Romans 7:2
2 For example, by law a married woman is bound to her husband as long as he is alive, but if her husband dies, she is released from the law of marriage.
Romans 7:4
4 So, my brothers, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit to God.
Bound. Do you like to be bound? Of course not right? However the only way to get “unbound” is to die. That seems a little extreme though. Yet it is the only remedy for us. Unless we die to everything, we cannot live for God in everything.
Romans 7:13 (NIV)
13 Did that which is good, then, become death to me? By no means! But in order that sin might be recognized as sin, it produced death in me through what was good, so that through the commandment sin might become utterly sinful.
This ties in with our dying. In fact death was produced in us by sin so dying shouldn’t be that big of deal right? It is all about the control isn’t it? The point Paul is making – that God is making - is that you are already dead because of sin. The law was to make sure that you understood that you were dead and are dying and that you can’t be good! So if you will die to your own effort to “live” or be good, then you can rest in the death of Jesus and be raised again with Him to the life that He wants to give you! But the resurrection only comes after the death. If we want all God has for us, we must die to ourselves, to the things that drag us down, from our own ability to attain what we think is righteousness. Giving up – surrendering – is the only way to have victory. Why stay in a losing battle, give up your life and get God’s life in return!
Monday, February 28, 2011
Sunday, February 27, 2011
February 27
Exodus 21:2 (NIV)
2 “If you buy a Hebrew servant, he is to serve you for six years. But in the seventh year, he shall go free, without paying anything.
Servanthood or slavery is a touchy subject in this society because of our frame of reference for slavery. Our reference is stealing someone from his homeland and forcefully bringing him to America to then be treated worse than cattle. Slavery or a bought servant came about from two main instances in Bible days. The first is when you had a war and won. When you won, you indentured the people to serve you. Sounds messy, but it makes sense to not let them grow in strength to come back and overpower you. You won the war so that gives you the right to make them servants. (Think about this spiritually).
The other way slaves were bought and sold is if they were in debt and unable to pay, or they were unable to make a living for themselves. There is so much to say about this but the point for today is that when you get into debt, you become a servant (slave). It is only recently that you were released from your obligations to do what you said you would do. Our society has gone nuts because people don’t have to “pay” for what they do. I am not talking about just money, I am talking about consequence. There are consequences to things and Americans have to start facing it. The problem for us is that we are already under spiritual consequences and we don’t even know it.
Romans 6:16 (NIV)
16 Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?
We are not people who don’t understand the grave consequences of giving ourselves to the “stuff” of this world. Keep yourself from slavery friends – don’t sell yourself into servitude. God has such wonderful plans and promises for you. Don’t settle for anything less.
2 “If you buy a Hebrew servant, he is to serve you for six years. But in the seventh year, he shall go free, without paying anything.
Servanthood or slavery is a touchy subject in this society because of our frame of reference for slavery. Our reference is stealing someone from his homeland and forcefully bringing him to America to then be treated worse than cattle. Slavery or a bought servant came about from two main instances in Bible days. The first is when you had a war and won. When you won, you indentured the people to serve you. Sounds messy, but it makes sense to not let them grow in strength to come back and overpower you. You won the war so that gives you the right to make them servants. (Think about this spiritually).
The other way slaves were bought and sold is if they were in debt and unable to pay, or they were unable to make a living for themselves. There is so much to say about this but the point for today is that when you get into debt, you become a servant (slave). It is only recently that you were released from your obligations to do what you said you would do. Our society has gone nuts because people don’t have to “pay” for what they do. I am not talking about just money, I am talking about consequence. There are consequences to things and Americans have to start facing it. The problem for us is that we are already under spiritual consequences and we don’t even know it.
Romans 6:16 (NIV)
16 Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?
We are not people who don’t understand the grave consequences of giving ourselves to the “stuff” of this world. Keep yourself from slavery friends – don’t sell yourself into servitude. God has such wonderful plans and promises for you. Don’t settle for anything less.
Saturday, February 26, 2011
February 26
Romans 5:17 (NIV)
17 For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.
Probably one of my favorite verses in the Bible, this verse clearly communicates that we are different than we were before we gave our lives to Christ. Just like death reigned, and I think that death has had a pretty good grip on humanity, we reign in life! I like hearing this when things are going o.k. or when things are going good. However when things are going bad, and I need it the most, I don’t want to hear this. There is something reigning in me and it isn’t righteousness! This should be something that we confess to ourselves over and over – I reign, I reign!
The reason I reign is that I am righteous now because God gave me that gift! I am amazed at how many Christians consider themselves “sinners” and have the mindset that they can’t overcome things. “That is just the way I am”, or “I’ll never be able to change” are things people say that oppose the scripture that says that you are righteous and you reign in life. When tough times come, which they certainly will, let’s decide that we will be of the mindset to overcome since we reign in life and are more than conquerors.
Romans 8:37 (NIV)
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
17 For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.
Probably one of my favorite verses in the Bible, this verse clearly communicates that we are different than we were before we gave our lives to Christ. Just like death reigned, and I think that death has had a pretty good grip on humanity, we reign in life! I like hearing this when things are going o.k. or when things are going good. However when things are going bad, and I need it the most, I don’t want to hear this. There is something reigning in me and it isn’t righteousness! This should be something that we confess to ourselves over and over – I reign, I reign!
The reason I reign is that I am righteous now because God gave me that gift! I am amazed at how many Christians consider themselves “sinners” and have the mindset that they can’t overcome things. “That is just the way I am”, or “I’ll never be able to change” are things people say that oppose the scripture that says that you are righteous and you reign in life. When tough times come, which they certainly will, let’s decide that we will be of the mindset to overcome since we reign in life and are more than conquerors.
Romans 8:37 (NIV)
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
Friday, February 25, 2011
February 25
Romans 4:20-21 (NIV)
20 Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, 21 being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.
Why did Abraham need faith to believe the promise of an offspring – a son – would be born to Sarah? Because they were well beyond child bearing years. It is not that they couldn’t have marital relations anymore, it was the fact that their reproductive systems were old. Basically Sarah was infertile and incapable of dropping an egg, after all she was in her 60’s when the first promise came, but she was 90 when she actually got pregnant. We don’t often think of these things when we come to passages like this, but we have to insert ourselves into the historical context. These people were old! I am sure that Abraham thought that he couldn’t produce “seed” although he could. When you add all of this up you see that they could NOT make this happen. It was an impossibility for them to make it happen – work for it – grit their teeth, pull up their boot straps and bring the promise about by their own effort. They were forced to either believe or not believe!
As I was reading I was struck by the fact that God inserts us into situations that we can’t solve so we must choose faith in order for the promise to be fulfilled. When we can’t do it is when we are forced to make a decision of trusting God. I will go one step further, I will put myself in situations to constrain myself to believe by asking God for big things! One of the ways we keep our faith (trust) small (limited) is to never believe for great things. We believe for what we can make happen.
Go to God today and ask Him to show you the great things He wants you to do. If you can accomplish it without him, it takes no faith and therefore is small and can turn into a fleshly thing because you can do it. God has greatness in each of us. He has great exploits for us! Ask Him what they are, fix your eyes on Him and believe that He will do this great thing. (That you couldn’t bring about if you tried).
20 Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, 21 being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.
Why did Abraham need faith to believe the promise of an offspring – a son – would be born to Sarah? Because they were well beyond child bearing years. It is not that they couldn’t have marital relations anymore, it was the fact that their reproductive systems were old. Basically Sarah was infertile and incapable of dropping an egg, after all she was in her 60’s when the first promise came, but she was 90 when she actually got pregnant. We don’t often think of these things when we come to passages like this, but we have to insert ourselves into the historical context. These people were old! I am sure that Abraham thought that he couldn’t produce “seed” although he could. When you add all of this up you see that they could NOT make this happen. It was an impossibility for them to make it happen – work for it – grit their teeth, pull up their boot straps and bring the promise about by their own effort. They were forced to either believe or not believe!
