How To Slay A Giant

We are familiar with the story of David and Goliath.  We know the story ends with a slingshot, and David cutting off the giant's head with the giant's sword.  But what led up to this event, and what can we learn about how to slay our own giants?  There is a process involved in slaying a giant.  I found four steps to slaying a giant, and each one starts with the letter P.
1. Preparation:  David's time as a shepherd boy was not wasted time.  David spent his time developing his relationship with God.  When Saul's servants looked for someone to come play the harp and minister to Saul, they found David.  1 Sam. 16:18, "Look, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, who is skillful in playing, a mighty man of valor, a man of war, prudent in speech, and a handsome person; and the Lord is with him."  David was courageous, wise in his speech, and had developed such a relationship with God that others could see it.  He was respectful and obedient to his father when asked to go see his brothers.  God was preparing David for great things, and David was preparing himself.  (He was also getting very skilled with the slingshot.)
2. Practice:  David was putting into practice the things he was learning.  He slew a lion and a bear that came to attack the sheep.  It is practice that makes the difference.  The distance between knowing and doing determines results.  Practice is necessary to accomplish anything worthwhile.  "But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves." James 1:22.  Practice is the bridge between knowing and accomplishing. 
3. Proving:  After seeing David's persistence to go against the giant, Saul dressed David in his armor.  With Saul's armor on, David couldn't even walk.  David said, "...I cannot go with these, for I have not proved them."  1 Sam. 17:39.  We can only walk with what we have proved.  Each one of us has to prove for ourselves the will of God.  Rom. 12:1,2 says we are to have a transformed mind, so we can prove what is the good, acceptable, and perfect will of God.  We can not walk with another person's revelation, we each need our own revelation from God in our lives. 
4. POW:  After preparation, practice, and proving, David's time had come to slay the giant.  He took out of his shepherd's bag one stone, put it in his sling, and ran toward the giant.  His confidence was not in his own ability, but in God.  The giant was dressed in armor from head to foot.  There was only a small spot exposed, and David knew that stone would hit its mark. With skill he slung that stone so hard that it sank into the giant's forehead, and the giant hit the ground.  There is power available to those who are prepared, practiced, and proven God in the small things.  We can slay our giants as we walk with God through the process.

At what place am I at today in the process of slaying a giant?

The Elder Son

The story of the prodigal son contains three main characters: the younger son, the father, and the older son.  The younger son has taken his portion of the inheritance and gone to a far country to waste his substance.  After awhile, he returns to his father with a repentant heart.  The father is so happy to receive him back that he orders the best robe to be put on him, a ring to be put on his finger, sandals for his feet, and the fatted calf to be killed.  They will celebrate the return of the son who was lost and is found, who was dead and is now alive.  But there is an older son  who comes home from working in the field.  In fact, he has been working faithfully in the field for many years.  He comes home to the sound of music and dancing, and inquires what is going on.  Then he finds out that his younger son has returned, and the father has put on a party, and killed the fatted calf.  He is angry and would not go in, so the father came out to talk to him.  He said to his father, "..these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends."  Luke 15:29.  The older son has reduced his place in the family to "serving" and "not transgressing".  He was not living out of the joy of relationship with his father, but instead he was living to not transgress against his father.  His mindset had become one of works, and performance to earn a blessing from his father.  The father said, "Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours."  The older son did not realize that he always had the father with him, and anything that belonged to the father, belonged to the son.  Sometimes we as God's children can fall into the thinking that we will earn God's blessing if we serve Him, and not transgress His commandments.  But the Father says that because we are His children, we are always with Him, and everything He has is ours!  What do you need today?  The Father is with you always, and all that is His is yours.  You can come to Him anytime for whatever you need.  Sometimes the younger son who has just repented understands grace more than the older son, who has been serving for many years.  Come to the  Father out of love, and grace, and receive of His blessings today.

Do I realize that I am always with the Father, and all He has is mine? 

Moving Up In Wisdom

James 3:13-18 tells us there are two kinds of wisdom.  First, there is the wisdom that is of this world.  "This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic."  Living by this wisdom comes from a heart of bitterness, envy, and self-seeking.  It is a wisdom that springs out of comparison with others.  Comparison leads to bitterness, envy, and dissatisfaction.  It leads to strife, where every evil thing is possible.  "For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there."  God does not want us to live by this kind of wisdom.  This wisdom is ruled by the senses, our lusts, and gives the demonic realm a place in our lives.  We need to move away from this earthly wisdom to God's wisdom.  There is a wisdom that comes from heaven.  "But the wisdom that comes from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy."  This wisdom is first of all pure.  It has pure motives and pure actions.  There is nothing dishonest or deceitful about this wisdom.  This wisdom is peaceable.  It does not produce turmoil or a troubled heart.  It brings peace into your situation.  It is gentle, not forceful or imposing itself on another.  It is willing to yield.  It is easily intreated, that is, it is easy to enter into a treaty with.  It is willing to listen so as to understand another person's point of view.  It seeks to see things from the other person's perspective.  It will move around to the other side of the table to view a problem from another viewpoint.  It is full of mercy and good fruits.  It is full of compassion and acts with tenderness and sensitivity to another.  It is without partiality, that is, it does not deal with favoritism or unfairly.  It has no hypocrisy, no hidden agendas, no ulterior motives, but is only transparent.  "Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness."  NIV.  Sow peace into difficult relationships.  This wisdom makes us peacemakers, who sow in peace, and reap a harvest of righteousness.  This wisdom will make us into peacemakers, who will be called the children of God.

How can I move into God's wisdom today? 

Blessed Are The Peacemakers

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God."  Matt. 5:9.  God wants us to live in peace with ourselves, and with others.  God has come to make peace with us.  2 Cor. 5:17-21 tells us that God has reconciled us to Himself.  He has given us a message of reconciliation, so that we can say to others, "Be reconciled to God."  Col. 1:20 tells us He has made peace with us through the blood of His cross.  Eph. 2:14 says that He Himself is our peace, and has made both Jew and Gentile one, breaking down the middle wall of partition that was between us.  Jesus came as the Prince of Peace.  Jesus was the greatest peacemaker!  He came to give us peace.  In the world we will have tribulation, but He has overcome the world!  He has come that we might know peace with God, and the peace of God.  First, we must come into peace with God.  God has already reconciled us to Himself, having paid the price for our sin.  Now we must simply receive by faith what has already been done.  Romans 5:1 says, "Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ."  Through Christ we are no longer enemies of God.  We are at peace with God.  Now God wants us to learn to walk in that peace.  Phil. 4:6,7 tells us that we are to bring all our anxieties to God, and then the peace of God, which surpasses our understanding, will keep our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.  Peace will act like a soldier, guarding and keeping our minds from all the worries and cares of life.  Col. 3:15 tells us to let the peace of God rule in our hearts.  The Amplified Version says, "And let the peace (soul harmony which comes) from Christ rule (act as umpire continually) in your hearts (deciding and settling with finality all questions that arise in your minds, in that peaceful state) to which as (members of Christ's) one body you were also called (to live)..."  So many things want to rule in our hearts, but we are to let God's peace rule and reign over us, and be the deciding factor in the questions that arise in our minds.  Today, let peace rule in your heart.

How am I letting peace rule in my heart today? 

