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The up escalator

12 Dec

The up escalator

Genesis 22:14 And Abraham called the name of the place, The-Lord-Will-Provide; as it is said to this day, “In the Mount of The Lord it shall be provided.”

If I were to give my testimony, there is a clear financial side of it. I lived much of my life grabbing all the wants I could get my hands on. I was running what I then thought was a successful business knocking on the door of becoming a million dollar company. Over the past couple years I have seen that million dollar company go time after time to less than $1000 in multiple bank accounts; being told by everyone to file bankruptcy; selling almost all the assets; working for free to keep the doors open; now working by myself in the field; I could go on and on. I have also seen money appear time after time, right on time, to make payroll or pay an overdue bill. It happened again yesterday in a very humbling way. I continue to live on the daily manna God provides me just as He did the Israelites when they wandered in the desert for 40 years.

Abraham had an only son through his wife Sarah; a cherished son that God had blessed him with very late in his life. God came to Abraham and told him to sacrifice the boy. Genesis 22:2 Then He said, “Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” Abraham was obedient to the highest imaginable call of God; he rose the next morning and prepared to do what God had told him to do. When they arrived at the mountain his son asked where the offering was. Abraham replied “My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.”(vs 8). Abraham was just about to sacrifice his son when an angel stopped him and showed him a goat caught by its horns in a thicket on the mountain top; just as he had told Issac that the Lord will provide. Abraham is called in the Bible the Patriarch of Great Faith.

When we are obedient to what we feel God pressing on our hearts to do, most likely it is a two-fold blessing in some way. We may be blessing someone in that act of obedience, the testing of our faith, in what God is pressing upon us. We also are blessed by the act in remaining in God’s Will for our lives. I believe each act of obedience draws us that much closer to God, each step of a stairway to heaven. I believe that is shown in Paul’s writing in Romans 6:16 Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? Are you saying yes to the thing He is asking of you? The stairway is an up escalator; you are either moving up, or sliding down.

 
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Posted by on December 12, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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HeartLight

11 Dec

HeartLight

Zephaniah 1:12 “And it shall come to pass at that time That I will search Jerusalem with lamps, And punish the men Who are settled in complacency, Who say in their heart, ‘The Lord will not do good, Nor will He do evil.’

I am finishing up a semester in school of studying the prophets of the Old Testament. Time after time they warn Israel and other nations of the coming judgement of God. Some nations heed the warning and repent; in their pride other nations stand, only to crumble in God’s wrath. Many of these prophecies have two fold meanings; the immediate historical intent of the nations receiving the word of God from the prophet, and the future intent of the time to come at The Day of the Lord when God passes judgement on the sin of the earth. That day is coming when we all must stand and account for our lives before Him in a holy court. We must answer what we did with the knowledge of Christ; of what we put before becoming disciples of His. How will you answer?

The more time I spend in these prophecies, the more I became concerned for those God has placed in my life. People close to me; co-workers, friends, even family. Do I be bold and share with them not only the Good News; but the wrath of eternal damnation in their apostate views of it? Zephaniah is speaking of how God will search out all that is hidden in that day of judgement on Judah; of the complacency of those resting in religion. Judah had slipped farther and farther away from God and they believed God would never punish His own people. Zephaniah 1:4 “I will stretch out my hand against Judah and against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and I will cut off from this place the remnant of Baal and the name of the idolatrous priests along with the priests, 5 those who bow down on the roofs to the host of the heavens, those who bow down and swear to the LORD and yet swear by Milcom, 6 those who have turned back from following the LORD, who do not seek the LORD or inquire of him.” God will always punish un-repented sin.

Remember that test we took as a kids when the first line was to read all the directions before beginning? Most of us began the seemingly endless tasks to be completed in the alloted time. Some of us just sat back and smiled while the others worked feverishly; yet they wondered what we knew. The last line on the test was to put your paper down and to disregard all the previous directions. God is showing you what He has planned for the world throughout the Bible. He has shown you why you struggle; why He gave you Christ to free you from that struggle; what will happen if you deny Him, and the eternal blessings in store if you humble yourself before Him. Do not pass through life thinking God will not search your heart with His Light upon judgement day. Zephaniah 1:14 The great day of the Lord is near; It is near and hastens quickly. The noise of the day of the Lord is bitter; There the mighty men shall cry out.

 
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Posted by on December 11, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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Turn down the noise

10 Dec

Turn down the noise

Isaiah 30:21 Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” Whenever you turn to the right hand Or whenever you turn to the left.

