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Monthly Archives: January 2015

Daily pride repentance

28 Jan

Daily pride repentance

Philippians 2:5-8

Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be made equal with God, but made himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bond servant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

I have been stuck in this chair after surgery for a week now. I have found myself even going to some of the Christian broadcasting channels, only to get aggravated with what I saw. It worries me sometimes for the people that follow this media and TV personalities, but I must remember that one of my friends testimony began with one of its smiling stars. He now is a missionary in a distant land, living his life as a disciple, spreading the gospel to people who have not heard. The Holy Spirit does a work we cannot do, nor question his ways in accomplishing God’s will. “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways.” says the Lord. Isaiah 55:8

My struggle yesterday was a reply to a very good question. “How much pride do we have to have to be considered proud before God?” The answers were very weak, and almost seemed afraid to step on people’s toes. To me it was obvious that the panel of pastors sat on pedestals of their own pride. All throughout the Bible is the evidence of God exemplifying a humble spirit before him. The root of all evil is pride and and can be traced back to Satan being cast out of heaven for wanting to be like God. At 3 AM this morning I found myself in Philippians 2 with the evidence of the love that God has for you; the condescension of Christ, when God became man to die for your sins. Grasping just a small portion of that condescension will stir your heart to a level of humbleness that no pride can attain. How many proofs are in the Bible that the lonely will be elevated in heaven?

Sadly as Christians we all struggle with pride, sometimes even unknowingly in our judging other people. This is an entire message within itself. As Christians this is proof of another requirement of daily repentance. Daily repentance brings us to the feet of Jesus, humbly asking for forgiveness of our daily sins. The daily sin of pride alone should prod us to daily repentance alone. Repent and believe and draw closer to Him today than you were yesterday.

 
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Posted by on January 28, 2015 in Daily Devotions

 

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Struggling Too

26 Jan

https://www.dropbox.com/s/hlfyuztt3ncwmf3/struggling%20too.rtf?dl=0

 
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Posted by on January 26, 2015 in Daily Devotions

 

More of Him and less of me

20 Jan

More of Him and less of me

Ephesians 1:11-12 In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, 12 that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.

Tomorrow I embark on a new tough journey; I am having major shoulder repair surgery for the third time; this time on my “good arm.” You may not know that the first two resulted in me having about 25% strength in my right arm. The second was a rare thing that happened according to the doc, but I knew it was God at work in my life taking my pride in one powerful blow. Now faced with the left too, I am faced with the reality of being physically handicapped in my abilities to do physical work that I earn a living and just function as a man. For a time of about 3-6 months, I will be handicapped. My good arm has picked up the slack, and now I am faced with not being able to work and provide income for two families. Satan is hammering me in my thought life filling me with doubt and fear of the unknown. He is also giving me worst case scenario’s and how my life changes as I go under the knife tomorrow. But, I rest in God’s Sovereign will for my life, and knowing that he has a purpose greater than mine in and through it.

My battle is no different from yours. You may be facing cancer, divorce, death, employment, or any life change that is a big life change. All these things are designed to draw you closer to God. Any single thing that you face has been filtered through God’s sovereign hands. He has either designed or allowed it. Remember Job from the Old Testament? No many people would dare say their life’s troubles compared to his. How did it begin? Read Job 1:7-12 and see how proud God was of Job to the point of letting Satan test him. Through all of Job’s trials he never cursed God and was blessed by God. His story has been used to bless countless souls until this very day. All that you face in life can be used to draw you closer to God; this results in Him using you to draw others to himself. 2nd Corinthians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

My hope for all my life is for God to use my life to draw others to him. My hope is that you see me as one who has been forgiven of great immeasurable sins, and still the blood of Jesus has forgiven me and given me eternal life and hope for this life. These tough roads are the act of sanctification by God in my daily life; conforming me into the image of his Son. The more of him and the less of me the better we all are. Even if it means that He has to continue to take great blows to weaken the pride my testimony was rooted in. Ephesians 3:8 To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ.

