritans built a revival temple on Mount Gerizim, and used their own version of the Holy Scriptures. The hatred between the two increased when the Jewish King John Hyrcanus attacked the Samaritans and destroyed their temple about 128 b.c. This sparked the racial prejudices between the two.
Now Jesus understood this conflict existed, but He had a purpose while He walked the earth. He knew that if He let man's ignorance persuade Him of God's purpose for Him then no longer would it become the purpose of the Father but of men. So Jesus was not lead by ignorance of men but rather by the Holy Spirit. Remember in Luke 4 Jesus said the Spirit is upon my for he has anointed me... Now back to John 4:4 we see that Jesus "needed" to go through Samaria. Why? Because that's what the Holy Spirit led Him to do. As you read on you see that Jesus sits a while with this young lady, whom by her own people considered her an outcast. Most likely considered a harlot of her time. Jesus had such a profound impact on this woman's life that she ran back to town and told everyone about Him. In verse 39 we see that many believed based solely upon her testimony. Now pause right here and think... This woman was an outcast, a tramp, a prostitute in the eyes of the town. Most people wouldn't even give her the time of day to listen to her, but the Bible says the believed her and they followed her to meet this man of God! This just shows that when you spend time in the presence of the Lord, not only are you transformed, but you take with you some His anointing! Hallelujah! So the city came out to meet Jesus, and after hearing Him for themselves they believed even more and declared that Jesus is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world!
So you're probably saying to yourself, "Yeah so what, I knew that. What's the big deal?" I am glad you asked! In John 4 we see that this city in Samaria was completely convinced that Jesus was the Messiah. They even invited Him and His crew of Jews to stay with them for a couple days. But I want to show you something else. Something that happened later. It's found in Luke 9. Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem as He knew the time was drawing near for Him to finish the work He was sent here to do. So Jesus sent messengers to Samaria ahead of Him, but they did not receive Him. Something had changed in the hearts of the Samaritans. We just finished reading they declared Jesus and the Messiah, the Savior of the World! And now they are hardened against Him. Why? What could have changed their beliefs? The Lord showed me the answer in Luke 9:54, and we see the disciples react in such a way as millions of Christians are reacting today. “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?” Oh friends do you see this! For two whole days Jesus and His disciples pour into these Samaritans everything they had. They gave them their best! And now these Samaritans have shut them out and denied Jesus. It is easy right here to fall into the snare of the enemy and get offended. It is so easy to react in a way that displeases the Lord such as James and John. But how many know that instead of jumping out in the flesh and pushing them farther away, sometimes we need to be slow to speak and slow to wrath and quick to listen?
Reacting out of the flesh is more dangerous than keeping your mouth shut. Some believe that they must always be bold and take stands against their oppressor. Some believe that if they don't they are showing weakness. Friend that's just pride, and God resists the proud. Humble yourself and understand that your oppressors are needy in the eyes of the Lord. And that you are called to be a light unto them. This is why you pray for your enemies. They are deceived and are held captive by Satan. They need to be liberated and set free by the Blood of Jesus! And you can not get your enemy to see that unless you are transformed by the renewing of your mind. Millions today are reacting to the enemy's distractions the same way James and John did in Luke 9:54. But we need to see things from the perception of Jesus. In Luke 9:55-56 Jesus rebuked them and said, “You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them.” Glory to God! Jesus Saves! Can you see why we as the followers of Christ we cannot afford to react out of our flesh? Actually I believe the reason why these Samaritans had a change of heart was because the continued to receive persecution from the Jews. Even though it was the Jews that Crucified Jesus, the Samaritans saw Jesus as one of them and hardened their hearts toward all Jews. Similar to today, many Christian's reactions to our oppressors hinder the works of Jesus through us. Now it makes sense to me why Jesus prayed for unity in the Church in John 17:21, "...that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me."
There is a solution to all of this. The solution is found in Proverbs 4:20-22, "My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart; For they are life to those who find them, And health to all their flesh." Ephesians 6:17 calls the Word of God a sword. We have got to clothe ourselves in the complete armor of God. And let our lives be a witness to the world as His Word corrects us and brings us into unison. God's Word says the world will see us and that's how they will know that Jesus is the Son of God and that through our faith in Him alone have our debts been paid in full. Hallelujah!