As I was reading I was struck by the fact that God inserts us into situations that we can’t solve so we must choose faith in order for the promise to be fulfilled. When we can’t do it is when we are forced to make a decision of trusting God. I will go one step further, I will put myself in situations to constrain myself to believe by asking God for big things! One of the ways we keep our faith (trust) small (limited) is to never believe for great things. We believe for what we can make happen.
Go to God today and ask Him to show you the great things He wants you to do. If you can accomplish it without him, it takes no faith and therefore is small and can turn into a fleshly thing because you can do it. God has greatness in each of us. He has great exploits for us! Ask Him what they are, fix your eyes on Him and believe that He will do this great thing. (That you couldn’t bring about if you tried).
Thursday, February 24, 2011
February 24
Exodus 14:13-14 (NIV)
13 Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. 14 The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.”
God wants glory! He has a plan to enable you to see His glory. In this case with Israel, it included Egypt having built up a strong army, hardening Pharaoh’s heart, hardening the official’s heart, enticing them to chase Israel down and bringing Israel to the brink of disaster! Many times in our lives we have to get to the brink of disaster or be at the “end of our rope” to turn to God, and especially to recognize that it is His glory that has delivered us from our trouble. When we are ready to be counted down and out and we are rescued, we understand fully that we were saved by God and God alone.
How about this – let’s be trained to recognize God in everything and everywhere, giving Him glory along the way and deflecting glory towards Him when we are part of what He just did. Did you get that? If we will learn to give Him glory and praise Him for the small deliverance or the fact that we didn’t need deliverance at all, maybe we won’t have to face so many “on the brink of disaster” moments. The point of the red sea deliverance was to show His glory to convince the people of God AND the Egyptians that He is THE God of the universe – the only true God who has the power to deliver from all things.
There is another beauty of the Father in this story as well. He took them via the Red Sea so they didn’t have to fight with the Philistines because they weren’t ready to be in a battle. They hadn’t been trained for war yet. What a great God we serve who will give us only what we can handle. Either way though it would have been His hand that delivered right? Just because we fought the war with our own hands doesn’t mean we take the glory since we are now trained to give Him the glory – for He trained my hands for war.
13 Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. 14 The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.”
God wants glory! He has a plan to enable you to see His glory. In this case with Israel, it included Egypt having built up a strong army, hardening Pharaoh’s heart, hardening the official’s heart, enticing them to chase Israel down and bringing Israel to the brink of disaster! Many times in our lives we have to get to the brink of disaster or be at the “end of our rope” to turn to God, and especially to recognize that it is His glory that has delivered us from our trouble. When we are ready to be counted down and out and we are rescued, we understand fully that we were saved by God and God alone.
How about this – let’s be trained to recognize God in everything and everywhere, giving Him glory along the way and deflecting glory towards Him when we are part of what He just did. Did you get that? If we will learn to give Him glory and praise Him for the small deliverance or the fact that we didn’t need deliverance at all, maybe we won’t have to face so many “on the brink of disaster” moments. The point of the red sea deliverance was to show His glory to convince the people of God AND the Egyptians that He is THE God of the universe – the only true God who has the power to deliver from all things.
There is another beauty of the Father in this story as well. He took them via the Red Sea so they didn’t have to fight with the Philistines because they weren’t ready to be in a battle. They hadn’t been trained for war yet. What a great God we serve who will give us only what we can handle. Either way though it would have been His hand that delivered right? Just because we fought the war with our own hands doesn’t mean we take the glory since we are now trained to give Him the glory – for He trained my hands for war.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
February 23
Exodus 13:3-8 (NIV)
3 Then Moses said to the people, “Commemorate this day, the day you came out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery, because the LORD brought you out of it with a mighty hand… 6 For seven days eat bread made without yeast and on the seventh day hold a festival to the LORD…. 8 On that day tell your son, ‘I do this because of what the LORD did for me when I came out of Egypt.’
This is not the only festival that Israel celebrates, but I am struck by their celebration and our lack of celebration. The why and the how are so meaningful and have the memory of their deliverance! May I suggest that we institute more festivals in our lives that are meaningful. It just seems like our Easter comes and goes. Maybe there is something to the going on for seven days. I will tell you this, that when we come together – on Sundays, Wednesdays or any other day, we should be celebrating our deliverance from slavery. It seems to me that God has us on this track as a church, when many churches (gatherings) come together to only learn. However as much as I am enjoying our celebrations, I think God wants us to be very purposeful in them and never lose focus on the “why” we celebrate. Maybe once a year, we should hold a seven day festival at our church and in our homes in honor of the Lord. I know that many people celebrate the Lord daily, but I am talking about a consecration to the Lord for a week. Something to think about.
3 Then Moses said to the people, “Commemorate this day, the day you came out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery, because the LORD brought you out of it with a mighty hand… 6 For seven days eat bread made without yeast and on the seventh day hold a festival to the LORD…. 8 On that day tell your son, ‘I do this because of what the LORD did for me when I came out of Egypt.’
This is not the only festival that Israel celebrates, but I am struck by their celebration and our lack of celebration. The why and the how are so meaningful and have the memory of their deliverance! May I suggest that we institute more festivals in our lives that are meaningful. It just seems like our Easter comes and goes. Maybe there is something to the going on for seven days. I will tell you this, that when we come together – on Sundays, Wednesdays or any other day, we should be celebrating our deliverance from slavery. It seems to me that God has us on this track as a church, when many churches (gatherings) come together to only learn. However as much as I am enjoying our celebrations, I think God wants us to be very purposeful in them and never lose focus on the “why” we celebrate. Maybe once a year, we should hold a seven day festival at our church and in our homes in honor of the Lord. I know that many people celebrate the Lord daily, but I am talking about a consecration to the Lord for a week. Something to think about.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
February 22
As we have read about all the plagues and the great wonders God performed in Egypt, it is a bit sobering to know that God will go to great lengths to get His people free. When our Father makes up His mind, He will not relent when it comes to His children – the ones who have made a covenant with Him. The Egyptians were in an unfortunate position. I am not talking about the officials, but the commoner. However we must realize that you are either on God’s side or you stand against Him. The Egyptians stood against the Almighty and His people. The request was simple and the evidence of destruction great! Let my people go! This is the kind of punishment that God brings on those people who won’t let His people go. (That should cause us to be careful not to enslave or control God’s people). I see this as such a story of love and the power of love! God’s heart is to win the heart of His people even though when Moses first went to them, they rejected him. These signs were for all the peoples of the earth as well! He was setting the Israelites free, but He was making His name known in all of the earth so all would come and worship Him! His heart, His love is for His people, but He has made a way for all to become His people.
Psalm 81:15-16 (NIV)
15 Those who hate the LORD would cringe before him, and their punishment would last forever. 16 But you would be fed with the finest of wheat; with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”
Psalm 81:15-16 (NIV)
15 Those who hate the LORD would cringe before him, and their punishment would last forever. 16 But you would be fed with the finest of wheat; with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”
Monday, February 21, 2011
February 21
Acts 28:3-5 (NIV)
3 Paul gathered a pile of brushwood and, as he put it on the fire, a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand. 4 When the islanders saw the snake hanging from his hand, they said to each other, “This man must be a murderer; for though he escaped from the sea, Justice has not allowed him to live.” 5 But Paul shook the snake off into the fire and suffered no ill effects.
He shook it off! I am not perplexed by that, but I am inspired to be like that. Aren’t you? Something really bad happens to you, like a poisonous snake bites you, and your response is to “shake it off”! How many times do things that are inconsequential drag us down and poison our souls? Forget about the big things like losing your job or crashing your car, (or getting that stupid flu that is going around – o.k., not that big but it was long), how about the small things of life? Think about all the relatively meaningless things that happen to you like a co-worker being rude or getting a parking ticket, we need to FOR SURE shake those things off. I would submit to you today that we need to shake everything off that tries to take our life! The plot of the enemy, if he can’t kill us, is to take the life out of us. This may indeed be an over simplification of what we are supposed to do – shake it off – but let’s remember what Jesus told the disciples to do when people didn’t accept them or their message, “shake the dust off from your feet”. Let it go, leave it behind, and keep moving forward.