Walking In Peace

Sometimes peace comes because Jesus comes and says, "Peace, be still" as in Mark 4:39.  The storm is stilled, and all around you is peace.  This is wonderful, and we appreciate the miracle of stilling the storm.  But other times, we experience peace in the midst of the storm.  This is more like the eye of the hurricane, where all is still in the storm, yet the storm continues to swirl all around.  Gideon experienced this kind of miracle in Judges 6.  The Midianites oppressed Israel, and each year came and destroyed the produce of the ground, as well as the sheep, oxen, and donkeys.  They would leave nothing behind, and Israel was left impoverished year after year.  Gideon was threshing wheat in the winepress to hide, when the angel of the Lord spoke and said, "The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor!"  Gideon did not see himself as a mighty man of valor!  He did not believe that the Lord was with him.  He argued with the angel.  The Lord sees us differently than we see ourselves.  He sees us as the mighty men and women of God that He made us to be!  He is with us!  His tangible presence is with us!  He manifests Himself to us everyday, though we are sometimes like Gideon and don't recognize it.  You can confidently say, "The Lord is with me."  He has already promised that He would never leave me, nor forsake me.  Even in the midst of the storm, the Lord is with us!  Gideon asks the angel to confirm these things.  He prepares an offering and sets it before the angel.  Fire from the angel's staff consumed the meat and the bread.  Now Gideon perceived this to be an angel of the Lord.  There Gideon built an altar to the Lord and called it, "The Lord is Peace", or "Jehovah Shalom."  Gideon has changed!  He now knows God as his peace.  Nothing has changed on the outside, yet Gideon has changed on the inside.  He has a confidence by the peace of God, that God is in control, and will bring peace in the midst of this storm.  The enemy no longer has the upper hand.  Gideon is no longer afraid.  By Jehovah Shalom, Israel will conquer their enemy.  By the peace of God, we will conquer our enemy.  The storm may still be brewing, but inside we know we have the victory.  We know we will overcome by the peace of God in our hearts.  We must walk in peace, whether the storm is stilled, or the storm is still brewing.  He is Jehovah Shalom, the Lord our Peace.

Are you walking in peace today?

Compromise - David

David has been greatly blessed by God, and now he is ruling over all Israel.  In 2 Sam. 11 we read that in the spring of the year the kings go out to battle.  While Joab and all Israel went out to battle, David remained at Jerusalem.  It seems that David was not where he should have been, out with the battle.  Usually people get into trouble when they are somewhere they shouldn't be!  Obedience begins when we go where God wants us to go!  David observed a beautiful woman when he walked on the roof of the king's house.  Here David made his choice to compromise.  He inquired about who she was, and eventually had her brought over to the king's house.  He took advantage of her there, and soon the news came back to him that she was with child.  David compromised morally, taking a woman that was another man's wife.  He knew she was Bathsheba, Uriah's wife.  Uriah was one of David's mighty men, loyal to David unto death.  David decided to cover up the sin with Bathsheba, so he asked that Uriah would be sent home.  David talked with Uriah, and sent him to his house to be with his wife.  However, Uriah never went to his house, because he was loyal to his men.  David even got Uriah drunk in hopes that he would go to his own house.  But Uriah stayed loyal to his men.  So in a final act of betrayal and murder, David sent a letter with Uriah telling Joab to put Uriah in the hottest place of the battle.  Now David has covered up his adultery by lying and murder!   But what is done in private is known by God.  Nathan's revelation, "You are the man" brought David to a place of repentance.  David cried out to God in Ps. 51, "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me."  There is life after compromise!  Though there was much pain and heartache, God did forgive David, and restored him.  Life would never be quite the same for David, but he did experience God's forgiveness and presence once again.  The good news is that God will heal us from our compromise when we cry out to Him.

Do I need forgiveness for anything in my life?

Compromise - Eli

Eli was the priest in Shiloh at the time of Samuel's birth.  We are told about the wickedness of Eli's sons, Hophni and Phinehas.  The Old Testament law was that when sacrifices were offered, the fat was to be burned first, before the meat was eaten.  However, these sons did not respect the offering, and would demand the meat while it was raw, and threatened to take it by force if it wasn't given to them.  They also would lay with the women at the door of the tabernacle.  They did not listen to their father Eli when he corrected them.  But Eli was compromising along with his sons.  In 1 Sam. 2:29 the Lord said to Eli, "Why do you kick at My sacrifice and My offering which I have commanded in My dwelling place, and honor your sons more than Me, to make yourselves fat with the best of all the offerings of Israel My people?"  Eli was compromising with God, in order to honor his sons.  He did not want to lose the relationship with his sons, so he compromised his relationship with God.  By doing this, he lost God's blessing on his life.  Israel came under attack from the Philistines, and they lost the battle, and Hophni and Phinehas were killed in the battle.  When the news of the battle came to Eli, he fell backwards off his seat, and broke his neck and died.  Then Phinehas' wife heard the news, and she went into labor, and died after the child was born, which she named Ichabod, which means "the glory has departed from Israel."  Eli's compromise was very costly for Israel.  Because he did not put God first, but allowed compromise into his life, his family, and his nation suffered greatly, and came into captivity to their enemy.  Compromising our relationship with God for other people will always bring bad results in our lives.  We can learn a lesson from Eli - Do not compromise with God.

How can I stop compromise from becoming part of my life?     

Compromise - Esau

Recently I looked at the lives of men who compromised their relationship with God.  Esau became a godless person, though being raised in the home of Isaac and Rebekah.  The story is told in Gen. 25:29-34.  He came in from hunting and was famished, so he asked Jacob for some stew.  Jacob took advantage of the situation and asked for Esau's birthright.  Esau sold his birthright for a pot of stew.  Heb. 12:16 says Esau was a profane person, meaning he was a godless person.  He did not develop a relationship with God.  He no longer respected the things of God.  Heb. 12:12 says, "Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed."  When we are tired, and weary, and wounded in our heart, we need to pay attention to this.  We need to strengthen the areas of our lives that are weak and wounded.  Otherwise, that which is lame may become dislocated, but God wants us to be healed.  We need to make "straight paths" for our feet.  We need to straighten out what has gone wrong, and get our feet back on a straight path.  Everyone of us gets wounded, and hurt, and we all need to strengthen and straighten our paths.  Look into the word of God for direction, and spend time in prayer to strengthen weak areas.  "Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord."  Heb. 12:14.  We need to come to peace with the struggles we have with people!  We need to deal with people, and forgive, and let go of past hurts.  We need to pursue holiness, for only then will we see the Lord.  When we compromise our faith, we do not see the Lord working in our lives.  "Looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled."  Heb. 12:15.  There is grace to overcome all bitterness and hurt.  Esau compromised his relationship, and did not see the Lord's blessing. 

Am I compromising in any area of my life today?

Blessed Are The Pure In Heart

Matt. 5:8 says, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God."  It is God's purpose to make us of a pure heart.  This is a constant challenge for us, for Jesus told us that "...out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness..."  Mark 7:21,22.  We need to keep looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith,  Sin can easily cling to us, so we must look away from all that distracts, Heb. 12:2.  Jesus endured the cross, and all temptation, and He is our example to consider, so that we do not become discouraged.  "You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, stiving against sin."  Heb. 12:4.  We must strive against sin, refusing to give into it.  God spoke to Cain in Gen. 4:7, "...if you do not do well, sin lies at the door, and its desire is for you, but you should rule over it."  Sin is like a wild animal crouching at your door, waiting for an opportunity to pounce.  Chase the little animal away!  Tell it to go!  Give it no opportunity to pounce!  "Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one shall see the Lord."  Heb. 12:14.  People, people, people!  Dealing with people often means we must deal with anger, strife, and unforgiveness in our hearts.  Sin stops the Holy Spirit's work in us, and without Him working in us, we will not see the Lord.  We are warned not to be like Esau, who sold his birthright for a pot of stew.  He became a godless, impure person, giving up his inheritance for a single temporal meal to satisfy his flesh.  He did not struggle against sin, he gave into it.  Fight against bitterness, unforgiveness, and compromise, lest sexual sin or godlessness be in our hearts.  By the grace of God, we can have a pure heart.  Sin takes as much space as it can get.  "For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under the law, but under grace."  Rom. 6:14.  It is our responsibility to keep our hearts pure, and only then will we see God.