 
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Posted by on January 20, 2015 in Daily Devotions

 

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I am rich

17 Jan

I am rich

Psalm 49:13-15 This is the way of those who are foolish, And of their posterity who approve their sayings. Selah 14 Like sheep they are laid in the grave; Death shall feed on them; The upright shall have dominion over them in the morning; And their beauty shall be consumed in the grave, far from their dwelling. 15 But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave, For He shall receive me. Selah

I have had the world come at me recently with the idea of the pursuit of the wealth of the American Dream; I have had God laying on my heart the reality of letting go of prized possessions. These two are in direct contradiction to one another; this is of no surprise for one is of Satan and one is of my Savior. Sadly we define others and even ourselves by our possessions; this has been around since sin and the beginning of time. We look up to the wealthy and look down on the poor. There is incredible proof in how deep sin is rooted in our character from the fall of man at the Garden of Eden in that understanding. That outlook on life is a character trait you were born into. Only by the grace of God, the work of Christ, and the lifelong process of sanctification frees you from that bondage that condemns. A spiritual marker in your journey is the point at which “stuff” just does not have the hold on you that it once did; when attaining stuff is no longer your pursuit in life. This inner change is a work of the Holy Spirit, but this change is a life-long process that He continually puts before you. “What do you place before me?”

There is striking similarities between this Psalm and the book of Ecclesiastes that was written by Solomon. The book of Ecclesiastes is very pertinent to how much value we place on our careers and all that we seemingly attain from them. Solomon wrote 1:2 “Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher; “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.” In contrast though, Solomon did not write this Psalm. The Sons of Korah did, and if you have not heard of them, they wrote about 25 of the Psalms, and their lineage is a powerful story of the power of God. I have included a link here.
http://www.gotquestions.org/sons-of-Korah.html

Part of the reason I do not play the lottery is the fear of winning the lottery. What does the Bible tell us about being rich? Read about Jesus and the parable of the rich young ruler; Luke 18:23 But when he heard this, he became very sorrowful, for he was very rich. 24 And when Jesus saw that he became very sorrowful, He said, “How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God! 25 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” You might say, “I would give it all away to the poor.” Would you, could you? Sanctification is the work of the Holy Spirit for all of your life conforming you into the image of Jesus Christ. The greater the work He does in you, the greater the work he does through you. You become a living testimony to the power of God to save the sinner and to attain heaven all through the Gospel. You begin to see this life as the preparation for the eternal life, and that is where true riches lie. Revelation 21:21 The twelve gates were twelve pearls: each individual gate was of one pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.

 
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Posted by on January 17, 2015 in Daily Devotions

 

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Drawing Near

14 Jan

Drawing Near

Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

I don’t know how I would make it through life without my faith; I don’t know how I would not break under the strain Satan brings in this world; I do not know how I would not crack under the pressures of the trials of life. All the world expects by it’s own standards are challenged by it’s own standards. All this world breeds about success is challenged by the expectancy of the requirements to obtain it. I have heard in recent days of success bred business plans, and I have heard of the monetary driven potential in them. Even in my pursuit of simplifying and expansion, it is read as chasing the American Dream of success. My definition of success is not the American Dream. My definition of success is at the end of my life bowing before my Lord Jesus and hearing these words of Matthew 25:21 His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’

I received the results of my shoulder MRI yesterday and they were much worse than expected. The recovery time is measured in months and not weeks. This puts an incredible burden on the operation, sustainability, and financial responsibility of myself, my company, families, and customers alike. The world screams at me for the weight of all of these it is laying on my shoulders, (pun intended), while I am out of work for three to six months. Satan wants to slam me with anxiety rooted in the fear of the unknown. Satan wants me to think collapse of all that I have and somewhat desire in life. God wants me to rest in Romans 8:28. God has shown up financially in ways that only he can; those close to me are in awe of it just like I am. He always provides just when the money runs out by the world standards in ways that are not worldly. The proof of Himself found in faith, with a means measured by the world.