3 Paul gathered a pile of brushwood and, as he put it on the fire, a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand. 4 When the islanders saw the snake hanging from his hand, they said to each other, “This man must be a murderer; for though he escaped from the sea, Justice has not allowed him to live.” 5 But Paul shook the snake off into the fire and suffered no ill effects.
He shook it off! I am not perplexed by that, but I am inspired to be like that. Aren’t you? Something really bad happens to you, like a poisonous snake bites you, and your response is to “shake it off”! How many times do things that are inconsequential drag us down and poison our souls? Forget about the big things like losing your job or crashing your car, (or getting that stupid flu that is going around – o.k., not that big but it was long), how about the small things of life? Think about all the relatively meaningless things that happen to you like a co-worker being rude or getting a parking ticket, we need to FOR SURE shake those things off. I would submit to you today that we need to shake everything off that tries to take our life! The plot of the enemy, if he can’t kill us, is to take the life out of us. This may indeed be an over simplification of what we are supposed to do – shake it off – but let’s remember what Jesus told the disciples to do when people didn’t accept them or their message, “shake the dust off from your feet”. Let it go, leave it behind, and keep moving forward.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
February 20
Acts 27:10 (NIV)
10 “Men, I can see that our voyage is going to be disastrous and bring great loss to ship and cargo, and to our own lives also.”
Acts 27:21-22 (NIV)
21 After the men had gone a long time without food, Paul stood up before them and said: “Men, you should have taken my advice not to sail from Crete; then you would have spared yourselves this damage and loss. 22 But now I urge you to keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed.
Thank God for these men that Paul was on board the ship! Before anything happened, Paul knew that something would happen. That is because the Spirit of God that Paul relied on.
John 16:13 (NIV)
13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.
We often forget about this wonderful benefit of having the Holy Spirit inside us to guide us and tell us the future. We are NOT fortune tellers, that is not of God, but we do have insight into the future at times, and for Paul this was one of those times. In fact, Paul again, after reminding them that he warned them (a powerful argument for listening to him the second time) he tells them how to overcome their present situation brought on by their disobedience. The Spirit again tells Paul of the future within the remedy of the current situation.
In 2002 I went on my first missionary journey to Argentina. I was super nervous about going and honestly I was afraid that I would not return alive. I found myself thinking about not going because I was afraid. My brother-in-law encouraged me to ask God about it, so I did. God gave me a guarantee that I would be back and He showed me what I was going to be doing in the future. From that time forward, I had great confidence and no fear.
10 “Men, I can see that our voyage is going to be disastrous and bring great loss to ship and cargo, and to our own lives also.”
Acts 27:21-22 (NIV)
21 After the men had gone a long time without food, Paul stood up before them and said: “Men, you should have taken my advice not to sail from Crete; then you would have spared yourselves this damage and loss. 22 But now I urge you to keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed.
Thank God for these men that Paul was on board the ship! Before anything happened, Paul knew that something would happen. That is because the Spirit of God that Paul relied on.
John 16:13 (NIV)
13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.
We often forget about this wonderful benefit of having the Holy Spirit inside us to guide us and tell us the future. We are NOT fortune tellers, that is not of God, but we do have insight into the future at times, and for Paul this was one of those times. In fact, Paul again, after reminding them that he warned them (a powerful argument for listening to him the second time) he tells them how to overcome their present situation brought on by their disobedience. The Spirit again tells Paul of the future within the remedy of the current situation.
In 2002 I went on my first missionary journey to Argentina. I was super nervous about going and honestly I was afraid that I would not return alive. I found myself thinking about not going because I was afraid. My brother-in-law encouraged me to ask God about it, so I did. God gave me a guarantee that I would be back and He showed me what I was going to be doing in the future. From that time forward, I had great confidence and no fear.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
February 19
Acts 26:12-13 (NIV)
12 “On one of these journeys I was going to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests. 13 About noon, O king, as I was on the road, I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, blazing around me and my companions….”
This is the third time that is recorded that Paul shared his testimony. I am sure that he shared it hundreds of times. Everyone has a testimony. We need to have our testimony ready to go at a moment’s notice. Our testimony is our history with God. Paul’s testimony included his before with an emphasis on the change that was exhibited after his conversion. Paul also strongly emphasized the revelation that God gave him. That is the key in sharing our testimony. A changed life is good – even great – however the revelation of who Jesus is, is what people need to believe to be saved. Don’t be afraid to share your testimony and within that share who Jesus is – it is hard to argue with. The world is waiting for you – God has positioned you to bring His life to others. Go for it!
12 “On one of these journeys I was going to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests. 13 About noon, O king, as I was on the road, I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, blazing around me and my companions….”
This is the third time that is recorded that Paul shared his testimony. I am sure that he shared it hundreds of times. Everyone has a testimony. We need to have our testimony ready to go at a moment’s notice. Our testimony is our history with God. Paul’s testimony included his before with an emphasis on the change that was exhibited after his conversion. Paul also strongly emphasized the revelation that God gave him. That is the key in sharing our testimony. A changed life is good – even great – however the revelation of who Jesus is, is what people need to believe to be saved. Don’t be afraid to share your testimony and within that share who Jesus is – it is hard to argue with. The world is waiting for you – God has positioned you to bring His life to others. Go for it!
Friday, February 18, 2011
February 18
Exodus 3:11 (NIV)
11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”
That is the million dollar question isn’t it? Who me, you want me to go? You want me to do that or go there? When God tells us to do hard things or things beyond our talents, gifts and abilities, we often ask him if He is out of His mind? Why? Because we don’t believe that God can overcome our shortcomings. That isn’t a statement about our ability or lack thereof, it is a statement about God’s ability or lack thereof. We are saying that we don’t believe that God could work through me. There is too much of that in the church today. People are waiting for the professionals to pray, preach and minister. When God chooses you, go for it! You have what it takes – you have God with you!
The other thing in relation to this is that we don’t ever hear God tell us to do things beyond ourselves! That doesn’t mean that God doesn’t believe in you, but that we are not listening. I think we turn God off because we don’t want to hear what He has to say. People of God – spend some time with Him – listen – He will tell you things that will blow your mind. You’ll love it!
11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”
That is the million dollar question isn’t it? Who me, you want me to go? You want me to do that or go there? When God tells us to do hard things or things beyond our talents, gifts and abilities, we often ask him if He is out of His mind? Why? Because we don’t believe that God can overcome our shortcomings. That isn’t a statement about our ability or lack thereof, it is a statement about God’s ability or lack thereof. We are saying that we don’t believe that God could work through me. There is too much of that in the church today. People are waiting for the professionals to pray, preach and minister. When God chooses you, go for it! You have what it takes – you have God with you!
The other thing in relation to this is that we don’t ever hear God tell us to do things beyond ourselves! That doesn’t mean that God doesn’t believe in you, but that we are not listening. I think we turn God off because we don’t want to hear what He has to say. People of God – spend some time with Him – listen – He will tell you things that will blow your mind. You’ll love it!
Thursday, February 17, 2011
February 17 #2
Exodus 1:10-11 (NIV)
10 Come, we must deal shrewdly with them or they will become even more numerous and, if war breaks out, will join our enemies, fight against us and leave the country.” 11 So they put slave masters over them to oppress them with forced labor, and they built Pithom and Rameses as store cities for Pharaoh.
I purposely waited hours before posting this word. I didn’t want to take away from the above word with a difficult and controversial word.
There is one more serious thing I would like to mention – that I must mention. Followers of Christ should be having more children. Not everyone needs to have eight, but one or two isn’t multiplying! We jest about this, but the reasons why we don’t have more children usually have nothing whatsoever to do with GOD’s will or God’s decision. We have decided that is enough. No condemnation here towards anyone, there is no point in that, but I do challenge the attitude of American Christians to only replace themselves with two children. That isn’t multiplying. Some are now too old to have more children and you should not feel guilty because guilt doesn’t belong in your soul if you are Christ’s. However, it is not too late for you to think about this and teach your children otherwise.
