Friday, October 31, 2008

Fighting Against God?

"Therefore in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God." Acts 5:38-39

I find myself extremely frustrated and upset when I think about the possibility of Barack Obama with his socialistic ideology possibly being our next president. I think about the blood spilled by our brave men and women in uniform who have died for our liberty and pray that it has not been in vain. To think our way of life, our freedom, could be gone in a short while, perhaps never to be seen again is more than I can bear sometimes.

As I read God's Word this morning the Lord took me through this passage in Acts and made me stop and think, "What if God had ordained this moment for his purpose?" "What if God is using this current political situation for his redemption plan?"

"How could I stop it? "Why would I want to stop it?"

Now don't get me wrong, I am not choosing Mr. Obama's change package! I will still vote for liberty over government oppression and taxes as long as I am able. But what if God has a socialist president elected in the United States as part of his redemption plan? I certainly cannot change that by worrying or getting frustrated; and I may even find myself fighting against God. Perhaps rather than fight, I will just pray, "Thy will be done Father," and be at peace.

My prayer. Lord, I don't know what you have planned for my country in the next four years. I do know, however, that no matter what happens in the physical world that you are working for the good of all mankind in the spiritual world. And I do know that your word is truth and in the end, we as followers of Christ will be victorious over sin and death. Father, I humbly fall before you and confess my sins and promise to turn away from all that displeases you and I pray in earnest for my country seeking your face and trusting that you will heal the United States of America! I know that no human effort can stop what you have planned for your children. I believe in You and I pray that you help me in my unbelief so that I may always trust you even when times are difficult. In Jesus name I pray, Amen!

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Because our Time is Short

"Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom." (Psalm 90:12)

Moses is credited with writing Psalm 90. Empowered by the Holy Spirit he cries out to the Lord for mercy and rescue from God's wrath. He pleads for his limited time on earth to be pleasing to God and productive for the Kingdom.

These days seem anxious. The state of the world, especially here in America, reflects a sense of uncertainty, frustration and fear among the people unlike I have ever experienced in my fifty years. Psalm 90's tone sounds as if it could have been written yesterday as the prayer cries out to God. "We are consumed by your indignation," Moses pleads. "You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your presence." (Psalm 90:7-8)

When we are called before the Lord in judgement, everything we have ever done will be laid bare before Him. Yes, even though we are saved our Father will show us what he saw in us even the "secret sins" we comitted when we thought no one was watching. He is coming, and he may be here sooner than we think.

While I have faith in the salvation that I received from Christ, I, like Moses, am uncomfortable as I reflect on my future meeting with my Father. I can only pray that he "establish the work of (my) hands (now)" and help me "gain a heart of wisdom." (Psalm 90:17, 12)

My prayer. Father again I confess the secret sins still present in my life. Despite the relationship you have offered to me, I continue to put myself and the desires of my sinful nature ahead of your will. Teach me Father to "number my days aright" before my time in your earthly service has passed me by. Thank you Lord for your mercy and grace and for establishing the work of my hands that I might store up my treasures in heaven. In Jesus name I pray, Amen!

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Hope for What is Unseen

"But hope that is seen is no hope at all." (Rom 8:24)

Hope is an anticipation for something not present. When one hopes for something or someone, he or she looks forward to its appearance with a sense of desire and a knowledge that the object of that desire will manifest itself as reality someday. One would not hope for an illness or financial ruin, neither would one hope that the world would someday be found to be flat.

"Therefore (in light of our eventual resurrection), my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves freely to the work of the Lord, because you KNOW that your labor in the Lord is not in vain." (1 Cor 15:38) Paul says, because we have hope in our certain resurrection we KNOW that our labor (obedience) to the Lord is not wasted time. When one has hope, there is excitement in obedience. Christians should be eager to serve God, to give him glory and to help gather souls unto Him, because of the anticipation of spending eternity worshipping God in a New Heaven and New Earth! What freedom!

Our hope, therefore, lies in what we presently cannot see. It is only by our faith in a (physically)unseen world by the promises of a (physically) unseen God, that we have true freedom. Because we hope, we can experience freedom from what held us captive (drugs, alcohol, sexual immorality, etc) before we put our trust in the redemptive power of the shed blood of Jesus Christ.

If I was addicted to pornography yesterday and accepted Jesus as my Lord and Saviour today, I would be free from this addiction immediately if I had enough faith in Christ's redeeming power. But, because our faith is weak and our hope still lies in the pleasure we feel in the physically present pornographic material we will continue to struggle in the chains of that addiction. UNTIL we have faith to trust that Jesus Christ died to free us from this addiction, we will return to it even though we profess to be Christ followers. How often has this been the downfall of so many believers?!