This morning I began this journey in John 4, but as you can imagine I didn't stay there. In John 4 we read the story about the Samaritan woman at the well. Usually Jews went out of their way to go around Samaria because they despised them, but not Jesus! He went right through there and never batted an eye. Now to give you some back round on the hatred between the Jews and the Samaritans you would have to do some research, but this is what you would find in a nutshell. After the Assyrian army conquered the northern kingdom of Israel, the Assyrians intermarried with the Jews still left in Samaria. These people now referred to themselves as Samaritans. Then after the Judeans returned from Babylon, conflict arose between the Jews and Samaritans. The Samaritans built a revival temple on Mount Gerizim, and used their own version of the Holy Scriptures. The hatred between the two increased when the Jewish King John Hyrcanus attacked the Samaritans and destroyed their temple about 128 b.c. This sparked the racial prejudices between the two.
Now Jesus understood this conflict existed, but He had a purpose while He walked the earth. He knew that if He let man's ignorance persuade Him of God's purpose for Him then no longer would it become the purpose of the Father but of men. So Jesus was not lead by ignorance of men but rather by the Holy Spirit. Remember in Luke 4 Jesus said the Spirit is upon my for he has anointed me... Now back to John 4:4 we see that Jesus "needed" to go through Samaria. Why? Because that's what the Holy Spirit led Him to do. As you read on you see that Jesus sits a while with this young lady, whom by her own people considered her an outcast. Most likely considered a harlot of her time. Jesus had such a profound impact on this woman's life that she ran back to town and told everyone about Him. In verse 39 we see that many believed based solely upon her testimony. Now pause right here and think... This woman was an outcast, a tramp, a prostitute in the eyes of the town. Most people wouldn't even give her the time of day to listen to her, but the Bible says the believed her and they followed her to meet this man of God! This just shows that when you spend time in the presence of the Lord, not only are you transformed, but you take with you some His anointing! Hallelujah! So the city came out to meet Jesus, and after hearing Him for themselves they believed even more and declared that Jesus is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world!
So you're probably saying to yourself, "Yeah so what, I knew that. What's the big deal?" I am glad you asked! In John 4 we see that this city in Samaria was completely convinced that Jesus was the Messiah. They even invited Him and His crew of Jews to stay with them for a couple days. But I want to show you something else. Something that happened later. It's found in Luke 9. Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem as He knew the time was drawing near for Him to finish the work He was sent here to do. So Jesus sent messengers to Samaria ahead of Him, but they did not receive Him. Something had changed in the hearts of the Samaritans. We just finished reading they declared Jesus and the Messiah, the Savior of the World! And now they are hardened against Him. Why? What could have changed their beliefs? The Lord showed me the answer in Luke 9:54, and we see the disciples react in such a way as millions of Christians are reacting today. “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?” Oh friends do you see this! For two whole days Jesus and His disciples pour into these Samaritans everything they had. They gave them their best! And now these Samaritans have shut them out and denied Jesus. It is easy right here to fall into the snare of the enemy and get offended. It is so easy to react in a way that displeases the Lord such as James and John. But how many know that instead of jumping out in the flesh and pushing them farther away, sometimes we need to be slow to speak and slow to wrath and quick to listen?
Reacting out of the flesh is more dangerous than keeping your mouth shut. Some believe that they must always be bold and take stands against their oppressor. Some believe that if they don't they are showing weakness. Friend that's just pride, and God resists the proud. Humble yourself and understand that your oppressors are needy in the eyes of the Lord. And that you are called to be a light unto them. This is why you pray for your enemies. They are deceived and are held captive by Satan. They need to be liberated and set free by the Blood of Jesus! And you can not get your enemy to see that unless you are transformed by the renewing of your mind. Millions today are reacting to the enemy's distractions the same way James and John did in Luke 9:54. But we need to see things from the perception of Jesus. In Luke 9:55-56 Jesus rebuked them and said, “You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them.” Glory to God! Jesus Saves! Can you see why we as the followers of Christ we cannot afford to react out of our flesh? Actually I believe the reason why these Samaritans had a change of heart was because the continued to receive persecution from the Jews. Even though it was the Jews that Crucified Jesus, the Samaritans saw Jesus as one of them and hardened their hearts toward all Jews. Similar to today, many Christian's reactions to our oppressors hinder the works of Jesus through us. Now it makes sense to me why Jesus prayed for unity in the Church in John 17:21, "...that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me."