One of the problems with the American society is that we wait too long to get married and then wait too long to have children. Why? Because we want to live our lives FIRST! That is a generalization, but it is generally true. Please believe that the enemy of God is having babies at an alarming rate! Some religions, like Islam are very purposeful about this strategy. “We must deal shrewdly with them or they will become even more numerous”. The plan of the enemy is to wipe us out and not to multiply. Think about this and pray.
10 Come, we must deal shrewdly with them or they will become even more numerous and, if war breaks out, will join our enemies, fight against us and leave the country.” 11 So they put slave masters over them to oppress them with forced labor, and they built Pithom and Rameses as store cities for Pharaoh.
I purposely waited hours before posting this word. I didn’t want to take away from the above word with a difficult and controversial word.
There is one more serious thing I would like to mention – that I must mention. Followers of Christ should be having more children. Not everyone needs to have eight, but one or two isn’t multiplying! We jest about this, but the reasons why we don’t have more children usually have nothing whatsoever to do with GOD’s will or God’s decision. We have decided that is enough. No condemnation here towards anyone, there is no point in that, but I do challenge the attitude of American Christians to only replace themselves with two children. That isn’t multiplying. Some are now too old to have more children and you should not feel guilty because guilt doesn’t belong in your soul if you are Christ’s. However, it is not too late for you to think about this and teach your children otherwise.
One of the problems with the American society is that we wait too long to get married and then wait too long to have children. Why? Because we want to live our lives FIRST! That is a generalization, but it is generally true. Please believe that the enemy of God is having babies at an alarming rate! Some religions, like Islam are very purposeful about this strategy. “We must deal shrewdly with them or they will become even more numerous”. The plan of the enemy is to wipe us out and not to multiply. Think about this and pray.
February 17
Exodus 1:10-11 (NIV)
Come, we must deal shrewdly with them or they will become even more numerous and, if war breaks out, will join our enemies, fight against us and leave the country.” So they put slave masters over them to oppress them with forced labor, and they built Pithom and Rameses as store cities for Pharaoh.
This is a great revelation! The Pharaoh and the Egyptians wanted to stop the Israelites from having more children and becoming too numerous. Their plan was to work the Israelites so much that they were too tired and too discouraged to multiply. They not only wanted to wear them out so they had no strength or time to procreate, they wanted to discourage and depress them so they wouldn’t have the mental capacity to procreate nor would they want to bring up offspring in this type of slavery. Are you getting this application? The enemy of our souls and our God uses this very ploy in America today! He keeps us so busy with all of life so we have no time to multiply and advance the Kingdom of God. Heck, most people are too busy to come to church once or twice a week, let alone share Christ with people over a meal! If our lives are not filled up with work, they are filled up with activities of some sort so that we just don’t have the time or the energy to multiply the Kingdom! The mental and emotional aspect of this is just as real today as it was back then, but it is a little different. The enemy has got us chasing our own tail of mental health between depression and anxiety so much so, that we are occupied with being healthy and therefore have no strength or conviction to reach out to others to heal them!
Ask the Lord right now if you have been sucked into to these traps! Make the change dear ones!
Come, we must deal shrewdly with them or they will become even more numerous and, if war breaks out, will join our enemies, fight against us and leave the country.” So they put slave masters over them to oppress them with forced labor, and they built Pithom and Rameses as store cities for Pharaoh.
This is a great revelation! The Pharaoh and the Egyptians wanted to stop the Israelites from having more children and becoming too numerous. Their plan was to work the Israelites so much that they were too tired and too discouraged to multiply. They not only wanted to wear them out so they had no strength or time to procreate, they wanted to discourage and depress them so they wouldn’t have the mental capacity to procreate nor would they want to bring up offspring in this type of slavery. Are you getting this application? The enemy of our souls and our God uses this very ploy in America today! He keeps us so busy with all of life so we have no time to multiply and advance the Kingdom of God. Heck, most people are too busy to come to church once or twice a week, let alone share Christ with people over a meal! If our lives are not filled up with work, they are filled up with activities of some sort so that we just don’t have the time or the energy to multiply the Kingdom! The mental and emotional aspect of this is just as real today as it was back then, but it is a little different. The enemy has got us chasing our own tail of mental health between depression and anxiety so much so, that we are occupied with being healthy and therefore have no strength or conviction to reach out to others to heal them!
Ask the Lord right now if you have been sucked into to these traps! Make the change dear ones!
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
February 16
Genesis 49:28 (NIV)
28 All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father said to them when he blessed them, giving each the blessing appropriate to him.
Have you noticed that this “blessing thing” is super important? In fact, what was said in the blessing happened in life! We all know that God’s blessing is an incredible and powerful edict, but do we really understand the power of our blessing? First I speak as a father and then I speak as a priest (who is also a King!).
What a staggering ability we have as fathers to bless our children! As I was reading today I couldn’t stop thinking that I don’t have to wait to bless my children until I am on my death bed. I can pronounce blessings on them that will be fulfilled in their future! Of course we cannot, as Jacob did not, speak on our own. We must speak what our Father is speaking because we are representing Him. However, I think we need to look freshly at this awesome ability and use it!
All of us who have given our lives to Christ are priests according to the Word of God. We have the power of blessing! We can speak things and have great effect on people. When we say, “God bless you” as a purposeful declaration, we have put a mighty and effective favor on that person. It doesn’t mean that everything will be hunky dory, but it invokes the hand of the Almighty towards that person. We can speak a specific blessing over people as well, but it must come from God since He is the one that will bring it to fruition. You have a blessing to give – start pronouncing blessing on people! Call peace on those who God has given peace, joy to those who need joy, healing on the sick, and whatever the Spirit puts in your minds!
Proverbs 18:21 (NIV)
21 The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.
28 All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father said to them when he blessed them, giving each the blessing appropriate to him.
Have you noticed that this “blessing thing” is super important? In fact, what was said in the blessing happened in life! We all know that God’s blessing is an incredible and powerful edict, but do we really understand the power of our blessing? First I speak as a father and then I speak as a priest (who is also a King!).
What a staggering ability we have as fathers to bless our children! As I was reading today I couldn’t stop thinking that I don’t have to wait to bless my children until I am on my death bed. I can pronounce blessings on them that will be fulfilled in their future! Of course we cannot, as Jacob did not, speak on our own. We must speak what our Father is speaking because we are representing Him. However, I think we need to look freshly at this awesome ability and use it!
All of us who have given our lives to Christ are priests according to the Word of God. We have the power of blessing! We can speak things and have great effect on people. When we say, “God bless you” as a purposeful declaration, we have put a mighty and effective favor on that person. It doesn’t mean that everything will be hunky dory, but it invokes the hand of the Almighty towards that person. We can speak a specific blessing over people as well, but it must come from God since He is the one that will bring it to fruition. You have a blessing to give – start pronouncing blessing on people! Call peace on those who God has given peace, joy to those who need joy, healing on the sick, and whatever the Spirit puts in your minds!
Proverbs 18:21 (NIV)
21 The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
February 15
Genesis 47:15 (NIV)
15 When the money of the people of Egypt and Canaan was gone, all Egypt came to Joseph and said, “Give us food. Why should we die before your eyes? Our money is used up.”
The people not only gave up their cattle, but they gave up their land and themselves! Why? What they had didn’t compare with what they wanted – life! When we see that what we have, all of our abilities or our materials won’t get us what we so desperately need – life – eternal life – abundant life – we will be willing to give up everything to get it.
Genesis 47:24 (NIV)
24 But when the crop comes in, give a fifth of it to Pharaoh. The other four-fifths you may keep as seed for the fields and as food for yourselves and your households and your children.”
Please notice what happened to the seed. One fifth wasn’t even theirs, it was Pharaohs. The rest they could do with what they wished. What I noticed is that they kept coming to Joseph for seed to plant crops, which tells me that they were eating everything they produced. The only thing that they didn’t eat was a governmental compulsory tax. We have got to get to the point where we don’t eat all of our seed! This applies to everything in our lives from money to talents to investments to time! If we are the consumers of all we have, then we may have to sell ourselves to Pharaoh to get more seed.
15 When the money of the people of Egypt and Canaan was gone, all Egypt came to Joseph and said, “Give us food. Why should we die before your eyes? Our money is used up.”