No, we must allow the hope of a broken addiction to permeate our spirit and resist the subject of our physical desire as we are filled with the stronger desire to be obedient to the Father. As we practice that faith (hope) daily, trusting in the unseen power of a resurrected Jesus, we will slowly be separated from the spirit of (lust, greed, drunkenness, etc) that wants to draw us back into bondage. Unfortunately, we of little faith, must undergo a process of learning how to hope for the unseen before we allow ourselves to live in freedom. Therefore, as our faith grows, so does our ability to trust God and be obedient to his commands and his calling on our lives.

My prayer. By faith Lord, we can be healed not because of our strength but by the stripes received by your Son at the hands of a sinful and fallen world. Because of your love for us you healed us from sin and death. Father, you are the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not (the unseen) as though they were. You give sight to the blind and restore hearing to the deaf. You save us from the chains of addiction and use us to redeem the lost. What an awesome God we serve! Thank you for loving us so much that your would not leave us to die in our own sinfulness. I love you Lord and give you thanks and praise. In the Name above all names I pray, Amen!

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Faith

These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. God had planned something better for us to that only together with us would they be made perfect." (Heb 11:39-40)

Faith is believing in something unseen and receiving it just as if it were physically present. "By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the people had marched around them for seven days." (Heb 11:29) By faith:
  • Daniel spent the night in the lion's den and was unharmed;
  • David picked up five smooth stones and his sling, and slew Goliath; and
  • Abraham, after waiting, although not patiently, until he was very old, was given many children.

After writing this in draft, the Lord spoke to me and called me to add here the fact that all of these biblical heroes exercised their faith, first by taking the action that God had spoken to them, and then by receiving the promise God had given them. They didn't read about or hear about God's power and not take action, they first were obedient and then they believed and received his blessing. How often we forget about the action step!

God's promises for our lives are fulfilled if we are obedient to what he asks us to do and then we are confident that God is faithful in his promises even when we may not see physically the results. Let us not lose heart when the world around us seems to be winning and stealing our joy because God has something waiting for us. He has plans to prosper and not to harm us. Whatever we face now we must believe that what we have asked God to remove or replace according to his will, it has already been set aside for us by Him because he is faithful in what he promises.

My prayer. Father, you know my heart. You know what I struggle with. Your word says that you have plans for us that do not include harm but promise prosperity and hope. Help me Lord not to be blinded by present circumstances but to be encouraged by my faith in You, believing for things promised but yet unseen. I trust you Lord even though I am weak in my faith. I ask earnestly for your forgiveness for my doubt and receive now the promises already delivered in my unseen future. In Jesus name I pray, Amen!

Monday, October 20, 2008

Here I Am Lord

"I desire to do your will, O my God; your law is written in my heart." (Psalm 40:8)

I awoke this morning to the sound of an "Infomercial" tauting that a person could make hundreds of thousands of dollars a day selling items on eBay. Having fallen asleep with the television on, which I often do when I am on a business trip, I arose to find the remote and see if the morning news was on. "Colin Powell endorses Barack O'Bama," was the buzz of the minute as I quickly flipped through all of the so-called news choices. The Holy Spirit quickly prompted me to turn it off, make some coffee, and get into God's word. Thank you Lord!

So many things are pulling for our attention these days. The world is clamoring about everything and the media is continuously awash in the latest moment never taking the time to explain at more than a superficial level before moving on to the next "Breaking Story." The coverage and depth of substance on almost topic today is so thin that it doesn't take an astute person to see through it. Rush Limbaugh aptly calls this style of coverage and its perpetrators the "Drive-by Media."

As Christians we can fall into this trap of superficiality when it comes to our relationship with God. The pace of life and our sinful nature constantly pull at us to move on to the next thing. We must fill up our days with stuff, often ignoring or perhaps avoiding the weight and the substance of God's Word. Perhaps its the busyness or maybe, deep down in our hearts, we don't want to be bothered with that which God wants us to do.

I carry around a piece of paper entitled "The Cost of Discipleship;" it is a list taken from a sermon delivered by the Reverend Mary L. Jacobs on June 23, 2002. The list gives an answer to the question, "What happened to the twelve apostles?" While there is much controversy about the exactness of the historical record surrounding these passionate men, the fact of the matter is that this tattered document shoved into my Bible is a record of the hearts of Christians who got beyond the surface in their walks with God.

Of the 14 men listed, which represent the original twelve and the replacement (Matthais) for Judas Iscariot and Mark (writer of the Gospel), all of them except for John experienced horribly violent deaths because of their faith. These gruesome endings while fascinating from a macabre perspective, serve as a humbling reminder that faith in Jesus Christ and a relationship with God is not a trivial, "only on Sundays" activity. It is a matter of life or death, "eternal life or death.!"