Am I walking with a pure heart today?

Blessed Are The Merciful

"Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy."  Matt. 5:7.  Mercy can be defined as compassion, kindness, and an outward manifestation of pity.  Mercy sees and feels what the other person is going through.  The merciful are promised mercy in return.  The opposite is also true; those who show no mercy receive no mercy.  This was true for the unforgivng servant of Matt. 18.  Though he had been forgiven a debt he could not repay, he refused to forgive someone a very small debt.  He was put in the debtor's prison until he would pay all he owed.  "So my heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses."  The unmerciful do not receive mercy.  This was also true for the rich man in Luke 16.  The poor man Lazarus was laid at his gate everyday, and yet the rich man never once had mercy on the poor man.  Both men died, and now the rich man in hell cried out for mercy, that Lazarus would come and dip his finger in water to cool his tongue, for he was tormented in the flame.  The rich man received no mercy, for he had a lifetime to show mercy, but had shown none.  Jesus tells us to love our enemies, to bless those who curse us, to do good to those who hate us, and to pray for those who misuse and persecute us.  In this way we will be acting like our heavenly Father, who causes the sun to shine on the evil and on the good, and makes the rain to fall on the just and the unjust.  Job had three friends who spent their time criticizing and condemning Job.  Yet God told Job that He would bring these friends to him, and Job was to pray for them.  "And the Lord restored Job's losses when he prayed for his friends.  Indeed the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before."  Job 42:10.  Pray for your enemies, and forgive those who hurt you.  In this way God can show you mercy and restore all that you have lost, and even multiply it back to you!  "For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy.  Mercy triumphs over judgment."  Jam. 2:13.  When mercy and judgment meet, mercy always wins.  The covering on the ark of the covenant was a mercy seat.  God wants to show mercy to His people.  We can be thankful that there are new mercies every morning, Lam. 3:22,23.  Even in the midst of Israel's failure and suffering, there were new mercies everyday.  No matter what your past has been, everyday is a new day, and there is mercy for each day.  Show mercy to someone today, and God will show mercy to you. 

How can I show mercy to someone today?

Blessed Are Those Who Hunger And Thirst

Matt. 5:6 says, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled."  There are 5 things I noticed about hunger, and the importance of staying hungry for righteousness.
1.  Hunger is healthy.  It is a very healthy sign if a person is hungry.  When a child is not hungry and is too lethargic to eat, it is a sign that something is seriously wrong.  It is so much better to have a child crying for food, than for the child to have no appetite.  We too are to be like new born babies, crying out for more of God's Word.  1 Pet. 2:2 says, "as newborn babies, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby."
2.  Hunger brings growth.  Only through hunger can we grow physically, and only the spiritually hungry will experience growth in their walk with God.  2 Pet. 3:18, "But grow in the grace and knowldege of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  To Him be the glory both now and forever, Amen."
3.  Hunger causes you to seek.  We are told by Jesus to seek first the kingdom of God.  This spiritual hunger will take care of the other needs in our lives.  It was David's great desire to spend his life seeking after the presence of the Lord, Ps. 27:4,5.  A person will be motivated by hunger.  Pro. 16:26 says, "The person who labors, labors for himself, for his hungry mouth drives him on."  A hunger for God will motivate you to seek God deeply for the answers you need.  In fact, only those who diligently seek Him will please God, and find Him to be a rewarder.
4.  Hunger opens new doors.  "For He satisfies the longing soul, and fills the hungry soul with goodness."  Ps. 107:9.  Israel's journey was up and down, depending on their hunger.  When they stopped seeking God, they fell into the depths of distress.  When they sought God, He lifted them up, and delivered them from their enemies.  Hunger defines your path!  Hunger creates your life!  You will follow the path of your hunger!
5.  Hunger brings appreciation.  "A satisfied soul loathes the honeycomb, but to a hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet."  Pro. 27:7.  A hungry person appreciates any food he can find.  A full person can even find sweet food replusive, because he is not hungry.  That's why we are told not to go shopping when we are hungry!  Everything looks good when you're hungry!  A spiritually hungry person appreciates anything about Jesus.  Any song, any Scripture, any word about Jesus is good when you are hungry.

Are you hungry for righteousness today?

Blessed Are The Meek

The third beattitude says, "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth."  Jesus is showing us how the kingdom of God operates.  Each beattitude builds on the next.  First we are spiritually helpless, then we go through mourning and repentance, now we enter into meekness.  Meekness is the attitude that brings power under control.  Jesus and Moses are two people who were meek in the Bible.  Both of them were powerful leaders, and yet both were meek.  Moses is described as the meekest man on the earth, Num. 12:3.  The Lord said he knew Moses face to face, not as other prophets.  The closer a person is to God, the more meek they become.  People who are meek do not need to defend themselves.  Moses was criticized by Aaron and Miriam about the Ethiopian wife he had married.  Moses did not defend himself, but the Lord defended Moses.  The meek shall inherit the earth.  This is a quote from Ps. 37:11, "But the meek shall inherit the earth, and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace."  The are 5 references to inheriting the earth, or the land, in Ps. 37.  The Old Testament promises of the land of Caanan were fulfilled.  So what does Jesus mean in the New Testament when He says the meek shall inherit the earth?  This is understood as a proverbial statement of great blessing, perhaps the sum of all blessings.  Perhaps you've heartd the saying, "He has the world by the tail!"  We understand this is a proverbial statement, and not to be taken literally.  Ps. 24:1 says, "The earth is the Lord's..."  The earth and all creation belongs to the Lord, and He isn't giving it away.  But He did give man authority to have dominion over the earth.  Then man gave that dominion away to satan.  However Jesus died to take that authority away from satan, and in turn, he gave it to the church, and He gave to us the keys of the kingdom of heaven.  Now we are the ones to exercise authority through meekness.  The meek, those fully submitted to God, will exercise authority, and whatever they say will come to pass!  Jesus used His authority by cursing the fig tree.  Kings use their authority by speaking words, and declaring decrees.  We as children of God, walking in meekness, exercise authority by our words and decrees.  Jesus walked in authority over sickness and disease, demons, weather,  and laws of nature.  Through meekenss, we shall not only do these things, but even greater.  Walk in submission to God, and walk in your inheritance in Christ.

Am I walking in meekness today?