The people not only gave up their cattle, but they gave up their land and themselves! Why? What they had didn’t compare with what they wanted – life! When we see that what we have, all of our abilities or our materials won’t get us what we so desperately need – life – eternal life – abundant life – we will be willing to give up everything to get it.
Genesis 47:24 (NIV)
24 But when the crop comes in, give a fifth of it to Pharaoh. The other four-fifths you may keep as seed for the fields and as food for yourselves and your households and your children.”
Please notice what happened to the seed. One fifth wasn’t even theirs, it was Pharaohs. The rest they could do with what they wished. What I noticed is that they kept coming to Joseph for seed to plant crops, which tells me that they were eating everything they produced. The only thing that they didn’t eat was a governmental compulsory tax. We have got to get to the point where we don’t eat all of our seed! This applies to everything in our lives from money to talents to investments to time! If we are the consumers of all we have, then we may have to sell ourselves to Pharaoh to get more seed.
Monday, February 14, 2011
February 14
Who doesn’t love the story of Joseph! God had His way and saved many people though His life was difficult. Does that sound like anyone else? Joseph left his home, his very brothers wanted to kill him, went through extraordinary things, but God had a plan! Jesus lived a life of difficulty and did die (at the hands of his brothers) to save mankind. Joseph was spared to save many people from death and then was reconciled with his brothers. Jesus death brought salvation to many (available to all) and reconciliation to his people who would reconcile. Beautiful picture isn’t it?
Genesis 45:24 (NIV)
24 Then he sent his brothers away, and as they were leaving he said to them, “Don’t quarrel on the way!”
That is an interesting thing to say isn’t it? Joseph was a wise man and he knew that the blame game would be played on the way home. That very blame game could stop the very thing that God had already brought – reconciliation! It does the same thing to us! Quarreling and fractioning with each other works AGAINST one of the goals of the blood of Jesus – our reconciliation! Stop quarreling and dividing! Remember, you have the choice to be on God’s construction crew or Satan’s destruction crew. What will you choose?
Genesis 45:24 (NIV)
24 Then he sent his brothers away, and as they were leaving he said to them, “Don’t quarrel on the way!”
That is an interesting thing to say isn’t it? Joseph was a wise man and he knew that the blame game would be played on the way home. That very blame game could stop the very thing that God had already brought – reconciliation! It does the same thing to us! Quarreling and fractioning with each other works AGAINST one of the goals of the blood of Jesus – our reconciliation! Stop quarreling and dividing! Remember, you have the choice to be on God’s construction crew or Satan’s destruction crew. What will you choose?
Sunday, February 13, 2011
February 13
Acts 20:9 (NIV)
9 Seated in a window was a young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on. When he was sound asleep, he fell to the ground from the third story and was picked up dead.
It is time for a little humor! First of all, nobody can preach long and not put people to sleep. I have put a few to sleep in my day, but I didn’t go on all night! The lesson here for me is don’t ever let anyone sit in a 3rd story window while I preach! I can just imagine Paul’s face when they told him the man was dead! Paul knew he bored him to death! Come on, that’s kinda’ funny! This whole seen is a funny one with the power of God on display by a preacher that went too long! Maybe I should try that!
O.K., enough of the joking. There was a serious miracle here. A man was raised from the dead! He died because Paul the preacher wanted to give everything he could in the time he had left with this group. An accident caused death (seemingly instant) in someone and God through Paul raised him from the dead. There was so much power resident in this great apostle that he hugged the guy and proclaimed that he wasn’t dead. That is what I am talking about! The glory of God showed up and raised him from the dead. The scenario may have some humor, but this is a great miracle that we need to stop and consider it. Raising people from the dead is our commission! To advance the Kingdom is to bring It’s life into every situation – especially a spirit that is “dead in trespasses and sins”. (Eph. 2:1) We carry life people! We are life to this world! Don’t sell the power of that life short!
9 Seated in a window was a young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on. When he was sound asleep, he fell to the ground from the third story and was picked up dead.
It is time for a little humor! First of all, nobody can preach long and not put people to sleep. I have put a few to sleep in my day, but I didn’t go on all night! The lesson here for me is don’t ever let anyone sit in a 3rd story window while I preach! I can just imagine Paul’s face when they told him the man was dead! Paul knew he bored him to death! Come on, that’s kinda’ funny! This whole seen is a funny one with the power of God on display by a preacher that went too long! Maybe I should try that!
O.K., enough of the joking. There was a serious miracle here. A man was raised from the dead! He died because Paul the preacher wanted to give everything he could in the time he had left with this group. An accident caused death (seemingly instant) in someone and God through Paul raised him from the dead. There was so much power resident in this great apostle that he hugged the guy and proclaimed that he wasn’t dead. That is what I am talking about! The glory of God showed up and raised him from the dead. The scenario may have some humor, but this is a great miracle that we need to stop and consider it. Raising people from the dead is our commission! To advance the Kingdom is to bring It’s life into every situation – especially a spirit that is “dead in trespasses and sins”. (Eph. 2:1) We carry life people! We are life to this world! Don’t sell the power of that life short!
Saturday, February 12, 2011
February 12
Acts 19:2 (NIV)
2 and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” They answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.
It is so significant that we see that the first question Paul asked these believers was about the filling or baptism with the Holy Spirit. The significance is this – Paul wanted to make sure that they were properly equipped to be a witness. Paul was a veteran missionary and minister of the gospel and he knew well the great importance of the “power” that comes with the Holy Spirit’s filling. Should we just leave that to pastors and missionaries? NO! This has got to be a question that we ask as well. There is no doubt that you will need to get your theology straight so you can answer any questions, but what needs to get straight is priority! Get saved and get baptized with the Holy Spirit! That is what happened here (along with speaking of tongues) and that is how we should operate as believers as well. Don’t leave this for professionals – you are priests of the Most High God. You have what it takes!
I must include this; Have you received the Holy Spirit? If you are saved you have the Holy Spirit living inside you as the disciples did (John 20:22), previous to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit (Jesus baptizing them with the Holy Spirit – Acts 2). If you have not received that baptism, then ask for it and begin to praise and thank Jesus for giving you the fullness of the Spirit! Claim the promise!
2 and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” They answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.
It is so significant that we see that the first question Paul asked these believers was about the filling or baptism with the Holy Spirit. The significance is this – Paul wanted to make sure that they were properly equipped to be a witness. Paul was a veteran missionary and minister of the gospel and he knew well the great importance of the “power” that comes with the Holy Spirit’s filling. Should we just leave that to pastors and missionaries? NO! This has got to be a question that we ask as well. There is no doubt that you will need to get your theology straight so you can answer any questions, but what needs to get straight is priority! Get saved and get baptized with the Holy Spirit! That is what happened here (along with speaking of tongues) and that is how we should operate as believers as well. Don’t leave this for professionals – you are priests of the Most High God. You have what it takes!
I must include this; Have you received the Holy Spirit? If you are saved you have the Holy Spirit living inside you as the disciples did (John 20:22), previous to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit (Jesus baptizing them with the Holy Spirit – Acts 2). If you have not received that baptism, then ask for it and begin to praise and thank Jesus for giving you the fullness of the Spirit! Claim the promise!
Friday, February 11, 2011
February 11
Genesis 39:3 (NIV)
3 When his master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD gave him success in everything he did,
Genesis 39:23 (NIV)
23 The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph’s care, because the LORD was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.
The Lord was WITH Joseph. Is the Lord with us? If God is for us, who can be against us? US! What I mean is that we are the ones who can foil the blessing of God on us and in us. God is with us, He lives IN us, He has certainly given us His blessing, a blessing that even Joseph didn’t know! We have a greater blessing! It is time to start believing it! If Joseph was so blessed then why can’t we? Answer: We can and we are and it is time to start standing on our blessing and refusing to be denied!
Psalm 1:3 (NIV)
3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.
Psalm 128:1-2 (NIV)
Blessed are all who fear the LORD, who walk in his ways. You will eat the fruit of your labor; blessings and prosperity will be yours.