There is a solution to all of this. The solution is found in Proverbs 4:20-22, "My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart; For they are life to those who find them, And health to all their flesh." Ephesians 6:17 calls the Word of God a sword. We have got to clothe ourselves in the complete armor of God. And let our lives be a witness to the world as His Word corrects us and brings us into unison. God's Word says the world will see us and that's how they will know that Jesus is the Son of God and that through our faith in Him alone have our debts been paid in full. Hallelujah!
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
God's Love Is Jesus Christ
You know when you are setting before the Word of God and all of a sudden you read something that you have read 100 times and it reads different. It's like something inside you becomes so real and it rings so true to your spirit that you stand up and begin to shout! Well this morning was one of those moments for me...again.
In the chaos of this day and age there are so many distractions that could throw the believer into a dormant status. One for instance is getting caught up in the anti-Muslim movement. Someone posted on facebook today about the law of seed time and harvest. If someone sows hatred toward you and you retaliate with hatred, then you just set in motion a law that will send you a harvest. Can you see why the enemy wants us to get us distracted. If he can get our focus off of what Christ is doing, and get us to look at what he is doing, then he can slow down his own destruction. He's on borrowed time and his lease is just about up, Hallelujah!
Today as I set before the Word of God, the Holy Spirit began to open up to me what our focus as His children needs to be. I started reading in the 3 chapter of John and something I read brought me to the book of Numbers. Jesus was speaking to Nicodemus and Jesus said to him in the 14th verse, "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up," So I asked why did Moses lift up the serpent? I turned to Numbers 21:9 and read that the Israelites had been bitten by fiery serpents that God had permitted to be loosed upon them and they were perishing in the wilderness because the turned away from God. They needed to be redeemed from their wrong doings and they needed healing and restoration. Wow! This brazen serpent is symbolic of Jesus to us, the world. You see without Jesus we will perish! Without the atonement of our sin we will not inherit eternal life! Before Jesus' sacrifice, the world was under the wrath of God like the Israelites were in the wilderness. But Jesus was tied to the whipping post and nailed to the cross (like the serpent) so that the world would be free from the wrath of God. Jesus bore the weight of it all! Every sin of the world that has ever been committed in the past, present, and future in Christ has been paid in full by the precious blood of Jesus. It all has been settled for us by the blood. Even for the Muslims! You see why there is power in the blood? This is the good news we preach! This is God's plan for all of humanity! This is the love of God, that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)
If you are a believer and you are sowing hatred, then God's redemptive plan is not the message you are sending to those who don't know the Love of God. Everyone knows that light extinguishes darkness. Never has it ever happened that darkness has ever overtaken the light. So before you retaliate please stop and pray to our heavenly Father, and ask Him what you could do to bring Him glory. Bashing another religion will not witness to those that He sent His Son to die for. Always remember this as well, That as we were still yet sinners, God sent us Jesus to die for us, to pay it all, so that we could be reconciled and adopted into His family. Because God loved us, we now can enjoy a great and glorious inheritance. We did nothing and can offer God nothing, but we are only saved by the Grace of God through faith in Jesus. We are no better than anyone else in this world, but we love God because He first loved us. Now lets spread that light to those who oppose us. Let us be doers of the Word of God and walk out our salvation with fear and trembling and reverence for God's Word, which is His revealed will for all men for all times! Let our actions exalt Christ and not our flesh! Jesus Christ is the answer and God's plan for our reconciliation to Him! Hallelujah!
In the chaos of this day and age there are so many distractions that could throw the believer into a dormant status. One for instance is getting caught up in the anti-Muslim movement. Someone posted on facebook today about the law of seed time and harvest. If someone sows hatred toward you and you retaliate with hatred, then you just set in motion a law that will send you a harvest. Can you see why the enemy wants us to get us distracted. If he can get our focus off of what Christ is doing, and get us to look at what he is doing, then he can slow down his own destruction. He's on borrowed time and his lease is just about up, Hallelujah!