Ole’ stubborn, stiff-necked Israel; been out chasing idols and salvation through any thing that seemed to tickle their ears; again. The prophet Isaiah had spent over half of this book pointing to the sins of Israel. Israel had went down seemingly every road against God, even knowing they were God’s people and had lived with signs and wonders of that proof. Isaiah speaks of the grace that God gives them, when they humble themselves before Him. Isaiah 30:18 Therefore the Lord will wait, that He may be gracious to you; And therefore He will be exalted, that He may have mercy on you. For the Lord is a God of justice; Blessed are all those who wait for Him. 19 For the people shall dwell in Zion at Jerusalem; You shall weep no more. He will be very gracious to you at the sound of your cry; When He hears it, He will answer you. Isaiah is speaking of the New Covenant; one of the promise of a Savior; one whom His Spirit will live inside them. (Jeremiah 31:27-40).

Many may say that they believe in God, maybe even Christ, but even Satan’s evil spirits believe. Acts 19:15 And the evil spirit answered and said, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?” If you say you believe; then you must humble yourself before God. You must repent of your sin and plea for forgiveness. You then will have His Spirit living inside of you. That is a product of Salvation, and a key to living the Christian life. You can seem religious, you may seem to have knowledge and talk the talk, but until you swallow your pride at the foot of the Cross you have gotten nowhere with God. Having Christ’s spirit inside of you will guide you in your daily walk if you consciously seek to abide in Him. A heart that is truly seeking after God is a heart with the ability to hear the words of God; to know whether to turn to the right or the left.

The white noise of the world today has the ability to dull your senses to God. If I were to begin a list of all the distractions that are before us, this would become a 24 hour ministry instead of one minute. There seems to be no ability to slow down; to just find silence and peace any longer. Even the peace of Sunday afternoons at my house is replaced now by seemingly rush hour traffic. Our society is always seeming going somewhere; Satan smiles at our need to be busy. To hear that voice inside of you that you so long to hear, you must go against the grain of the world. You also probably know the scripture that is the key. Psalm 46:10 Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth! How can you know which way to turn if you don’t turn down the white noise of this world?

 
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Posted by on December 10, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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Hands and Feet

09 Dec

Hands and Feet

Matthew 18:11-13   For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost. 12 What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go to the mountains to seek the one that is straying? 13 And if he should find it, assuredly, I say to you, he rejoices more over that sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray.

“Well, I am gonna just sit right here. I am comfortable, and that might cause me to be uncomfortable.” That statement could apply in many contexts to many different situations in our lives. Think of how many times you have not made a move because a move will always involve change. We can tend to get content; we fear change; we get lazy. To step out into the unknown is where faith is. Hebrews 11:Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. We can seem to justify by many, and any, means the reasoning behind remaining idle. Satan provides the excuses for sitting still, for that keeps us from experiencing Christ in those situations.

This morning in my prayer time I had the words “hands and feet” on my mind. We are to be the hands and feet of Christ in the motion of going out and spreading the Gospel. We are not to remain idle, or to simply serve ourselves, but to share with those that Christ puts before us. Do you think it is a coincidence that God has put that person before you; and that you are feeling that tug to share? This is a time when you deny yourself and your fear; you step out in faith to share your faith. Hebrews 13:16 But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased. The acts of sharing your faith is the acts that please God. The idleness and denial of sharing your faith pains the Holy Spirit living inside of you. Ephesians 4:30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

Idleness is a sin, in fact a great sin to be honest. When the Apostle John wrote the book of Revelation from the visions he experienced; idleness is directly addressed in a terrifying scripture. Revelation 3:15 I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. 16 So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. This scripture should terrify you. You cannot sit in the comfort of your religion in a pew on Sunday. You cannot grieve the Holy Spirit and not share your faith. You cannot remain idle and not live out your faith; you must let your faith in Christ take you where you would not go on your own. Be the hands and feet of Jesus, and live out your faith in Him.

 
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Posted by on December 9, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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Welll….I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night

08 Dec

Welll….I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night

Romans 12:3 For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.

I sat down this morning just to read the Bible. God stopped me at the first scripture I read above. The Holy Spirit has the ability to open your mind through your heart in God’s Word like no other book on earth; the reason it is called the Living Word. Pride is a root of my testimony, and God has been chipping away at it for years now. He is showing me how a humble heart is the key to a relationship with Him in all areas of my life. There should never be a point of elevating ourselves at any point in our Christian life. We should never seek the spotlight, and never take credit for achievements that were given to us. Pride has destroyed many ministries and many lives that became puffed up.

God has given you a gift; a special spiritual gift that separates you from others. I do believe that He gives more than one, but I do believe that there is one that stands above the rest. Paul speaks of these gifts in Romans 12:6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; 7 or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; 8 he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness. The individual blessings of each individual make up the body of Christ that will perform the work of Christ like a well tuned motor. When each piece of a motor is properly tuned to perform just it’s one job well, the result is a maximum horsepower. Paul puts this analogy into the human body; Romans 12:4 For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, 5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.