Believe it! Stand on it! Refuse to have any other mindset except that God is with you and His blessing abides on you and in you!
3 When his master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD gave him success in everything he did,
Genesis 39:23 (NIV)
23 The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph’s care, because the LORD was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.
The Lord was WITH Joseph. Is the Lord with us? If God is for us, who can be against us? US! What I mean is that we are the ones who can foil the blessing of God on us and in us. God is with us, He lives IN us, He has certainly given us His blessing, a blessing that even Joseph didn’t know! We have a greater blessing! It is time to start believing it! If Joseph was so blessed then why can’t we? Answer: We can and we are and it is time to start standing on our blessing and refusing to be denied!
Psalm 1:3 (NIV)
3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.
Psalm 128:1-2 (NIV)
Blessed are all who fear the LORD, who walk in his ways. You will eat the fruit of your labor; blessings and prosperity will be yours.
Believe it! Stand on it! Refuse to have any other mindset except that God is with you and His blessing abides on you and in you!
Thursday, February 10, 2011
February 10
Acts 17:21 (NIV)
21 (All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.)
Jesus was a doer. He talked much about the Kingdom of God and did what He talked about. When He sent the disciples out in Luke 9 and 10 He told them to preach the Kingdom and do the Kingdom. In Acts 1 Jesus told the disciples to wait for the promised Holy Spirit (that he would baptize them with) so they could be “able” (with power) doers (witnesses). There needs to be plenty of teaching on our identity, who God is and what the Kingdom is about. However if it doesn’t lead us to DO then what is the point? We are like the Athenians and foreigners who spent their time talking about things and listening to others talk. That is not who we are. We are not people who talk about worship, we worship! We don’t talk about sharing Christ, we share Christ with others, we don’t talk about healing, we invoke the healing power of Jesus over people! We will not be held back the false picture of the Bereans who searched the scripture to see if what Paul said was true and then acted on it. Some have made Bereans out to be people whose life is study or who are the watch dogs of Christianity. (Not watchmen but watchdogs who bark at everything!) They, like the other believers, were willing to be persecuted and rejected by others to serve Christ. They were doers and so are we!
Paul = Doer
Silas = Doer
Athenian = Talker
Us = Doer
21 (All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.)
Jesus was a doer. He talked much about the Kingdom of God and did what He talked about. When He sent the disciples out in Luke 9 and 10 He told them to preach the Kingdom and do the Kingdom. In Acts 1 Jesus told the disciples to wait for the promised Holy Spirit (that he would baptize them with) so they could be “able” (with power) doers (witnesses). There needs to be plenty of teaching on our identity, who God is and what the Kingdom is about. However if it doesn’t lead us to DO then what is the point? We are like the Athenians and foreigners who spent their time talking about things and listening to others talk. That is not who we are. We are not people who talk about worship, we worship! We don’t talk about sharing Christ, we share Christ with others, we don’t talk about healing, we invoke the healing power of Jesus over people! We will not be held back the false picture of the Bereans who searched the scripture to see if what Paul said was true and then acted on it. Some have made Bereans out to be people whose life is study or who are the watch dogs of Christianity. (Not watchmen but watchdogs who bark at everything!) They, like the other believers, were willing to be persecuted and rejected by others to serve Christ. They were doers and so are we!
Paul = Doer
Silas = Doer
Athenian = Talker
Us = Doer
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
February 9
Acts 16:6-7 (NIV)
6 Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to.
We are on a mission from God! Therefore it His prerogative to send us anywhere He wants, which means that He can stop us from going other places. Does this make sense? Sometimes God doesn’t want us to talk to this person because He has another person for us to talk to. It goes beyond that as well. If God wants us involved in a certain ministry, then we won’t be able to be involved in this ministry, or this sports club or this activity. We have a mission. It is difficult to be focused on ______________ (you fill in the blank with whatever would seem natural or is easy for you to do) and do what God has asked you to do. We are a busy people who wear the badge of busy like it is a gold medal. God wants us to be busy about His business. Plus, maybe you will get around to such and such like Paul eventually preached to all of Asia minor through His ministry at Ephesus. It just wasn’t the right time for it yet.
6 Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to.
We are on a mission from God! Therefore it His prerogative to send us anywhere He wants, which means that He can stop us from going other places. Does this make sense? Sometimes God doesn’t want us to talk to this person because He has another person for us to talk to. It goes beyond that as well. If God wants us involved in a certain ministry, then we won’t be able to be involved in this ministry, or this sports club or this activity. We have a mission. It is difficult to be focused on ______________ (you fill in the blank with whatever would seem natural or is easy for you to do) and do what God has asked you to do. We are a busy people who wear the badge of busy like it is a gold medal. God wants us to be busy about His business. Plus, maybe you will get around to such and such like Paul eventually preached to all of Asia minor through His ministry at Ephesus. It just wasn’t the right time for it yet.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
February 8
Acts 15:39 (NIV)
39 They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus,
I don’t know if you think this is as crazy as I do, but I can barely believe that this is in the Biblical account. So this appears to be the first missionary organization split. Why not leave this little ugliness out? Hmmm….
Because the Spirit of God wanted us to see it, that is why it is there! If you read the end of the story you will see that there was a make-up of sorts, but the issue at hand is what do you do when you can’t agree? Advance the Kingdom! We have got to get this – Paul and Barnabas both went and preached the Word of God, and strengthened the disciples in different places. They didn’t go to the same place and compete, they went their separate ways and did the same thing, advanced the Kingdom of God.
There will certainly be disagreements within any family as there was here. The question for us is, what we will do when that happens? The one thing for sure is that we will advance the Kingdom in the way we handle it. There will be no competition for supremacy, just a willingness to be unified in our end goal. Please notice that nowhere in this passage does it say, “the Spirit said to them”, or “the Spirit sent them…”, is says that Paul and Barnabas had a sharp disagreement. This was not from the Lord and neither is it from the Lord that we in the body of Christ have such a sharp disagreement that we have to leave one another. However, because of the weakness of our flesh God graciously can use even our disagreements for His Kingdom – if we let Him.
39 They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus,
I don’t know if you think this is as crazy as I do, but I can barely believe that this is in the Biblical account. So this appears to be the first missionary organization split. Why not leave this little ugliness out? Hmmm….
Because the Spirit of God wanted us to see it, that is why it is there! If you read the end of the story you will see that there was a make-up of sorts, but the issue at hand is what do you do when you can’t agree? Advance the Kingdom! We have got to get this – Paul and Barnabas both went and preached the Word of God, and strengthened the disciples in different places. They didn’t go to the same place and compete, they went their separate ways and did the same thing, advanced the Kingdom of God.
There will certainly be disagreements within any family as there was here. The question for us is, what we will do when that happens? The one thing for sure is that we will advance the Kingdom in the way we handle it. There will be no competition for supremacy, just a willingness to be unified in our end goal. Please notice that nowhere in this passage does it say, “the Spirit said to them”, or “the Spirit sent them…”, is says that Paul and Barnabas had a sharp disagreement. This was not from the Lord and neither is it from the Lord that we in the body of Christ have such a sharp disagreement that we have to leave one another. However, because of the weakness of our flesh God graciously can use even our disagreements for His Kingdom – if we let Him.
Monday, February 7, 2011
February 7
Acts 14:9 (NIV)
9 He listened to Paul as he was speaking. Paul looked directly at him, saw that he had faith to be healed
Many have spoken about faith like it is the key ingredient in anything God does. Others have recoiled from the emphasis put on faith to make faith something akin to leaven! Is there a balance? !