Today as I set before the Word of God, the Holy Spirit began to open up to me what our focus as His children needs to be. I started reading in the 3 chapter of John and something I read brought me to the book of Numbers. Jesus was speaking to Nicodemus and Jesus said to him in the 14th verse, "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up," So I asked why did Moses lift up the serpent? I turned to Numbers 21:9 and read that the Israelites had been bitten by fiery serpents that God had permitted to be loosed upon them and they were perishing in the wilderness because the turned away from God. They needed to be redeemed from their wrong doings and they needed healing and restoration. Wow! This brazen serpent is symbolic of Jesus to us, the world. You see without Jesus we will perish! Without the atonement of our sin we will not inherit eternal life! Before Jesus' sacrifice, the world was under the wrath of God like the Israelites were in the wilderness. But Jesus was tied to the whipping post and nailed to the cross (like the serpent) so that the world would be free from the wrath of God. Jesus bore the weight of it all! Every sin of the world that has ever been committed in the past, present, and future in Christ has been paid in full by the precious blood of Jesus. It all has been settled for us by the blood. Even for the Muslims! You see why there is power in the blood? This is the good news we preach! This is God's plan for all of humanity! This is the love of God, that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)
If you are a believer and you are sowing hatred, then God's redemptive plan is not the message you are sending to those who don't know the Love of God. Everyone knows that light extinguishes darkness. Never has it ever happened that darkness has ever overtaken the light. So before you retaliate please stop and pray to our heavenly Father, and ask Him what you could do to bring Him glory. Bashing another religion will not witness to those that He sent His Son to die for. Always remember this as well, That as we were still yet sinners, God sent us Jesus to die for us, to pay it all, so that we could be reconciled and adopted into His family. Because God loved us, we now can enjoy a great and glorious inheritance. We did nothing and can offer God nothing, but we are only saved by the Grace of God through faith in Jesus. We are no better than anyone else in this world, but we love God because He first loved us. Now lets spread that light to those who oppose us. Let us be doers of the Word of God and walk out our salvation with fear and trembling and reverence for God's Word, which is His revealed will for all men for all times! Let our actions exalt Christ and not our flesh! Jesus Christ is the answer and God's plan for our reconciliation to Him! Hallelujah!
Friday, September 10, 2010
Let The Fire Burn!
I have said this many times before but I am going to say it again, every day I become more and more convinced that what I believe is really real! These days we are living in are like pages right out of the Bible.
2 Timothy 3:1-7
You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times. 2 For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. 3 They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. 4 They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. 5 They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that! 6 They are the kind who work their way into people’s homes and win the confidence of vulnerable women who are burdened with the guilt of sin and controlled by various desires. 7 (Such women are forever following new teachings, but they are never able to understand the truth.)
For the born again Christian there are no worries, but is that true? Today I watched a video of a Muslim girl get stoned to death who refused to marry an older man that her father had arranged. (The actual video, in modern day time) Men had their cell phones out filming this young women get beat to death literally. My heart sank in my gut and I immediately started weeping in my spirit. For a brief moment I believe I felt as Jesus did as He weeped with Marry and Martha over Lazarus' death. I felt the Holy Spirit begin to minister to me that these types of chaotic persecutions will become more and more common in the coming days ahead and that we as believers of Jesus Christ need to develop strong faith to keep us grounded firm in Christ. The enemy knows his time is short and now these types of persecutions will begin to be inflicted on the Church in a last ditch effort to get people to turn away from God’s plan of salvation through His one and only begotten Son, Jesus Christ of Nazareth. This ultimately got me to ask this question toward myself. Is my faith going to be strong enough to withstand the fires of oppression the enemy throws at me? I'm not talking about troubles with finances or marriage problems, I'm talking about full fledged persecution, crucifixion, torture, and slow death brought about because I believe in Jesus as my Lord and Savior. Is my faith in God and in His redemptive plan stronger than these afflictions of the enemy? After pondering about this a while my answer is yes, but am I willing to settle where I'm at in my faith, or am I going to continue to press into God's Word and drive my roots further into God's presence? What are your answers to these questions? God has laid a burden on my heart to see that everyone is equipped with the Truth of His Word, which is life to the believer (Proverbs 4:22). In Isaiah 43, God promises us that He will be there when we go through these troubling times.
Isaiah 43:1-3
“Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you.
I have called you by name; you are mine.
2 When you go through deep waters,
I will be with you.
When you go through rivers of difficulty,
you will not drown.
When you walk through the fire of oppression,
you will not be burned up;
the flames will not consume you.
3 For I am the LORD, your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.
Do you believe this? The truth is we are children of the most high God and we have a glorious inheritance. It was bought and paid for by the most precious substance ever known in Heaven or earth. It bankrupted Heaven, but it has redeemed the weight of the world’s sins, every last one of them. And it’s a gift to those who will believe and receive it. It’s the blood of a man named Jesus. And now because of that Blood all we as believers have to do is resist the enemy and He must flee! Draw near to God by laying out God's Word before you, read it, and build your life on it. Be consumed by God's presence! Trust in His promises such as Psalm 91. Stand up and declare it over your life and your family's life.