Do you know what your gift is? Do you use it to draw glory to the One who gave it to you? Are you too busy doing something else that draws more attention; or trying to draw attention in everything? You are wasting God’s gift if you are not concentrating on it. My gift is writing; my gift is no greater than yours. 1 Corinthians 12:4 There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. I have chosen to concentrate on my gift and not try to do anything and every thing that comes around. I pray consistently for God to keep pride at bay; for Him to continue to keep me focused on where my gift comes from. I want no credit, but to give credit and glory to Him early morning every single day. Find your gift and give God 100% dedication in drawing glory to Him with it.

 
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Posted by on December 8, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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Come on…..Papa needs a 7!

07 Dec

Come on…..Papa needs a 7!

Proverbs 16:33 The lot is cast into the lap, But its every decision is from the Lord.

In the Old Testament times it was a common practice to “cast lots” to make decisions. It was a game of chance, and the game of chance that set the outcome for many huge decisions. It is mentioned 70 times in the Old Testament. The Lot many have been some sort of stone, coins, or even sticks; today we would most likely use dice for our decisions on these games of chance. In the day of Solomon, (the writer of Proverbs), they did not have access to God’s Word, and the Holy Spirit had not been given yet to them. They prayed and relied on God’s sovereignty on the outcome of the way the Lot fell. Now after Christ; after the completion of God’s Word, and after the coming of the Holy Spirit; nowhere in the New Testament are we told to cast Lots to make decisions.

We know we are told to pray for His help in the time of making decisions, and many times we rush into a prayer for help right now. We stumble around and want a word from God, but yet we haven’t spent any time with God up to the point of this critical move. Christ tells a powerful parable in Matthew; the parable of the sower, and then Christ’s explanation of it to His disciples (Matthew 13:1-23). In that parable many may have asked a question before God, and their answer played out as the three soils. The only one who received their answer and knew it was from God; was the one who prepared their heart. Matthew 13:23 As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.” (ESV)

How much time you spend with God in prayer and His Word is in direct relation to how clearly you hear God speak to you. The people you surround yourself with either heightens this awareness to God, or they dulls your senses. The media that you put in your mind with either draw you to God, or drag you away from Him. Your every day, your every action, is in relation to how you hear from God. If your decisions are driven for worldly lusts; beware for your heart is not in good soil as in Matthew 13:22 As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. For your every decision that you make in life God is waiting on you to ask Him. The closer you are to God, the easier His reply will be to hear.

 
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Posted by on December 7, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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Thank you for the frogs

06 Dec

Thank you for the frogs

Matthew 6:7 And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.

I am not a really a fan of reality TV. So much of it is simply trash for our minds; so much of it is outrightly made for TV with maybe 10% reality at best. I had heard of the one about the country boys gone millionaires. The draw of the Beverly Hillbillies was there, and yesterday I was drawn into a marathon of it; laughing my guts out for hours on end. You can take the boy out of the country, but you cannot take the country out of the boy. This is what grabbed me; they showed the family together in prayer around the dinner table at the end of every episode. The father lead them in honest, simple, thanksgiving prayer that were different each time. They were from a country boys heart. Through research, I have seen their genuine faith in multiple speaking engagements where they were giving testimony, and simply powerful preaching.

God is not impressed; in fact God is displeased when we try to pray to impress those that may hear us. The “thee, thou, art” types of prayers that sound heavenly. The big words and the vain repetitions that have been handed down for generations. The bedtime prayers, the meal prayers; these can become those vain repetitions; not an opportunity to give heartfelt thanks for the meal or the day. When we are praying to be heard by men; we are praying in hypocrisy. We are being fake with God; and God knows our heart and the truth. We will only receive the accolade of the men that hear. Matthew 6:5 “And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.

Prayer does not need grand words; prayer needs a humble sincere heart. God knows what you truly want, what you truly need, what you are going to say before you say it; He just wants you to approach Him with it.  Matthew 6:8 Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. Prayer should always have the highest level of respect and honor; in that is found the humble heart that is required. Just talk to God like you really feel. There is no wrong way to pray if it is a humble, heartfelt prayer to the creator of the universe that granted you the breath to breath today. It can even be a prayer of thanksgiving for the frogs that lie upon the table to eat.