While, in our current political environment, we may not be beheaded, or crucified for sharing our faith with others, we will experience other forms of "persecution" from family, friends and co-workers who do not share our passionate belief. Whatever our current circumstance, however, we must be prepared to do God's will wherever it takes us and whenever we feel the prompting of the Holy Spirit.

David writes prophetically in Psalm 40:7-10 (NETBible): "Then I say, “Look! I come! What is written in the scroll pertains to me. I want to do what pleases you, my God.
Your law dominates my thoughts.” I have told the great assembly about your justice.
Look! I spare no words! O Lord, you know this is true. I have not failed to tell about your justice; I spoke about your reliability and deliverance; I have not neglected to tell the great assembly about your loyal love and faithfulness."


The passion here of David's words ( "your law dominates my thoughts") is the same that ignited the hearts of the disciples to go into the world at their own personal risk to tell others about Jesus. We must all have this passion especially as we face the times ahead. We must daily pray and study God's word and walk boldly into our world and not be timid about sharing what God has done in our lives.

We our live must be "living sacrifices holy and acceptable unto God." "Sacrifice" means that our lives are no longer ours, but His. We must therefore, serve him in everything we do. Let's turn off the TV and put down the remote and get off the couch and get into the game for our Lord and Savior and in humble remembrance of our fallen brothers who went bravely before us.

My prayer. Father, strengthen us today and empower us to go into a tumultuous world and walk boldly proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ. Prepare a way for us and let your light shine on our footsteps today. Give us the words through your Holy Spirit and prepare the hearts of those to whom we will minister. Use us today according to your will and not ours. In Jesus name I pray, Amen!

Sunday, October 19, 2008

A Time to Stand Strong

" For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope - the glorious appearing of our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ,..." (Titus 2:11-13)

I don't like to wait. It seems the faster the pace of our lives the less we like to wait for anything. We don't like to wait to see our doctor, nor do we tolerate slow service in a restaurant. Even our vacations are stressful as we pack as many events as we can into them. "Rush here, hurry there" is our new standard of living and the result is a stressed out, overworked, exhausted society that is miserable and hopelessly frustrated. Even we Christians have joined the rushing masses, many of us losing sight for whom we are called to wait.

God tells us, while we are waiting for Christ's glorious return we are to "live self-controlled upright and godly lives." We are to "patiently" wait while saying "'No' to ungodliness and worldly passions," because the grace of God has brought us salvation.

Paul says God's grace has "appeared to all men," but only some men have received that grace. I believe God is having us wait for Jesus' glorious return so that those around us can see how His grace has changed our lives to the point we are no longer effected by "worldly passions." If we can wait patiently throughout the turmoil around us, how many souls will be won? If we are examples of God's saving grace living self-controlled lives in the midst of financial crisis and fears of terrorism, we are bound to draw the attention of the unsaved around us. But, if we lose heart and grow impatient we will lose the opportunity God has provided to witness to our neighbors and friends. God has ordained a "valley" for us to walk through so that can show the world the power of Christ in us!

Jesus died "to redeem us from all wickedness" and "to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good." (Titus 2:14) Paul recognizes two different conditions of people:
  1. Redeemed People - That is us!
  2. "Unpurified" people who are eager to do what is good.

If the "unpurified people" can't see the good in us (the redeemed), how can they see Christ? We are the only example they have and the means by which they will come to know Jesus.

Now is the time to Christians (you and me) to slow down, be patient and be living examples of Christ. The world is watching while we wait patiently for His return.

My prayer. Father, thank you for purifying me through the blood of your Son. Give me the strength of character to say "No" to ungodliness so that I may be an example of "Christlikeness" to the unsaved around me. Help me to wait patiently and obediently for your return, through the intercession of Jesus Christ in whose mighty name I pray! Amen!

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Submit to God's Will

"During the days of Jesus' life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission." Heb 5:7

Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane on the night he was betrayed and handed over to Roman soldiers to be tortured and killed:

" 'Abba,' Father everything is possible with you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will." (Mark 14:36)

In my walk with the father, I often pray and petition; selfishly I ask for "better" things (jobs, houses, relief from illness or pain) but seldom do I hear myself say, "Yet not I will but what you will," Father.

God, through the author of Hebrews, reminds us to follow Jesus' example of submission (reverent submission) to the will of God when we pray. We of small minds and limited vision are blinded by our own comfort and selfishness and cannot see what God's perfect will is in our daily life experiences. God's will may not be always for what we desire, as confirmed by his answer to Jesus' plea in the garden. If God did not spare his own Son's suffering and death when he asked, how can we be sure that he might not have us suffer for the greater purpose of His plans.