Many of my Christian friends have been, and are enduring incredible trials of life. I have seen their faith grow and knowingly understand that God has used them to encourage others outside of the faith, or those weak in their faith. So many false prophets today are preaching from pulpits success by worldly standards; preaching prosperity gospels that tell you your faith is measure by your worldly success; if you don’t have enough faith, you worn’t have enough “stuff.” Jesus never said that anywhere in the Bible. Jesus said take up your cross and follow me and life will be tough for your short time here but you will be blessed ETERNALLY. John 16:33 These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” Today let whatever God has designed or allowed in your life to draw you closer to him. I promise you that is the purpose of whatever you are struggling with at any level; drawing closer to God.

 
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Posted by on January 14, 2015 in Daily Devotions

 

Talk to the Author first

12 Jan

Talk to the Author first

Psalm 119:105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.

My favorite Bible is coming apart at the seams. Literally coming apart, and I was told to just get a new one…..but I can’t. This Bible is full of how the Holy Spirit has spoken to me over the past 6-8 years. It has all colors of highlights, underlines, notes in the margins, sermon notes, and full of life. I remember leaving it at church once and freaking out till I found it. This particular Bible is truly special to me and it very rarely leaves my study. The evidences of God in my life fill this book and only He and I understand how powerfully he has personally spoken to me countless times in it. This Bible is truly God’s light for me in this very dark world that we face daily.

We could go down seemingly endless lists of what people call the Bible; a love letter, a rulebook, a history book, a book of prophecy (and fulfilled), and on and on. What is it to you? If you begin to understand that it is God speaking directly to you, it will change the way you view it. We all want the clear sign, the banner in the sky, the voice in our ear, the answer to whatever question we are seeking him for. You have in your possession the answer in written form. Any answer to any question is found in the Bible. Every life application is found there; every life answer is found there. 2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. If you begin to grasp that all the Creator of all that is in the universe, that he put all that you will ever need to know in this book, that humble feeling you get at that revelation, is the beginning of the wisdom found there.

If you have tried reading it, and you just don’t get it, it probably means that you don’t personally know the Lord Jesus as your Savior. The Holy Spirit is who opens the truths of God to you when you read your Bible, and you only possess the Holy Spirit upon accepting Jesus Christ as your Savior. The Spirit comes as a gift of redemption and the Bible takes on an entire new meaning in your life. If it seems a dull book, you are forgetting to talk to the Author of the book first to understand how to interpret it.

 
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Posted by on January 12, 2015 in Daily Devotions

 

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More than just work

10 Jan

More than just work

James 3:6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell.

There is no more powerful weapon in the world than the tongue. There is no one of any age that has not experienced both praise and pain from the same source. Even as children we can say simple things that we do not even understand, that sting those direct words that come at us in the brutal honesty of children, ie: “Dad you are fat.” That same child that warmed our heart with their love at 3yrs old, just did immeasurable damage in four words. Satan at work in our youngest children with habits and words that sting all the way through life. I am just as guilty as any of you if not worse. I experienced an incredible twofold attack yesterday from Satan in making fun of my faith, and my faith based business. He dealt a painful blow that truly hurt from the sources he used, and they had no idea how deeply they were being used.

I was encouraged this morning to find one of the first daily devotional’s God ever used in my life was about secular ministry. It was also from the scripture I have on the side of my truck. God has used Os Hillman’s ministry greatly in my life; I attended a workshop he had in Atlanta and was forever changed by God. Where God has you five days a week is your ministry. How you conduct yourself at work as a Christian is your ministry. If you too are persecuted, you too are blessed.

Here is the TGIF (Today God Is First) devo for today.