The scripture is true. This man had faith to be healed. It takes some level of faith to be healed. It takes faith to believe in and please God. That should be a settled issue. (Heb. 11) The question is how much faith does it take to be healed and where did Paul look to see that this guy had enough? There is another nagging question for many; if you don’t get healed is it because of your lack of faith. The answers to these questions are only found in Christ! We are afraid to tell someone that they lack faith but Jesus did. That fact is that we lack faith for many things including healing, however, that doesn’t translate into if someone isn’t healed then they lack faith. We have got to get away from the simplistic equations that aren’t found in the Word of God and see what Paul saw – he saw into the man’s soul or spirit. He saw the fruit was just dangling from the tree and just needed to be shaken. We are NOT suppose to judge people who don’t have faith, we are supposed to bolster their faith! So condemning someone who isn’t healed or whatever because of a lack of faith is counterproductive! We must encourage their faith and stand with them in their trail! There may be several different reasons why people don’t get healed or see prayers answered besides a lack of faith. Who knows all things except God? The one thing I get is this, Paul was preaching the Word of God and saw that this guy did have the faith for healing, so he acted. Instead of trying to figure out why this one and not that one, let’s preach the Word, ask God for vision beyond the physical realm and do the stuff.
9 He listened to Paul as he was speaking. Paul looked directly at him, saw that he had faith to be healed
Many have spoken about faith like it is the key ingredient in anything God does. Others have recoiled from the emphasis put on faith to make faith something akin to leaven! Is there a balance? !
The scripture is true. This man had faith to be healed. It takes some level of faith to be healed. It takes faith to believe in and please God. That should be a settled issue. (Heb. 11) The question is how much faith does it take to be healed and where did Paul look to see that this guy had enough? There is another nagging question for many; if you don’t get healed is it because of your lack of faith. The answers to these questions are only found in Christ! We are afraid to tell someone that they lack faith but Jesus did. That fact is that we lack faith for many things including healing, however, that doesn’t translate into if someone isn’t healed then they lack faith. We have got to get away from the simplistic equations that aren’t found in the Word of God and see what Paul saw – he saw into the man’s soul or spirit. He saw the fruit was just dangling from the tree and just needed to be shaken. We are NOT suppose to judge people who don’t have faith, we are supposed to bolster their faith! So condemning someone who isn’t healed or whatever because of a lack of faith is counterproductive! We must encourage their faith and stand with them in their trail! There may be several different reasons why people don’t get healed or see prayers answered besides a lack of faith. Who knows all things except God? The one thing I get is this, Paul was preaching the Word of God and saw that this guy did have the faith for healing, so he acted. Instead of trying to figure out why this one and not that one, let’s preach the Word, ask God for vision beyond the physical realm and do the stuff.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
February 6
Acts 13:4 (NIV)
4 The two of them, sent on their way by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia and sailed from there to Cyprus.
First they were set apart for some ministry during a prayer meeting.
Acts 13:2 (NIV)
2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”
Now they are “sent on their way” by the Spirit of God who evidentially told them to go to Seleucia and Cyprus. So many lessons in one day of a blog!
•They had a prayer meeting.
•There were prophets and teachers at the prayer meeting.
•They had a prayer meeting that they allowed the Spirit to speak.
•Paul and Barnabas received their mission from the Spirit at the prayer meeting.
•They left for their mission – were sent off by the people of Antioch after the call came to go.
•When they left the Spirit directed them where to go.
That is so awesome…ly…. Scary! I wonder if they knew where they would go first or where they would end up? They were being sent by the Spirit of God. It wasn’t an act of their will, it happened to them. Is this why we don’t have more prayer meetings? Maybe this is why we don’t have many prophets? Scary stuff happens like, leave here and go there – now! I have read ahead. They changed the world! God used them mightily! What a wonderful life of adventure! Live – Pray – Be Sent!
4 The two of them, sent on their way by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia and sailed from there to Cyprus.
First they were set apart for some ministry during a prayer meeting.
Acts 13:2 (NIV)
2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”
Now they are “sent on their way” by the Spirit of God who evidentially told them to go to Seleucia and Cyprus. So many lessons in one day of a blog!
•They had a prayer meeting.
•There were prophets and teachers at the prayer meeting.
•They had a prayer meeting that they allowed the Spirit to speak.
•Paul and Barnabas received their mission from the Spirit at the prayer meeting.
•They left for their mission – were sent off by the people of Antioch after the call came to go.
•When they left the Spirit directed them where to go.
That is so awesome…ly…. Scary! I wonder if they knew where they would go first or where they would end up? They were being sent by the Spirit of God. It wasn’t an act of their will, it happened to them. Is this why we don’t have more prayer meetings? Maybe this is why we don’t have many prophets? Scary stuff happens like, leave here and go there – now! I have read ahead. They changed the world! God used them mightily! What a wonderful life of adventure! Live – Pray – Be Sent!
Saturday, February 5, 2011
February 5
Genesis 29:25 (NIV)
25 When morning came, there was Leah! So Jacob said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me? I served you for Rachel, didn’t I? Why have you deceived me?”
Funny how things work out huh? Jacob was extremely blessed by the Lord. He was under a covenant with Abraham and his father Isaac, but it couldn’t help keep his own sin to come and roost in his own lap. He was a trickster and now he was being tricked. Jesus teaches this principle in the Sermon on the Mount and other places and it is still true today! There is plenty of reason to live a holy and clean hearted life and this is one of them. If we think that the enemy won’t be empowered by our own choice to do evil, we are incorrect! Why do you think that God’s Word over and over again calls us to live “rightly”? Because God knows what happens when we don’t and he hates to see that happen to the people He loves.
25 When morning came, there was Leah! So Jacob said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me? I served you for Rachel, didn’t I? Why have you deceived me?”
Funny how things work out huh? Jacob was extremely blessed by the Lord. He was under a covenant with Abraham and his father Isaac, but it couldn’t help keep his own sin to come and roost in his own lap. He was a trickster and now he was being tricked. Jesus teaches this principle in the Sermon on the Mount and other places and it is still true today! There is plenty of reason to live a holy and clean hearted life and this is one of them. If we think that the enemy won’t be empowered by our own choice to do evil, we are incorrect! Why do you think that God’s Word over and over again calls us to live “rightly”? Because God knows what happens when we don’t and he hates to see that happen to the people He loves.
Friday, February 4, 2011
February 4
That was a great day of reading! What lessons! What a story! Don’t you just love days like this where the Word is so full of richness – obvious richness, that you can’t decide what to write on?
Acts 10:38 (NIV)
38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.
Please notice the last 5 words, “because God was with Him”. What we have to ask ourselves is, if God is with us, could we do what Jesus did – all of it! Well, there is John 14:12 “…greater things you shall do…”, and then there is Mark 9:23 “…all things are possible…”, so what will you believe? I will believe this, “If God is for me, then who can be against me?” In other words, there may be people against me but nobody can match up to God! The key as we see in those last 5 words is God has to be with us. Jesus however only went where He saw the Father going and only did what He saw the Father doing, so it wasn’t like the Father went wherever Jesus went, but Jesus went wherever the Father went. Did you get that? If we are asking God to go with and bless our lives, bless our plans and so on, we are taking the wrong approach! Let God drive and then you are always with Him AND He is always with you! That is how to live in God’s presence – you be with him! One of the answers to the question, “why don’t we see more miracles and …” is this, because we aren’t keeping God “before” us. Which not only means staying in His presence, (going where He goes) but keeping Him in front of us – leading us.
Acts 10:38 (NIV)
38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.
Please notice the last 5 words, “because God was with Him”. What we have to ask ourselves is, if God is with us, could we do what Jesus did – all of it! Well, there is John 14:12 “…greater things you shall do…”, and then there is Mark 9:23 “…all things are possible…”, so what will you believe? I will believe this, “If God is for me, then who can be against me?” In other words, there may be people against me but nobody can match up to God! The key as we see in those last 5 words is God has to be with us. Jesus however only went where He saw the Father going and only did what He saw the Father doing, so it wasn’t like the Father went wherever Jesus went, but Jesus went wherever the Father went. Did you get that? If we are asking God to go with and bless our lives, bless our plans and so on, we are taking the wrong approach! Let God drive and then you are always with Him AND He is always with you! That is how to live in God’s presence – you be with him! One of the answers to the question, “why don’t we see more miracles and …” is this, because we aren’t keeping God “before” us. Which not only means staying in His presence, (going where He goes) but keeping Him in front of us – leading us.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
February 3
Genesis 25:34 (NIV)
34 Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew. He ate and drank, and then got up and left. So Esau despised his birthright.