It is God's will and our submission to it, no matter what the hardship, that we must keep in mind when we pray. God did not promise an easy life and a comfortable retirement here on earth. But he does offer a "Sabbath rest" for his people (Heb 4:9) if we have faith in Jesus and submit to His will while we are here.

My prayer. Help me Father to always remember that it is your will that is the main thing. Forgive my selfishness when I pray and teach me to always submit reverently to your will. In Jesus name and by his example, I submit! Amen

Saturday, October 11, 2008

Many Antichrists Have Come Already

"Such a man is the antichrist-he denies the Father and the Son" 1 John 2:18



These are very interesting times. The world economy is on a roller coaster ride, fueled be greed and panic. Terrorists motivated by selfish desires to attain power and wealth, kill innocent people in the name of their religion. We find ourselves in a world of mistrust and most live in fear and uncertainty. John's first letter written to the body of Gentile believers of the day is said by scholars to "give the believers assurance and confidence in God and in their faith." (Life Application Bible, Zondervan) Yet I believe that his letter too is prophetic especially as current events unfold.

"I am writing these things about those who are trying to lead you astray," John says in 1 John 2:25. The Lord spoke through John 2000 years ago so that now, in the midst of today's turmoil (war, financial distress, and political rhetoric) we would not be deceived by false idols ("antichrists") such as money, power, greed, etc.

John's words remind us, "...you have an anointing from the Holy One (all of us) and all of you know the truth." Prophetically, he warns that now is not the time to put our trust in a politician, a stock broker, a real estate agent, a radio talk-show host or televangelist. The Enemy is working overtime right now, pulling out every deception to lead us astray. We must resist and take to heart John's words, '...the anointing you received from him remains in you, you do not need anyone (Barack, Rush, or "crazy" Aunt Sue) to teach you." (1 John 2:22) Editorial mine!

These trying times, I believe, are brought by the Enemy through our own sinful nature, but allowed by God. If we truly have the truth of God's word in us, we can be strong during the turbulence and can show non-believers and believers who are not well-grounded in their faith the power of Christ through our quiet strength in Him. God is allowing world events to happen to bring people to him but we, who are already in Christ, must be strong and "walk as Jesus did, " (1 John 2:6) so those around us can see God through us even when circumstances are tough.

My prayer. Father thank you for letting us serve you during these trying times. How exciting it is to be a follower of Christ at such a time as you have ordained for the world to endure. Lord we ask you to strengthen our resolve and demonstrate the power of Christ through us so that you may usher thousands perhaps millions into the eternal life found through belief in your Son Jesus. Help us to resist the wiles of the Enemy and grant us all the quiet strength and confidence that Jesus demonstrated. May we live our lives as examples of the power of Christ in us. Thank you Father for trusting us to do your work in this difficult season! In Jesus name I pray, Amen!

Friday, October 10, 2008

Because of Our Unbelief

"So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief." Heb 3:19

The author of Hebrews is writing to a Jewish audience and referring to their history of disobedience and unbelief that caused a generation to wander in the desert unable to enter the promised land. Even Moses who led them out of slavery in Egypt was unable to see the fruits of his own obedience because of their unbelief.

How often does our own unbelief causes us to miss God's blessings? I know I have suffered much self-inflicted pain and anxiety simply because I did not believe God. Whether, its finances or forgiveness, we all can call to mind a time of not being able to enjoy or experience the fullness of God's blessing because of our lack of trust in the Father.

John 3:36 says, Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him." Because of our inherent sinfulness, God's wrath remains on all who do not trust that Jesus went to the cross and endured torture and death to remove the Father's wrath from the entire world. Many Christians, including me, believe this truth but fail to believe that God is faithful in his other promises such as forgiveness of past misdeeds or blessings around tithing, and healing. Why is it we can believe he died for our sins yet not believe his other promises? We must learn to believe all of his promises if we are going to have complete freedom, not only from His wrath but from the chains that have held us captive and kept us from our "promised land."

My prayer. Father we are often unwilling and unable to enter into the fullness of your blessings. Even as believers in Christ, we miss out on the fullness of your promises and joy. I pray today for your grace regarding our stubbornness and mistrust of you. As we pass through this life, may each one of us hear and receive the promises you made to all of us through your Word. Open our eyes and our ears to see and hear your words and please open our hearts to receive and believe what you have said. Thank you Father for loving us even when we stand outside of our promised land waiting, in unbelief. In Jesus Name I Pray, Amen!