Your Secular Work Is Ministry

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving (Col 3:23-25).
I sat across the table from the well known seminary professor and former missionary as he asked me a very direct question: “So, Os, tell me about this faith at work movement.” “Well, there’s really nothing complicated about it. I believe every person’s work can be viewed as a ministry if done with a motive to glorify God based upon Colossians 3:23,” I responded. “How can you say that if you’re not sharing the gospel in that job? You would have to be actively sharing your faith for it to be construed as ministry,” he argued. “No, that’s not true. The work itself is ministry because the word for ministry and service come from the same Greek root word, diakonia. When you are serving others even through your secular work and do it with a motive to glorify God, that’s why it is ministry. In fact, the Bible says you’ll receive an inheritance when you do,” I said. We continued bantering back and forth on the issue. I continued, “God created even secular work to meet human needs. Man began to divide work into spiritual and non-spiritual terms which introduced a form of dualism in the third and fourth centuries. But God never secularized our work. He desires our work to be viewed as worship.”
We concluded our meeting in disagreement. However, a few months later I met my friend at a booksellers convention. “Hey, you were right Os! I’ve done my study and work really is ministry because it is service. This man went on to write a book on the subject and said this; “Think about this. If you are filling someone’s teeth, you are ministering to your patient. If you are playing in a symphony orchestra, you are ministering to the audience. If you are flying an airplane, you are ministering to the passengers. If you wait on tables, you are ministering to the customers. All of that clearly fits under biblical diakonia.”
It was the first time I’d ever won a theological argument with a theologian!

 
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Posted by on January 10, 2015 in Daily Devotions

 

Give Him every day

08 Jan

Give Him every day

Romans 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.

This morning I am physically hurting due to a shoulder injury that I deepened yesterday at work. I stayed in bed longer thinking about all that is coming with the surgery, and all that is effected by it with being self-employed. I went down a road of self-pity, and then later in prayer the Spirit reminded me of Romans 12:1 above. That encouraged me to think of how blessed I am as a child of God, and even the plans that he has in every day before, during, and after this injury that I do not know. He reminded me of Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. The Spirit deeply encouraged me during my prayer time, for he knew Satan had been doing the exact opposite during the early morning pity-party. God knows my heart for him even amongst all my daily failures and trials of life. He knows how much I seek to live my life abiding in him as a disciple of his. He knows that I fail daily, but seek to repent and believe on the forgiveness that lie in him alone. He did not promise us a bed of roses if we live for this world; we are to live for the world after, and focus on dedicating our lives to him for our short time here. John 16:33 These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

In my surfing social media this morning, this post from David Platt surfaced again. This is exactly the way I feel about how watered down the Gospel has become in our churches today seeking to entertain us to pack their pews. Nowhere in the Bible is the simple calling to say a prayer or sign a card and go on with your life. Jesus tells us to dedicate our lives to him. Luke 9:23 Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. My heart lies in those that sit in church every week stuck in religion, but will not see heaven. Your eternal salvation begins with a humble repentant prayer, but that is not the end. You are called to live your life for the One who gives you life. You are called to be witness of him to all that God places before you every day. The outpouring of your heart for him is the evidence of Him for all to see and inquire about him. A life that seeks to live their life for him is one that possesses the peace that the world does not understand. That life understands John 14:27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. The Holy Spirit that comes to live inside of you at Salvation is seeking to do the work of Christ through you until you meet him in heaven. It begins with the prayer, but it is only the beginning.

Why “Accepting Jesus In Your Heart” Is Superstitious & Unbiblical

 
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Posted by on January 8, 2015 in Daily Devotions

 

Wait…..what did He say?

07 Jan

Wait…..what did He say?

Hebrews 4:1 -2 Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it. 2 For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it.

My hope is there is a little fear in you as you read that passage; fear of God is a good thing. If not, slow down and read it again with the understanding of His rest, as heaven. Coming short of heaven; coming short because we did not mix our hearing of his word with the action of a faith proclaiming it. There are many examples and roads to go down here; the parable of the soils where God’s word fell on different soils and produced differently; the calling out in the epistle of James to live out our faith by works; the similarities of the scariest words in the Bible of Matthew 7:21-23. I could go on with how we may hear the word of God, and not live our lives effected by the word of God. Faith is the verb that produces change in our lives; faith changes what we feel in our soul and is continually fed by the word of God. As James said, “Faith without works is dead,” so is faith without the word of God.