 
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Posted by on December 6, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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Don’t be a 1hr noun

05 Dec

Don’t be a 1hr noun

Romans 12:1-2   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. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

The apostle Paul had been spending the previous chapters in Romans laying out the fundamentals of the Christian doctrine. He had spoken of the doctrine of justification, free grace, and the coming promises of glory to be revealed. Romans 12 begins to speak of our duties to live under these Christian doctrines. “I beseech you therefore,” ties to the preceding scripture. The ‘therefore’ is always a key word to the understanding of what you are about to read. You must back up to see the relation of that key word. Paul had summarized the doctrinal teaching in a powerful verse. Romans 11:36 For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen. The deeper you return into prior Romans writing, the deeper your understanding of you duty as in Romans 12:1-2.

These scriptures could be unpacked for days, for Romans is the pinnacle of Paul’s writings. His call of Romans 12 is like that of Christ to His disciples in 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. How are we to deny ourselves anyway? Are we to sit at home in a room shut off from the rest of the world and read God’s Word? No, we are called to become disciples in Christ’s last words to us before He ascended into heaven. Matthew 28:19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Christ’s last words to you were a call to action. This call of action is not to just accept Him and to go to church on Sunday. Are you denying yourself as in Romans 12 and Luke 9; or are you denying God giving Him only an hour or two a week?

Being a disciple, denying ourself, living a life as that sacrifice is as simple as seeking God and the things of God every day. The more time you spend with God in His Word and prayer the easier this focus becomes. This self denial will be the product of the heart that truly loves God, and seeks to please him as a result. If you will make the conscious effort to do these things, God will take care of the rest. Christianity is a verb; not a noun sitting on a pew for an hour on Sunday. I have included a link to a powerful short video where I pray God will stir your heart.

 
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Posted by on December 5, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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Bible Study 101

04 Dec

Bible Study 101

Psalm 63:1 A Psalm of David when he was in the wilderness of Judah. O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water.

As I was in prayer this morning, I came to realize this ministry is just over 330 days old. For most of those days I have risen early each day, spent time with God, and written what He laid on my heart at that time. It has been an open book of how to show you God in all areas of my life; but it has never been an idea to substitute your time with Him. You are missing out on the true experience if you stop here. As a best friend and Godly man once told me; take the scriptures in the devotionals and get into God’s Word. You will likely be placed in the middle of some context, and you should search out all the history and results of that context. Wa-la – great lengthy time in God’s Word.

A good study Bible is the key to helping to understand and guide you along your way. As in Psalm 63 above, it is the story of David when he was seeking God with all his heart; he seems to be in a desert. Why was he in the desert? What happened to him there? You will learn of David as a great warrior; Saul as a jealous king who seeks to kill David. God may very likely open your eyes to something else when you begin to truly study His Word. I have written beside this scripture in my Bible, “Today our world is dry. Far from God.” The Holy Spirit living inside of you will reveal God’s Word to you. John 14:26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.

It has not been that long ago that I made the conscious effort to read my Bible every day. It changed my life forever, and it will do the same for you. You cannot grow closer to God without seeking God every day and spending time in His Word. You will get out of it what you put into it.  My heart lies is encouraging you to spend daily time with God; to use any devotional as a stepping stone into His Word. If you will do this one thing, all the other things will fall into place. Live your life as in Matthew 6:33 Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you. Bible study 101 starts right now.

 
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Posted by on December 4, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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As a child

03 Dec

As a child

2 Corinthians 11:3-4    But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. 4 For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted–you may well put up with it!

As I watched our children’s Christmas play last night at church, the closing scene had a young man “get it”. He saw how his pride had blinded his eyes, and how the story of Christ’s birth in Bethlehem was happening before him. He had complicated, even not believed, that God was at work. We can tend to do that today with the message of the Gospel that came that Christmas morn. That was the day that God sent His only Son to save you from your sins eternally. John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

Pride tends to make us believe that we must do something. It is true, we must do something; swallow our pride and humble ourselves with the understanding that we must do nothing but that. The simplicity of the Gospel is where pride builds that wall. Christ told the disciples of how to come to him as a child in Luke 18:17 Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.”  Paul is stressing the the Corinth church against the false teachers of the day, and their systems of religion that required duties. There are no works that will gain you favor with God to earn your salvation. Work does not produce faith, but faith produces good works. The good works come as a result of your Salvation, not a means to earn it.

The Gospel, or Good News of Jesus Christ is simple; we complicate it. The Gospel is that God gave His only son, Jesus, to come to this earth for you. He lived as fully God, and fully man, a perfect life. He paid the perfect sacrifice for your sin debt. He died on the Cross to pay for your sin, and your humble, repentant heart can accept this free gift as the only way to heaven. John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. You can’t earn it, but you can humbly accept it. Take away the years of pride that has grown in you, and approach Christ with the innocence of a child.

 
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Posted by on December 3, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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