We can look at Esau and criticize him but let’s look at ourselves instead. Isn’t it easier to read this account and then say, “I would never do that!” For the most part I think that is pride on our behalf. How many of us have sold our birthright for a relationship with friends or the opposite sex, or maybe just some sex? How many of us have sold our birthright for comfort or alcohol and partying? We have such an incredible birthright as children of God! We are co-heirs with Christ which means we have everything that he inherited! Have we sold the birthright of healing and miracles, of peace or joy? Those things and many others are ours to have, do we possess them? Do we claim them as ours or have we given them away because of faulty thinking? At least Esau got some food and drink for his birthright, I think there have been times in my life that I haven’t gotten anything in return except trouble! Are you hearing me?
The reason he gave away his birthright so easily was because he “despised” it in the first place or didn’t value it. He didn’t think it was that valuable! (Until his father died). We must have the right perspective of our birthright as King’s kids. We have so much at our disposal! We are like Isaac who prospered wherever he went, it was obvious to all (except for maybe Esau, who saw the blessing, but didn’t reckon it to himself) and they feared him even though he knew nothing of war. He was like a “tree planted by the water who bears its fruit in season, whose leaf doesn’t wither, whatever he does prospers”. (Psalm 1) Recognize you have a birthright and claim it. Learn what your birthright is and stand on it. Realize who gave you this birthright and what it cost, and don’t let it go to waste!
34 Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew. He ate and drank, and then got up and left. So Esau despised his birthright.
We can look at Esau and criticize him but let’s look at ourselves instead. Isn’t it easier to read this account and then say, “I would never do that!” For the most part I think that is pride on our behalf. How many of us have sold our birthright for a relationship with friends or the opposite sex, or maybe just some sex? How many of us have sold our birthright for comfort or alcohol and partying? We have such an incredible birthright as children of God! We are co-heirs with Christ which means we have everything that he inherited! Have we sold the birthright of healing and miracles, of peace or joy? Those things and many others are ours to have, do we possess them? Do we claim them as ours or have we given them away because of faulty thinking? At least Esau got some food and drink for his birthright, I think there have been times in my life that I haven’t gotten anything in return except trouble! Are you hearing me?
The reason he gave away his birthright so easily was because he “despised” it in the first place or didn’t value it. He didn’t think it was that valuable! (Until his father died). We must have the right perspective of our birthright as King’s kids. We have so much at our disposal! We are like Isaac who prospered wherever he went, it was obvious to all (except for maybe Esau, who saw the blessing, but didn’t reckon it to himself) and they feared him even though he knew nothing of war. He was like a “tree planted by the water who bears its fruit in season, whose leaf doesn’t wither, whatever he does prospers”. (Psalm 1) Recognize you have a birthright and claim it. Learn what your birthright is and stand on it. Realize who gave you this birthright and what it cost, and don’t let it go to waste!
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
February 2
How much do you love the book of Acts?! What encouragement! First a fierce opponent of the gospel gets hit by “light” and knocked to the ground. Then a believer prays for his healing and he is healed, and then Paul twice had to escape people who wanted to kill him. What lessons! Then Peter raises up a paralytic and then raises a dead person. I know that this isn’t a “day” in the life, but it does seem to be normal. Visions, healings, raising from the dead, those are the things that happened and I say to us today, happen (in the present tense). Forget about can happen (possibility), but do happen all around the world! Why don’t we hear about it? The same reason most of us don’t that the government has approved genetically altered food and it is really not good for us. If we would read a bit more and expand our life context from being the people that we can see or the people that we know, we would read about modern day miracles that happen regularly. However, even if we don’t have any other reports, it is enough that we have the Word of God! This tells us what is normal and natural for the believer. Let’s look at it again:
• Bright light appears out of nowhere
• Being knocked to the ground
• Blindness in order for a more excellent revelation
• Jesus audibly speaking to a chosen person in a group
• Visions with interactions with Jesus
• Salvation of an ardent adversary of Christ
• Baptism in the Holy Spirit
• Healing blind eyes
• People wanting to kill the messenger
• Divine protection and wisdom
• A completely changed life
• Healing of radical maladies
• Putting mourners outside in order to pray with faith
• Raising people from the dead
• Many people believing in Christ because of miracles with evangelism
These are just a few observations, they are NORMAL Christian living. Our normal living (in this country) has been reduced to living moral and helping people. It is that and so much more! Start renewing your mind right now – this stuff in normal!
• Bright light appears out of nowhere
• Being knocked to the ground
• Blindness in order for a more excellent revelation
• Jesus audibly speaking to a chosen person in a group
• Visions with interactions with Jesus
• Salvation of an ardent adversary of Christ
• Baptism in the Holy Spirit
• Healing blind eyes
• People wanting to kill the messenger
• Divine protection and wisdom
• A completely changed life
• Healing of radical maladies
• Putting mourners outside in order to pray with faith
• Raising people from the dead
• Many people believing in Christ because of miracles with evangelism
These are just a few observations, they are NORMAL Christian living. Our normal living (in this country) has been reduced to living moral and helping people. It is that and so much more! Start renewing your mind right now – this stuff in normal!
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
February 1
Acts 8:39-40 (NIV)
39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing. Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and traveled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea.
What is it that can’t happen? Nothing I would tell you! Here Philip is somehow taken in the spirit and placed in another city, without the use of a road! This was a spirit realm thing – a Holy Spirit happening that can’t be explained! Again my question is what is it that the Spirit of God cannot do? He could make a car appear in your driveway, He could overwhelm you with peace in a time of trouble, He can heal your cancer so much that the doctors will never find a trace of it! This shouldn’t be that hard to accept if we believe that we have been saved, which is an incredible miracle! I think this is included in the Biblical account to make us stop and think about the greatness and limitlessness of God. His children don’t live under the “normal” laws of physics alone, but we have another law of the Spirit that we live under – limitlessness! If we begin to look for these types of things in the Word, we will see them, but if we stay focused on “how to live”, which has great merit, we will miss the awesomeness of God and the FACT that we can live on a different level. How is all this accessed, by faith and faith alone. Consider this;
Acts 8:18-19 (NIV)
18 When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money and said, “Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”
You cannot get the gift of the Spirit or anything else in the Spirit by money or any human effort or will! God will not be bought with our good works. All things in Him from salvation to healing to dreams and visions are attained through faith. All things are possible for him who believes (trusts or has faith).
Let’s redefine what normal Christians are! Let’s take it from being nice moral people who people are generally liked (notwithstanding all of the criticisms) to people of intense dedication to the full gospel, who love deeply, perform signs and wonders, and are limitless in what can happen through them!
39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing. Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and traveled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea.
What is it that can’t happen? Nothing I would tell you! Here Philip is somehow taken in the spirit and placed in another city, without the use of a road! This was a spirit realm thing – a Holy Spirit happening that can’t be explained! Again my question is what is it that the Spirit of God cannot do? He could make a car appear in your driveway, He could overwhelm you with peace in a time of trouble, He can heal your cancer so much that the doctors will never find a trace of it! This shouldn’t be that hard to accept if we believe that we have been saved, which is an incredible miracle! I think this is included in the Biblical account to make us stop and think about the greatness and limitlessness of God. His children don’t live under the “normal” laws of physics alone, but we have another law of the Spirit that we live under – limitlessness! If we begin to look for these types of things in the Word, we will see them, but if we stay focused on “how to live”, which has great merit, we will miss the awesomeness of God and the FACT that we can live on a different level. How is all this accessed, by faith and faith alone. Consider this;
Acts 8:18-19 (NIV)
18 When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money and said, “Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”
You cannot get the gift of the Spirit or anything else in the Spirit by money or any human effort or will! God will not be bought with our good works. All things in Him from salvation to healing to dreams and visions are attained through faith. All things are possible for him who believes (trusts or has faith).
Let’s redefine what normal Christians are! Let’s take it from being nice moral people who people are generally liked (notwithstanding all of the criticisms) to people of intense dedication to the full gospel, who love deeply, perform signs and wonders, and are limitless in what can happen through them!
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