The third chapter of Hebrews points to the failing of the Israelites that wandered in sin in the desert for 40 years. How God did not let that sinful generation enter his rest of the promised land that he was providing them, after rescuing them from slavery. They saw the proof of God’s provision for 40 years even daily in food, water, and direction, but they still had sinful hearts that rebelled and lacked faith. It is simply hard for us to understand their hardened hearts. Look at your life; at the examples that he has given you of his work in your life. Look at how we still continue to sin and rebel even daily against him. The closer I get to God, the deeper the conviction of my sin and failures against him sting.

Matthew Henry wrote, “The word is preached to us that we may profit by it, that we may gain spiritual riches by it; it is a price put into our hands to get wisdom, the rich endowment of the soul. There have been in all ages a great many unprofitable hearers; many who seem to deal much in sermons, in hearing the word of God, but gain nothing to their souls thereby; and those who are not gainers by hearing are great losers.” Faith is a work in the soul that is accomplished by the word of God. Romans 10:17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. It is a work of God that does inside of us what we cannot do on our own. If He is stirring the inquisitiveness of your soul, pray and pursue him to become blessed by the faith that produces eternal heaven. You will enter a rest for your short time here that the world does not understand, for you will no longer live for this world. You will begin to see the eternal rest that awaits you as one who has the faith to repent and BELIEVE. In that action of the soul is the eternal promise of heaven.

 
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Posted by on January 7, 2015 in Daily Devotions

 

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Just a beginning

06 Jan

Just a beginning

Hebrews 2:14-15 Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

The entire first two chapters of Hebrews work to this passage. They speak of the deity of Jesus Christ, of how Jesus is God, and how he became man. They speak of how he lowered himself even below the angels that he created, all to become a man to provide the necessary perfect sacrifice to save humanity that had fallen into sin. All the Old Testament pointed to the requirements of perfect sacrifices throughout the ritual of sacrificial perfect animals. The entire Bible points to our need of a perfect Lamb as our Savior; the first two chapters of Hebrews summarizes the fulfilling of that need by Jesus. Pray and take time to read the beauty of the Spirit inspired descriptions of Christ penned by the unknown author of the epistle of Hebrews.

In the verses leading up to the passage above, Jesus is speaking of the unity the believers have with himself and God. 11 For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren. Different translations describe brethren as brothers or family, but regardless of the translations we are unified with God through our relationship with Jesus alone. There is a huge depth in understanding that unity. Look at the depth of the first two chapters of Hebrews when God lowered himself from heaven to rescue you from sin. God becomes a man, and dies as a man, to rescue man from hell that awaits those who do not believe in all that Jesus alone accomplished.

When you begin to grasp even a small glimpse of all that happened at the INCARNATION, (unity between God and man), you will be moved by the Holy Spirit in awe of what He did for you. You will be moved to change how you live the remainder of your life for Him. Romans 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. If you are professing to be a Christian, but not living your life as Romans 12:1 describes, are you really a Christian? Are you really saved but just uttering a prayer, or signing a card, and returning to your life as before? That is an eternal question between you and God that I cannot answer. I can tell you with no doubt however, you will know when you are saved; you will know that you know you are secure. Your life will be a living example of Romans 12:1, because you will have grasped the power of the first two chapters of Hebrews. You will not fear the death that He conquered, for you know that in death, comes eternal life. Satan does not hold you in the fear of that bondage any longer.

If you do not feel eternally secure, pray for God to open your eyes through your heart to all that is found of him in the Bible. It all begins with that simple prayer, but it is just the beginning. Repent & believe.

 
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Posted by on January 6, 2015 in Daily Devotions

 

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