Those Who Mourn

"Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted."  Matt. 5:4.  At first it may sound like a contradiction that those who mourn will be blessed.  But our walk with God is to be a process of continual change.  God is always in the process of changing us.  At the moment that we recognize that we are not what we should be, there is a place of mourning.  That precise moment is a time that we can change, if we will go through the mourning.  When we say, "God, I recognize I need to change in this area of my life, and I am sorry for the way I have been living,  now please change my heart, and help me to live in the way You want me to," we are being changed into His image.  We mourn, and then we are comforted by His grace and love.  We see that He loves us unconditionally, and He loves us too much to leave us the way we are.  Mourning becomes an essential part of our growth, for can we really change, if we are not sorry about our past?  Mourning gives way to change, and change brings comfort.  Those who mourn their sin will be blessed.  Think of Zacchaeus, the rich tax collector, who was ready to make restitution four fold to anyone he had taken from  wrongfully.  Think of the joy in heaven over one sinner that repents.  At the revelation of Jesus we are changed.  Peter cried out, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord," as Jesus revealed Himself through the net breaking with fish in Luke 5.  In the presence of this miracle, Peter saw his own condition, and mourned his sinfulness.  He was being changed, little by little, to become a great man of God, but his change came through mourning, and then being comforted.  He again mourned when he denied Jesus three times.  He went out and wept bitterly.  But Jesus comforted him, and exalted him because of his humility in mourning.  Judas also mourned, but did not repent.  His sorrow brought death.  Godly sorrow is sorrow that brings repentance, and brings us back to God.  There is always forgiveness available, 1 John 1:9.  There is always mercy available.  "He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy."  Pro. 28:13.  Goodness and mercy follows those who go through the mourning.  The peaceable fruit of righteousness is for those who endure the chastening.  You will be a blessed person, when you mourn, and you will be comforted.

Are you going through the process of mourning today?  

The Poor In Spirit

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."  Matt. 5:3  This is the first of the beatitudes Jesus spoke at the beginning of His ministry.  This beatitude is first, because it opens up the whole kingdom of heaven.  Those who are poor in spirit will have access to all that is in the kingdom of heaven, both now, and in the future.  To be blessed is written as follows in the Amplified version:  "Happy, to be envied, spiritually prosperous - with life-joy and satisfaction in God's favor and salvation, regardless of their outward conditions."  Jesus gives us the key to living a happy and abundant life, regardless of outward conditions.  We can so easily think to ourselves, that if we just had this thing, or circumstances were different, then we would be happy.  But Jesus is showing us that true happiness does not come from outward conditions, but from the attitude of the heart.  But what does it mean to be poor in spirit?  When Jesus was asked who was the greatest in the kingdom of heaven, He brought a little child, and said that unless we become as little children, we cannot enter the kingdom of heaven.  The poor in spirit are as children; trusting, humble, lowly, innocent, and believing.  The poor in spirit do not claim any righteousness of their own.  They are not arrogant or prideful.  They are not like the Pharisee who went to the temple, reminding God of all the good things he had done.  Beside him was the tax collector who prayed, "God be merciful to me a sinner."  The poor in spirit do not boast of self, but rely on the mercy of God.  This attitude of dependence on God opens up for them the whole kingdom of God.  They are able to receive help from God in any area of life, because "...God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble."  Grace is available to the poor in spirit.  Jesus was the perfect example of a person who was poor in spirit.  Phil. 2 tells us that His equality with God was not something that He grasped and held onto.  He did not demand special treatment because of who He was.  Rather, He made Himself a servant, and humbled Himself, even to the death of the cross.  The poor in spirit do not exalt themselves, they let God exalt them.  Jesus was highly exalted, and given a name above every name.  Promotion comes from the Lord.  He exalts those who humble themselves.  The poor in spirit are clothed with humility, submissive to others, and cast their cares upon the Lord.  They give the control of their life to God.  They realize that two people cannot drive at the same time.  They relinquish control of the wheel of their life, and trust the Lord as their new driver.  They believe that God will direct their paths.  When they find themselves back behind the wheel, they ask the Lord to once again come in and take control.  The poor in spirit are happy, regardless of outward conditions, for they have trusted their lives to the One who knows all things, and theirs is the kingdom of God. 

Have you given control of your life to the Lord today? 

The King Rides A Donkey!

It happened on the Sunday before Good Friday.  Jesus sends His disciples to go unloose a donkey and bring it back.  Jesus knows that this event begins the journey toward Jerusalem, and the cross.  The disciples don't understand what is happening.  The people don't understand.  Many come and cry out, "Hosanna to the Son of David!  Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!.  Hosanna in the highest!"  Their cry comes from Ps. 118:25,26.  Hosanna means, "Save us."  Some of them want Jesus to save them from the cruelty of the Roman oppression.  But this King doesn't fit the picture of a conquering King!  He is riding a donkey.  A king would be expected to ride in on a great horse, showing his strength  for the people.  But this King rides on a donkey.  It is a donkey on which no one has ever sat before.  This is a miracle, showing a picture of of meekness.  Here is the King, who has all authority in heaven and earth, riding on a donkey.  Meekness is defined as 'power under control'.  This was a true picture of meekness.  Matt. 21:5 says, "Tell the daughter of Zion, Behold, our King is coming to you, Lowly, and sitting on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey."  This is a fulfilment of Zach. 9:9.  He comes lowly, with gentleness, meekness, and humility.  Isa. 42:2,3 says, "He will not cry out, nor raise His voice, nor cause His voice to be heard in the street.  A bruised reed He will not break, and smoking flax He will not quench; He will bring forth justice for truth."  He invites us to come and learn from Him, for He says, "Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."   Matt. 11:29,30.  He is the One who made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Himself the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men.  He did not demand to be treated as God.  He did not judge anyone, nor did He lord it over anyone.  He was the humble King.  Yet, the next time He rides into Jerusalem, it will not be on a donkey.  John saw Him on a white horse, with eyes like a flame of fire, and on His head many crowns.  He will take His rightful place as King of Kings, and Lord of Lords.  Because of his humility, He has been given a name which is above every name.  By humility He won the battle for our souls, and purchased our right to become sons and daughters of God.  Through humility we will conquer every temptation, and fulfil the destiny God has for our lives. 

Are you walking in humility today?

Not By Bread Alone

Israel's journey through the wilderness is filled with lessons for us to learn.  Deut. 8:3 says, "So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord."  In everything that Israel went through.  God was wanting them to learn this one thing, that they were not to live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.  They were to come to realize that they were not to live for those things that would satisfy their flesh, but for the things of the Spirit which came from God.  We are called to live for more than satisfying our flesh.  We are called to live by every word from God.  Our lives are to be shaped by the word from God.  Israel was to remember the word of God, and talk of it in their homes, and when they walked by the way, and when they rose up, and laid down.  They were to teach the word diligently to their children, and write it on their doorposts, and on their gates.  Their world was to be shaped by the word.  But so often, Israel did not learn this, and settled for the satisfying of their flesh.  They had a living example of the word before them everyday through the manna.  The manna was their daily portion of bread from God.  In John 6:31, the people said to Jesus, "Our fathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written, 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.' "  Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven."  Jesus is the bread of life.  When we receive from Him, we are receiving that bread from heaven.  It is this true bread from heaven that we are to live by.  To live by bread alone is to live only for the physical, fleshly needs of life.  To live by the bread from heaven is to live in a place where the spiritual realm is our sustenance, and our food.  Jesus quoted this verse when tempted by the devil to command the stones to be made bread.  Matt. 4:4, "But He answered and said, 'It is written, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.' "  Jesus would not stoop to the devil's temptation to live for bread alone.  He would live by the word that proceeded from the mouth of God. 

Are you living by the word that proceeds from the mouth of God?

