September 21

When the fingers appeared and wrote on the wall the king was pale and terrified. When God moves miraculously, people are shocked out of their comfort zone and may even become pale within their souls! The miraculous speaks like nothing else – it testifies so strong, that God himself recounts His miracles as proof of His provision, love and care. My point is this, I need to be a miraculous person – a worker of miracles – a “pray-er” of miraculous happenings! My testimony MUST include miracles. I can’t boil down the message of the Kingdom to words, preaching and good doctrine and empty it of its power to transform and skew the “normal” function of matter with miraculous interposition. In other words – the power of the Gospel includes supernatural stuff, and if I don’t do it, then I weaken the power of the Gospel.

September 20

There is a simple truth illustrated here. God knows the future! You can say He lives outside of time or He knows what will happen – whatever! He knows the future! So if I want to know the future, then I have to ask Him and then be still enough to listen. I think that is my problem, and many people’s problem – we are not still enough to hear Him who knows the future! God isn’t going to tell us ALL of the future, but He will tell us the things we need to choose NOW to bring about the BEST future.

Then there is a whole other dimension of this truth – revelation of the future. It shouldn’t be as scarce as it is. We, the children of God, who are more than servants BECAUSE God tells us what He is doing, (and he doesn’t tell servants what is happening, only to go do certain things) we are the ones who should have the knowledge of the future to bring glory to God. What I am talking about is the prophetic ministry and the lack of it in the church. God is willing to reveal things – It edifies people, it brings Him glory, it expands the Kingdom and it can’t be done without His supernatural intervention. That my friend is a great place to be, relying on Him.

September 19

One of man’s major problems (and mine since I am a man) is that he soon forgets God’s miracles and all of the things that God does for him. It is the first step to disobedience. Once you think you made it on your own, or can make it on your own, you are on your way or have been captured by pride – and nothing good comes from pride. That is why I instituted the “answer sheet”. It is our declaration of God answering our prayers and requests. I hope to have thousands of them hanging on a wall at church to remind us that it is God that is great and worthy of all our lives!

There was one more thing that caught my eye/mind. Because the spies didn’t believe the promise (that God would give them the land even though it looked as though they couldn’t prevail against the inhabitants – again the focus is on what “we can do”) they despised the land. Did you get that? They didn’t believe the promise of the Lord so they despised the very thing promised. We would do well to meditate on that principle.

September 18

Our own bows won’t deliver us. Why? Because they haven’t! That is the blessing of being in a pickle – the realization that your own strength isn’t enough. So I guess I have lived a pretty blessed life then, because I have been in many pickles. My own observation of people is this, in one way or another, God keeps revealing himself as the only deliverer. Some people, like myself, seem to have had multiple areas of destruction or near destruction to wake us up to this truth. Why? Ahh… I remember the book of Job and think I will refrain from questioning the Almighty.

My prayer is just that I would trust, that I would know my source, that I would never lean on my own understand that is apart from Him who is my Everything.

September 17

God tells Job a thing or three – huh? I kind of felt sorry for the guy, but he did deserve it. As I read it all one thing really jumped out at me, and that was God’s face and tone while He said this. I am a very visual guy, so I see things as I read. I imagined God’s face looking stern, angry and condescending. God spoke to me and said that my interpretation was not correct. I imagined God waving His arms wildly and pacing with the “who do you think you are attitude”. Now, I don’t think so. God loved Job, His heart had to break for Job because of that love. God wasn’t ready to strike Job down, He was trying to bring him into line, and Job accepted the correction. Corrections come from the Lord, but my thinking of Him being mad is ever changing as I learn of His great love, mercy and compassions that never fail. Who knows, maybe God even chuckled about the Leviathan portion.

September 16

It was the beginning of what Elihu said that struck me and troubled me. It made me ask if I do the same. Even though some of what Elihu said was spot on, his motivation was ugly and without God’s predominate trait, love.

Job 32:15-22 (NIV)
15 “They are dismayed and have no more to say; words have failed them.
16 Must I wait, now that they are silent, now that they stand there with no reply?
17 I too will have my say; I too will tell what I know.
18 For I am full of words, and the spirit within me compels me;
19 inside I am like bottled-up wine, like new wineskins ready to burst.
20 I must speak and find relief; I must open my lips and reply.
21 I will show partiality to no one, nor will I flatter any man;
22 for if I were skilled in flattery, my Maker would soon take me away.

Who was his speaking for? It seems to me that it was for Elihu, or at least partially for himself, for his relief, for his ego, for his fame. The old saying comes to mind, people don’t care what you know until they know that you care. I think it is true. “What you say, I’ll say”. You are the counselor of all Lord, not me.