I am on a mission to spread the Fire John the Baptist was talking about in Luke 3:16 when he said:
“I baptize you with water; but someone is coming soon who is greater than I am—so much greater that I’m not even worthy to be his slave and untie the straps of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.
The same Fire Jesus was talking about in Luke 12:49.
“I have come to set the world on fire, and I wish it were already burning!”
In these last days Paul said there will be perilous times (II Tim 3:1) and on our own strength we cannot endure the enemies attacks. We have got to equip ourselves with all of God’s armor and exercise the gifts of the Spirit. Never stop praying for this will be our greatest weapon coupled with the Word of God. My goal is to strengthen the faith of the brethren for the glory of God!
2 Timothy 3:1-7
You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times. 2 For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. 3 They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. 4 They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. 5 They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that! 6 They are the kind who work their way into people’s homes and win the confidence of vulnerable women who are burdened with the guilt of sin and controlled by various desires. 7 (Such women are forever following new teachings, but they are never able to understand the truth.)
For the born again Christian there are no worries, but is that true? Today I watched a video of a Muslim girl get stoned to death who refused to marry an older man that her father had arranged. (The actual video, in modern day time) Men had their cell phones out filming this young women get beat to death literally. My heart sank in my gut and I immediately started weeping in my spirit. For a brief moment I believe I felt as Jesus did as He weeped with Marry and Martha over Lazarus' death. I felt the Holy Spirit begin to minister to me that these types of chaotic persecutions will become more and more common in the coming days ahead and that we as believers of Jesus Christ need to develop strong faith to keep us grounded firm in Christ. The enemy knows his time is short and now these types of persecutions will begin to be inflicted on the Church in a last ditch effort to get people to turn away from God’s plan of salvation through His one and only begotten Son, Jesus Christ of Nazareth. This ultimately got me to ask this question toward myself. Is my faith going to be strong enough to withstand the fires of oppression the enemy throws at me? I'm not talking about troubles with finances or marriage problems, I'm talking about full fledged persecution, crucifixion, torture, and slow death brought about because I believe in Jesus as my Lord and Savior. Is my faith in God and in His redemptive plan stronger than these afflictions of the enemy? After pondering about this a while my answer is yes, but am I willing to settle where I'm at in my faith, or am I going to continue to press into God's Word and drive my roots further into God's presence? What are your answers to these questions? God has laid a burden on my heart to see that everyone is equipped with the Truth of His Word, which is life to the believer (Proverbs 4:22). In Isaiah 43, God promises us that He will be there when we go through these troubling times.
Isaiah 43:1-3
“Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you.
I have called you by name; you are mine.
2 When you go through deep waters,
I will be with you.
When you go through rivers of difficulty,
you will not drown.
When you walk through the fire of oppression,
you will not be burned up;
the flames will not consume you.
3 For I am the LORD, your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.
Do you believe this? The truth is we are children of the most high God and we have a glorious inheritance. It was bought and paid for by the most precious substance ever known in Heaven or earth. It bankrupted Heaven, but it has redeemed the weight of the world’s sins, every last one of them. And it’s a gift to those who will believe and receive it. It’s the blood of a man named Jesus. And now because of that Blood all we as believers have to do is resist the enemy and He must flee! Draw near to God by laying out God's Word before you, read it, and build your life on it. Be consumed by God's presence! Trust in His promises such as Psalm 91. Stand up and declare it over your life and your family's life.
I am on a mission to spread the Fire John the Baptist was talking about in Luke 3:16 when he said:
“I baptize you with water; but someone is coming soon who is greater than I am—so much greater that I’m not even worthy to be his slave and untie the straps of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.
The same Fire Jesus was talking about in Luke 12:49.
“I have come to set the world on fire, and I wish it were already burning!”
In these last days Paul said there will be perilous times (II Tim 3:1) and on our own strength we cannot endure the enemies attacks. We have got to equip ourselves with all of God’s armor and exercise the gifts of the Spirit. Never stop praying for this will be our greatest weapon coupled with the Word of God. My goal is to strengthen the faith of the brethren for the glory of God!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