Three Levels of Spiritual Growth

1 Sam. 30:6 says, "...But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God."  While David and his men were away from Ziklag, the Amalekites came into David's camp and burned it with fire, and took all the women and children captive.  David's men were greatly disturbed, so much that they spoke of stoning David.  In great distress, David turned to the Lord, and encouraged himself in the Lord.  David had no one else to turn to.  Everyone was discouraged.  Learning to encourage ourselves in the Lord shows a high level of spiritual maturity.  We don't start out this way in the Christian life.  We start as babes in Christ, and need to desire the pure milk of the word, 1 Pet. 2:2.   We can look at growth in our walk with God on three levels:  babies, children, and adults.  Babies need to be spoon fed.  They don't know how to feed themselves.  As new Christians we need to be fed by others.  We don't know what to read, what to pray, or what to do.  Babies sometimes spit out food they are not accustomed to.  As new Christians, we will hear things that we have never heard before, and we may reject things we don't understand.  But God wants us to grow through the babyhood stage, to become children.  Children can feed themselves, but they don't do the cooking.  The food has to be set out for them, and then they will eat.  As spiritual children, we need direction in our growth.  We need discipleship courses, and plans to follow so we can stay on track in our growth.  Children can be very picky when it comes to eating, and may complain a lot about the food.  As spiritual children, we may not like everything we hear from the word of God.  We may be very picky  in what we like to hear, and read.  We may not be ready for the meat of the word, 1 Cor. 3:2.  But God wants us to grow through the childhood stage, and into adulthood.  A responsible adult can both cook, and eat what he cooked.  He doesn't need someone to feed him everyday.  He can feed himself.  Likewise God wants us to learn to feed ourselves by reading, praying, and encouraging ourselves, even through the tough times.  A growing Christian can read the word, and pray, and hear God speaking to him, and find out for himself the will of God for his life.  This doesn't mean we don't need anyone else in our lives.  It means we have grown spiritually, so we can encourage ourselves, and we can encourage others.

Are you growing spiritually?

Eleven Days

"It is eleven days' journey from Horeb by way of Mount Seir to Kadesh Barnea."  Deut. 1:2.  Horeb, also known as Mt. Sinai, is located in the southern end of the Sinai Peninsula.  Going up from there to the top of the Red Sea is Mt. Seir, and then a little further north is Kadesh Barnea, which is very close to the border of Canaan.  This journey would normally take eleven days.  When Moses was recounting the journey of the children of Israel in Deut. 2:14, he said it had taken thirty eight years to make the journey.  Thirty eight years for an eleven day journey!  What were they doing for thirty eight years?  Deut. 2:3 says, "You have skirted this mountain long enough, turn northward."  They were walking around the mountain!  They were wandering in the wilderness.  God doesn't want us to wander around in our wilderness for 38 years!  He wants to bring us into our promised land, and it doesn't have to take thirty eight years!  If they had believed God, and moved in faith, they could have gone into their promised land.  Twelve spies had been sent out to spy the land and bring back a report.  Only Joshua and Caleb brought back a report of faith, while the other ten brought back a report of unbelief and defeat.  The people sided with the ten, and so they wandered in the wilderness for forty years, and died there just as they said they would.  Our challenge is to believe God's Word, and agree with it, no matter what the circumstances look like.  The giants were big, but our God is bigger!  The walls are high, but our God is higher!  The obstacles may look insurmountable, but we believe that our God is greater!  Believe God's Word, and speak God's Word, in spite of the circumstances.  This is where we must walk by faith, and not by what we see.  The Word is full of examples of people who overcame their challenges by faith.  Heb. 11 is a record of heroes who stood firm on their faith, and reaped their rewards.  Some were rewarded immediately, and others received their rewards later.  Believing God is always the right path to take.  Trust Him with all your heart, leaning not on your own understanding/.  You don't need forty years for an eleven day journey.  Ask God for the wisdom and ability to accomplish His will for your life, and enter into your promised land.

What are you believing God for today?  

Very Discouraged!

Numbers 21:4 "...and the soul of the people became very discouraged on the way."  Israel's journey out of Egypt and into the promised land had been filled with trials and hardship.  They had not trusted God and had suffered greatly for their unbelief and hardness of heart.  Now as they are very near the promised land, they requested permission to pass through the land of Edom, which would be a great short cut for them.  They went a message to the Edomites, politely asking permission to pass through.  The Edomites were descendants of Esau, Jacob's brother.  They were cousins, they were family.  The Edomites replied that they would not allow Israel to pass through.  So Moses asks a second time, saying they would stay on the Highway, and if any livestock drank any of the water, they would pay for it.  But still Edom said no, and they came out against Israel with many men.  Israel was forced to go around the land of Edom, which was very discouraging!  They lost perspective on their journey, and began complaining.  They were tired of the manna, and called it worthless bread.  This manna had kept them alive for almost 40 years, yet they were not thankful.  The Lord allowed serpents to come in and bite the people.  Moses was instructed to make a serpent of bronze, set it on a pole, and tell the people that everyone who looked at the bronze serpent would be healed.  Discouragement can come against any of God's people.  It is a weapon meant to defeat us, and cause us to stop our journey with God.  When discouraged, we need to stop and spend time with God to hear His Word and gain new perspective.  God will bring new courage into our lives while we wait on Him.  He will speak through His Word, through prayer, and through other people.  He will renew our strength as we wait on Him.  Ps. 42-43 tells of a time when Israel was very discouraged.  Three times the writer spoke to his own soul saying, "Why are you cast down, O my soul?  And why are you disquieted within me?  Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him, for the help of His countenance."  Take time to let God speak to you and encourage you.  Pour out your heart to God, and He will comfort you with His lovingkindness, and He will give you a new song.

What do you do in times of discouragement?

Misunderstood!

The first chapter of 1 Sam. tells us of the trials of Hannah's life.  The other wife, Penninah, had sons and daughters, but Hannah could not have children.  1 Sam. 1:6,7  says, "And her rival also provoked her severely, to make her miserable, because the Lord had closed her womb.  So it was, year by year, when she went up to the house of the Lord, that she provoked her, therefore she wept and did not eat."  Elkanah tried to comfort Hannah, and said to her, "Hannah, why do you weep?  Why do you not eat?  And why is your heart grieved?  Am I not better to you than ten sons?"  Elkanah misunderstood the needs of Hannah's life.  Her cry was to have a male child.  Elkanah's attempt to comfort her failed, because Hannah needed a miracle from God.  There are some things in our lives that only God can do.  The marriage relationship is a beautiful design from God, but we will find ourselves disappointed if we rely only on our spouses to provide every need in our lives.  Husbands and wives must come to realize that there are some needs that only God can fulfil.  When both the husband and wife have a relationship with God, they will experience the very best that marriage can offer.  Hannah took her needs to the Lord in prayer.  Eli the priest was watching her, and saw her lips move, though he heard no voice.  He misunderstood Hannah, and thought she was drunk..  He said to her, "How long will you be drunk?  Put your wine away from you!"  But Hannah had not been drinking, she had poured out her heart to the Lord.  Both her husband and her priest misunderstood her.  We can be greatly comforted to know that God does not misunderstand us! He know exactly what we are thinking and what we are feeling.  Ps. 139 says, "You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off.  You comprehend my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways."  We have a High Priest that can sympathize with us, because He was tempted in every way that we are.  He understands us, and knows what we are going through.  We can come to Him in confidence that He hears, and will give us help and grace in our time of need. 

Your High Priest knows you, and understands you completely!