September 15

This whole book, Job and friends have been thinking - do bad, get bad - do good, get good. Although that is true in many cases, that is not how God's economy works. Think about the cross and what we did to deserve it - nothing! Although we are not "maggots" like Bildad said, we have done nothing to earn the blessing of forgiveness. It seems like we have to be on one of the two extremes. Either we think of ourselves as maggots or with think we have earned it. I really want to be a person that is so thankful for it all and realizes that I have no defense except the blood of Jesus, and yet know that I have intrinsic value to God with greatness stored within me because of who my Father is.

September 14

Eliphaz asks two great questions. Can man be a benefit to God and can man bring God pleasure. His answer is no to both of these, but my answer is YES!

There is a theology that was bread into me - deep into me - that would answer no to those questions as well. It is the thought that God is concerned more about sin and righteous than about mankind. In my renewed theology, you can't separate God's significant emphasis He puts on sin and righteousness from His love for man. They go hand in hand because His love is for us and not His laws. His thinking toward us isn't rooted in whether we do right or do wrong - it is grounded in His aspiration for His creation to live their destiny that He gave them as a gift which includes deep relationship with Him.

I must continue to break with the thought that what God wants of me is to act right and do right. God wants me to relate with Him and to use the gift of life He gave me. Can I benefit and bring pleasure to God - that is an easy yes!

September 11

Another great friend condemns a man who is down. Zophar lays it on thick and Job gives it right back to him, but what struck me was that Zophar said things that were, in the middle on condemnation (unjust condemnation), true and accurate. He applied the truth of God inaccurately however and came up with condemnation. Because He didn't know the life of Job, he just went on His own wisdom and assumptions because of His theology. Because he doesn't know the heart of God, his theology is faulty even though some of the things he says makes sense.

God is not looking for someone with all the right answers, he is looking for someone that can minister with His heart. He not looking for someone who will straighten everybody out, He is looking for someone who will administrate mercy and encourage people to live grander.

September 10

Job is unaware of God's desire to be friends with him. Although his situation is extreme, and may indeed be an example for the whole earth for thousands of years, Job has God pegged wrong. His mercy endures forever and His love never fails, yes even in the trail Job is in.

"If only there were someone to arbitrate between us..." THERE IS! Jesus is our arbitrator and our mediator! When we think that God is mad at us or out to get us or whatever kooky thought we may have, we only have to look as far as Jesus to know that our sins are not counted against us - that we are not destined for God's wrath - that we are saved from His fierce anger. It is Jesus that completes us and assures us - our hope is in Him!

September 9

What a great friend Eliphaz is huh? What a bone head! Which makes me think, have I been a bone head like that? Have I kicked people when they are down and blamed it all on them? Have I added fuel to the fire of the inner torment of people – hum… In the name of truth some would say the same thing, but of course Eliphaz was wrong! He overstated and oversimplified the case. Do I oversimplify? There really was some soul searched egged on by this passage for me. I know I am an encourager, that is my gift! Is there times though, when I rush to judgment and instead of encouraging someone through some tough times, I blame them for being in them. Even if they are to blame, what is the good of the blame except that God wants to reveal it to them. I better be awful careful to make sure it is God’s Spirit and not my soul that exposes them. For me, I’ll encourage them through – that is my ministry.

September 8

Job is a rich book and if you can get past all of your questions – which are reasonable – then you will find hidden treasure!

What struck me was this man’s attitude. Wow!! I don’t think I could be like that. The Lord ministered to me what Job said, which was; should we not accept both good and trouble from God? Good question! I find myself only wanting good and not trouble. In fact, I get mad too often when trouble comes. My posture needs to accept trouble as part of life’s course and at times from God’s hand. The caution is to not be a victim, yet be able to rejoice in our sufferings. (And not have a martyr complex). I can’t think it is strange for tribulations to come – I have got to handle it and come through it – smelling better than before!

September 7

It is amazing to me that God cares so much for the king of Babylon. His redemptive plan extends far beyond my capacity to understand. He so wants Neb. to repent and be His servant in heart, that He inflicts him with mental disease so that he would repent – and tells him before it happens! Wow!

Daniel has a tough decision to make. If he interprets the dream he may offend the king and die. That speaks to me about my life and the fearlessness that I must have to help people to repentance. I have to be willing to say whatever God is saying no matter what the cost. Which means that I have to seek my supernatural God for His supernatural words for people with supernatural courage.

I will Papa – I will.

September 6

It was 9 years ago when I was picked out of an audience of hundreds and had this scripture prophecied over me. Whenever I read it, I remember what that meant to me and how I was filled with confidence and purpose. We are the temple of God! Water flows from us! I realize that I have more power and purpose than I understand, yet I think I still under estimate how much ability I have. Ezekiel 47 reminds me and challenges me to believe for more!