Finding Favor

Hannah received assurance that her prayers would be answered from the priest Eli.  He said to her, "Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant your petition which you have asked of Him."  And she said, "Let your maidservant find favor in your sight."  Hannah needed favor from God.  Sometimes we ask other people for a favor.  We ask because there is something that we are not able to do and we need help.  We also need God's favor in our lives.  Hannah could not have children, and only through God's favor would she be able to conceive.  From the day Eli spoke, Hannah's face was no longer sad.  Samuel was born, and 1 Sam. 2:26 says, "And the child Samuel grew in stature and in favor both with the Lord and men."  This statement is so similar to Luke 2:52 where it is said, "And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men."  There are parallels in the lives of Samuel and Jesus:  They were both born of supernatural birth, both dedicated to God, both served God, both were prophetic and lived by hearing the voice of God, and both increased in favor with God and men.  Pro. 3:3,4 tells us this favor is for us also.  "Let not mercy and truth forsake you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart, and so find favor and high esteem, in the sight of God and man."  When we keep God's Word, and do not forget His law, we will find favor, both with God and man.  Look after the Word, and the Word will look after you.  Ps. 30:5 says, "For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life;  Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning."  Joseph found favor in Potiphar's house, and in the prison.  Pro. 12:2 says, "A good man obtains favor from the Lord."  Deut. 33:23, "O Naphtali, satisfied with favor, and full of the blessing of the Lord, Possess the west and the south."  Favor brings us into the blessing of the Lord.  Favor makes what is impossible with men, to be possible.  Favor, like grace, is God's supernatural strength and ability.  With favor, we become possessors of God's blessings.  God's kindness is known to us by giving us favor.  His favor is for you!

Are you taking care of the Word, and depending on God's favor?

Heard By God

Hannah was the wife of Elkanah, but she was not the only wife.  Peninnah was also married to Elkanah, and Penninah had sons and daughters.  Hannah was loved by Elkanah, but she was unable to have children, something that was looked on as a curse in that day.  1 Sam. 1:6 says, "And her rival also provoked her severely, to make her miserable, because the Lord had closed her womb."  This was a very difficult time in Hannah's life.  Every year the family went to worship at the temple at Shiloh, and every year Hannah was so grieved, and refused to eat.  Hannah's life portrays the Christian life, as we go through the difficult times and trials that come our way.  She was trusting God, and praying, and yet there seemed to be no answer.  She not only dealt with the fact that she couldn't have children, but she also had to deal with the pain of unanswered prayer.  She was in bitterness of soul, and cried out in anguish to the Lord.  She promised the Lord that if He would give her a son, that she would give him back to the Lord.  Eli saw her lips moving, and thought she was drunk.  Hannah replied that she had poured out her soul before the Lord, with her complaint and her grief.  Eli's word to her was this, "Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant your petition which you have asked of Him."  Hannah said, "Let your maidservant find favor in your sight."  Hannah went her way, and ate, and her face was no longer sad.  Hannah received her answer that day.  She knew she had received from the Lord.  The peace of God filled her heart and mind.  She knew she had received favor.  Her answer was on its way.  Shortly after, she conceived, and when the child was born, she called him Samuel.  The word Samuel means "heard by God."  Now her grief and bitterness and anguish was turned into joy.  God doesn't waste your pain.  He will turn your sorrow into joy.  Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.  God will work all things together for good, for those who love God.  Every time Hannah called Samuel's name, she was reminded that she had been heard by God.  We too are heard by God.  Even when prayer is seemingly unanswered, we can be assured that we have been heard by God.  We can take courage from Samuel, that God hears us when we pray, and that we can trust Him through the pain and the grief. 

How do you respond to seemingly unanswered prayer?

In The Middle Of It

In Matt. 14 Jesus strongly urged His disciples to get into a boat and go to the other side of the lake.  It had been a very intense time for all of them.  They had experienced the death of John the Baptist, and then as they went away into a deserted place, they were followed by over 5000 people.  Jesus healed the sick, and they fed the multitude.  Now Jesus made the disciples get into a boat and go.  The disciples were out on the lake, and Jesus was having alone time with the Father.  How much we need alone time with our Heavenly Father!  "But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary."We must not forget that while we may be having communion with the Father, others may be in a fight for their lives.  Now, in the middle of the sea, the disciples are being tossed, slapped back and forth by the waves, with the wind beating down against them.  These seasoned fishermen knew they may die out in this storm.  They are in the middle of it.  There will be times in the Christian life when we feel we are in the middle of it!  We will be tossed by the circumstances, being caught up in a storm that we didn't even see coming.  The disciples previous experience did not prepare them for this.  They had been caught in a storm before with Jesus in the boat, but this time Jesus is no where to be seen.  This time it was different.  Past experience is no guarantee of future performance!  They felt alone and lost, and without faith.  Jesus comes to them in the most unexpected way and in the most unusual way!  The disciples see Him walking on the sea, and cry out for fear, thinking it is a ghost, a sign of impending death.  Mark's version of the story says "...and He would have passed them by."  Jesus wants us to cry out in our time of need.  Jesus' words cut across everything they are thinking and feeling, "Be of good cheer!  It is I; do not be afraid."  The Word brings peace in the middle of our storm.  Peter invites himself out into the water to walk with Jesus.  We are free to invite ourselves out in our walk with God.  When we want more, we can find more.  We are welcome to walk with Jesus in the middle of our storm.  Even in the middle of it, we can know the presence and power of Jesus, and walk in the supernatural with Him. 

What do you do when you are in the middle of it?

Shift Into Obedience

Heb. 5:8 tells us that Jesus learned obedience by the things which He suffered.  We learn obedience every time we choose God's will over our own will.  This is especially true when our choice to follow God brings suffering into our lives.  Jesus could have got out of the suffering and agony.  He could have called to the Father, and had 12 legions of angels come to deliver Him, but He would not give in to the flesh and take the easy way out.  He endured the stress, even when drops of blood formed on his skin, and fell to the ground.  He would let nothing stop him to do God's will.  Phil. 2 tells us that He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

The choice that Moses made brought suffering into his life.  He refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin.  God was working out a plan for their deliverance from Egypt.  Moses was reluctant to obey, and tried to get out of what God asked of him.  Repeatedly Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, "Let my people go."  After 10 plagues, Pharaoh finally told them to go.  The time had come for Israel to shift into obedience.  The passover was to be eaten with their belts on, sandals on their feet, and a staff in their hand.  They were to eat it in haste, for it was time to move.  They could not wait, not even until their bread was leavened.  When God said it was time to go, they had to shift into obedience and go.  The timing was perfect, 430 years to the day that they entered Egypt.  Through the Red Sea they experienced their deliverance.  But their obedience was short lived, for only 3 days into the wilderness, they cried out to Moses for water.  Their obedience was not sustained.  It did not become a way of life.  Their minds were not renewed.   They died in the wilderness, just like they said they would.  They got what they said.  It is sustained obedience that brings us through life's trials, and into our destiny.  Sustained obedience is faithfulness.  Trusting God for each new day, and continuing to trust God produces a life of faithfulness.  Can you trust God for one more day?  Trust Him one day at a time, and you will live a life of faithfulness, and fulfill God's will for your life.

Are you making a shift into obedience?

Live In The Present

"There were present at that season some who told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.  And Jesus answered and said to them, 'Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things?  I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.  Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem?  I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.'"  Jesus refers to two incidents where people were killed through no fault of their own.  Hard hearted Pilate had some Galileans killed, so he could mix their blood with the Roman sacrifices.  A tower fell in Jerusalem, causing the death of 18 men.  It seems the mindset of the people in Jesus' day was that if bad things happened, it must have been because there was sin in the the lives of those who suffered.  People look for answers when tragedy strikes, and sometimes come to the wrong conclusions!  In neither case of these examples were the people who suffered at fault.  The Galileans suffered because of Pilate's cruelty, and the 18 men in Siloam died because of a faulty tower that fell.  Jesus did not give an explanation as to why these things happened, but He addressed the present need .  He said, "But unless you repent you will all likewise perish."  When we experience tragedy, it is not time to cast blame on others, nor to wallow in our grief by asking why, but it is time to examine our own hearts, for we will all face death sometime.  The important thing is that we are right with God.  Life is short, even if we live a long life.  We are not to stay in the past asking why, but live in the present saying, "God, here's my life, I give it to You.  I repent of every sin and ask you to forgive me now.  I commit my life to You, and trust You to lead and guide me.  I will live for You.  Show me how You would have me to live.  Show me what You would have me to do.  I am now Your servant.  I will not lean on my own understanding, but will acknowledge You in all my ways.  I will walk with You, and live for You all the days of my life.  I love You Jesus, and I now turn my life over to You."  This is living in the present, and preparation for the future.  Now you are ready to live for today!

Are you living for the past, or in the present?

Suffering

"Though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered."  Heb. 5:8.  Suffering is an unavoidable part of life.  Jesus suffered because of His obedience to His Father.  We too will suffer as we live in obedience to God.  Sometimes suffering happens because of the oppression of others.  The children of Israel suffered under the Egyptians as they were forced to make bricks, and had to gather the straw themselves.  They cried out to God because of their suffering.  Our world has seen many genocides because of the oppression of others.  Today, the people of Darfur in Sudan have suffered tremendously.  Over 480,000 people have been murdered, and over 1.2 million have been displaced.  Sometimes we suffer because of the sins of others.  Among those taken captive by Babylon were Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego.  These were godly young men who would not compromise their faith, yet Daniel was cast into the lion's den, and the 3 Hebrew men were thrown into the fiery furnace.  Thankfully, God protected them even through their suffering.  Sometimes we suffer because of our own sin.  1 Pet. 4:15 says, "But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people's matters."  When we engage in unlawful and criminal activity, we are going to bring suffering upon ourselves.  Sometimes we suffer because of calamity.  Jesus told the story in Luke 13 about a tower that fell and 18 men were killed.  It was an accident that claimed 18 lives.  Accidents happen every day, and we suffer from them, at no fault of our own.  Jesus said the important thing is that we repent, lest we also perish as they did.  In this world we will have tribulation.  Just by living in this fallen world, we will encounter suffering.  When we live godly in Christ, we will suffer persecution.  Paul said, "For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake."  Peter wrote his first letter to the pilgrims of the dispersion, scattered because of their faith, 1 Peter 1:1.  Repeatedly he addressed their suffering in his letter, and encouraged them.  "For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps."  Though He was reviled and suffered, He committed Himself to God, and bore our sins on the tree, by whose stripes we were healed!  Because of Christ's suffering, we can freely say that, by His stripes, we were healed.

Will you allow suffering to make you more like Jesus? 

Learning Obedience

Heb. 5:7,8 says, "who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear, though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered."  In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus faced His impending suffering and death.  With strong cries and tears so intense that great drops of blood formed on His skin and fell to the ground, He prayed to His Father asking if there was another way.  Yet He was learning obedience through the things which He suffered.  Jesus could cast out any devil, heal any sickness and disease, feed the multitude, and walk on water, but this trial was one He could not get out of.  He could have taken the easy way out.  Jesus said to Peter that the Father would provide twelve legions of angels to deliver Him, but then how would the Scriptures be fulfilled?  Through the suffering, Jesus chose obedience.  There are times in our lives when we could take the easy way, give into our flesh, and not obey the Lord.  Compromising our faith will be a temptation, but in those times we need to learn obedience.  Everything we depend on must go through testing to prove its strength.  Experience is the test of obedience.  We can study obedience, take a class on its benefits and understand its importance, but only by experience can our obedience be tested.  Often, obedience is tested through suffering.  Obedience is easy when we are getting what we want, but obedience is tested through the hard times, stress and trials.  The early Christians faced tremendous persecution for their faith.  They were scattered throughout Asia Minor and paid a great price for their obedience to Jesus.  In Heb. 13:3 we are told to remember the prisoners as if we were chained with them, and those who are mistreated since we are also in the body.  In many places in the world today, believers are suffering for confessing their faith in Christ as their Savior.  They are in prisons, mistreated, persecuted, and are suffering for their faith.  Today we must learn obedience, even through suffering, that we might say as Jesus did, "...nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done."

How are you learning obedience through your suffering?

Sold Out And Bought Back

"Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?  For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's."  1 Cor. 6:19,20.  Now that we have invited Jesus Christ to come into our lives, we come to a new reality.  We were bought, and we are not our own.  We were bought with "...the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot."  1 Pet. 1:19.  The fact that we were bought must mean that we belonged to someone or something else.  To whom did we belong?  How did we get there?  We were "sold under sin" according to Romans 7:14.  We were sold out!  Who sold us out?  "Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned." Rom. 5:12.  Adam willfully disobeyed God, knowing fully what he was doing.  Eve was deceived, but Adam was not deceived.  Through Adam, sin entered the world, and death by sin.  We were sold into sin and incalculable damage.  But that's not the end of the story.  We were bought back!  We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, but Jesus has purchased us back, and restored back to us that which was lost.  That's why we were bought with a price.  We are not our own.  Our bodies are not our own.  Now we submit our bodies to God, in order that we may glorify God in our bodies, and in our spirits, which are God's.  The Corinthian pagan worship with its temple prostitutes meant that people were raised in a culture where there were no morals, and the satisfaction of every fleshly desire was not only expected, it was provided at the place of their worship in their temples.  But now your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, and now we are to glorify God in our bodies.  In fact, in everything we do, we are to glorify God, 1 Cor. 10:31.  The acceptance of Christ as both Savour and Lord, means that we submit our bodies to God, and do only those things that glorify God.  We will serve either sin, or righteousness as our master.  Both masters pay wages; sin pays death, but righteousness pays eternal life!  Whose wages would you rather receive?  Which master will you choose today?  We were once sold as slaves to sin, but now we are bought back by a wonderful Master.  Today, make the choice to glorify the One who bought you with a price!

Do you submit yourself to the One who bought you?

Following God's Dream For Your Life

God has a dream for your life.  He has a plan, and a purpose for you.  Finding that dream, and following that dream leads to the fulfillment of the will of God in our lives.  Joseph is a wonderful example of a person who had God's dream, and lived to see it fulfilled.  He was 17 years old when he dreamed about his brother's sheaves bowing down to his.  Then he dreamed about the sun, moon, and 11 stars bowing down to him.  He could not have understood what these dreams meant at the time, but he knew God had a dream and plan for his life.  Things got worse before they got better!  The brothers put him in a pit, intending to leave him there to die.  It is in the pit that our true character shows.  We can learn a lot from being in a pit.  A story is told about a farmer's donkey who fell into a pit.  The farmer couldn't get him out, so decided to bury him.  The donkey shook the dirt off every time it hit his back, and soon realized that he could put it under his feet, and it lifted him up.  The donkey got out of the pit by shaking off the dirt, and putting it under his feet.  The pit experience can make us better or bitter, lift us up, or push us down.   The brothers decided they might as well get some money for Joseph, and they sold him to the travelling Midianites, who then sold him to Potiphar in Egypt.  Everywhere Joseph went, he rose to the top, whether in Potiphar's house, or in the prison, or under Pharaoh.  Joseph was hated, envied, betrayed, sold, tempted, and lied about.  Yet he was successful, favored, blessed, prospered, pure, wise, and very fruitful.  He never let the circumstances stop him, or cause his attitude to become negative or resentful.  He served wherever he went.  He acknowledged that it was God who gave him wisdom, and brought him to Egypt so he could save his people.  His life was not his own, he lived it unto God.  In Gen. 49 22-24 we read, "Joseph is a fruitful bough, a fruitful bough by a well; His branches run over the wall.  The archers have bitterly grieved him, shot at him and hated him.  But his bow remained in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the Mighty God of Jacob."  What a testimony about a man who followed God's dream!  We too can follow God's dream for our lives, and leave a testimony of fruitfulness!

Are you following God's dream for your life?

Take Care Of The Seed

The sower and the seed is one of the most well known parables that Jesus taught.  The seed is the word of God.  The parable is about the seed, and its growth.  It is all about the seed.  The Christian life is not about the person.  The Christian life is all about the seed, and how well it grows in the heart of the individual.  The fruit does not depend on our ability, or cleverness, or personality.  The fruit completely depends on the growth of the seed.  That's why the first encounter the seed has is with the devil.  The devil knows that if he can take away the seed that is sown in the heart, he can eliminate any fruit.  Satan's first temptation to Eve was to raise doubt about whether God had actually spoken His word to Eve.  Paul expressed his concern for the Corinthians in 2 Cor. 11:3 saying, "But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ."  Wholehearted and sincere devotion to Christ is what we are called to.  The simple trust of a child is what we need in order to follow Christ.  The next thing the seed encounters is the need for moisture.  The seed must grow roots.  I was raised on the farm, and our farm basically revolved around rain.  Nothing could substitute for rain.  If it didn't rain, we didn't have a crop.  The survival of our walk with God revolves around water.  We must water the seed, and look after it.  Only constant watering can bring a seed through a dry season.  Keep watering the word.  Even a very dead and dry plant to come back to life with water!  "I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase."  1 Cor. 3:6.  Then the seed will encounter weeds.  Weeds can be deadly to the seed if left unchecked.  The thorns come to choke out the word.  The thorns are described as cares, riches, and pleasures of life.  There are both bad thorns, and good looking thorns, but their effect is the same!  Whatever comes in our lives to choke out the growth of the seed must be pulled out and discarded.  Only those with a good and honest heart will see the full potential of the seed.  The seed can produce 100 fold if it is given the right conditions to grow.  God's word can produce in us a tremendous harvest if we will allow it to grow to fruition.  Take care of the seed, and the seed will take care of you!

How are you taking care of the seed today?

Speckled and Spotted

Gen. 30 contains one of the most intriguing stories in the Bible.  Jacob has served Laban for 7 years and received Leah as his wife.  Then he served for another 7 years to obtain Rachel as his wife.  He wants to leave Laban and go back to his home, but Laban doesn't want Jacob to leave, because Laban has seen the blessing of God on Jacob.  So Laban says to Jacob, "Name me your wages, and I will give it."  Jacob says that all he wants is to have the speckled and spotted livestock that are born. Jacob says he will remove all the sheep and goats that are speckled and spotted to another place, so only the white livestock will remain.  His wages will be only the speckled and spotted that are born.  Laban thinks this is a really good deal, as white sheep are likely to bear only white lambs.  But Jacob takes the branches of trees, and peels white strips in them, and lays them in the watering troughs for the livestock.  The livestock look at the the strips in the branches, and when they give birth, the lambs are speckled and spotted.  Then he faces the white livestock toward the speckled and spotted, and the lambs born are speckled and spotted.  And so Jacob prospered greatly with the best and strongest of the herd.  Even when Laban changed the rules to the streaked only, or the spotted only, still Jacob prospered.  The secret of this mystery is found in Gen. 31:12 where Jacob reveals that God had shown him in a dream that all the livestock born were streaked, speckled, and spotted.  This is a picture of how a vision from God can change our lives.  Jacob kept his eyes on the vision, and he kept the livestock looking at the vision, in order to receive the blessing of God.  You and I need a vision from God for our lives.  We need to keep our eyes on that vision.  We must not be distracted by unbelief, or temptation, or other things.  We must keep our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.  God will supply for you, and prosper your life, as you keep your eyes on Him.  Don't take your eyes off Jesus for a moment.  Know that He has a plan and destiny for your life, and He will fulfil that good work that He has started in you!  Hab. 2:3 says, "For the vision is yet for an appointed time; But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie.  Though it tarries, wait for it; Because it will surely come, it will not tarry."

What is the vision that you need to keep your eyes on?

No More Pain

In a long list of names given in 1 Chronicles 4, there are two verses that stand out giving us some information about a man named Jabez.  Vs. 9 says, Now Jabez was more honorable than his brothers, and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, 'Because I bore him in pain.'"  The word Jabez literally means, "He will cause pain."  The birth of Jabez caused his mother pain and sorrow.  Now he bears the name Jabez as a continual reminder of who he is.  Every time he hears his name, he hears pain.  He realizes that his life caused pain from the very beginning.  He has lived with it all his life.  He comes to a place in his life where he wants change from this identity.  Vs. 10 says, "And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, 'Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!'  So God granted him what he requested."  Jabez comes to God with his life, and asked for five things:  Bless me, enlarge my territory, let Your hand be with me, keep me from evil, and that I may not cause pain.  Jabez wants a change in his life.  He could have went through life with pain, but by crying out to God, he found out that he didn't have to live with the pain anymore.  He didn't want to cause pain for anyone anymore.  This was true repentance, a real turn around in his life.  Sometimes we say, "Hurt people, hurt people."  But this would not be the life of Jabez anymore.  He brought his hurt to God, and received the blessing he needed, so he would not hurt people anymore.  Jesus bore our griefs and carried our sorrows.  He took our sicknesses and diseases.  By His stripes we were healed.  He opened the door for us to bring our hurts to Him.  He invites us to bring our pain to Him, that he would be healed.  He wants to bless us like Jabez.  He wants to enlarge us, and bless us, and be with us, and keep us from evil, so we don't cause pain anymore.  Let us pray the prayer of Jabez over our lives, and watch God bring healing and blessing into our lives!

Where is there pain today that God wants to heal?

The Anchor of the New Covenant

God is a covenant making God.  God has dealt with people by covenants, both in history and in the present.  The old testament is the old covenant.  There was a covenant made with Abraham in Gen. 15 where animals were split in two, with also a turtledove and a pigeon.  That night, a burning  fire passed through the pieces, as God Himself cut a covenant with Abraham.  Then in Ex. 24 God made a covenant with Moses and the people.  Blood was sprinkled on the altar and on the people, as they promised they would do according to all the words of the covenant.  When Jesus had the last supper with the disciples, he took the bread and broke it and said, "Take, eat, this is my body."  He took the cup and gave it to the disciples saying, "Drink from it, all of you, for this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins."  That day the bread and the wine took on a new meaning which would change the history of the world.  No longer would the blood of bulls and goats be necessary to cover sin.  The blood of Jesus would once and for all pay the debt of our sins.  The way into the very presence of God has been the made.  The veil in the temple was torn in two from the top to the bottom at the time of Jesus death.  This signified to us that the way into the Holy of Holies has been made through Jesus Christ.  "This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil."  Heb. 6:19.  We live in uncertain and trying times.  We don't know what will happen in this coming year.  But we have something that is both sure and certain.  This new covenant is an anchor for our souls.  An anchor holds you steady through the winds and the storms.  This anchor of the new covenant holds us steady in the storms of life.  This new covenant brings us into the presence of God.  The High Priest of the new covenant lives forever to make intercession for us.  We are invited to draw near into the very presence of God to find the grace and help we need.  Let us be established in the new covenant today!

What does the new covenant mean to you today?